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same verse is brought forward to enforce the truth of "living" by faith after being
justified. This broad use of the passage therefore still leaves the primary meaning and
wording untouched.
Let us now turn to the N.T. Rom. 3: 22 is one of the verses under consideration, but
before we turn to that verse, we shall find earlier in the chapter an undoubted use of pistis
after the manner of the O.T.
"For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the FAITH OF GOD of
none effect. Let is not be so; yea, let God be TRUE, but every man a liar . . . . . if the
TRUTH OF GOD hath more abounded through my lie unto His glory . . . . ."
(Rom. 3: 3-7).
Here we have the expression, tēn pistin thou Theou. This cannot mean our faith in
God, it means here His faithfulness (the "truth" of verses 4 and 7). In Rom. 4: 16 we
have another expression that may help us:--
"To the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the
law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham" (tō ek pisteōs Abram).
It is perfectly clear that this cannot mean our faith in Abraham, but refers to
Abraham's own faith. This expression finds a parallel in Rom. 3: 26:--
"The justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Ton ek pisteōs Iēsou).
When we compare this passage with the one cited above from 4: 16 we shall agree
that something is wrong with the A.V. rendering. Gal. 3: 22 uses the expression in an
exactly similar context to that of Rom. 4: 16:--
"In order that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ (ek pisteōs Iēsou Christou) might be
given them that believe."
If we translate this as meaning that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ is given to
them that believe, we feel conscious that something is amiss, one word, either "faith" or
"believe", is an unnecessary repetition. The promise is not ek nomou = out of law (21),
but ek pisteōs Iēsou Christou = the faith of Jesus Christ. This parallelism indicates the
two possible sources or origins of the inheritance. They arise either (1) out of the law,
or (2) out of the promise made 430 years before the law to Abraham. The context
decides that it is not out of law, but out of the promise made to Abraham (16-18). The
promise to Abraham looked forward to one seed, Christ. Christ came in relation to that
covenant previously made by God (17), and His faithfulness in every phase of His work
and office is the great ground of justification. So in Rom. 3: 22 we have two great
presentations to faith.
1. The Righteousness OF GOD.
2. Through the Faithfulness OF JESUS CHRIST, to all who believe.
There is no difficulty in translating pistis as "faithfulness", and pisteuō as "believe",
for this is in line with the LXX and the Hebrew renderings of the two words. We quote
here from Glynne, on Galatians, on this use of the genitive:--