Romans 3:31 – The law nullified? 

Are we, then, nullifying law through faith? May it not be coming to that! Nay, we are sustaining law.

The common thread running through Paul’s argument is the fact that a man does not become righteous before GOD through “works of law”. It could be objected that this invalidates the law. But Paul throws that suggestion far from him. The opposite is true. Paul confirms just what the law says!

Earlier, Paul wrote (3:21) that the righteousness of GOD now revealed is “apart from law”. But he immediately adds “being attested by the law and the prophets.” So it does not come out of the blue unannounced, but it could be expected based on what “is written”.

With “the law” Paul here refers to the five books of Moses. The Torah. In the following verses he elaborates on the history of Abram as described in the book of Genesis. That book of the Bible covers over 2,000 years of history, but it precedes Sinai. Genesis is “apart from law” and yet it is part of it. And it teaches that, hundreds of years before the law, Abram was already a righteous one before GOD. 

Delen: