Commenting on Romans 3:24-26, Moses E. Lard wrote:
“In this compressed and comprehensive sentence we have the ground of the whole remedial system. On this ground depends everything. To expand it, in all its amplitude, would be to write the history of human redemption, from its conception in the mind of God up to its consummation in the glorification of the saved” (Lard. 116).
Paul’s letter to the Romans is the greatest treatise on the gospel plan of salvation ever written. Having greeted the brethren in Rome, he announced his proposition and theme: the gospel, God’s power to save (Romans 1:16-17). The apostle began to build his case by showing the universal need for this salvation. The Gentiles rejected God, so God rejected them (Romans 1:18-32, especially verses 24, 26, 28). The Jews cheered, until Paul declared they were no better than the Gentiles (Then they jeered), since God gave them the law, but they didn’t keep it (chapter 2). Then the apostle answered Jewish objections to his point (3:1-8) and clinched his argument on the universal need of salvation by a series of quotations from Jewish Scripture, establishing that all, Jews as well as Greeks, have sinned (3:9-19).
He concludes: “Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin” (Romans 3:20). Certainly no law, merely as law, a system of requirements with rewards and punishments, can justify sinners, but the apostle specifically had in mind the Old Covenant, the law God gave the Jews (2:17-18). All the law, and any law as law, accomplishes is to show us our sins. So Jew and Gentile alike, indeed, all mankind, are lost and in need of salvation.
How can sinners, vile, defiled, guilty, be justified, declared innocent, not guilty, before the infinitely holy God without causing God to be unjust? That is the central question of eternal salvation. The gospel of Christ is the only answer.
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:21-26).
The System of Justification
“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference (verses 21-22).
The negative conjunction “But” introduces the contrast with the time before the gospel when as yet the divine plan of human redemption was unrevealed. In contrast Paul deals with “now,” in this present age, when the gospel has been revealed. The subject is “the righteousness of God,” the divine plan for man to be righteous, right before God and under His law, i.e. not guilty (cf. 1:17). It is “apart from the law,” that is, not through keeping the Mosaic law or any other law as a mere system of requirements. This plan is “witnessed by the law and the prophets.” The witness of the law and the prophets includes both the types of the Levitical priesthood and animal sacrifices (cf. Hebrews 8:4-5) and predictive prophecy (e.g. Acts 3:18-26; Deuteronomy 18:15-19; Genesis 12:3; 22:18; Hebrews 8:6-13; Jeremiah 31:31-34). These bear witness to the gospel as the divine means of salvation. In contrast with the law, it is “through faith in Jesus Christ,” that is, both conviction and trust: believing He is the Son of God (Romans 10:10) and trusting Him to fulfill His promises so that we obey Him (Hebrews 11:6) that we obtain righteousness.
The Scope of Justification
“even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of Go” (verses 22-23).
This righteousness is “to all and on all who believe,” that is, have obedient faith. This is because “there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Jew and Gentile are all alike in regard to guilt, for all desperately need salvation, since “all have sinned.” All responsible people have violated the law of God (1 John 3:4), whether once or a million times is irrelevant, for “the wages of sin,” one or a million, “is death” (Romans 6:23). Thus, we “fall short.” “Have sinned” is past. The present tense “fall short” means we continue to fall short “of the glory of God,” his moral glory. Once we sin, even once, we can never, on the basis of law keeping, sinless obedience, measure up to the divine standard. No amount of community service can earn a guilty killer innocence, and our sin has earned us the death penalty. We must depend on divine grace. You and I cannot be so good that we deserve heaven, because we have sinned.
The Basis of Justification
“being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (verses 24-25)
We are justified, declared to be righteous, free from guilt, “freely,” that is, “as a gift” (NASB, ESV). This doesn’t mean it is unconditional; it just means we don’t earn it. The apostle Peter promised his audience “the gift of the Holy Spirit” upon the conditions “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins” (Acts 2:38). Reception of the Holy Spirit is a gift, but we must repent and be baptized to receive that gift. Nothing in repentance and baptism earns us the gift of the Holy Spirit, but they are essential
conditions for receiving this divine gift. We cannot buy eternal salvation with silver and gold (1
Peter 1:17-19).
Rather, we have redemption, that is, we are ransomed from slavery to sin, in, in relationship to, Christ Jesus.
This is because God set Him forth as a propitiation, “a means of appeasing” (Thayer. 301), the judicial wrath of God. The one against whom we sinned paid the price for sin in our behalf. Behold, what love! What grace!
It was “by His blood.” One preacher said, “One drop of the blood of Christ could free the whole world from sin!” Why, then, didn’t He just prick His finger for us? There’s nothing intrinsically more valuable about the blood of Jesus than yours or mine. But, His blood is equivalent to His death for us (cf. Romans 5:9-10). His death on the cross provides a just basis on which the righteous God can declare guilty sinners not guilty.
The Means of Justification
“whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed” (Romans 3:25)
Our part in our own salvation is summarized by the word “faith.” It is through faith we appropriate the benefits of His blood. “Now faith is the substance (“assurance,” NASB, ESV) of things hoped for, the evidence (“conviction,” NASB, ESV) of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The apostle begins and ends his inspired treatise on the gospel by declaring that the substance of that message is “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26). Obedience to the faith and obedience that springs from faith is the expression of our faith that brings the salvation procured by the blood of the Son of God. In the waters of baptism we enter into Christ and receive the benefits of His blood – His death, burial, and resurrection on our behalf (Romans 6:3-4; 5:9-10).
The Results of Justification
“whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26).
As the result of propitiation by the blood of Christ God is shown to be righteous (Romans 3:26). The holy Lord God “in His forbearance” (“holding back … delay of punishment” (Vine. New Testament. 247), had “passed over” the guilt of those who had sinned before Christ died on the cross. God in all justice could have cast all sinners into hell, but He exercised forbearance, knowing He would send His Son to die for them.
Some contend the Holy Lord God could forgive us on any basis He wanted. The Hebrew writer contends otherwise. “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4). No number of animals can equal in value one human, for animals do not possess immortal spirits made in the image of God, whereas all people do (Genesis 1:26-27). That veritable mighty river of blood flowing from the millions of animal sacrifices under the Levitical system (cf. Leviticus chapters 4 – 5; Numbers chapters 28 – 29) could never take away even one sin; it took the death of the Son of God (Hebrews 9:13-14).
What a monster one makes of God when he contends God could have accepted any sacrifice. You mean a bull would have done, but He demanded the death of His only begotten Son? Why not just leave in place the Levitical system of sacrifices?
In contrast to animal sacrifices, the death of Christ has the value to ransom the whole world from sin (John 1:29). There are two reasons. He was sinless, so He could die for others rather than for Himself (1 Peter 1:18-19). And He is the Son of God, infinite in value, so He could die as the “propitiation” (reconciliation) “for the whole world” (1 John 2:2). One sinless man, of which there are none, could die for one sinful man, but only the Son of God could die for the whole world.
But to die, He had to become a man, since God is immortal, that is, not subject to death (1 Timothy 1:17; 6:16). Thus, to die for us, He became a man like us, but without sin (Hebrews 2:9-18; 4:15-16), and without ceasing to be God (John 1:1-3, 14; 5:17-18; Romans 9:5; Colossians 1:15-17; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 1:1-4).
But the death we deserve because of our sins is eternal death, separation from God (Romans 6:23; cf. Isaiah 59:1-2) in an eternal devil’s hell (Revelation 20:10, 14-15). The infinitely holy God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13); He cannot fellowship sin nor sinners in their sin (1 John 1:5-6).
Thus, Jesus, to exonerate the justice of God, was separated from the Father on our behalf and in our place. When He cried upon the cross, “‘Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?’” (Matthew 27:46; cf. Mark 15:34), He wasn’t just quoting Scripture (Psalm 22:1). He was expressing the agony of His soul in the words David prophesied when He wrote of the crucifixion (Psalm 22:7-8, 11-18).
Psalm twenty-two is parallel to Isaiah fifty-three. According to Isaiah, the Servant of the Lord would be despised and rejected by men (Isaiah 53:1-3), the Lord would lay on Him the iniquity of us all (53:4-6), i.e., He would take the punishment for our guilt, thus, He would silently submit to unjust suffering (53:7-9), after which He would be victorious, i.e., He would be raised and ascend into glory (53:10-13). According to David, He would suffer the death of the cross in our place (Psalm 22:1-21), then He would be delivered (raised from the dead, Psalm 22:21-31).
This is not Calvinism. According to Calvinists, God imputed our guilt to Christ Jesus. According to Isaiah, God imputed the punishment for our guilt to His Son.
And yes, because He is the Son of God, infinite in value, His three hour separation from the Father equals in value our eternal death (Romans 6:23).
And no, this does not break up the perfect unity of God. The Father and the Son are one (John 10:34) in work (John 4:34), creation (Ephesians 3:9), authority (John 5:43), love (John 14:23), protection (John 10:27-30), witness (John 8:18), doctrine (John 7:16), will (John 6:38), and judgment (John 5:22) (Greeson). Jesus endured the agony of the cross, including separation from the Father (Matthew 27:46; cf. Mark 15:34), because He submitted His will to the Father’s (Matthew 26:39; Luke 22:42). Had He not done so, He would have broken the unity of God.
Conclusion
In the cross of Jesus divine love and divine justice are reconciled.
When our Savior endured the agony and shame of the cross, He indeed took our place. For three hours there was darkness over the land, as the Father forsook His only begotten Son and refused to look. The Father forsakes those who forsake Him (Deuteronomy 31:16-17; 2 Chronicles 15:2). The sinless Son of God died as the lost sinner dies that we might not have to die that way. In so doing He demonstrated the justice of God and made it possible for us, lost sinners that we were, to be justified and experience the fellowship that the Father and Son enjoy.
You and I will be justified before God if we in simple, trusting faith obey Him by going through a likeness of His death, burial, and resurrection by being baptized into Him.
One day you and I will stand before the Son to be judged by Him, “For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). That judgment will be just (John 5:30). Will you be justified or condemned?
Works Cited
Bible,
English Standard Version.
New American Standard Bible.
Greeson, Wayne, Debate Chart on the Oneness of God.
Lard, Moses E., Commentary on Paul’s Letter to Romans.
Thayer, J.H., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
Vine, W.E., Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words.
