Romans 3:19

Romans 3:19 says, Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.  I believe Paul was saying that God's law applied to the Jews, those under the Law, and that it could not lead to bragging, but only to guilt before God.  The Pharisees in Jesus' day liked to boast of their keeping of the Law while at the same time condemning Jesus.  We cannot stand on our own goodness but must humbly acknowledge that the only way to salvation is through accepting the gift of Christ for our redemption.  Even in the secular world today, we may feel superior to those who have committed great crimes, but we must remember in God's eyes, any sin brings the penalty of death.  Verse twenty adds, Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.  The Law of God was given to point people to God, but was never a way to salvation. No one can be justified by the Law.  Many Jews in Jesus' day, and even today I would guess, believed that by nature of their birth as a Jew they were automatically God's people.  Paul was reminding them, and us, that we can never be justified before God by our own righteousness.  No one can ever live up to God's standards by their own virtue.  The Law can only point us to our own sin. Verse twenty-one continues, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;  God's righteousness is manifested without the Law through Jesus Christ, but this was no new concept.  The law had been but a guide to point people to their own inability to live up to God's calling and the prophets pointed to the Messiah, Who is Jesus Christ.  Once Christ came, though we are still to attempt to live by God's standards or law, it is in no way to be seen as a requirement for salvation.  Some Jews in Paul's day were attempting to require Jewish rituals to be observed in order to truly be saved.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  This righteousness of God comes by faith in Jesus Christ and is available to all people.  There is no Jew or Gentile in Christ.  We are all saved by faith through the grace of God by accepting the salvation made available to all through Christ.  Even when gentiles converted to Judaism, the Jews still did not see them as equals.  We must guard against having the same attitude toward other Christians.  We are all equal in Christ.