Chapter 3:21-31

COMMENTARY ON THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS

By Dr. John R. Stone

Romans 3:21-31

3 21But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. 28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one. 31Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law (Rom. 3:21-31 NASB).

Overview:

The book of Romans was written to introduce Christianity to people who needed a systematic explanation about the most important message in the world. Paul has explained that all are sinful and separated from God, both the religious man and the most unspiritual man. Every person is unacceptable to God because of the sinful condition we inherited from Adam, and no effort on our own can change how God sees us. He demands perfection, and all of us fall short; so, God provided the only possible solution—salvation by grace through faith in what Jesus did on the cross to satisfy God’s anger toward sin.

Righteousness Defined

To be justified means to be declared righteous. To be justified by grace means that although we are sinful, God declared us to be righteous in His sight through the sacrifice of His Son. It doesn’t seem right for God to declare us guilty sinners to be innocent, but that is what He does when someone trusts in Christ for salvation. We are declared to be just as acceptable in God’s sight as Jesus is; we are perfect in Christ, even though we do not deserve that honor. The transaction is immediate, regardless of how we might struggle with sin as we grow in grace. Our standing cannot get better if we do really good things, and it cannot get worse if we continue to struggle with sin on the road to maturity. We are in Christ, and that is how God sees us, and that is the most incredible blessing the world has ever known.

In verses 21-24 Paul says that righteousness is apart from the Law (separate from works); witnessed by the Law (not a new revelation); through faith in Jesus Christ (not just a general faith in God); for all who believe (no discrimination because of race, class, or position); as a gift (not earned or deserved); by His grace (in favor with God Almighty); through the redemption… in Christ (this privilege was purchased with the blood of Christ). Romans 3:23 says, all have sinned (past action) and fall short (present condition) of the glory of God (God’s perfect standard of truth and holiness).

Righteousness Demonstrated

When Jesus died on the cross, He satisfied the wrath of God so that there is no more wrath and condemnation for those who put their trust in Him. In the Holy of Holies in the Old Testament Tabernacle, God’s glory rested on the Ark of the Covenant. Inside that box were the tablets of the Mosaic Law which condemned all sin. On top of the Ark stood two angels, called cherubim, looking down at the lid on that box called the Mercy Seat. On that Mercy Seat, once a year on the Day of Atonement, the priest sprinkled the blood of the sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. That lid, the Mercy Seat, is also called “The Satisfaction,” and it represents Jesus Christ himself. He is The Satisfaction. On Him God poured out His righteous wrath so that His grace could be extended to us.

Punishment for all the sins of believers in the Old Testament was postponed until the day that Jesus died. The blood of animal sacrifices could not take away sin; so, the sins were never paid for until Jesus paid the price for our redemption. Now we can see clearly how God can be righteous and justify the ungodly—He punished Jesus in our place. The result is that we have no room to boast about our salvation. The purpose for this amazing demonstration of love was that God would be glorious in our sight and that heaven would be filled with His praise.

—to be continued

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