Category: Understanding Romans
But now the righteousness of God has been made known without the Law (which is testified to by the Law and the Prophets) even the righteousness of God by means of faith in Jesus Christ for all of those who believe. Because there is no difference, because all sinned and come short of the glory of God, those who are declared righteous as a gift by His grace by means of the redemption which is by Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly, a propitiation in His blood, by means of faith, for an exhibition of His righteousness, because of the letting go of the former sins in the forbearance of God, toward the exhibition of His righteousness now, at the proper time, for Himself to be just and the justifier of the one from faith in Jesus. (Romans 3:21-26)
24 Those who are declared righteous as a gift by His grace… Paul is using redundancy to stress that when God pronounces believers righteous, He does so gratuitously. Nothing compels Him; no demands require it of Him. The justification of sinners is utterly undeserved, and it flows out of His generous goodwill.
Modern Americans can easily lose touch with what grace really is. For example, one of the little things in life that drives me crazy is when a restaurant includes a gratuity in the bill. By definition, gratuity is not required. If it is required, then it is no longer gratuity, it is a charge or fee. Similarly, we often feel an obligation to give Christmas gifts to those who give gifts to us. Yet, giving out of obligation is like paying $10 for a free pizza. God does not justify out of obligation, He does it out of unwarranted love.
By means of the redemption… Justification is free, but not without cost. Redemption involves buying back from slavery. Sinful men who had become enemies of God, and who were biding their time until the day of execution, are liberated by the Rescuer who purchased them. What was the purchase price? The death of the Rescuer. Jesus’ life was the ransom paid for the emancipation of believers.
Which is by Christ Jesus… God's grace comes by means of Jesus alone. When Christians maintain that Christianity is the only way to be pleasing to God, anti-Christian apologists charge us with arrogance and intolerance. However, believers do not make this claim out of “hometown pride,” but because there simply is no other way of redemption because no one else has paid the price. If only Christ has accomplished redemption, and if God has determined that only those who believe in Christ benefit from His redemption, then, obviously, only believers will be redeemed and receive the gift of justification.
To whom was the ransom paid? One might be inclined to answer in terms of Satan, or hell, or sin. Certainly, the Scripture does speak of our being enslaved to sin (for example); in fact, later in this epistle Paul describes sin’s mastery over men. Nevertheless, man's greatest enemy is the holiness and justice of God. Christ did not die to satisfy Satan's demands, or to pay the price which hell requires. Rather, Christ paid God the debt which sinners owe, His life for ours.
25-26 Whom God displayed publicly… Who put Jesus on the cross? The Romans hammered the nails. The Jews brought false charges against Him, relentlessly clamoring for His death, and even accusing the governor of treason should he release Jesus, all of which eventually swayed the Roman chief to condemn Him. But, the ultimate cause of the crucifixion of Jesus was His Father. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…." God put Him there for all to see; it was a public execution.
A propitiation in His blood… Propitiation is a term which, unfortunately, eludes the vocabulary of many Christians (even some of the translations avoid it). However, it connotes an important aspect of the gospel, namely, that God's wrath was appeased by the blood of Christ.
To be propitious means "to be favorable toward." Because of sin, men are enemies of God, and, as we have seen, His wrath is revealed against all unrighteousness of men. God is not neutral toward men, He is hostile against them. His favor does not rest on them. Sinners are in dire need of reconciliation with their Creator, and calling a summit meeting for peace talks will be of no avail because God cannot simply set aside His anger. His rage must be assuaged. Or to put it another way, God must punish sin. It would violate His just character to wink at mankind's disobedience.
One way for God to satisfy His wrath against sinners is to punish them. In this case, each sinner suffers the consequences for his or her sins by his or her own blood (which, as we learn elsewhere, is not limited to physical death). But thanks be to God, there is another way to placate His ire—faith in Christ. Those who believe the gospel of Jesus find themselves reconciled to God. He is propitious or favorable toward them, and Christ is the means of that propitiation for believers. Below, we will learn more about why the death of Christ achieves propitiation.
In the forbearance of God… The sins committed formerly are, manifestly, the sins of men, since Jesus did not have any sins. As tempting as it may be to think that Paul is speaking of sins committed by believers prior to their conversion to Christ, it is more likely that he has something else in view. This section began with the words “but now” which introduced a change in the flow of thought from justification by works to justification by faith in Christ. However, 'now' is a time reference. Something is different now than it was before. The difference is the person and work of Jesus. Prior to the advent of Christ, Gentiles were without God in the world, and Jews were condemned under the Law. The Jewish religion did include sacrifices for sins, but we learn elsewhere in the New Testament that these sacrifices were unable to provide true atonement or propitiation because they were animal sacrifices. The life of a goat is not a worthy substitute for the life of a man or woman who was created in the image of God. When a Jew brought his sacrifice to the altar under the Old Covenant, he was acting in faith because God had promised forgiveness, but the basis for that forgiveness was not a four-footed beast, rather the true Lamb of God was Jesus Christ. Until the arrival of Christ, God left unpunished the sins of those who believed the promise of God. But now, at the proper time, God demonstrates His justice by punishing a man—Jesus—in the place of, and, for the sins of, those who sinned before the crucifixion. The sins of believers who live after the crucifixion are also atoned for on the cross, but the primary significance here is that a new era has begun, the era of fulfillment, the era of Christ.
For Himself to be just and the justifier… Here the two aspects of the righteousness of God come together. God's righteousness is shown when He punishes the sins of unbelievers by pouring out His wrath on Christ (just); and because their sins have been taken from them and punished in Christ, He may now declare them “righteous” (justifier).
Christians often speak of forgiveness in terms of pardon, and indeed, from our perspective this is true. The Judge has granted us a stay of execution, and therefore, we will not experience the retribution we deserve. Nevertheless, when we receive this reprieve, our sins do not go unpunished. Again, the just character of God demands that He penalize disobedience. Sometimes when I am tired, lazy, or simply feeling happy, I do not discipline my children for their mischief. At other times, instead of bringing the rod (a.k.a. the spoon), I extend grace. Yet there are (at least) two prodigious differences between me and God. First, God never experiences fatigue, sloth, or caprice; therefore, He will never shrug His shoulders at our naughtiness. Second, God is the Righteous Judge of all mankind; therefore, He must always act fairly, and allowing evildoers to go free is not fair. The theological term is substitutionary atonement. Christ became the substitute for believers, and He atoned for their sins on the cross. The sins of believers were placed on Christ and God punished those sins by punishing Him. Furthermore, because believers’ sins have been taken away, God can declare believers righteous. This is the glory of the gospel.