Podcast Summary: Back to the Bible Podcast

Host: Larsen B. Plyler
Episode: 143 - Romans 3:21-31
Date: February 15, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Larsen B. Plyler delves into Romans 3:21-31, exploring Paul's argument about justification by faith apart from the works of the law. The discussion provides a careful textual analysis, focusing on how God’s righteousness is manifested through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ—fulfilling Old Testament prophecies, answering Jewish-Gentile questions, and abolishing human boasting. Plyler seeks to clarify Pauline theology for his audience in a way that is both accessible and faithful to the text.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context and Transition in Romans (00:50–04:40)

• Paul’s Argument So Far: Gentiles are under sin (Romans 1), Jews are condemned by hypocrisy and unfaithfulness (Romans 2), and the Law reveals sin rather than resolves it (Romans 3).
• Paul states, “by works of the law no flesh will be justified in his sight” (03:15). Even those who observed the Law, including notable figures like Zacharias and Elizabeth, did not achieve justification through the Law itself.

  "The law became a spotlight on their sin. And perhaps that's even the primary purpose that it served as a result of their rejection of it." (03:55)

2. The Manifestation of God’s Righteousness (04:40–10:45)

• Key Text: "But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God is revealed..." (Romans 3:21)
• Shift in Salvation History: “But now” indicates a new era where God's righteousness is revealed apart from the Law.
• Parallel to Romans 1:16–17: The theme of “righteousness by faith” is foundational for Romans, evidenced in both the letter's opening and in this section.

  “The Gospel, Paul says, reveals God's righteousness, reveals God's faithfulness to his promise, which the Old Testament pointed to…” (06:00)

3. Faith OF Jesus Christ or Faith IN Jesus Christ? (10:45–23:15)

• Greek Nuance: The phrase “pistis Christou” can mean either “faith IN Christ” or “faith OF Christ,” with Plyler arguing for the latter—“the faithfulness of Jesus.”
• Reasoning: Comparable use of “faithfulness” for God and Abraham elsewhere in Romans (Romans 3:3; 4:12, 4:16) suggests focus is on Jesus’ own trustworthiness, not merely our response.

  “When we talk about the faith of Jesus or the faith of Christ… we're talking about his commitment, his devotion to the will of God.” (13:00)

4. Justification and Redemption (23:15–32:50)

• All Have Sinned (v. 23): Universal guilt and need for grace.
• Justification: Declared innocent, brought into covenant relationship by grace—a gift, not earned.
• Redemption: Freedom from sin through Jesus.
• Propitiation: Jesus as the “mercy seat” (hilasterion), the place where God’s mercy is found. Old Testament imagery (Leviticus; Hebrews 9:5) is invoked.

  “This is the place where we can meet God's mercy through the blood covering of Jesus’ death.” (25:35)

• Philippians 2 Parallel: Jesus’ obedience to death—faithfulness even unto death—is held up as the model.

5. God's Justice in Forgiving Sinners (32:50–40:30)

• Problem & Solution: How can God declare sinners righteous and still be just?

  “How can a God who is righteous look at me knowing I'm not righteous and call me righteous and remain right himself?” (33:45)

• Illustration: A judge who lets a clearly guilty person go free is considered unjust—so why is God different? The answer: because justice is satisfied in Jesus’ sacrificial death.
• Texts Used: Romans 3:25 (God passed over former sins); Old Testament background in Psalm 143 and Isaiah 53:10–12.

  “He is going to bear their sin because he is interceding for them… Isaiah is giving us a preview of the gospel.” (39:40)

6. Summary of Romans 3:21–26 (40:30–43:30)

• At “the present time” (v. 26), God’s faithfulness is fully revealed in Jesus.
• Justification, grace, and redemption are available to all who are faithful to Jesus, regardless of ethnicity or Law-observance.

  “Justification by his grace and redemption is available for all who believe, all those characterized by faithfulness to Him… this is possible because of God's faithfulness to his promises.” (41:20)

7. No Room for Boasting—The Law of Faith (43:30–49:50)

• The Rhetorical Interlocutor (Conversation Partner): Paul anticipates objections – “where then is boasting?” (v. 27)

  “Where is the boasting? Where's the glory? Where's the beauty? There isn't any.” (44:45)

• Paul’s Reply: Boasting is excluded, not by a ‘law of works’ but by a ‘law of faith’. Justification is apart from works of the law.
• Jew and Gentile Alike: God is God of both Jews and Gentiles; both are justified by faithfulness to Christ, not by circumcision or Torah observance.

  “He is anti reading [the Torah] with a view toward a certain particular observances defining the people of God. He wanted people to read it rightly as pointing to God's faithfulness ultimately to Jesus.” (47:00)

• Establishing the Law: Faith in Jesus does not “abolish” the Law, but “establishes” it by revealing its true purpose and fulfillment in Christ.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Righteousness of God:

  “God’s law and the prophets continually testified to God’s righteousness and faithfulness... and pointed to the way in which his righteousness would be fully displayed in Jesus.” (27:40)

• Faith Defined:

  “The idea that we would come to faith in Jesus is not just the idea that we would believe in him, but that we would be faithful to him in the same way that he was faithful to God.” (30:55)

• On Justification and Participation in Christ:

  “Jesus doesn’t die instead of us, he dies ahead of us… But he calls us to share in that, to participate in that.” (32:15)

• No Room for Boasting:

  “Paul emphasizes that the same God is God of the Jews and Gentiles, and he will bring into right standing, circumcised and uncircumcised through their faithfulness to Christ.” (48:10)

• Fulfillment, Not Abolishment, of the Law:

  “He is not interested in denigrating [the Law] or minimizing it. Rather, he is cherishing it, establishing it to show what it had always been intended to do.” (49:20)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:50 – Context: Overview of Romans 1–3
• 04:40 – The “But Now” transition and the revelation of God’s righteousness
• 10:45 – Discussing “faith of Jesus Christ” vs. “faith in Jesus Christ”
• 23:15 – The meaning of justification, redemption, and propitiation
• 32:50 – Illustration: God’s justice and the role of Jesus’ sacrifice
• 39:40 – Connecting Isaiah 53’s prophecy with Romans 3
• 40:30 – Summary of Romans 3:21–26
• 43:30 – The dialogue with Paul’s conversation partner: boasting and the law of faith
• 49:20 – Concluding thoughts on the establishment of the Law

Tone & Style

The episode is engaged, reverent, and gently didactic—Plyler invites listeners to think deeply, poses rhetorical questions, and references original languages and biblical scholarship without becoming inaccessible.

For Listeners: Key Takeaway

This episode emphasizes that justification and righteousness come to all—Jew and Gentile—through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ, fulfilling the Law and the Prophets. Human works, boasting, and ethnic distinctions are set aside. Faith is seen not only as believing, but as a call to loyal allegiance reflecting Christ’s own loyalty to God, all within God’s plan as testified throughout Scripture.