Paul in Romans 3 9 31

Romans 3: is part of a letter by St. Paul to the Roman Christians attempting to explain to them why the Mosaic Law of Judaism was not the means to salvation. (Campbell 2101) Paul first discussed the origin and the nature of sin through an examination of some Old Testament texts, he then discussed the nature of God's forgiveness and how simply obeying the Mosaic Law was an attempt at saving oneself through acts, instead of through faith. Paul went on to discuss how in the act of being crucified, Jesus changed the relationship between God and humans; Jesus' sacrifice washed away original sin. But Paul was careful to remind people that only those who accepted Jesus, maintained faith in Christ, would be cleansed of sin. Finally Paul concluded by asserting obeying the Mosaic Law was akin to self boasting and his "Law of Faith" was the deciding factor in salvation. Overall Paul was attempting to explain to non-Jews how the Jewish laws of Moses found in the Torah, and now in the Old Testament, were not the basis for the Christian faith. That by simply obeying these laws, one was attempting to earn one's salvation by acting in the proper ways, and instead, God, through the sacrificing of his son, gave humans the gift of salvation simply by accepting Jesus as the savior.

Paul began his explanation of the importance of faith over law with a discussion of some Old Testament texts, mostly from Psalms, but also from Isaiah. In those OT texts, Paul demonstrated that all humanity is flawed, that no righteous man really exists and all are subject to sin. (Peake 2001) He went on to demonstrate that the true religious spirit which allowed humanity to attain God's salvation was not gained through the act of obeying the Law of Moses. That would be the same as self-salvation and only God can be the source of real salvation, not one's self. Those who believe they will gain God's salvation through following the Law are wrong. While following the Law may give a person an advantage by allowing a person to demonstrate many of the qualities God finds good in people, like charity, kindness, forgiveness, etc., simply following these precepts are not enough to gain salvation; one needs faith in Jesus as well. (Mays 1988)

Since one cannot be saved simply by strictly obeying the Law of Moses, how then can one be saved? Paul answers this question when he told the Romans that since Jesus was God's instrument of erasing Humanity's sinfulness, one can only be saved through the acceptance of Jesus. (Peake 2001) God had delivered salvation, cleansed humanity of it's sin, through the death and resurrection of Christ. Jesus' death was an expiation, a means of removing sins, and in this act God demonstrated his righteousness, his goodness by allowing all humanity a way out of their sinful condition. And he did this through the death and resurrection of his son, Jesus.

In the modern world, many of these passages seem difficult to understand and out of touch, but the wisdom and righteousness of these messages are truly timeless. As a Christian in the 21st century, how does obeying the Law of Moses fit in with modern life? How does God's salvation work in the computer age. The importance of this particular passage was to demonstrate for all mankind, in all times, that faith in Jesus is the deciding factor in every single person's salvation. While Christians have long since abandoned the Judaic Laws regarding dress, diet, actions and interactions, etc., modern Christians have replaced these actions with new ones. Attending masses, performing certain rituals on certain Holy Days, making the right donations, confessions (for some Christians), etc.. It is easy for the modern Christian to believe, like those in Jesus' time, that by simply performing the correct actions, attending mass regularly, making donations, possibly even volunteering with the needy will be enough to gain salvation in the eyes of God. While God wants humans to do good deeds, if one thinks they are going to get into heaven by only performing good works, then they are also attempting "self salvation." This is not the way to God's salvation, one need only truly accept Jesus as savior for the chance at redemption. Faith must be the most important thing for a Christian, people must accept that in Jesus' death and resurrection lay the road to redemption.