A Consideration of Romans 3:22
By Jonathan Mitchell
To set the immediate context, let us begin with my current rendering of Rom. 3:21-24.
21. Yet now, apart from Law (or: custom; habitual practice; ordinance made by authority; or: = Torah), God's rightness, and a flowing together of eschatological deliverance from God (God's just action of righteousness; God's solidarity, with moral integrity in fair, equitable and fit dealings; a turning-in-the-right-direction, that comes from God; God's covenantal faithfulness, justice and pointing out of the Way; a rightwised relationship, which is God), has been manifested and remains displayed in clear light - being continuously attested in witness by means of (or: under) the Law (= Torah) and the Prophets -
22. yet God's flowing together of rightness, and an eschatological deliverance from God (or: a just act of right relationship and solidarity with, and which is, God; justice from God; God's dealings which accord with the Way pointed out; a rightwised condition effected by God; God's righteousness, which brings covenant justice, inclusion and participation), through means of Jesus Christ's Faithfulness (or: trust-faith, which is, Jesus Christ; or: convinced, faithing-loyalty and allegiance from Jesus Christ) unto (or: into the midst of; with a view to) all humanity - as well as (or: even; and; also; = as it is) upon all those presently believing (or: habitually faithing-it, and trusting [in God]), for you see, there exists no distinction (no difference; no divided arrangement)! [cf Eph. 2:2-22; 2 Cor. 5:17-19]
23. You see, all people at one point veered off the mark (or: all folks deviated; or: everyone fails; all humanity sins), and so (or: that is,) they are continually posterior to, left behind [in the race], falling short of, being inferior to, failing in attaining, and lacking, God's glory (or: the manifestation of God which calls forth praise; the reputation which comes from, and has the character of, God; God's opinion and imagination; the [having or bearing] of God's image and appearance; the glory from God; the assumed appearance of God),
24. while being folks presently and progressively being made upright, freed from guilt, placed in solidarity within the Way pointed out, and continuously set in right relationship (or: being [all] one-after-another delivered and rightwised; being ones habitually turned in the right direction; being [all] presently justified with covenant inclusion) freely (as a gift; gratuitously) by His Grace (or: in His Favor; with His Grace; by His gratuitous act which brought joy) through means of the process of a release-from-an-enslaved-condition and a liberating-away-from-imprisonment, which is resident within Christ Jesus (or: by the setting-free which is centered in, and in the sphere of, Anointed Jesus; through the redemption that is union with Jesus [the] Messiah; [cf 1 Cor. 6:20]).
In this translation, verse 22 follows manuscripts (MSS) which have additional words between "all humanity" and the plural present participle, "those presently believing," as compared to other MSS which do not have these additional words, and which other translations follow. This longer reading, which has the words here rendered "as well as (or: even; and; also; = as it is) upon all," appear in the following MSS: Aleph2, D, F, G, 33, and the Majority Text.
The shorter texts would read, "upon all the folks presently believing." This would limit the extent of, "God's flowing together of rightness, and an eschatological deliverance from God (etc.)," which precedes the "upon all" phrase which follows. The MSS with the longer texts do not limit the extent of the opening phrase of vs. 22. Instead, they emphasize the inclusiveness of the first "all" (all humanity/human beings) by making the particular designation, "those presently believing (etc.)," to be a smaller category. Not only is the conjunction "as well as (etc., and I owe the following paraphrase, 'as it is,' to the insights of John Gavazzoni)" indicating a second category, but the repeated phrase, "upon all," strengthen the idea that what follows (those presently believing) is speaking of a specific category or group. And this specific group does not limit Paul's preceding words, "unto (or: into the midst of; with a view to) all humanity (or: human beings)."
John Gavazzoni compares this Rom. 3:22b construction to what Paul says in 1 Tim. 4:10b, referring to the final phrase, "especially of believers."
"because we have placed our expectation (or: set our expectant hope) and thus rely upon a living God (or: upon [the] living God), Who is (exists being) [the] Savior (Deliverer; Rescuer; Restorer to health and wholeness; Safe-keeper) of all human beings (all mankind; [cf Jn. 4:42]) - especially of believers (of folks full of faith and trust; of faithful ones),"
Dan Kaplan points us to what Jesus said, in Mat. 5:45b,
"because He is repeatedly making His sun to rise back up again upon bad (evil; wicked; worthless) folks as well as [upon] good (virtuous) folks, and He is habitually sending rain upon fair and equitable people (those in right relationship; those within the Way pointed out; just ones; rightwised ones) as well as [upon] unfair and inequitable people (those not in right relationship; those not in the Way pointed out; unjust folks)."
The first "all" (pantas) is masculine, and thus means "all humanity," or, since it is plural, "all human beings," and this corresponds to the "all" in the following dependent clause, "all those presently believing." All is speaking of human beings, and the next verse (23) continues his inclusive thought by saying,
"You see, all people at one point veered off the mark (or: all folks deviated; or: everyone fails; all humanity sins)..."
Now consider the amazing continuation of vs. 23, in vs. 24:
"while being folks presently and progressively being made upright, freed from guilt, placed in solidarity within the Way pointed out, and continuously set in right relationship (or: being [all] one-after-another delivered and rightwised; being ones habitually turned in the right direction; being [all] presently justified with covenant inclusion) freely (as a gift; gratuitously) by His Grace (or: in His Favor; with His Grace; by His gratuitous act which brought joy) through means of the process of a release-from-an-enslaved-condition and a liberating-away-from-imprisonment, which is resident within Christ Jesus (or: by the setting-free which is centered in, and in the sphere of, Anointed Jesus; through the redemption that is union with Jesus [the] Messiah; [cf 1 Cor. 6:20])."
Verse 22 ends with an informative conclusions:
"for you see, there exists no distinction (no difference; no divided arrangement)!"
While some have suggested that Paul is referring to the ending of the contrasting categories Jew/Gentile, as explained in Eph. 2:2-22, our present context gives no indication of referring to that previously existing dichotomy. Verse 23 offers us a definitely universal picture of all of humanity, and this leads directly into the effects of the work of Christ (vs. 24), explaining how God's Grace, through this work of Christ, is operating on upon all those who are described in vs. 23. We see this same picture in 2 Cor. 5:
18. Yet further, all things [are] (or: the Whole [is]; = all the things that exist [are]; [cf Rom. 11:36]) forth from out of the midst of God - the One transforming us to be completely other [than we were](or: bringing us into another place or state of being; changing us to correspond with other [perceptions and conceptions]; altering us to be conformed to another [person]; changing us from enmity to friendship; reconciling us) in Himself (or: with Himself; by Himself; to Himself; for Himself), through Christ, and giving to us the attending service of, and the dispensing from, the complete transformation [for folks] to be other [than before] (or: the change into another [position]; the changing to correspond with other [situations; perceptions]; the alteration to be another [person]; the change from enmity to friendship; the reconciliation), [cf Rom. 8:19-21]
19. as that God was existing within Christ (God was and continued being centered in, and in union with [the] Anointed One) progressively and completely transforming [the] aggregate of humanity (or: world) to be other [than it is] (or: progressively bringing [the] ordered System into another level or state; repeatedly changing [the] universe to correspond with other [conditions; perceptions]; progressively altering [the] ordered arrangement of culture, religions, economy and government to be in line with another one; habitually and progressively changing [the] secular realm [of humanity] from enmity to friendship; reconciling [the] world [of mankind; cf Jn. 3:16]) in Himself, to Himself, for Himself, by Himself and with Himself, not accounting to them (not calculating, or putting to their account, or assessing to them; not logically considering for them; not reasoning in them) the results and effects of their falls to the side (their trespasses and offenses), even placing within us the Word (the Logos; this transfer and conveyance of a Meaning-bearing Communication; the Idea; the Reason; the Message; the flow of Pattern-forming Information; the Blueprint) of the corresponding transformation to otherness (or: this full alteration; the change from enmity to friendship; the conciliation).
A final comparison is found in Jn. 1:9,
"It was (or: He, or This, was, and continued being) the True and Genuine Light which (or: Who) is continuously (repeatedly; progressively) enlightening (giving light to) every person (or: all humanity) continuously (repeatedly; progressively; constantly; one after another) coming into the world (or: the ordered system of culture, religion, economics and government; aggregate of humans; or: the cosmos) (or: It was the real Light, progressively coming into the world {organized system and aggregate of humanity}, which is progressively shedding light on and illuminating every human). [cf Isa. 49:6]
Jonathan
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