Romans 3:21
Romans 3:2121But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been revealed, as attested by the Law and the Prophets.
Jehovah's Witnesses acknowledge that speaks of a righteousness 'apart from the law,' but the Watchtower folds this into a broader framework where faith is merely the starting point and continued obedience completes the process. The JW claim in argument 154 treats as the operative principle — God rewards doers — and reads as introducing only an initial standing that must be maintained through works. Argument 158 documents this two-stage reading: baptism and dedication give present standing (the 'apart from the law' moment), but final salvation depends on a lifetime of faithful service. The 'but now' pivot of is thus softened into a partial rescue rather than the full verdict Paul intends.
is the pivot of Paul's entire argument. The strategy in argument 154 builds to this moment: after proving that no one — Gentile or Jew — can be justified by law-keeping ( through 3:20), Paul writes 'but now a righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law.' The Greek chōris ('apart from, without involvement of') is the same word Paul uses in — 'a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.' The key insight is that this righteousness is not the believer's own production but God's provision, received 'through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe' (3:22). Argument 154's strategy emphasises that is not a second chance to try harder; it is the introduction of an entirely different kind of righteousness — one demanded by the law but unreachable through the law, now given freely through faith. This is the gospel solution to the universal problem Paul established from 1:18 onward.