boasting is out

Romans 3:27-31

Observations:
Paul uses rhetorical questions to make his point (a technique he uses frequently - especially in Romans). There is a contrast/comparison between the circumcised (or Jews) and uncircumcised (or Gentiles) as well as a contrast between justification by faith and justification by the law.

Interpretation:
Paul is saying that because there is only one God (the most important belief of Jewish faith: "The Lord our God is one...") that there is therefore only one way of salvation for both the Jew and the Gentile: through faith. This means that there is nothing to boast about because justification is not about what a person does but what a person believes or where a person places his faith. Paul is not saying that the Law is useless and should be abolished. He is saying that apart from faith, a person cannot keep the Law but after being saved, a person is empowered by God's Spirit to uphold the Law.

Application:
I remember a commercial for microwave pizza from a few years ago. Two guys were arguing about putting a personal pizza in the microwave; one guy saying that it would get soggy and the other guy insisting that it could be done. The commercial ends with the guys eating the pizza from the microwave with a nice crispy crust. The second guy has a smug attitude about it all and the first guy brings him back to earth by saying, "It's not like you invented it!"
That reminds me of the Christian faith. It is easy to get smug, to boast that I have found the right way to gain God's favour but I need to relax because it's not like I invented it. I haven't earned God's favour - it was given to me through Christ and I simply believed or had faith. There's not much to boast about there!