But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
But now - х nuni (G3570) de (G1161)]. We may view this either as a particle of transition to a new stage of the argument (as Fritzsche, Meyer, DeWette, and Alford take it) or as a particle of time, to mark the bright contrast between the dim perception of this truth under the Law and the full manifestation of it "now" under the Gospel (as Grotius, Bengel, Tholuck, Philippi, and Hodge understand it). But thee two ideas, though quite different, are both so very natural, that whichever of them came up first would almost certainly suggest the other.
The righteousness of God (see the note at Romans 1:17 ) without the law - that righteousness to which our obedience to the law contributes nothing whatever (Romans 3:28; Galatians 2:16),
Is manifested, х pefanerootai (G5319)] - 'hath been manifested,'
Being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets - being attested by the Old Testament Scriptures themselves. Thus this justifying righteousness is at once new, as only now fully disclosed, and old, as predicted and foreshadowed in the ancient Scriptures.
Second: This Righteousness Is Absolutely Gratuitous, and for All Believers (Romans 3:22-24)