Did Paul say the law was still in place Romans 3

Did Paul say the law was still in place Romans 3:31?

 

A verse that is often used to prove that the law of Moses (Levitical Law) is still in effect and that Christians today should still keep it is Romans 3:31

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Taken in isolation, it can be argued that Paul is saying that the law of Moses remains in effect. If the law is in effect then it would mean that Christians today should be keeping the law. This would mean that Christians would be obliged to keep the Sabbath day, that they should keep the food laws, males should appear at the temple 3 times a year and even that they should sacrifice animals.

Now even those that claim we should keep the law do not (usually) argue that we should gather at the temple 3 times a year, there is no temple anymore,  and they almost always will say that we do not need to sacrifice animals anymore. Of course, this means that certain parts of the law are no longer obligatory and are not in effect. This would contradict scripture that very clearly says that nobody can remove part of the law (or add anything)

Deuteronomy 4:2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.

I have written much on this in other writings so won’t delve into this here.

However, even in isolation Romans 3:31 does not actually say that the law of Moses still applies to Christians today.  It actually only says that the law is not void through faith and that the law is established through faith. It has to be interpreted as such that this means the law is still in effect.

This would contradict scripture and contradict Paul’s own writings,  that are very clear that we are not under the law, I shall give just a few examples.

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Galatians 5:19 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

Romans 7:6 But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.

Ephesians 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

 

What Question Is Paul Actually Answering?

Romans 3:31 is often misread because the wrong question is assumed. Paul is not asking, “Should Christians keep the Law?” That question is nowhere in the context. Rather, Paul is asking whether justification by faith renders the Law pointless, false, or ineffective.

Romans 3 is not a halakhic discussion about obedience. It is a courtroom argument concerning God’s righteousness and faithfulness. Paul is defending the consistency of God’s redemptive plan—specifically, whether the justification of Gentiles by faith contradicts what God previously revealed through the Law.

Thus, Romans 3:31 is not about obligation but about coherence. Paul’s concern is not whether the Law continues as a rule of life, but whether faith makes God’s prior revelation empty or irrelevant. His answer is emphatic: faith does not invalidate the Law; it confirms that the Law faithfully testified to the very outcome now revealed in Christ.

 

One of the most important verses in understanding what Paul is saying in Romans 3:31 is Galatians 3:24

Galatians 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.

Paul himself stated that he was not under the law.

1 Coorinthians 9:19 For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. 20 And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; 21 To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law

Paul also told us to stand fast and not be entangled by the bondage that Christ has set us free from.

Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

This verse in Galatians is followed by a warning against being circumcised.

Galatians 5:2 Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.

It was impossible to be part of the covenant and keep the law if one was not circumcised. Thus Paul is saying that if you be circumcised (to be part of the covenant and to keep the law) then Christ is nothing to you and he will not profit you.

And then Paul continues on with his warning

Galatians 5:3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. 5 For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Those who stay under the law are on their own. They do not have Christ as an advocate and thus they are then bound to fulfill the entire law. As James states if a person falls at just one point of the law, he has fallen at the entirety of the law.

James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.

These are very stringent warnings. As already noted, it is not possible for anyone to keep the entire law today as there is no temple and no levitical priesthood. NOBODY can keep the law in its entirety today.

There are many other verses that teach clearly that we are no longer under the law but lets focus on the verse in question. 

So what does Romans 3:31 mean?

Well, as I said, Galatians 3:24 is a very important verse that we must keep in mind when looking at Romans 3:31.  What we must also do is keep Romans 3:31 in the context of where it is written. It is not an isolated verse, even if those who want to use it to argue for law keeping want to use it as such.

Galatians 3:24 tells us that the law was our schoolmaster, it was to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. The law leads to Christ and through Christ we are justified by faith.

Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

We are justified by faith, not by the works of the law.

It is grace that comes from faith

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

And the Bible states that while the law came through Moses, the grace for which we are saved comes through Jesus.

 

John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

 

Paul follows his statement that the law leads us to Christ by telling us that once faith has come, we are no longer under the schoolmaster, the law.

Galatians 3:25 But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

 

The Bible is very clear it is faith that saves because those that have faith receive grace that is given through Christ.

When a person believes they are saved through their faith

Ephesians 1: 13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,

This is because of the promise that was made to Abraham that through him ALL the nations would be blessed.

Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:

Genesis 22:18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

 

The promise given to Abraham is fulfilled through Christ

 

Galatians 3:29 And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Romans 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.

So lets look at the context. We shall start at verse 21

Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 

God is righteous, he does not need the law to be righteous but the law and the prophets give witness to his righteousness

 

Verse 22 explains that the righteousness of God (which is by faith) is on all those that believe. There is no difference between Israel and gentiles in Christ.

Romans 3:22  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:

Everyone is equal in Christ, as Paul points out in Galatians

Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.

 

Verse 23 and 24 tell us that we have all sinned, (we are all in the need of a saviour) and that we are justified by grace that comes through Christ.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 

 

God has set Christ to be the saviour through his blood. When we have faith in that blood our sins are forgiven, we recieve grace through faith.

 

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 

 

Again justified by belief in Jesus.

 

Romans 3:26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

 

Then Paul refers to the LAW OF FAITH …not the law of works. A man is not justified by the law of works but the law of FAITH….this is not a reference to the mosaic law but the law of Christ, the law of faith. It is the law of faith that justifies.

 

Romans 3:27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 

 

Now Paul refers to the faith that God will justify both the circumcised (Israel) and the uncircumcised (Gentiles)

Romans 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Both Israel and gentiles will be justified through their faith in Christ. There is no barrier between them when they have faith.

Ephesians 2:11 Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; 15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; 16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

 

It is after Paul has made his argument regarding faith and the justification of both Israel and gentiles through faith in Christ that Paul asks (and answers his question).

Romans 3:31 Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

This is not an argument regarding keeping or not keeping the law. This is not within the context of Romans 3.

Paul has just made argument that Israel and gentiles will both be saved by faith, which is a fulfillment of the promise of God. It is this point, that Israel and the gentiles are saved by faith that Paul is arguing for, not whether one must keep the law or not.

The Meaning of “Void” and “Establish” in Romans 3:31

Much of the confusion surrounding Romans 3:31 arises from a failure to examine Paul’s language carefully. The verse hinges on two Greek verbs whose meanings define the scope of Paul’s argument.

The word translated “make void” in the KJV is katargeō (καταργέω). This verb does not mean to stop practicing or to cease observing. It means to nullify, to render ineffective, to make powerless, or to bring to nothing. Paul uses this same word elsewhere to describe the ending of the Law’s binding authority and condemning function (Romans 7:6), and the passing away of the old covenant order (2 Corinthians 3:7–14).

Thus, in Romans 3:31, Paul is not asking whether believers should continue obeying the Law. He is asking whether justification by faith has rendered the Law a failed project—ineffective, false, or empty of purpose.

The verb translated “establish” is histēmi (ἵστημι). This word does not mean to reinstate, perpetuate, or continue in practice. Rather, it means to cause to stand, to confirm, to validate, or to demonstrate something as true.

To “establish” the Law, therefore, does not mean to place believers back under it. It means to confirm that the Law accomplished exactly what God intended it to accomplish. Far from being nullified by faith, the Law is shown to be a faithful witness that correctly pointed forward to righteousness by faith in Christ.

 

Paul is asking the a rehotorical question, is the law made void by this faith, is it of no effect, not is the law no longer to be kept but rather has the gentiles also being saved through faith bypassed the law. The law itself pointed to this very fact, as we have seen the law was the schoolmaster to lead to Christ. Thus it has not been bypassed, made void because it is the law itself that points to this fact.

The Law as Schoolmaster: Vindicated, Not Reinstated

One of the clearest keys to understanding Romans 3:31 is Paul’s own explanation of the Law’s purpose elsewhere. In Galatians 3:24–25, Paul writes:

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.”

The imagery is crucial. A schoolmaster is not invalidated when the student graduates—he is vindicated. His role was never to keep the student in permanent instruction, but to prepare him for maturity. Graduation does not make education meaningless; it proves that education has succeeded.

This is precisely Paul’s point in Romans 3:31.

Faith does not void the Law any more than graduation voids education. Faith proves that the Law accomplished what God intended it to accomplish. The Law led to Christ. It exposed sin, restrained transgression, and pointed forward to the need for righteousness that could not come through works. When faith arrives, the Law’s purpose is not destroyed but fulfilled.

Thus, when Paul asks, “Do we then make void the law through faith?” he is not asking whether believers should now keep the Mosaic Law. He is asking whether justification by faith renders the Law false, mistaken, or ineffective. His answer is emphatic: God forbid. The Law is established—not as a covenant that continues to bind believers, but as a witness that correctly testified to the way God would save.

Faith does not bypass the Law; it confirms the Law’s testimony. The Law said righteousness would come by faith. When righteousness does come by faith, the Law stands proven true.

Romans 3:31, therefore, is not a call back to Law-keeping. It is a declaration that the Law did not fail. It did exactly what God designed it to do: lead sinners to Christ, so that they might be justified by faith.

 

So the law is upheld it is established, not that it is to be kept.

Faith has not come through Christ by circumventing the law, but the law itself taught that this is what God would do.

Paul is not arguing that the law remains but rather that faith has not voided the law meaning that the gentiles are also saved, not contrary to the law, but that the law itself taught this and thus faith makes the law stand (not that it has to be kept) histémi  means made to stand. 

Pauls argument is in regards to the law of faith brought in through Christ that brings together both Israel and gentile in salvation through Christ and that this in no way means that the law was bypassed but rather upheld, established,  because the law itself stated this.

 

Jesus said you do not believe me because you do not believe Moses.

John 5:46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.

 

Romans 3:31 is not a statement about Christian obligation but about divine consistency. Paul is not arguing that the Law remains binding; he is arguing that the Law has not failed. Faith does not render the Law false or bypass it, because the Law itself testified that righteousness would come by faith. In justifying both Jew and Gentile through faith, God is not contradicting the Law but fulfilling its witness. Thus the Law is established—not as a covenant to be kept, but as a revelation that pointed forward to Christ.

 

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