The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (168 page)

3:20 works of the law:
Paul uses this expression eight times in his writings, twice in Romans (3:20, 28) and six times in Galatians (Gal 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10). Christian scholarship, both ancient and modern, has understood it in different ways.
(1)
Some, like St. Augustine, take it to mean observance of the
entire Law
of Moses, whole and undivided. On this view, Paul contends that no act of obedience to the moral, ceremonial, or juridical commandments of the Torah can bring about the justification of the sinner.
(2)
Others, like St. Jerome, understand the expression to mean the
ceremoniai iaws
of Moses, such as circumcision, dietary laws, feast days, and Sabbath observance. On this view, Paul charges that the ritual works of the Torah, which defined the Jewish way of life during the Mosaic age, have become obsolete in the New Covenant and thus have no bearing on justification. Both views are correct in their proper context: initial justification in Baptism takes place apart from any observance of the Law whatever (Tit 3:4-7), whereas final justification at the Last Judgment takes place apart from the ceremonial works of the Law, but not apart from observing the moral commandments of the Law (Rom 2:13; Mt 19:16-19; 1 Cor 7:19; Jas 2:8-13).
knowledge of sin:
Because the Torah defines what is good and evil, it acts as a moral informant and makes the sins of Israel stand out in stark clarity (2:17-23; 7:7; Heb 10:1-3). See essay:
The Works of the Law
at Gal 3. 
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3:21-26
Paul turns from the tragic history of sin (1:18— 3:20) to the redeeming work of Christ (3:21-8:39). These transitional verses resume Paul's discussion of the "righteousness of God" introduced in 1:16-17. 
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3:21 the law and the prophets:
The Scriptures prepared Israel for a Messiah who would conquer the devil (Gen 3:15), make atonement for sin (Is 53:10-12), and renew the heart of man (Ezek 36:25-27) through the founding of a New Covenant (Jer 31:31-34). 
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3:23 all have sinned:
Not all without exception (every human being), but all without distinction (Jews and Gentiles alike, 3:9; 10:12). That there are exceptions is clear: Jesus was sinless; children below the age of reason do not willfully commit sin; and tradition holds that Mary, by the grace of God, lived her entire life unstained by sin. 
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3:24 redemption:
A ransom price paid for the release of captives.
See note on Eph 1:7
. 
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3:25 an expiation:
A sacrifice that wipes away sin. • The expression is used multiple times in the Greek OT for the mercy seat, or golden lid that covered the Ark of the Covenant (Ex 25:17; Heb 9:5). The high priest of Israel sprinkled blood on the mercy seat once a year on the Day of Atonement to expiate the sins of the people and restore them to fellowship with Yahweh (Lev 16:1-34). For Paul, the mercy seat typifies Christ as the living seat of God's presence and the place where atonement is made with sacrificial blood (CCC 433). • Christ, who became an expiation by blood, teaches us to follow his example by the mortification of our members (St. Gregory of Nyssa,
On Perfection
). 
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3:28 justified by faith:
Faith is a gift of grace that moves us toward God (Phil 1:29). It leads to justification because it leads to Baptism (6:3-4; 1 Cor 6:11). The object of justifying faith is both personal and propositional: it embraces God as well as the revealed tenets of the gospel. Catholic theology holds that faith does not act alone in this process but reaches out with hope for divine mercy and love for the Lord. Faith manifests itself in the lives of believers through obedience (1:5), love (Gal 5:6), and good works (Eph 2:10). See essay:
Faith and Works
at Jas 2.
works of law:
For possible meanings of this,
See note on Rom 3:20
. • The Council of Trent decreed in 1547 that man, by his own efforts and works, can never merit the initial grace of justification that makes him a child of God and a member of the New Covenant. This grace is an entirely free gift from Jesus Christ conferred in Baptism (Sess. 6, chap. 8) (CCC 1987-2011). 
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3:30 God is one:
The monotheistic creed of ancient Israel (Deut 6:4). Paul draws an important lesson from it: because Jews and Gentiles have one and the same God, all are justified in one and the same way, i.e., by faith. 
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4:1-25
Paul expounds the spiritual fatherhood of Abraham. He aims to show from Scripture that
faith,
not
circumcision
or observance of the Mosaic Law, makes us children of Abraham. 
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4:1 our forefather:
Paul continues to engage his rhetorical Jewish opponent (2:17). 
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4:2 boast:
By taking pride in a personal accomplishment. • The one who boasts in his works boasts in himself, but the one who boasts in his faith boasts in God. To observe the laws against stealing and murder is a small thing compared to believing that God can do all things (St. John Chrysostom,
Homilies on Romans
8). 
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4:3 Abraham believed God:
A citation from Gen 15:6. • Abraham takes God at his word when he embraces the promise of descendants, despite the obstacles of childlessness and old age (Gen 15:1-5). The Lord accepts his faith with an acknowledgment of his righteousness. Paul works forward from this passage to demonstrate in Rom 4:9-10 that the narrative sequence of the Abraham story in Genesis holds the key to a right understanding of justification: it shows us that Abraham was righteous by faith long before he was circumcised with the flint knife (Gen 17:24). Paul thus debunks a prevalent Jewish perception that circumcision, and the obligation to keep the Mosaic Law that follows from it, is indispensable for a covenant relationship with God (Acts 15:1-5) (CCC 144-46). 
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4:4 one who works:
Justification is a free gift of grace, not a wage that is owed on the principle of justice and fair compensation (6:23; Tit 3:5).
reckoned:
In secular Greek, the verb
iogizomai
is a business term for recording credits and debits. It can also be translated "counted". When Paul stresses that righteousness is booked to our credit as a gift, he does not imply that the gift is merely imputed to the believer in an external way. In his mind, the divine record corresponds to reality, that is, we are
counted
righteous because we are
made
righteous in Christ (5:19). 
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4:7-8
Paul quotes Ps 32:1-2 to buttress his reading of Gen 15:6, showing again that justification takes place apart from circumcision and observance of the Torah. He is using a Jewish exegetical technique that links passages of Scripture together on the basis of common vocabulary. Note how the excerpts from Genesis and the Psalter both showcase the verb "reckon". • Psalm 32 celebrates divine forgiveness. As Paul points out, the Psalmist does not restrict this blessing to the people of the Mosaic covenant, i.e., to those who are circumcised (4:9) and trace their genealogy back to Abraham (4:12). Forgiveness is an essential part of justification in Pauline theology (Acts 13:38-39). 
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4:11 father of all who believe:
The fatherhood of Abraham is defined by imitation rather than generation. To be a part of his family is to share his faith, not necessarily his physical lineage (4:12, 16).
without being circumcised:
Given Paul's comments about true circumcision in 2:25-29, he is saying that Abraham is the father of true Jews, not all Jews. Jesus makes a similar point in Jn 8:39. 
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4:13 inherit the world:
God promised Abraham a worldwide family through his offspring (Gen 22:16-18) several centuries before the Law was given to Israel (Gal 3:17-18). This was the oath of universal blessing he swore when the patriarch was tested and found faithful (Sir 44:21) (CCC 705-6). 
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