📖 Passage Breakdown — Romans 3:28

 

“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

 

📜 Background, Setting & Purpose

 

✍️ Author

 

Paul the Apostle, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

 

👥 Written To

 

Believers in Rome — a mixed body of Jews and Gentiles in the Body of Christ.

 

⏲️ When

 

~A.D. 57, near the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, likely from Corinth.

 

🌍 Setting & Purpose of Romans (book-level)

 

Romans is Paul’s doctrinal masterpiece. It lays out:

 

• The universal guilt of mankind 
• Justification by faith alone 
• The imputation of righteousness 
• The believer’s position in Christ 
• God’s plan for Jew and Gentile in this age 

 

Romans answers the greatest question of all:

 

 

How can a holy God declare guilty sinners righteous?

 

📖 Immediate Context (Romans 1–3)

 

Before Paul ever gets to Romans 3:28, he destroys every human escape route.

 

• Romans 1 — Gentiles are guilty 
• Romans 2 — Jews are guilty 
• Romans 3 — All are guilty 

 

Paul’s verdict is unmistakable:

 

“There is none righteous, no, not one…”
“There is none who seeks after God…”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

 

Humanity is not “almost saved.”
Humanity is condemned, helpless, and silent before God (Rom 3:19).

 

✨ Phrase-by-Phrase Breakdown

 

“Therefore…”

 

This is one of the most important therefores in Scripture.

 

It reaches back to everything Paul has just proven:

 

• All are under sin 
• No one meets God’s standard 
• The Law condemns rather than saves 
• Every mouth is stopped 
• The whole world stands guilty before God 

 

“Therefore” means Paul is about to draw an unavoidable conclusion.

 

You cannot skip this word without skipping the logic of grace.

 

“we conclude…”

 

This is not speculation.
Not opinion.
Not theological guesswork.

 

“We conclude” means:

 

• The evidence has been presented 
• The case has been argued 
• The verdict is in 

 

Paul is saying, in effect:

 

 

“Given everything God has revealed, this is the only possible conclusion.”

 

Grace is not an emotional idea — it is a judicial necessity.

 

“that a man is justified…”

 

Justified is a legal term, not a feeling.

 

It means:

 

• Declared righteous 
• Acquitted 
• Cleared of all charges 
• Given a right standing before God 

 

Not made righteous by works.
Not kept righteous by effort.
But declared righteous by God Himself.

 

“by faith…”

 

Faith is not a work.
Faith is not merit.
Faith is not obedience.

 

Faith is trust — resting in what God has done.

 

Specifically, faith in:

 

• The shed blood of Christ (Rom 3:25) 
• His death 
• His burial 
• His resurrection 

 

Faith receives. Works attempt to earn.

 

“apart from the deeds of the law.”

 

This phrase eliminates every form of human contribution.

 

“Apart from” means:

 

• Without 
• Separate from 
• Excluding 
• Independent of 

 

Not circumcision.
Not commandments.
Not repentance-as-works.
Not obedience.
Not law-keeping of any kind.

 

The Law has zero role in justification — for Jew or Gentile.

 

❌ What This Verse Does Not Mean

 

• Not that the Law is evil 
• Not that good works are meaningless 
• Not that obedience has no place in the believer’s life 
• Not that faith must be completed by works to justify 

 

Paul is speaking specifically about justification, not Christian living.

 

✅ What It Does Mean

 

• Justification is by faith alone 
• Works contribute nothing to salvation 
• God saves the ungodly (Rom 4:5) 
• Eternal life is a free gift, not a wage 
• The cross fully satisfied God’s justice 
• Grace is not conditioned on human performance 

 

This is the heartbeat of the gospel of grace.

 

🔗 Cross-References for Going Deeper

 

Romans 3:19–20 — The Law condemns all
Romans 3:21–26 — Righteousness revealed apart from the Law
Romans 4:4–5 — Faith contrasted with works
Galatians 2:16 — Justified by faith, not works of the Law
Ephesians 2:8–9 — Salvation by grace through faith
Titus 3:5 — Not by works of righteousness

 

🙏 Devotional Summary

 

Romans 3:28 is God’s verdict over a guilty world. After proving that no one seeks God, no one does good, and no one can stand justified by obedience, God does something breathtaking — He offers righteousness as a gift. You are not asked to earn His favor, clean yourself up, or prove your worth. You are asked to believe. Faith alone, in Christ alone, apart from works — this is not leniency; it is mercy grounded in justice. The cross did everything the Law could never do.

 

Bottom line:

 

After mankind failed completely, God concluded graciously.