I agree with several of the other answers so i will simply add some greater detail and context.
In Rom 3:22 (and V26) translations like, "faith of Jesus", "faith in Jesus", "faifulness of Jesus", etc are all interpretive translations of the genitive phrase πίστεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ (pisteos Iesou Christou) which is literally:
- faith belonging to Jesus Christ, or, faith coming from Jesus Christ, faith originating from Jesus Christ, or even faithfulness of Jesus Christ, etc.
Let there be no doubt that there is no room for any idea here that our faith in Jesus is a work we do in order to secure righteousness for several reasons:
- "by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified" (Rom 3:20)
- It is the righteousness of God that Justifies not ours (V21)
- any faith we have comes from God in the first place
We are saved because God is faithful and keeps His promises to love and save us. We are saved because Jesus is faithful and keeps His promises to love and save us. Phil 2:13, John 6:44, Rom 2:4, 5:5, Eph 2:5 all show that salvation and atonement are God’s initiative and that any positive response to God’s invitation is also the work of the Holy Spirit. See also John 15:16, 1 John 4:19.
Here is my attempt at a very literal translation of Rom 3:22 -
And the righteousness of God is through faithfulness of Jesus Christ
toward all those trusting. For there is no distinction,
See the appendix below for some further information.
APPENDIX - Faith of/in Jesus
The centrality of faith, or better, trust, in the Christian’s life is best illustrated by examining the use of the phrase “faith of Jesus” which occurs five times. Rom 3:22, 26, Gal 2:16, 3:22, Rev 14:12. In all cases the Greek “pistis Iesou” (note the genitive) can be translated either as:
- “Faith in Jesus” meaning the trust we have in Jesus to save us because we cannot do it ourselves. That is, we allow Him to do for us that which we cannot do for ourselves.
- “Faithfulness of Jesus” (more literally correct) meaning the trustworthiness and faithfulness of Jesus Himself that He exercised on our behalf to save us; and that we imitate in order to receive the merits and benefits of Jesus. See especially 2 Tim 2:13.
In my judgement it is not necessary to decide between these two as both are intended. That is, we trust Jesus to be trustworthy. There is a similar situation with “Faith of God” in Mark 11:22, Rom 3:3.
The New Testament also contains the phrase “faith/trust in Jesus” (“pistis en Iesous”) and in all cases the phrase is used as the basis for the Christian life and/or a cause for celebration and note by others. Gal 3:26, Eph 1:15, Col 1:4, 1 Tim 1:14, 3:13, 2 Tim 1:13, 3:15, Heb 11:6.