In the original language, the beginning is even more dramatic since in Greek grammar the word ‘therefore’ cannot start a sentence: the first word is, then, “dikaiothente” (having been made righteous). It sounds like a great victorious shout -- ‘having been justified’. The grammar of “dikaiothentes” indicates that Paul is describing a state of being, the condition of his hearers’ lives. The word is an aorist participle in the passive voice: this is a state of affairs that has happened to the hearers.

Paul now goes on to describe the dynamic, challenging and productive life that those who are in the state of having been made righteous may live. It is very clear that Paul does not think that having been justified is the end of the story but the beginning. It is a beginning that offers entrance into a radically different way of living.

The apostle clarifies that the state of being made righteous is possible by means of faith. This is ...