being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of
God through faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that believe; for there
{136} is no distinction; for all have sinned, and fall short of the
glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God set forth _to be_ a
propitiation, through faith, by his blood, to shew his righteousness,
because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the
forbearance of God; for the shewing, _I say_, of his righteousness at
this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier
of him that hath faith in Jesus. Where then is the glorying? It is
excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of
faith. We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from
the works of the law. Or is God _the God_ of Jews only? is he not _the
God_ of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also: if so be that God is
one, and he shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the
uncircumcision through faith. Do we then make the law of none effect
through faith? God forbid: nay, we establish the law.

i.

For our understanding of this famous passage a good deal depends on our
fixing, as exactly as possible, what the 'righteousness of God' here
spoken of means. Beyond all question it means in part God's own moral
character. This is quite certain, as in the Bible generally, so in
this very chapter[5]. But it is also certain that God's character is,
especially in this epistle, viewed as revealed to us in such a sense
that we can take hold of it and become identified with it. {137} Thus
(especially in i. 17) _human_ faith is spoken of as the starting-point
or region for revealing divine righteousness. It extends to and
embraces the believers[6]. It is a righteousness communicated to us
from God on the basis of faith[7]. The 'righteousness of God' is what
we men are to become[8]. This transition of meaning from what God is
in Himself to what we are by the gift of God is of course thoroughly
natural. The grand idea of the Bible is that of a moral fellowship
between man and God. The grand idea of the New Testament is, further,
that of a disclosure and communication to us of the divine life.

And what is this moral quality described by 'righteousness' which
belongs to God and is communicated to us? Righteousness is a term
belonging primarily to man. A righteous man, in the Old Testamen