As compared with the Jew and his religious privileges the Gentiles were called

"sinners". In the gospel according to Matthew, we read "The Son of man is betrayed into

the hands of sinners" (26: 45) which in Luke 18: 32 reads "He shall be delivered

unto the Gentiles". Luke 6: 33 reads "for sinners also do even the same". So, too, the

expression "publicans and sinners", indicating the thought that any one who had sunk so

low as to collect taxes for an heathen government had sunk to the level of the Gentiles

and had forfeited the high privileges which he had as a "Jew by nature".  In Phil. 3:

Paul gives some idea of what ground of boasting a Jew had "in the flesh", which he

himself had cast away as worth nothing, to be "found in Christ, not having mine own

righteousness which is of the law.

It is evident therefore that in this argument with Peter, Paul is not using the title

"sinners" in the universal and doctrinal sense, but is adopting the current Jewish reference

to the Gentiles. This we must not forget when we meet the word again in Gal. 2: 17,

otherwise the point of Paul's argument will be lost.

At first reading, there is a deal of repetition in verse sixteen that makes the public

reading of this verse something of a test, and its analysis calls for care.

We have suggested in the structure that the references to being "justified" divide into

four links in the chain of argument.

(1)

We, that is both Peter and Paul, know that a man is not justified except (ean me)

through faith. Justification by works of law has already been set aside as

hopeless and impossible.

(2)

This is evident from the fact that "even we" believed in Jesus Christ, that we

might be justified by faith, and not by works of law.

(3)

The next clause would be an unmeaning repetition unless the Apostle is seen to

be reinforcing his own argument by a free citation of scripture.  The

introductory "for" dioti suggests a quotation, as does the Hebraism ou pasa

"not all". The same citation is found in Rom. 3: 20; and Psa. 143: 2

seems to have become the basis of a maxim, a quasi-proverb, that could be

cited to clinch an argument.

With these three steps in the argument solidly placed and impossible of denial, Paul

proceeds to his conclusion:

(4)

"But." The de here is both adversative and logical. A contrast is now to be

instituted. If what has been said is true, if we Jews have believed in Christ

in order to be justified, if after all, if seeking thus to be justified by Christ,

we ourselves are "found sinners" then the conclusion is inevitable, "Christ is

the minister of sin". Such a thought however is intolerable--away with

such an idea, the thought is profane. Our guilt lies not in abounding the law

as a means of life and righteousness, our guilt lies in seeking it afresh and

using it to supplement the gracious work of Christ.