Video Notes:

• Paul has made a declaration in vs 21-26, we are made righteous by faith, not by works of the Law. So, he returns to the question-and-answer format as though he is being challenged by his opponents.
• Boasting – This is boasting in being the chosen people of God and in having the Law. It is also boasting of having a claim on God because of their works of the Law.
• It is excluded (by God), however, because none of that has any bearing before God since righteousness is obtained by faith. Thus, there is only thanksgiving.
• Again, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or gentile. God is the God of all people because He is the only God. Whether someone believes in God or not doesn’t change the fact that He is God and, thus, their God.
• “Faith upholds the Law.” There is debate about what this means and several possibilities are supported by other Scripture.
  • The Law is upheld because faith agrees with the Law that shows our sin (as described in Romans 3:20)
  • The word for law can refer to the commands of God (how Lutherans usually use the word) or the Torah (first five books of the Bible). If Paul means Torah, then it is fitting that He is saying faith upholds the Torah because the Torah and the prophets testify to the fact that we are saved by faith (Romans 3:21).
  • Finally, the Law is upheld because the person who has faith receives the Holy Spirit and should walk in step with the Spirit (Galatians 5:25) which would be to follow God’s commands.
  • The first two possibilities are supported by the passages immediately before the statement in chapter 3. The third possibility is supported by what comes after in chapter 4. It’s hard to say which is right or whether Paul is being intentionally ambiguous because all are true.