δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει … χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου; ἐκ πίστεως / διὰ τῆς πίστεως
Says 3:28: λογιζόμεθα γὰρ δικαιοῦσθαι πίστει ἄνθρωπον χωρὶς ἔργων νόμου (BSB "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law"). πίστει (pistei) is a dative of means, ἄνθρωπον is generic ("a person"), and χωρίς means "apart from." On γάρ/οὖν and the word order see var.Rom.3.28.gar-oun and var.Rom.3.28.pistei-order.
Implies "Faith alone" is a fair summary of 3:28. Grounds: justification is by faith "apart from works of the law" (3:28), "freely by His grace" (3:24), with boasting excluded (3:27), and is credited to the one who does not work (4:4–5). The Exegete's commentary carries the sentence on Luther and the paragraph on "works of the law."
Says 3:29–30: ἢ Ἰουδαίων ὁ θεὸς μόνον; οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν, εἴπερ εἷς ὁ θεός. εἴπερ is most likely causal here, "since," though it can mean "if indeed" (var.Rom.3.30.eiper-epeiper). The echo of the Shema is treated by the Hebrew Scholar (note.language.Rom.3.30.shema).
Uncertain ἐκ πίστεως (the circumcised) and διὰ τῆς πίστεως (the uncircumcised). This note leans to a stylistic variation with no difference in sense: Paul uses both prepositions with πίστις of the same justification (3:22, 26; Gal 2:16), and the article in διὰ τῆς πίστεως is anaphoric (BSB "that same faith"). The main alternative is a deliberate distinction between Jew and Gentile.
Claims
- SaysA person is justified by faith apart from works of the law (3:28).
- Implies'Faith alone' is a fair summary of 3:28 (3:24, 27–28; 4:4–5).
- SaysGod is not the God of Jews only but of Gentiles too, since God is one (3:29–30).
- UncertainWhether ἐκ πίστεως and διὰ τῆς πίστεως in 3:30 are a stylistic variation (lean: both used of the same justification; the article is anaphoric) or a deliberate Jew/Gentile distinction (main alternative).
Citations
- BSB public domain Rom 3:28–30
2026-10-29
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