Romans 3:5 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

The righteousness of God— St. Paul hereby intends God's faithfulness in keeping his promise. This verse is the language of an unbelieving Jew, and therefore in his mouth God's righteousness, or fidelity to his promise, has relation only to the nation of the Jews, and their being still continued the church and people of God.—Who taketh vengeance, might be rendered, more agreeably to the original, who inflicteth wrath, or, "who is the inflicter of wrath, as you intimate." See on chap. Romans 2:1 and on Romans 1:18. This expression evidently points at the rejection of the Jews, and therefore is closely connected with chap. 9: where the Apostle not only handles the same subject, but resumes these very questions or objections of the unbelieving Jew, and answers them at large; and as the rejection of the Jews stands here inserted in the midst of his argument relating to the justification of the Gentiles, it is manifestly connected with that argument, or with the Apostle's doctrine of justification by faith. For after his discourse here, upon the rejection of the Jews, he immediately subjoins, Romans 3:9. What then? are we better than they?—In answer to which, he proves to the end of the chapter that the Jews were not better than the Gentiles, seeing both stood in need of the grace or favour of God for their justification. Thus, in the Apostle's discourse and argument, the rejection of the Jews stands in close connection with his doctrine of justification. But what connection or relation is there between the justification of the Gentiles, and the rejection of the Jews?—This will appear from what is said chap. Romans 9:30-31, and the note there. In short, the rejection of the Jews for their want of faith stands in direct opposition to the justification of the Gentiles by faith; therefore, if we have a true idea of the rejection of the Jews, we may thence collect a true idea of the justification of the Gentiles; but the rejection of the Jews is their being cast out of God's church, and stripped of the privileges and blessings of God's peculiar people; consequently the justification of the Gentiles, for which the Apostle pleads, chap. 3: and 4: is their being pardoned, and received to all the privileges and blessings of God's peculiar people. See Locke.