What does Paul mean by “righteousness”?

Explanation:

When Paul writes that Gentiles have obtained righteousness, he means that they have obtained right standing with God. We can detect this because Paul uses the term righteousness elsewhere in Romans where he means right standing with God.³ In particular, Paul writes in Romans 3:22, Romans 3:25–26 that there is a righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, which has to do with God passing over former sins because of the blood of Christ. Of course, for one’s sins to be passed over is for one to have right standing with God.

Counterargument:

While it is true that righteousness has to do with right standing before God, having a right standing before God implies that one is saved. Thus, when Paul says that Gentiles have obtained righteousness by faith, he has in mind that Gentiles who believed the gospel have salvation. Of course, that God passes over former sins because of the blood of Christ affirms that righteousness by faith is salvation by faith.

Response to counterargument:

This view adds a layer of meaning to Romans 3:22, Romans 3:25–26 that is not necessarily implied by the text. We know that God created humans to be in relationship with him, and that sin disrupts this relationship. What Paul explains in Romans 3:22, Romans 3:25–26 is that through the blood of Christ, our former sins are passed over. This puts one into a right relationship with God, which means that through faith in Christ, one has right standing with God. Of course, if one were to fall into a pattern of deliberate sin, one would no longer be in a right standing with God. So the righteousness obtained by Gentiles through faith is not salvation, but right standing, provided they remain in their faith.

Explanation:

It is important to understand that there was a strand of apocalyptic Judaism contemporary with Paul, and that Paul sometimes uses terms and imagery that are consistent with the ideas of this movement. One such idea is that righteousness has to do with a right standing with God from the perspective of judgment day. In other words, through faith Gentiles can achieve the status of a right relationship with God from the perspective of judgment day. We notice this usage in Wisdom of Solomon 5:1–5 where the writer indicates that righteousness is a precondition for salvation: [The unrighteous] will be amazed at the unexpected salvation of the righteous. To be righteous is to be right with God, and if one is right with God on judgment day, one will be saved.⁴

Counterargument:

It is hard to see why we should align Paul with the apocalyptic Jewish thinking of his day because he is specifically countering Jewish theology. Paul has continuously countered Jewish thinking in terms of election. In Romans 3:1–31 and Romans 4:1–25 he explains that justification is by faith, not by works of the law. Then at the beginning of Romans 9:1–33 he asks whether God’s word has failed, considering many Jewish people do not believe the gospel. To this he explains that God’s election was never based on ethnicity or maintaining the law, but on his own call and mercy. All of this suggests that Paul is countering Jewish theology with Christian theology. Thus it is hard to think that Paul would use Jewish apocalyptic categories to make his point.

Response to counterargument:

Not all Jewish theology was incorrect or counter to the gospel. So when there are theological concepts shared between Paul and his Jewish audience, it would make sense for him to lean on those concepts in order to explain the gospel.

Explanation:

When Paul writes that the Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained it by faith, righteousness means salvation. In other words, he is saying that Gentiles who have faith are saved.⁵ The notion of righteousness is closely connected with the notion of salvation. We notice this connection in Romans 3:26 when Paul writes that God shows his righteousness at the present time as both the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Christ. In other words, the one who has faith in Christ is righteous in the sense that he is justified, which means he is saved. So the Gentile who has attained righteousness has attained salvation.

Counterargument:

This argument overlooks what Paul writes in Romans 11:17–24. After establishing that Gentiles have attained righteousness by faith, Paul warns the Gentiles not to be arrogant. That is, he warns them not to forget that just as God cut off the Israelites who disbelieved, so he can cut off the Gentiles who do not stand fast in their faith (Romans 11:20–21). Thus, there is a clear distinction between righteousness and salvation.⁶ The Gentiles who have faith have attained righteousness, but they could still fall if they do not attend to their faith. That they could still fall implies that they might not be saved, so righteousness is distinct from salvation.

The weakness of this view is that it conflates the meaning of righteousness with salvation. The former is used to refer to justice, right standing, piety and godliness, but it is not used to mean salvation. One who is righteous might eventually be saved, but righteousness and salvation are separate concepts.