‘We reckon therefore that a man is justified (reckoned as in the right) by faith apart from the works of the law.'
So Paul can now come to his important conclusion. And that is that a man is accepted as righteous before God, not on account of His works, (nor even on account of his faith), but as a result of that man's response of faith to His free gift of righteousness. Any connection with the works of the Law is totally excluded.