We hope you find these notes helpful. Do feel free to download the material on this website for your own personal use, and also to distribute if you so wish. Please be aware that all the writing is copyright, so no alterations should be made.

Please feel free to comment on any aspect of what you find on this website by e-mailing: martin_margaret3@yahoo.co.uk. We would be pleased to hear from you.

Continuation of Section 4   2:17-3:20
God’s wrath against men as Legislator

Structure of 3:1-20

4(d)	3:1-8	The charge of infidelity
4(e)	3:9-20	The charge of iniquity
4(f)	3:18-20	The charged ones found guilty

The apostle anticipates objections to what he has just written, and in answering them accuses the Jews of infidelity. He asks a series of double questions, each followed by his answer. Each question and answer section has a particular feature about God as its theme. We could paraphrase these questions and answers as follows:

Theme, verse 2: the oracles of God.

First pair of questions, verse 1: “If previous verses at the end of chapter two are correct, then what is the value in being a Jew and being circumcised?”
Answer, verse 2: “There is much advantage in being a Jew, chiefly because it means ready access to the Scriptures, the oracles of God.”

Theme, verse 3: the faith of God.

Second pair of questions, verse 3: “If some did not believe, does that mean that faith in Him is not worthwhile?” Is faith in God pointless?
Answer, verse 4: “Not at all, (God forbid), because God is true, (He always speaks truth), but men, all of them, are liars. They lie by denying God’s word. It is those who do not believe who make God a liar, 1 John 5:10. So the fault lies with man, not God”.

Theme, verse 6: the righteousness of God.

Third pair of questions, verse 5: “If a good result is achieved when man repents, then has man’s unrighteousness enhanced God’s righteousness? If that is the case, is not God unrighteous when He judges sin?”
Answer, verse 6: “To speak like that is to say God will not judge men at all, which cannot be the case”.

Theme, verse 7: the truth of God.

Fourth pair of questions, verses 7,8: “If my life of denying the truth has enabled truth about God to be made known, then why should I be personally judged, (I also), even if the world is? And further to that, should we not actively sin in order to enhance God’s good name further?
Answer, none given, for the idea is so outrageous that it does not deserve a response.

We shall find that the apostle does not engage in an argument to prove the statements he makes, but is content to show their logical outcome, assuming we shall see the logic of his thinking. That God is true is a given fact as far as the apostle is concerned. He takes it for granted that God cannot be blamed for the reactions of men to His word, that He will definitely judge the world, and that He will condemn those who excuse their sin by saying it glorifies God. These propositions are accepted by reasonable people and do not need to be proved.

First pair of questions

3:1
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?

What advantage then hath the Jew?- the first possible objection has to do with the failures described in 2:21-24. It seems as though there is no benefit in being a Jew.
Or what profit is there of circumcision? In view of the truths set out in 2:25-29, where circumcised persons are said to be no better than the uncircumcised, it might be thought that there is no advantage in being circumcised if outward things are invalid.

Answer to first pair of questions

3:2
Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.

Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God– there are many and varied advantages in being a Jew, and they are listed in Romans 9:4,5. A chief one, which the apostle highlights here, is the possession of the living word of God, which the Jew was expected to observe. Note the connection between “committed”, (entrusted), and “did not believe”, verse 3, (were unfaithful to the trust).

Second pair of questions

3:3
For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

For what if some did not believe? The apostle has shown at the end of chapter two that simply being a Jew did not in itself gain the praise of God. Without faith it is impossible to please Him, Hebrews 11:6. Note the past tense, “did not believe”. He is thinking of two past instances of unbelief. The first, the lack of belief in the oracles committed to them on the part of Israel. The second, the lack of belief in Christ when He came. He Himself linked these two evidences of unbelief together when He said, “Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” John 5:45-47.
Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? What is the situation if the majority of the nation to whom the oracles were committed did not believe those oracles, nor believe in Christ when He came in fulfilment of them? The faith of God is contrasted here with the unbelief of Israel. Of course God does not need to exercise faith in anything, so it is not that God has faith. The expression “faith of God” is unique to this passage, but there are seven instances in the New Testament of the phrase, or a similar one, “the faith of Christ”. The idea is of faith that is closely connected with Christ, having Him as its object. So the faith of God is the faith that God expects from men in response to His word, the living oracles of God. The Jew would probably protest that he had faith in the God of Israel. That may be so, but it was defective, and could not be described as the faith of God, the faith God was expecting.
So this question might be paraphrased as, “Does this mean that the unbelief of many in Israel has exposed what God was doing through His Old Testament word and His Son as being ineffective, and as such, should be abandoned?”
Most modern commentators, following the lead of the Revised Version, (a version not to be trusted), substitute “the faithfulness of God” here for “the faith of God” of the Authorised Version. We should remember, however, that Paul had at his disposal a perfectly good word for faithfulness, pistos, but he chose not to use it. The Greek word for faith is pistis, and is translated as faith 239 times in the New Testament. It is translated as assurance, belief, or fidelity, once each. So in the overwhelming majority of instances the word is translated faith.
It is all the more significant that Paul used the word pistis for faith, and did not use the word pistos, when we consider that he has just used the negative of that latter word, apistos, (meaning unbelief in the sense of unfaithfulness) which corresponds to it.
Does it not go without saying that God’s faithfulness, being part of His character, is not rendered useless by the unbelief of men? What does need to be shown is that faith in God is not useless.
Couple with this the fact that the translators of the Authorised Version would have weighed up this matter very carefully. Should we not be prepared to willingly defer to their skill, and to believe that God superintended their work in a remarkable and unrepeated way?
There is a similarly strange expression in Luke 6:12, where the literal rendering of “prayer to God” would be “the prayer of God”. Obviously God does not pray, but it seems the expression means “extraordinary and sublime devotion”. If this is a parallel case, then the faith of God is faith in God which is genuine and evident, and in contrast to the unbelief and hypocrisy of the majority in Israel.
So the point the apostle is making is that the word of God to the nation of Israel may have been met largely with unbelief and consequent unfaithfulness, but that in no wise means that the faith of the minority is useless. God is able to bless individual Jews even if in the main the nation rejects His word.
So Paul’s questions in verse 1, “what advantage?”, and “what profit?” are being answered; at the present time for individual Jews, and in the future for the nation.
To cross over from being amongst the majority to be amongst the minority, the Jew must do what David did when he owned up to his sin, which was committed contrary to the truth, and was an evidence of unfaithfulness. The apostle is about to quote David’s words on this matter.

Answer to second pair of questions

3:4
God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.

God forbid- Far be the thought! The apostle strongly rejects the idea that man’s response to God can in any way mean that God’s purpose is frustrated.
Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar- not content with a negative rejection of the idea, the apostle makes a positive demand, which he prefaces with the word yea, telling of his strong feeling about the matter. He has that strong feeling because the honour of God is involved. When Satan came to tempt the woman in Eden, his first words were “Yea, hath God said?” Genesis 3:1. So from the very beginning, Satan has attempted to undermine the word of God. It is as if he said, “Yea, let God be untrue”. Here the apostle counters Satan’s attack on the truth of God and says, “Yea, let God be true”. Let the fact that God is true, and that all men are liars, govern our thinking in this matter. Paul energetically repudiates the idea that God’s word is at the mercy of men’s reaction to it.
When men do not believe the word of God, they elevate their thinking above God’s. They say in effect “I am right, but God is wrong”. Implied in that is the further thought, “I speak truth, but God is a liar”. Such is the wickedness of unbelief. But if the apostle strongly defends the idea that God is true, he equally strongly asserts that every man is a liar, especially when it comes to rejecting the word of God.
Since men are liars, they live out a lie in their lives, as the illustration from the life of David shows. As we have seen in 2:21-24, David broke every one of the last five commandments of the law, and in so doing broke them all, for to offend in one point is to be guilty of all, James 2:10. As a result of his experience, he was caused to acknowledge that God was right and he was wrong. This is an important point, so the apostle reinforces it with a relevant allusion to the Old Testament record.
As it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings- David came into direct confrontation with the word of God over the matter of his adultery with Bathsheba, and acted out a lie to cover his sin. See 2 Samuel 11; Psalm 32. The apostle quotes here from Psalm 51, one of David’s repentance psalms. As Psalm 32:3-5 indicates, David resisted acknowledging his sin at first, but at last came to the point where he gave in, and owned up to his wickedness. When he did this he justified or vindicated God and condemned himself, thus God was glorified as His sayings prevailed in David’s heart. The sayings being the specific commandments he had transgressed.
And mightest overcome when thou art judged- there was another consequence of David’s sin, apart from the rejection of God’s word. As Nathan said to him, “by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme”, 2 Samuel 12:14. By repenting, however, (saying in effect “I am a liar and God is true”), he relieved God of any blame when men pointed the finger at David, God’s anointed. In this way God overcame His accusers when they criticised Him.

Third pair of questions

3:5
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? What can be said about the idea that the unrighteouness of the Jews, (as expressed by them breaking God’s righteous law), in some way brings God’s righteous ways into favourable display? “What shall we say” is usually used in the New Testament when the argument of an opponent is being refuted.
Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? Can God righteously express vengeance against men by judging them, when all the time they are doing that which gives Him fresh opportunity to glorify Himself?
(I speak as a man)- to speak like this is to speak as a natural man without the knowledge of God. To suggest that the righteous God of heaven is not righteous when He judges men is preposterous. To a believer the idea is abhorrent, illogical and unethical.

Answer to third pair of questions

3:6
God forbid: for then how shall God judge the world?

God forbid- again the apostle finds himself strongly rejecting the idea.
For then how shall God judge the world? That God will judge the world has been established in chapters 1 and 2, but this objection would destroy that truth, for it would undermine the just judgment of the world by God. He fully intends to judge the world, and do it in righteousness, Acts 17:31. The apostle goes on to point out in verses 7 and 8 two more consequences of this foolish notion.

Fourth pair of questions

3:7
For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I also judged as a sinner?

For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory; why yet am I judged as a sinner? If the truth about God contained in the oracles delivered to the Jews has been enhanced by my life lived contrary to that truth, (“my lie”), why am I still to be judged as a sinner? Surely I should be commended for giving God the opportunity to glorify Himself!

3:8
And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? whose damnation is just.

And not rather- this means, “And why should we not develop this idea further?”
(as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) Let us do evil, that good may come? Some were slandering Paul by saying that Paul taught the practice of evil so that good might come to God’s reputation.

Answer to fourth pair of questions

Whose damnation is just- this is so outrageous that the apostle is content to simply say that the judgment of those who suggest such things is just; it only needs the reminder of coming judgment to refute their argument. But let his opponents beware, for the judgment which is just and right for sinners generally, is just and right for slanderers too.

4(e) 3:9-17
The charge of iniquity

Having examined all classes of men, the apostle now presents his final argument on the subject of the universal sin of man, and the consequent danger of the wrath of God. The epistle to the Romans puts man in God’s Law-court, charges him in 1:19-3:8, presents written evidence in 3:9-18, pronounces him guilty in 3:19, then tells of the just means whereby his guilt may be removed, 3:20-25, and the repentant, believing sinner justified, 3:26.

3:9
What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

What then, are we better than they? In verse 1 the apostle had asked what advantage and profit the Jew had, and his answer was “Much every way.” Now, having disposed of the arguments of his opponents, he is able to ask a final question, which is, “Are we [Jews] better than they [Gentiles]?”
No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin- the Jew has outward advantages, but inwardly, as 2:21-24 shows, he is no better than sinful Gentiles. “Proved” here means “charged, incriminated, accused, put to the test in a judicial way”, and this has been done in 1:18-3:8. The proof in the sense of “the evidence that convinces” is about to be presented from the Old Testament scriptures, from which the apostle extracts fourteen statements proving conclusively that Jews are sinners.

3:10
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

As it is written- the fourteen statements the apostle now sets out are all taken from the Old Testament scriptures, with which the Jew was entrusted to enable him to please God. He did the reverse. It is testimony to the genuineness of those scriptures that even though they condemn them, they were carefully preserved by them.
There is none righteous, no, not one- the nature of man, even of the Jew, is corrupted and depraved by Adam’s fall. Psalm 14:3 reads, “there is none that doeth good, no, not one”, but as the apostle John says, “He that doeth righteous is righteous, even as he is righteous”, 1 John 3:7, for it is the nature that produces the results, such as goodness. If there is not a righteous nature, then there are no good actions, whatever men may claim.

3:11
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

There is none that understandeth- this is the conclusion the apostle draws from Psalm 14:2, where “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God.” The fact that the next verse says “there is none that doeth good, no, not one”, shows that the conclusion the apostle draws here is valid. If they did understand and seek God they would have done good. The mind of man is ignorant of the truth of God, “having the understanding darkened”, as the apostle says in Ephesians 4:18.
There is none that seeketh after God- the attitude of man is one of apathy towards God. It was to Israel initially that God said, “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Isaiah 55:6. The failure to seek is a sure sign of the lack of understanding, as Psalm 14:2, (already quoted above), indicates.

3:12
They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

They are all gone out of the way- the will of man makes him continue in the path of departure from God begun in the garden of Eden, Genesis 3. This is true of men generally, for “all we like sheep have gone astray”, Isaiah 53:6. It is also true of men individually, for the prophet went on to say, “we have turned every one to his own way”.
They are together become unprofitable- the life of man is unprofitable to God. This is true of men socially, for they are unprofitable together. There is no profit for God in human society. The reason this is so is given by the psalmist, “they are all together become filthy”, Psalm 14:3. The apostle interprets this for us, explaining that the filthiness is the cause of the unprofitableness to God, for He cannot approve of, or use, unclean things.
There is none that doeth good, no, not one- the works of man are contrary to God, who is essentially good. This is true of man individually.

3:13
Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

Their throat is an open sepulchre- man is both defiled himself, and likely to defile others. The Lord Jesus likened the Pharisees of His day to whited sepulchres, “full of dead men’s bones, and all uncleanness”, Matthew 23:27. He also said they were like hidden graves that men walked over without knowing, and thus defiled themselves, Luke 11:44.
With their tongues they have used deceit- man is deceitful. “The wicked…go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies”, Psalm 58:3.
The poison of asps is under their lips- the words of men are dangerous. This is because they are worked upon by the god of this world. John the Baptist accused the Pharisees of being a “generation of vipers”, Matthew 3:7. And the Lord Himself told the Jews “Ye are of your father the devil”, John 8:44, and he is “that old serpent, called the devil”, Revelation 12:9.

3:14
Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness- malice is expressed, (cursing), and malice is harboured, (bitterness). The result is that man’s words are damaging. All these statements were true of Paul when he was Saul of Tarsus, as he breathed out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, Acts 9:1. We could look upon this whole passage as a description of his pre-conversion state.

3:15
Their feet are swift to shed blood:

Their feet are swift to shed blood- the end result of man’s condition is that his life has the potential to be deadly. We see this in the haste with which the Jewish authorities tried and condemned Christ. They arrested Him and led Him away to Caiaphas, who had already said that He should die instead of the people, John 11:50. There was no intention of giving Him a fair trial. They took counsel against Him, not to find out the truth, but to put Him to death, John 11:53. They sought for witnesses, not to gather evidence, but to crucify Him, for that was their only object, Matthew 26:59.

3:16
Destruction and misery are in their ways:

Destruction and misery are in their ways- both in action and effect man is destructive. We see this in the actions of Saul of Tarsus, who by his own testimony “And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” Acts 22:4. And he adds later, “when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them”, 26:10.

3:17
And the way of peace have they not known:

And the way of peace have they not known- in his life man is discordant in relation to others, disturbed in relation to himself, and dislocated from God.

3:18
There is no fear of God before their eyes.

There is no fear of God before their eyes- defiance of God characterises man, and he expresses this by disregarding his responsibilities before God and before man.
These statements may appear to be extreme, but the point is that they describe what man is and does if left to himself. Condemnation comes upon us because we are sinners, as well as because we have sinned, so this passage serves to highlight both what we commit, and what we are. Man is totally depraved, which means he is affected by sin in all aspects of his person.
Note this does not mean that men are as bad as they can be, but they do have the potential to be as bad as they can be, and this extreme badness is exposed in verses 10-18. Note also the emphasis on spoken things, for Paul had summarised the sinner’s life as a lie, 3:7. And this living lie works itself out in ways that are hostile to the living and true God.
Finally, Paul turns his attention to man’s eyes, the vehicle by which sin entered the world at the beginning, for Eve saw the forbidden tree, and failed to fear God, Genesis 3:6. As a result, “all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world”, 1 John 2:16.

4(f)   3:18-20
The charged ones found guilty

3:19
Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.

Now we know- the apostle has already stated that “as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law”, 2:12, so what he is about to say is a known fact.
That what things soever the law saith- the word for saith gives emphasis to the content of the law.
It saith to them that are under the law- a different word for saith, giving emphasis to the personal challenge of the voice of the law. The law of Moses condemns the sins of verses 10-18. “them that are under the law” refers to the people of Israel, the ones through whom the whole of humanity was put to the test. Their main benefit, possession of the law and life under its authority, 3:1,2, becomes their main accuser.
That every mouth may be stopped- if Israel with all their advantages fails, then there is no hope for the rest of mankind. As the wise man said, “As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man.” Proverbs 27:19. In other words, just as we look into a pool of water and see ourselves, so if we were to look into another man’s heart, we would see ourselves there also, for we all share the same nature. The mouths of sinners are stopped from protesting against the condemnation of God here, and in verse 27 they are stopped from boasting. Job confessed, “Behold I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.” Job 40:4,5.
And all the world may become guilty before God- the whole world is “liable to punishment”, or “liable to pay penalty to God”, since the apostle has now proved universal sinfulness, and therefore universal guiltiness. Man has nothing to say in response to God’s verdict of “Guilty”. They make a great mistake who say they will wait until judgment day to find out their position. God in mercy has declared it to them already, whilst there is time to repent and believe. Man has been brought to trial, lost his case, and is liable now to punishment.

3:20
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight- if the law condemns us as sinners, it thereby disqualifies us from seeking to gain God’s approval by keeping it.
For by the law is the knowledge of sin- when the commandment confronts the will of man, it shows him to be hostile (for the mind of the flesh is enmity with God, and is not subject to the law of God, Romans 8:7) and exposes him as a sinner.

Section 5   Romans 3:21-26
The work of Christ is central to the gospel

Subject of Section 5
Having shown that man deserves nothing but wrath because of his sin, the apostle now explains that God is willing, in grace, to bestow upon men that which they do not deserve, which they can never earn, and which they will never be able fully to repay. How He does this, whilst still maintaining His just character, is detailed for us in the next few verses.
The expression “righteousness of God” is used in two ways in this passage. In verses 25 and 26 it is the attribute of righteousness which God possesses which is in view, the righteousness which is His intrinsically. In verses 21 and 22, however, the idea is of that righteousness which He reckons or imputes to a person when they believe. Of course the Divine righteousness that is imputed is of the same character as the intrinsic righteousness of God. The difference is that God has that righteousness as an essential attribute, (that is, an attribute of His essence), whereas man needs it to be granted to him, for he is unrighteous by nature. Divine righteousness reckoned is in direct contrast to human righteousness demanded, as when men were under the law.
The English language is derived from various sources, one of which gives us the adjective “righteous”, and another which gives us the adjective “just”. They mean the same thing, namely that which is right according to God’s standard. Righteousness was originally spelt right-wise-ness, meaning that which corresponds to right, just as clock-wise means that which corresponds to the direction the hands of the clock travel.
This passage, then, assures us that in the salvation of sinners, God acts in perfect conformity to the absolute standard of right that He represents in His own person. It also assures us that through faith a person is reckoned by God to be in conformity with that right character of His, not because he has attained such a position by his own efforts, but because God in grace blesses in this way on the basis of the work of Christ.
It is important to notice the emphasis on the righteousness of God, for this leading theme of the gospel is being forgotten today and is being replaced by an over-emphasis on the love of God. It is indeed important to proclaim the general love of God for sinners. We should note, however, that the love of God is spoken of in John 3:16 as being in the past, and that historic display of love which took place at Calvary is the once-for-all declaration of God’s attitude towards men. The grace and mercy of God which are based upon His love, Ephesians 2:4-7, should not be preached at the expense of announcing His righteous demands. The love of God is the expression of His nature, 1 John 4:8; but His nature is also righteous, and there cannot be conflict between the two. Divine love must act righteously, for “God is light, and in him is no darkness at all”, 1 John 1:5.

Structure of Section 5

5(a)	3:21	The righteousness of God and the law
5(b)	3:22	The righteousness of God and faith
5(c)	3:23	The righteousness of God and sin
5(d)	3:24	The righteousness of God and redemption
5(e)	3:25	The righteousness of God and propitiation
5(f)	3:26	The righteousness of God and justification

5(a)   3:21
The righteousness of God and the law

3:21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

But- the word presents us with the Divine alternative to the failure of man described in 1:18-3:20. The apostle now resumes where he broke off in 1:17, and having shown conclusively that man is totally unable to attain to personal righteousness, and deserves nothing but wrath from God, begins to unfold the wonder of the gospel which is able to bring sinners into a right relationship with God. Man deserves wrath but God intervenes.
Now- a different situation altogether prevails at the present time compared to the age of the law. See verses 25 and 26, with their references to “sins that are past”, and “at this time”.
The righteousness of God without the law is manifested- it is not now human righteousness demanded, as under the law of Moses, but Divine righteousness manifested. “without the law” means totally apart from attempts to keep the law to earn salvation.
Being witnessed by the law and prophets- the Old Testament gave abundant testimony to the righteous requirements of God. The law gave the directives, the prophets exposed the deviations. Paul is careful to emphasise that the gospel does not overthrow the righteousness of God expressed in the law, just as he emphasised in 1:1,2 that the gospel is in harmony with the Old Testament scriptures.

5(b)   3:22
The righteousness of God and faith

3:22
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ- not the unattainable righteousness through works, but that which is freely available to those whose faith is in Jesus Christ. It is not belief about Christ that saves, (although obviously the facts concerning Him must be accepted, for Christianity is based on historical events), but it is faith in, or upon, the Lord Jesus Christ which saves, involving unreserved reliance on Him alone for salvation, on the basis of His death at Calvary. “Faith of Jesus Christ” does not mean Christ’s personal faith, but the faith men place in Him, as opposed to putting faith in the law for salvation, which is in fact putting faith in themselves.
Unto all- the gospel makes a universal offer to men. No one is excluded from the opportunity of blessing, for just as no person is good enough in himself for God to accept him, so no person is too bad. The next phrase tells us the condition upon which that offer is made.
And upon all them that believe- belief in Christ is the unvarying principle upon which God acts. “Upon” signifies that there are objects in view, namely those who believe. Gospel blessing is only available on the condition that it is for those who believe, just as a shopkeeper displays his goods on the understanding that people will pay for them, not steal them. The goods are displayed with that condition in mind. The gospel is sent in the direction of, and arrives at, those who are prepared to believe. This is not to say that the gospel is only applicable to some, but rather that it is only available on the principle of faith.
For there is no difference- each individual, of whatever background, must take his place amongst the “all”, for there are no exceptions to the rule that righteousness can be received only by faith. There is no difference, for all need to believe; there is no difference, for all have sinned.

5(c)   3:23
The righteousness of God and sin

3:23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

For all have sinned- this is the reason why salvation is made available to all. It is man’s sin, not man’s merit, that causes God to offer blessing to all, hence the “for,” or “because”. Note that the verb sinned is in the past.
And come short of the glory of God- this is the present consequence of past failure. It is too late for man to begin to earn merit, for he has a sinful record, and “God requireth that which is past,” Ecclesiastes 3:15. The glory of God may be defined as “the sum total of God’s attributes and the whole range of His characteristics which combine together to make Him alone worthy of worship”. The glory of God demands that man be righteous if he is to be accepted with Him, but man falls short because of his sin. The demands of God’s glory, however, have been met fully by Christ, hence the apostle goes on to speak of justification through Him. And those who are justified are as good as glorified, 8:30, and no longer come short.

5(d)   3:24
The righteousness of God and redemption

3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Being justified- the believer is reckoned to be righteous in the sight of God because of the merit of Christ’s work. To be reckoned or thought of by God as righteous, is the same as to be justified. Clearly the apostle is not describing the unrepentant sinner as being justified, but rather, he is referring back to verse 22, and describing “them that believe”.
Freely- this word is translated “without a cause” in John 15:25. There is no reason in man why God should justify him; the cause is found in Christ, for God forgives sins for the sake of Christ, Ephesians 4:32. There is no merit in man, and no hesitation with God.
By his grace- this is the motive in the heart of God which causes Him to justify sinners. Grace is unmerited favour to those who do not deserve it and can never repay it, and is an expression of Divine love, Ephesians 2:4,5.
Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus- redemption is the means by which we may be justified. Sins committed put us under an obligation to God, for His righteous character demands that they be dealt with. We have no means of satisfying God’s demands, and so are constantly in debt to God. In Old Testament times, when a person was without resources, his near kinsman could act as his redeemer, provided he had both the resolve, and the resources. We see an example of this in Boaz in the book of Ruth.
If men are to have redemption, then they must find it in the One who gave His life a ransom for many, Matthew 20:28. A ransom was the price that must be paid in order to redeem. The Lord Jesus “gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,” Titus 2:14. Notice it is “that he might”, an expression which tells of a possibility, for his death gives him the right to redeem when we believe. Elihu, Job’s friend, said about God, “Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down into the pit: I have found a ransom.” Job 33:24.

Special note on redemption
Redemption may be defined as “the setting free of a slave by the payment of a price”. That price being called a ransom. The carrying out of redemption is presented to us in the Old Testament in two ways. There were those redeemed from bondage, such as the nation of Israel, who were in Egypt as slaves to Pharoah the ruler. And there were those who were redeemed from bankruptcy, such as Ruth, in the book of Ruth. In either case the principle was the same, namely, a state of enslavement, the reality; one who was willing and able to pay the price that set free, the redeemer; the price paid, the ransom; the consequent setting free, the release; gratitude to the redeemer and service to him as the new owner, the response.

The reality
The following are scriptures that set out the reality of the fact that man is a slave to sin, and as such is in need of a redeemer.

1. “Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin“, John 8:34.

These are the words of Christ, and are based on the story of Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah. Hagar was a slave-girl, and Abraham, sadly, had a child by her, Ishmael. He then had a child by Sarah his wife, named Isaac. When the time of Isaac’s weaning came, Abraham made a great feast, and introduced his son Isaac to the community as his heir. Ishmael, a boy of thirteen at the time, mocked, and for this reason was cast out of Abraham’s house. We read this in Genesis 21:8-14. So when the Lord Jesus speaks of the son remaining in the house, and the slave not doing so, John 8:35, He is referring to this incident,.
The Jews claimed to be Abraham’s seed, but the Lord is confronting them with the truth that Ishmael was this too. Only those who are free because He has made them free are like Isaac, and remain in the house in fellowship with the father. Those who are slaves, like Ishmael, have no right to be in the house, but are cast out. The Jews, even though descended from Abraham physically through Isaac, were nonetheless morally like Ishmael, and as such were not in fellowship with God.

2. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ”, 1 Peter 1:18,19.

The apostle Peter is here referring to the departure of the children of Israel from Egypt, as recorded in Exodus chapters 12-15. The only silver and gold the Israelites had at that time was the money the Egyptians gave them to ensure they really went away. But it was not this money that purchased their freedom. What did purchase that freedom was the blood of the lamb on passover night.

3. “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage”, Hebrews 2:14,15.

Every night, as an Israelite went to sleep, he feared dying with sin on his record. He may have offered a sin-offering during the day, but he may also have sinned on the way home. Christ came to deliver from that fear, and He does so by dealing completely and finally with the question of sins as far as those who believe are concerned. He also made of no effect the power of the devil over them so that they are freed from the fear of death. He did this by going into death voluntarily, and taking His life again by His own act, thus showing that He was in no way in bondage to the power of the devil. That triumph over the devil He shares with those who believe on Him.

4. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us”, Galatians 3:13.

The nation of Israel had been given the law at Sinai as a conditional covenant. The blessing of that covenant depended on their obedience. Because they had no ability to fully obey, they were under a curse, not a blessing. The only way to be set free from that curse was for someone who had not transgressed God’s law to take that curse upon Himself, and thus set free those who would believe in Him. This the Lord Jesus did when on the cross He accepted the consequences that the law-breaking of men had brought upon themselves, and bore those consequences instead.

5. “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” Galatians 4:8.

Many of the Galatian believers to whom Paul is writing had been idol-worshippers before they were saved, and as such were in superstitious fear of the demon-influence behind those idols. The apostle calls this slave-service. The work of Christ at Calvary had set them free from that fear the moment they believed, since by His death He destroyed the power of the prince of this world, Satan himself, who holds men in slavery to superstition.

6. “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:23.

When Adam sinned and fell, he brought the creation of which he was head down with him. As a result, men’s bodies are in a state of corruption. This is true even of the body of believers in Christ, for their body is the last link with the world of Adam. When Christ comes for His people, He shall change their bodies, so that they are like His glorious body, Philippians 3:21. In this way the bondage of a corrupt body will be forever gone.

7. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: (for the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.” Psalm 49:7-9.

Psalm 49 is used by Jews as a funeral psalm, for it laments the fact that no-one can redeem another from going into death and the grave. This indicates that the prospect of dying and corrupting is a form of bondage to men, from which no ordinary man can redeem his fellow-man. Only the Lord Jesus can do this. The believer will one day rise from the dead with an incorrupt and incorruptible body, 1 Corinthians 15:42,53. More than that, because the Lord is coming to take His people to heaven, some of them will not even go into the grave at all.

8. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death“, Hosea 13:14.

Here God promises to deliver from the hold that the grave has on the bodies of believers. The apostle Paul alludes to this passage when he is dealing with the resurrection of the saints in 1 Corinthians 15:57. Christ shall rescue their bodies from the grave when He comes for His own.

The Redeemer
As we have said, one who undertakes to redeem must first be willing, and then be wealthy. The only one who is both willing to pay the price, and wealthy enough to do so, is the Lord Jesus. The price He was prepared to pay was nothing less than Himself, yielded up to God in death. The root cause of man’s slavery in all its forms is the sin that has brought death into the world. Because He was sinless, and not in any sort of slavery, the Lord Jesus was free to deal with our bondage.
When He preached in the synagogue at Nazareth, the Lord Jesus announced that He was the one of whom Isaiah prophesied in chapter 61 of his book. He quoted the words as follows, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he hath anointed me to…preach deliverance to the captives”, Luke 4:18. Yet He did not deliver John the Baptist from prison! The deliverance in view must therefore be of the spiritual kind, the kind of which the eight scriptures quoted above speak.
Redemption is illustrated for us in Exodus 12, where the blood of an innocent lamb was shed and sprinkled, and as a result Israel were delivered from bondage to Pharoah. The apostle Peter takes this up, and speaks of the precious blood of Christ, “as of a lamb without blemish and without spot”, 1 Peter 1:19. Since the blood represents the life of a person, the blood of Christ is precious because His Person is precious to God.
Things may be precious in three ways. They may be precious because they are special. An object may have little monetary value, yet be extremely precious because of what it represents. The blood of Christ is precious because He is without blemish and without spot. He is pure without as to character, and pure within as to nature, and as such is special to God, and to those who believe in Him.
Things can be also be precious because they are, in fact, valuable. Christ is God’s only begotten Son, John 3:16, and His dear Son, Colossians 1:13. God the Father values Him highly, yet freely delivered Him up for us all. We see how valuable His blood was by how precious He is, and by how much it has and will achieve.
Things can also be precious because they are memorable, reminding us of some great event. There was no greater event than the death of the Lord Jesus at Calvary. What could surpass the death of the Son of God? Throughout all eternity the redeemed shall sing a new song, and that song is prompted by the fact that the Lamb was slain, and has redeemed to God by His blood, Revelation 5:9.

The ransom
A ransom was the price paid so that a slave could be bought out of the market-place. On payment of this ransom-price, the slave became the property of the one purchasing his freedom. The ransom price that was necessary to buy sinners out of the slave-market of sin is nothing less than the blood of Christ. His own words were, “For even the Son of Man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45. Wonderful as His earthly ministry was, it was surpassed by what He did at Calvary, where He gave Himself, in all the glory of His person, to God.
1 Timothy 2:6 is to the same effect, where the apostle writes that He “gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”. This is offered by the apostle as support for what he wrote previously in verse 4, where he stated that God’s desire is that all men should be saved. The genuineness of that desire is seen in that He has appointed His Son as the ransom for all.

The release
When a person believes on the Lord Jesus, having acknowledged slavery to sin, and the complete inability to deliver himself from bondage, certain things happen. We may think of them in connection with the eight scriptures quoted at the outset.

1. “Jesus answered them, whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.” John 8:34.

The Lord Jesus went on to say that “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” verse 36. The word “indeed” means “to the very core of your being”. In other words, absolutely free. Not free superficially, or provisionally, or temporarily, but free absolutely and permanently. Such is the thoroughness with which the Lord Jesus frees those who believe in Him.
How does this work out in practice? He also said in that chapter, “and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free”, verse 32. The truth of the scriptures, when believed, makes free in principle, and when applied to the life, makes free in practice.
An instance of this is the truth of the believer’s association with Christ in His burial and resurrection, which frees us as we act upon it. Romans 6:11 says, “Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” This is the way of practical deliverance, reckoning to be true in practice what is true in principle; making sure that the truth of the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Christ affects our thinking and our acting. The apostle goes on in that same chapter to write, “But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine that was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Romans 6:17,18. To be free from sin does not mean that believers never sin, or even that they have no ability to sin, but it does mean that the sin-principle within has no right to hold them in bondage any more.

2. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers”, 1 Peter 1:18.

The vain conversation Peter refers to here is that empty way of life that dominates unsaved people. They have no power to break free from the course on which this world takes them, for the prince of this world ensures that there is plenty to occupy their minds and hearts. Redeemed persons are free of that, however, and their lives can now be taken up with that which is of God.

3. “that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage”, Hebrews 2:14,15.

The true believer does not fear death itself, even though he might fear the process of dying. The apostle Paul reminded the Corinthians that all things were theirs, including death, 1 Corinthians 3:21,22. It is but a servant who ushers them into the presence of their Lord. There is no need to have anxious fears such as an Israelite of old had, for the one who tormented men with the fear of death has been defeated, and his power broken.

4. “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us”, Galatians 3:13.

There was a curse pronounced on those who were hung upon a tree or gallows in Old Testament times. Such an one was marked out as being cursed of God because of his crimes. Christ went further, however, for He was not only hung upon a tree or cross and numbered with the transgressors, but He was made a curse. He accepted responsibility for the law-breaking of men, and the judgment it involved. Because He is risen from the dead, we may be assured that no curse will come upon the true believer, since He dealt with the curse instead. It is blessing that comes to the believer, not cursing, Galatians 3:14.

5. “Howbeit then, when ye knew not God, ye did service unto them which by nature are no gods.” Galatians 4:8.

Many of the Galatian believers had been idol-worshippers before they were saved. Their idols held them in superstitious fear. This was slavery indeed, with no prospect of release until they heard the message of deliverance through Christ which Paul preached. He could announce that Christ has spoiled the evil angels that held men in their grip, making a show over them openly by means of the cross, Colossians 2:15.
When God delivered Israel from Egypt, He also executed judgment on the gods of the Egyptians, Exodus 12:12, for they worshipped demons under the form of natural things like the river Nile, and frogs and lice. These were the things that God used to plague Egypt before the Exodus, thus showing their folly in worshipping them, and also showing His power over them.

6. “And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Romans 8:23.

This is the part of redemption that is still in the future, yet is certain to take place. At the Lord’s coming the believer will enter into sonship, (here referred to as adoption), in the fullest possible way, being conformed to the image of God’s Son, Romans 8:29. This involves the change of the body, so that it is set free from the bondage that corruption and decay has brought it into because of Adam’s sin. Then, with bodies freed from every limitation, believers shall serve God as they ought.

7. “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him…that he should still live for ever, and not see corruption“, Psalm 49:7,9.

Whilst it is true that believers still die, nevertheless the Lord Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.” John 8:51. Such is the power of the everlasting life that believers possess, that even death is virtually a non-entity as far as they are concerned. Every person who has believed has already passed from death unto life, John 5:24, so that death is simply the necessary process on the way to the gaining of the resurrection body. The “resurrection chapter”, 1 Corinthians 15, states, using the illustration of the sowing of a seed, “that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die”, verse 36. The farmer who leaves the seed-corn in the barn and does not sow it, should not expect a harvest.

8. “I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction: repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.” Hosea 13:14.

When he was setting out what shall happen at the resurrection of the saints, the apostle alluded to the verse quoted above. Hosea was prophesying, so he uses the future tense. The apostle wrote as if the saints had been raised, and he writes of their victory on that resurrection morning as they ask, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 1 Corinthians 15:55. The plague of death shall itself be plagued when Christ comes, and the grave shall be destroyed as far as its power is concerned. In Revelation 1:18 the Lord Jesus announced to John, “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.” He holds the keys of hell so that no believer of this age shall go there, but shall go to Paradise. He holds the keys of death so that every saint shall rise from the grave.

The response
How should the believer react to this redemption? To answer this we could ask how a slave who had a cruel master should respond when he is freed. Will he not be greatly relieved to be delivered from his former slave-master? Will he not do his best to please the one who has ransomed him? So the believer, delivered from the forms of cruel bondage we have listed, should indeed be grateful to his new Master. Especially as that Master has paid an extremely high price to set him free. There should be devotedness to the one who has set us free at such a cost to Himself. There is no danger of falling into the hands of a cruel slave-master again, since redemption, once known, can never be withdrawn.
But there is a feature about deliverance from slavery by Christ that is very unusual. The one-time slaves are elevated to being sons! This is the language of scripture, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.” Galatians 4:4-7.
It is God’s desire to fill heaven with those who are like His Son, and He does it by redeeming those who are slaves to sin, and positioning them as His sons. “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” Romans 8:29.

Having considered these various aspects of redemption, we can see that they combine the two ideas of deliverance from bondage and deliverance from bankrupcy. When the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, they were not free to serve God. Because of this, they built up a debt of obligation to God from which only the blood of the lamb could rescue them. The same is true in the case of Ruth and Naomi. The latter had left the land of Israel with her husband, and gone to live in Moab. Whilst there, she could not go up to the temple to worship. As for Ruth her daughter-in-law, she would have been an idol worshipper before she converted to the faith of Israel. Both of them were in debt to God because of their previous failure to give Him His due. Only Boaz, their kinsman redeemer, could deliver them.

We return now to verse 25.

5(e)   3:25
The righteousness of God and propitiation

3:25
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Whom God hath set forth- this verb is in the Middle Voice, which indicates that the one acting has a personal interest and involvement in the thing that is done. In this case, God has a personal interest in setting Christ Jesus forth. He did so in the words of John the Baptist, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29. Then He did it through the public death of Christ by crucifixion, and then again in the proclamation of the gospel.
To be a propitiation- propitiation is that aspect of the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus at Calvary whereby He gave to God the full and satisfactory answer to the demands which the righteousness of God made against sins. By so doing, He enabled God to maintain His own integrity and at the same time justify those who believe the gospel.
As the “pro” at the beginning of the word suggests, it is a work done towards God; that is, in relation to what He is Himself. The results manward are secondary. Indeed the work of propitiation would be glorifying to God even if there were no results manward.
Through faith- this is the means by which the benefits resulting from propitiation are gained. Man’s faith does not bring about propitiation, nor does it add to it, but it is vitally necessary, since it is the condition God lays down whereby we may have the blessing that propitiation secures. Faith is the avenue down which the benefits of propitiation come to us.
In his blood- the blood of Christ is that which does finally what the blood of bulls and goats did typically on the Day of Atonement, Leviticus 16:15,16. Christ’s blood effects propitiation, faith secures the benefit. Propitiation is “through faith” only in the sense that only those who exercise faith are in the good of Christ’s work. This was the case on the Day of Atonement, for only those who afflicted their souls, (repented), and abstained from work, (the essence of faith, see Romans 4:5), could continue in the nation, and be in the good of the propitiation made. Leviticus 23:26-32 makes this clear.
To declare his righteousness- at Calvary every Divine attribute, including righteousness, was brought out into fullest display. Anticipating the cross, the Lord Jesus prayed, “Father, glorify thy name.” The Father’s immediate response was, “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again”, John 12:28. Later, the Lord Jesus can say, as He anticipates the completion of His work on the cross, “Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in him”, John 13:31. This is why the gospel can be called “the glorious gospel of the blessed God”, 1 Timothy 1:11, for the glory of God is told out as the truth of the gospel is proclaimed.
For the remission of sins that are past- this means “because of the passing over of sins done before”, that is, in Old Testament times. “Before” does not mean before conversion, but before Christ came into the world. Remission here is not forgiveness, but God passing by sins, and not dealing with them in immediate judgment. There was not, generally, the instant dealing with sins committed before Christ’s death which we might have thought a righteous God would have put into effect.
Through the forbearance of God- His forbearance means His holding up the process of immediately dealing with sins in judgment. Paul said that God winked at the former times of ignorance, Acts 17:30, not in the sense that He ignored what was going on, but He chose not to immediately judge men’s ignorance, and graciously bore with men in view of the coming of Christ. The work of Christ at the cross vindicates God for acting like this. At the present time the reason why sins are not instantly dealt with is because of His longsuffering and grace.

Special note on propitiation
We should never underestimate the importance of that aspect of the work of the Lord Jesus at Calvary known as propitiation. This is because the honour of God, the blessing of men, the introduction of Christ’s millenial kingdom, and the new heavens and the new earth, all depend upon it. When thinking of this vital matter, we need to be clear as to what propitiation actually is. It may be defined as follows: “Propitiation is that aspect of the work of Christ at Calvary whereby He gave to God complete answers to the questions raised by the existence of sin”.

There are seven instances of the use of forms of the word propitiation in the New Testament, and they are as follows, emphasised by being in bold type for the sake of clarity, although not found in bold in the Authorised Version:

1. “God be merciful to me a sinner”, Luke 18:13.

2. “whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood”, Romans 3:25.

3. “that He might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people”, Hebrews 2:17.

4. “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness”, Hebrews 8:12.

5. “and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercy seat“, Hebrews 9:5.

6. “And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”, 1 John 2:2.

7. “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins”, 1 John 4:10.

As we consider this subject in the light of the Scriptures, we could ask ourselves three main questions:

Why was propitiation necessary? How was propitiation achieved? What are the results of propitiation?

Why was propitiation necessary?

Because sins offend God
As God is the Absolute Standard of righteousness and holiness, all deviations from this standard are highly offensive to Him. Such is the intensity of His holiness that the simple mention of it is enough to make the posts of the doors of the temple in heaven move, Isaiah 6:3,4. His reaction to sin and iniquity is to turn from it, for He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and He cannot look upon iniquity, Habakkuk 1:13. The very presence of sin in the universe is a grief to God.

Because as Moral Governor of the universe, He must be seen to deal with sins
God has enemies, both devilish and human, and He must be clear of any charge which they may level against Him that suggests He has ignored sins, or at least, ignored some sins. Eternity must not be allowed to run its course without this matter being settled. God deals with some sins instantly, but the majority seem to have gone unpunished. Sentence against an evil work has not been executed speedily, Ecclesiastes 8:11, since God is longsuffering, and waits to be gracious. This situation might give rise to the charge of indifference to sins, and so God must act to defend His honour.

Because God must have a just basis for continuing to have dealings with sinful men
One of the main purposes of the sacrifices on the Day of Atonement in Israel was that God might continue to dwell amongst them despite their uncleanness, Leviticus 16:16. So also when Christ was down here. It was only because God was not imputing trespasses so as to instantly judge them, but rather was working to reconcile men unto Himself, that He was prepared to have dealings with men in the person of His Son. As the apostle Paul says, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them”, 2 Corinthians 5:19.

Because if men are to be shown mercy, have their sins forgiven, and be reconciled to God, there must be a solid basis upon which these things can happen
God declares Himself to be a Saviour God. He cannot be fully satisfied solely by judging men. The fact that “God is light” demands that this be done, but “God is love” too, and delights to manifest Himself in grace.

Because the cycle of sin must be broken
In other words, if there is not to be an eternal succession of creations, falls, remedies for fall, and new creations, then there must be that established which is once for all, giving the complete answer to the question of sin. Unless this complete answer is given, the new heavens and new earth will not be safe from disturbance.

How was propitiation achieved?

The ceremonies of the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus chapter 16 will help us here. We need to be very careful in our interpretation of them, however. We should remember two things. First, that the Old Testament teaches by way of contrast as well as by comparison. Second, that Christ’s ministry is in connection with a sanctuary which is “not of this building”, Hebrews 9:11. That means it is not part of the creation of Genesis chapter one. So even whilst acting on earth, He was operating in relation to a sphere that is not subject to the limitations of time, space, and matter.
In accordance with this, the writer to the Hebrews indicates that the going forth of the Lord Jesus outside the camp was the counterpart of the carrying of the carcase of the sin offering from the altar, where it had been slain, to a place of burning outside the camp, Leviticus 16:27; Hebrews 13:11,12. But this particular ritual took place almost at the end of the Day of Atonement proceedings, whereas the Lord Jesus went outside the camp before He died. We may say then that in one sense time is irrelevant as far as the work of Christ was concerned.
Again, what took place at the altar in the court of the tabernacle; before the ark in the Holiest of All; outside the camp at the place of burning, and in the wilderness where the scapegoat was taken and let go, all typified some aspect of the work of Christ. So place is irrelevant, too.
And so is matter irrelevant. Christ needed no visible ark to enable Him to convince His Father that His blood had been shed. When the repentant man of Luke 18:13 appealed to God to be merciful to him, (that is, to be gracious towards him on the ground of propitiation made), he went down to his house justified, despite the fact that there was no ark in the temple.
With these cautionary remarks in mind, we look now at Leviticus 16, and note those major parts of the ceremonies of that day which contribute towards making propitiation, the great end for which they were carried out.

A suitable sin offering was brought near
We must remember that the word “offer” that is used in Leviticus 16:6 means to bring near. A sacrifice must be offered before it can be laid on the altar. The blood that purges the conscience of God’s people is the blood of One who “offered himself without spot to God”, Hebrews 9:14. That is, of One who presented Himself for sacrifice in all the spotlessness of His person, confident that He met the approval of His God.

An offering was made sin
In Leviticus 16:9 a different word for offer is used, one which simply means to make. The offering is made in the sense that it is reckoned to be sin. So the animal, having had the sins of Aaron and his household figuratively transferred to it, is by that act made to represent those sins. Whatever happens to the animal subsequently, happens to the sin. The apostle Paul takes up this thought in 2 Corinthians 5:21 when he declares that God “hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” It is exceedingly solemn to think that God’s reaction to our sin became His reaction to Christ as the sinner’s substitute. So we may learn in the fullest sense what God’s reaction to sin is by looking to the cross where He forsook His Son and poured out His wrath upon Him. Such is the intensity of God’s hatred of sin, and such is His determination to deal with it, that He “spared not his own Son”, not shielding Him at all from the fury of His anger; not lessening the penalty, not relieving the pain. Who can tell the agony of Christ’s soul when He was dealt with by God as if He were sin! Of course, He remained personally what He always had been, pure and holy, just as the sin-offering is said to be most holy, Leviticus 6:17; but He was made sin as our representative.

The offering was slain and its blood was shed
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.” Leviticus 17:11. Such are the words of God to His people, teaching us that the shedding of blood is vitally important, for “without shedding of blood is no remission”, Hebrews 9:22. Accordingly, that sins might be dealt with, Christ “hath poured out his soul unto death”, Isaiah 53:12.

The carcase was burnt
Having been presented to God as a living animal at the altar, and having been slain and its blood retained, the animal’s carcase must be taken to the outside place, that it may be subjected to the fires of Divine holiness until nothing is left. How significant the contrast to Christ. For He was subjected to the Divine Fires whilst still alive, on the cross. How He must have suffered! Can we begin to take it in? Will not all eternity be needed to set forth what He was prepared to endure in love for our souls? But endure He did, and exhausted the fire of God’s wrath against sins. The fire exhausted the sin offering, but Christ exhausted the fire, and emerged in resurrection.
We must be careful to distinguish between punishment for sins and penalty for sins. Strictly speaking, no-one can bear the punishment for the sins of another, for personal culpability is implied in the word punishment. A person can bear the penalty for the sins of another, however, and this is what Christ has done. God can still justly punish sinners in the lake of fire, since they refused to believe in the One who bore the penalty, and thereby excluded themselves from the benefits He obtained. While it is true that propitiation is not made by the faith of a person, but by the blood of Christ, it is, nevertheless, made good to the person, (and only to the person), who believes, as Romans 3:25 makes clear.

The blood was sprinkled
We come now to the central action on the Day of Atonement, the sprinkling of the blood both of the bullock for Aaron and his house, and the goat for the nation of Israel, on the mercy-seat. This translates a word which signifies “the place for the covering of sin”. If God covers sins, then they are put completely out of His sight. We ought not to think of this covering as a temporary thing, or else we shall have difficulty understanding why God declared that Israel was cleansed from all their sins that day, Leviticus 16:30. It is true that the Scripture says “For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.” Hebrews 10:4, but what that blood symbolises, even the death of Christ, can. And that not only after Calvary, but before as well.
Now when the writer to the Hebrews referred to this Old Testament mercy-seat, he used the Greek word which means propitiatory, the place where God is propitiated in regard to sins. This makes clear that he did not see a distinction between covering and propitiating. There are various figures of speech used in connection with God dealing with sins. He removes them as far as the east is from the west, Psalm 103:12; He casts them behind His back, Isaiah 38:17; blots them out as if by a thick cloud, Isaiah 44:22; casts them into the depths of the sea, Micah 7:19. These are all metaphors, for sins are not material objects. When God does these things, then the matter is thoroughly dealt with. And so when He covers.
Christ has fully met every demand that God could make about sins. As one of the Persons of the Godhead, He has Divine insight into God’s requirements, and He has fully met those requirements. We are assured of this because He has sat down with confidence at the right hand of the Majesty on high, Hebrews 1:3. He purged sins in harmony with the majesty of God.
But He has also established a sure place in the presence of God for those who believe, so that the apostle Paul can speak of the grace wherein we stand, Romans 5:2. So dominant is the idea of grace with regard to that position, that the apostle uses the word grace to describe it. Only those who have “received the atonement”, Romans 5:11, are in that secure place before God.

The sins were confessed and carried away
The sin-offering for the people consisted of two goats, one for the Lord’s interests, and one for theirs. One, as we have seen, was slain so that its blood could be sprinkled on the mercy-seat. The other was called the scape-goat, or goat that was dismissed and went away. There was no double sin-offering for Aaron and his house, for he had seen the blood on the mercy-seat, and since he had not died, he knew it had been accepted, and his sins were gone. The rest of Israel did not have that experience, however, so to reassure them, they were able to see Aaron lay his hands on their goat, confess over it their sins, and then watch the goat, which carried its dreadful load of their sins, disappear into the wilderness, guided by a man whose fitness lay in his ability to take the animal to a place from which it could not return. The writer to the Hebrews takes up these things in Hebrews 9:26 and 28, where he speaks of Christ appearing to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. This is the counterpart of the blood of the first goat that was slain so that its blood could be sprinkled on the mercy-seat. Then he speaks of Christ bearing the sins of many, and now he is thinking of the scapegoat. When the Lord Jesus was forsaken of His God upon the Cross, He was in a judicial position equal to that of the scapegoat, which was accepted as an offering, but rejected because of the load it bore.

What are the results of propitiation?

The demands of God have been fully met
To satisfy God as the Moral Governor of the universe, an adequate and final answer must be found to the question of sin. The demands of His holiness and righteousness are such that He must respond to every sin. Only Christ is adequate for this situation. He it is who has “put away sin by the sacrifice of himself”, Hebrews 9:26. To put away in that verse means to abolish. As far as God is concerned, and in this context, sin is not. No charge can henceforth be made against God that He has ignored the presence of sin. On the contrary, He has taken account of each and every sin through His Son’s work at Calvary. John wrote, “He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world”, 1 John 2:2. Of course “the sins of” is in italics in that verse, being physically absent from the Greek text. But the words are implied in the “ours” of the previous statement. If John had written “not for us only”, then the translation could have continued “but also for the whole world”. Since, however, he uses the possessive pronoun “ours”, which shows he is writing about the sins people possess, then “the sins of” must be inserted.

Now the apostle will write later “And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness.” 1 John 5:19. He sees mankind divided into two clearly defined sections, namely those who are “of God”, that is, believers, and “the whole world”. John not only clearly distinguishes between believers and the world, but just as clearly states that Christ is the propitiatory offering for both classes. That Christ became the propitiation for the whole world does not mean that the whole world will be saved, since propitiation is only made good to a person when he believes. It does mean, however, that no charge may be levelled against God for not making provision for men. Gospel-blessing may be genuinely offered to all men, for there is abundant provision for all.

God’s dealings were vindicated
In Old Testament times God blessed men by reckoning them righteous when they believed in Him. Romans 3:25 indicates that the propitiatory work of Christ vindicates God for so acting. It can be seen now that God was blessing in anticipation, crediting believers with the results of Christ’s work before they had been achieved. He also remitted, or passed over, their sins in forbearance, holding back from judging those sins in virtue of what His Son would do at Calvary.

God’s glory is fully displayed
There is no attribute of God that has not been fully expressed at Calvary. This is why the apostle Paul speaks of rejoicing in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement, Romans 5:11. By His sacrificial work at Calvary Christ has brought the character of God out into full and glorious display. Those who are brought by faith into the good of that work are enabled to behold that display, and rejoice in it. Would we know Divine holiness, or righteousness, or love, or wrath, or any other aspect of the Person of God? Then we must look to the cross for the sight of it. We shall not be disappointed.

God’s mercy is available
The repentant sinner who called upon God to be merciful to him is the first person in the New Testament to use a word based on propitiation; in effect praying, “God be merciful to me on the basis of propitiation”. He went down to his house justified, Luke 18:13,14. Under the terms of the New Covenant, God promises, “I will be merciful to their unrighteousness”, Hebrews 8:12. The mercy-seat was the same width and breadth as the ark, telling us that the ark (Christ as to His Person), and the mercy-seat, (Christ as to His work), were perfectly matched. But we are not told the thickness of the gold of the mercy-seat, for there is an infinite supply of mercy for those who believe, enough to keep them secure for all eternity.

God’s forgiveness is assured
In Hebrews 10:5-9 we have the Spirit of Christ in the psalmist foretelling His work of sacrifice. Then we have the Spirit’s direct testimony telling us of the results of that work, Hebrews 10:15-17. God promises emphatically that He will not remember the sins and iniquities of His people any more, since He brought those sins into remembrance at Calvary, and Christ dealt with them effectively there. “No more” means in no way, nor at any time. Note that God pledges to positively not remember, not negatively to forget. We may forget, and then remember again, whereas God promises never to remember for ever.

God’s people are preserved
The Lord Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene after He was risen, and instructed her to tell the brethren that He was about to “ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God”, John 20:17. Thus He would still be the link between His people and God, maintaining them in His dual role of Advocate with the Father, and High Priest in things pertaining to God.
The basis of His advocacy is two-fold. His person, for He is Jesus Christ the righteous, and His work, for He is the propitiation for our sins, 1 John 2:1,2. The apostle John was concerned about believers sinning. The sins of believers are just as obnoxious to God, and just as deserving of wrath, as those of unbelievers. But we are “saved from wrath through Him”, Romans 5:9, as He pleads the merits of His work. He is, says John, the propitiatory offering for our sins. Not was, but is. In other words, the one who acts for us in heaven as our advocate, is the very same one who hung upon the cross as a sacrifice for our sins.
He is also our High priest. The language of Hebrews 2:17,18 is as follows, “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted”. These verses form a bridge between chapter two, with its emphasis on the reasons why the Lord Jesus took manhood, and chapters three and four, which tell of the way in which Israel were tempted in the wilderness.
Note in particular the word “for” which begins verse 18. Too little attention has been paid to this word, and hence the connection between verses 17 and 18 is often lost. The reason why we have a high priest who is merciful and faithful is that He has been here in manhood and suffered being tempted. When His people pass through temptation, then He undertakes to deal with their cause. Because He has been here, and has been tempted in all points like as we are, He is able to assist us when we cry to Him for help. The word for succour is used by the woman of Canaan in Matthew 15:25 when she cried out, “Lord, help me”. He is able to point us to the ways in which He overcame in the wilderness temptation, and thus we are strengthened to resist temptation.
But what if we fall, and sin? In that case He comes to our aid in another way. We see it typified negatively in Leviticus 10:16-20. The priests were commanded to eat the sin-offerings, if the blood thereof had not been brought into the sanctuary. But at the end of the consecration of the priesthood, Moses was angry on God’s behalf, for the priests had failed in this. Moses said, “God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord”, Leviticus 10:17. One of the functions of priesthood, then, was to personally identify with the sin-offering by eating it, and by so doing bear the iniquity of the congregation, taking responsibility for their failure, but doing so safeguarded by the fact that a sin-offering had been accepted by God. As they did this the scripture explicitly says they made atonement for the people, Leviticus 10:17. We see then what the writer to the Hebrews means when he speaks of Christ making reconciliation for the sins of the people as High Priest. He is indicating that Christ personally identifies Himself with His sin-offering work at Calvary, and thus takes responsibility for the failures of His people under temptation as He pleads their cause before God.

God’s purpose for the earth is furthered
When Adam the head of the first creation fell, all creation had to be subjected to vanity, or else a fallen man would have been head over an unfallen creation, Romans 8:19-23. Now that the Lord Jesus has obtained rights over the earth by His death, He is able to bring in new conditions for God. He can now righteously deliver the present creation from the bondage of corruption into which it was brought by the fall of man. Colossians 1:20 assures us that on the basis of the blood of His cross, all things, whether in earth or in heaven, shall be reconciled to God, for that alienation between God and His creation which took place at the fall can be remedied. Notice it is things, not people, that are spoken of in that verse as being reconciled.

God’s intention to create a new heavens and new earth can be realised
Unless the sin that has marred the first creation is dealt with, God cannot righteously introduce an eternal earth and heavens, for it would not have been evident that He was able to deal with the fall of the first creation. Having dealt with it through Christ, however, He is able to bring in new things that will never be spoiled. Daniel was told that Messiah the Prince would bring in “everlasting righteousness”, Daniel 9:24, and this He will do, on the basis of His death. It only remains for God to announce “Behold, I make all things new”, Revelation 21:5, and a “new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness”, shall be established, 2 Peter 3:13. At last there will be a settled and congenial place in which righteousness can dwell, after all the turmoil brought in by Adam’s sin. Then those profound words spoken by John the Baptist will be fully brought to pass, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”, John 1:29.

5(f)   3:26
The righteousness of God and justification

3:26
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness- having been shown that the work of propitiation vindicates God’s past dealings, we learn here of God’s righteous dealings in the present.
That he might be just- that is, might maintain His righteous character, even while He is blessing guilty sinners.
And the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus- the work of Christ enables God to be two things at the same time, namely, to be just, and also the one who reckons sinners just. It is part of His glory that He does not clear the guilty, Exodus 34:7, but He can with true justice forgive the guilty when they plead the work of Christ on their behalf.
The name Jesus emphasises that it is a real and historical man that enables God to justify. The sinless man has become the sin-offering, so that the sinful men of verses 10-18 might be sin-free.

Section 6   Romans 3:27-4:25
God’s grace towards men as their Justifier

Subject of Section 6
Having shown in a previous parenthesis, 1:18-3:20, the pressing need of the gospel in view of the wrath of God which hung over Jew and Gentile alike, and then having explained the terms of the gospel in 3:21-26, the apostle now expands on the expression he had used in verse 22, “unto all.” Does this really mean that the imputed righteousness of God is unto all men, without exception? Is the same God who is angry against the sins of Jews and Gentiles, also the God who will forgive those sins? To answer this question, the apostle selects two of the most revered figures in Old Testament history to convince his readers, whether Jew or Gentile, that the righteousness of God which comes through faith is indeed available to them all. Before he does this, however, he answers three initial questions that may be on the minds of his readers at this point.

Structure of Section 6

6(a)	3:27, 28	Question One: Can man boast?
6(b)	3:29,30	Question Two: Is God biased?
6(c)	3:31	Question Three: Is law banished?

6(a)   3:27,28
Question One: Can man boast?

3:27
Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.

Where is boasting then? The mention of the glory of God in verse 23 has reminded the apostle that God deserves all the glory from His creatures. Does the gospel ensure this, or does it leave room for men to boast, reserving some glory for themselves?
It is excluded. By what law? Of works? Nay: but by the law of faith-the answer to this question is that boasting on the part of man is totally excluded by the “law of faith”, that is, the principle of faith. The gospel calls for faith, and by definition faith is reliance totally on another, and hence leaves no room for man to boast that he has tried to do the works of the law. The law of works could not exclude boasting, for it expected human effort, in which a man would tend to boast. The apostle returns to this in 4:1-8.

3:28
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law- the word ‘conclude’ means ‘reckon with logical thought’. The truth of the gospel, summed up here by the phrase “justified by faith”, will stand the test of the most rigorous examination.

6(b)   3:29,30
Question Two: Is God biased?

3:29
Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:

Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Given that God specially singled out the people of Israel for unique advantages in the Old Testament, is He still restricting His blessing to them?
Yes, of the Gentiles also- here is the answer, that the one and same God (“it is one God”, verse 30) who blesses Jews with salvation through faith, blesses Gentiles likewise. In this verse the apostle speaks of the two great divisions of humanity in the context of nationality, Jew and Gentile, whereas in the next verse he will refer to them in the context of religion, as those circumcised or uncircumcised.

3:30
Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

Seeing it is one God- there is only one true God, and He is undivided in His person and in His intentions. He blesses men on consistent principles, which are in harmony with His own nature and character.
Which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith- since salvation is not through law-works, which law was given only to the Jews, the way is open for any to come. “By faith”, or literally “out of faith”, means on the principle of faith, as opposed to the principle of works which the Jews was familiar with, and to which circumcision committed them.
As for the Gentiles, here called the uncircumcision, justification is “through faith”, or literally “by the instrumentality of faith”, for the Gentiles did not have any other instrument before, for they were not interested in keeping God’s law. By circumcising their male sons, the Jews committed them to the law with its system of works, whereas Gentile boys were not thus committed. The apostle returns to this in 4:9-12.

6(c)   3:31
Question Three: Is law banished?

3:31
Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

Do we then make void the law through faith? Are the just requirements of the law cancelled and made of no effect by the gospel?
God forbid: yea, we establish the law- the apostle is emphatic that the gospel establishes the law, upholding as it does all the righteous principles set out in the law of Moses, and is just as insistent as the law in asserting that man is a sinner. See 1 Timothy 1:8-11, where the demands of the law, sound doctrine, and the gospel are in full agreement. Christ Himself said “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.” Matthew 5:17,18.
In His death the Lord Jesus met all the claims of the God who had been offended by the breaking of His law, thus showing that far from being indifferent to the law, the gospel makes known that its claims are met in Christ, as the apostle makes clear in Galatians 3:10,13. After all, “justify” is a law-court word, indicating acquittal from all charge. Paul returns to this in 4:13-16.