God’s Gift of Rightousness, Part 3

To the book of Romans, we find
ourselves still in chapter three. The introduction this morning
will be exceedingly brief, we have. traffic through those opening
chapters of the book of Romans, where the subject was the sinfulness
of mankind. We saw that the Jews were positioned
as sinful in chapter two. The Gentiles were presented as
being utterly sinful in chapter one. All have sinned. All have
fallen short of the glory of God. That is the great message
of chapters 1 and 2. And I mean great in the sense
of overwhelming. It is absolutely clear that the
sinfulness of mankind is fully in view in chapters 1 and 2. The theme of righteousness we
have also touched on. And Paul will return again and
again to the theme of righteousness. Here in this particular passage,
the righteousness of God is before us. And we have touched upon
that, that it is it is something that God in this particular case
will bestow upon sinners who call out to him in faith, faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ. If you would go back to the passage,
we’ll take it in full and then we will literally jump right
into the text this morning. where Paul wrote to the Romans,
But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has
been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets,
even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ
for all those who believe. For there is no distinction.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being
justified as a gift by His grace. through the redemption, which
is in Christ Jesus, whom 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. For 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. Just that I may not lose anyone
or mislead anyone. If you go back, I just want to
familiarize you with the flow, the structure of the text. The
simple sentence is very simple. The righteousness of God has
been manifested. If you want to add those opening
words, but now that’s appropriate. But now the righteousness of
God has been manifested because it stands in contrast to chapters
one and two. That was the bad news. This begins
the good news. And it is a very strong contrast. But now the righteousness of
God has been manifested. But we see that this righteousness,
as we’ve seen for the last several weeks, is a righteousness of
an entirely different kind. Paul needs to clarify what kind
of righteousness this is, because the righteousness that the Jews
knew was the righteousness of the law, which they must pursue
and must pursue with excellence and not just excellence, but
perfection. And Paul says now this particular righteousness
is not a righteousness that is achieved through adherence to
the law, it is apart from the law. It is able, this righteousness
is, it is able to impart what the law cannot. We could never
live according to God’s righteous standards, but somehow now this
new righteousness is for us because it’s given to us. Not only is
this righteousness apart from the law, but this righteousness
that saves sinners is a key feature of the long declared plan of
God in his redemption. Paul says it this way, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets. This isn’t new. The prophets pointed to this,
and sometimes they didn’t even know what it was they were prophesying. But God knew. This plan isn’t
new to God. This isn’t plan B. This is all
part of the unfolding plan of redemption designed by God. The righteousness that saves
sinners is able to impart what the law cannot in the key feature
of the long declared plan of redemption. But thirdly, if you
look at the text, it is exclusively received by believing in the
Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There
is no backdoor. There are no alternate methods.
There are no other ways to God. It is only through faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ. That’s what Paul says. This righteousness
that is absolutely requisite if we are going to get into heaven,
this righteousness is only received through faith in the Lord Jesus.
But if you look again at the text, there was a fourth element,
this fourth matchless quality of God’s bestowed means of justification. This righteousness that saves
sinners, fourthly, is freely available to all. Look at the
passage. But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of
God has been manifested for all those who believe, for all those
who believe. Now, that was the simple sentence.
And we saw the four qualities of that saving righteousness.
What kind of a righteousness is it? And as I suggested last
week, When you look at verse 22, you have to come to the conclusion
that the latter part of verse 22 and the only verse in verse
23 is a parenthetical thought. And I told you why last week,
but essentially it’s not unimportant that Paul is making a point that
he’s already made and he’s just reiterating it here one more
time. It’s available, this righteousness is, for all those who believe. For there’s no distinction for
all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Paul picks
up where he left off in verse twenty four. Tying that all the
way back to verse 22, for all those who believe, how does it
work? How does this salvation work? That’s the question that
we began to answer last week. How does this salvation work? How is this all of a sudden made
available to us? This righteousness that was such
a difficult pursuit, an impossible pursuit. And now all of a sudden
we’re saved by this righteousness. How does it work? Paul begins
to explain that. In verse 24, in that we are justified
as a gift by his grace. It’s given to us. It is given
to us through the gracious means of God himself. It’s not earned. We can’t pay him back. It’s a
gift. We looked at justification, we’ll
look again at it briefly this morning, but it’s here where
Paul issues Two additional statements. That will be our primary focus
this morning, justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption,
which is in Christ Jesus, we were literally bought out of
slavery. That’s what that word was so often referring to in
the marketplace of slaves, one would buy out of. the slave market,
a favored slave, perhaps desiring to free him, perhaps desiring
to purchase him for one’s self, perhaps desiring to liberate
him. We are justified as a gift by
his grace through the redemption. Which is in Christ Jesus. And
Paul says in verse twenty five, whom God displayed publicly as
a propitiation. We’ll look at that momentarily. Go back to verse 24, if you would. We’ve begun to look at the question
of how this salvation works. It was pretty, pretty cut and
dried in the Old Testament, pretty cut and dried in the old economy.
Where if you wanted salvation, that’s fine. It’s available to
you. All you have to do is live according
to the law and do so perfectly. Pretty cut and dried. And now
this new salvation manifested, presented, newly revealed way
to heaven. Since the other proved itself
to be impossible and we look at the text and we say, OK, we
understand that God’s righteousness is now being fully displayed
and made available. The one thing that people need
more than anything else in the world. The righteousness of God,
and now it’s been given to us and we see that it’s apart from
attempting to live according to the law, and we see that it
was declared for centuries right there in the pages of the Old
Testament through the prophets. And we see that this righteousness
is appropriated by faith and we see that it’s widely available
to all who work. We get all that. But how does
it work? How does it work? How does God take an unrighteous
sinner? and give him what he needs most
in the form of this righteousness. Well, we looked at it, Paul says
it simply in verse 24, we are justified by his grace. We looked
at justification where God declares us. It’s an act of God that is
performed, as it were, in the courtroom of God, where God declares
you justified. You’re not better than you were
before. You’re not more godly. You’re not more holy. That is
the process of sanctification, which God also takes charge of. God takes charge of turning over
your life. But in the meantime, he justifies
you. He declares you righteous before
him. We spent no little time On this
subject last week, that that whole subject of justification
by faith, that is the point of this passage. No longer are we
attempting to be justified by our works, no longer would we
ever think of trying to pay back God. We are justified by faith. As one Puritan said, it’s such
we are in the sight of God, the father, as is the very son of
God himself. Did you get that? When God looks
at you, he sees the Lord Jesus Christ and he looks at the Lord
Jesus Christ as his favored and holy beloved son. Such we are
in the sight of God, the father, as is the very son of God himself.
Let it be counted folly or frenzy or fury or whatsoever. It is
our wisdom and our comfort. We care for no knowledge in the
world but this. That man has sinned and God has
suffered, that God has made himself the sin of men. And that men
are made the righteousness of God, that is the gospel. That’s
the gospel. Paul goes on to point out that
that redemption, that payment price that we spent time on last
week. Is paid to God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ, but
it’s that great theme that Paul will not let go of. I want to take you to a passage
that should frame our discussion this morning in the consideration
of this act of submitting a payment, payment for redemption. But the
purchase price, this atonement is a propitiation and it appeases
God’s wrath. For that, if you would, I want
you to find in the clean part of your Bible, in the Old Testament,
in the Minor Prophets, the book of Habakkuk. The book of Habakkuk. I may have told you, I don’t
know if I’ve ever told it from the pulpit, but I have a little cartoon
at home, a little humorous little cartoon that
Pictures, a man arriving at the gates of heaven and he comes
face to face with a long, white bearded man and the young person
standing there before this bearded man says, scammers and stutters
and says, why? No, Mr. Habakkuk, I guess I didn’t
read your book. The clean part of your Bible. In the book of Habakkuk, look
at chapter one, and I want you to just look at a few verses,
two through four, where Habakkuk issues a complaint to God. How long, O Lord, will I call
for help and you will not hear? I mean, this is shocking stuff. This is the prophet, as it were,
wrestling with the angel, wrestling with God himself, even deigning to indict God himself. How long, O Lord, will I call
for help and you will not hear? I cry out to you, violence, yet
you do not save. Why do you make me see iniquity?
And cause me to look on wickedness? Yes, destruction and violence
are before me. Strife exists and contention
arises. Therefore, the law is ignored
and justice is never upheld. For the wicked surround the righteous.
Therefore, justice comes out perverted. Where are you, God? And where is your justice? And
it’s quite possible. Because of the patience of God
and because of God’s plan of redemption that many, not just
the prophet Habakkuk, felt the same way. In fact, the saints
even in our own day feel that way, don’t we? When we read the
words of Habakkuk, we can say, well, in a sense, Those mirror
the day and age in which we live. Where are you, God, and where
is your justice? Well, God’s going to answer.
Paul does the work for him by means of the Holy Spirit, but
God’s going to provide an answer. He provided one to Habakkuk.
At the end of which, Habakkuk laid himself before God and submitted
to him as being sovereign and righteous and good. Go back,
if you would, to the text. Romans chapter three, verse 21.
Romans 321. Paul said, But now, apart from
the law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being
witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe,
for there is no distinction for all who have sinned and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by his grace
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God
displayed publicly as a propitiation. The entire rest of this section,
the whole of verses 25 through 26 is a single running statement,
a relative clause, if you would, that depends entirely on those
words at the end of verse 24, Christ Jesus. What happens here is the verse
basically begins to describe and present a very condensed
way of how God goes about redeeming. This is the answer to the question,
how? How does this work? And in a
very compact section here, God’s going to answer. God’s going
to defend his own honor. He’s going to defend his means
of Redemption. And he does it by initially,
we see here displaying publicly this propitiation, this payment
that was made. This word displayed is an interesting
one, it could have two different kinds of nuances or meaning.
It can have the meaning to purpose that God purposed. to publicly
display a propitiation or to publish, to actually display,
to put it on full display. And based on the context, I believe
it’s better here to take it in the same exact sense in which
it’s translated in the New American Standard, which version is in
your bulletin, where They translated this display. It’s not just that
God intended. God went further than just intending
or even purposing. He had actually done it and he
had done it by the time Paul wrote this to the Romans. Jesus
Christ had been put on full display. It went full beyond God’s intentions. The sense of God publicly setting
forth Christ for atonement is literally what’s in view here.
And as we’ll see in a moment, Even that setting forth of Christ
has a purpose, most chiefly the demonstration of the righteousness
of God, as we’ll see in a moment. As we’ve already seen, this whole
section, verse 21 through 26, is focused on a fresh revelation,
a manifestation by God of righteousness, a giving of righteousness, which
had always been merely a quest. Not that the righteousness of
God had never been seen or was a totally new concept. As we
saw, Israel knew God’s righteous standard, but it never before
had man been granted access so freely and readily to the righteousness
of God as it had now. He had never been able to come
close to that standard. The law had left him spiritually
bankrupt. And now righteousness was not
only being manifested, but it was being bestowed upon the believer. It was put on full display in
front of the whole world. As one pastor said, the old atonement
was concealed behind the curtain which separated the holy of holies
from the outer sanctuary and was seen by none but the high
priest on the annual day of atonement. But in Christ, the place of atonement
is no longer kept in the sacred seclusion of the most holy place. It is brought out to the midst
of the world and set up before the eyes of a hostile, contemptuous
and indifferent crowd. What did God display? Paul records and says that God
displayed publicly as a propitiation the Lord Jesus Christ, that is,
to whom he is referring here. When he mentions Jesus Christ
at the end of verse twenty four, he comes back in this nominative
and gives full disclosure as to who this is. If someone had
never heard of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul is going to tell
them. And Jesus Christ is the one whom
God publicly displayed. And he displayed him in this
almost forgotten word to our own generation. He displayed
him as a propitiation. Some of us can’t even pronounce
it. Some of us wouldn’t even try. But the bottom line here,
this is one of the this is one of the foundational terms and
foundational ideas to the whole concept of the gospel. Let’s
look at it. One person describes propitiation
as the wrath removing sacrifice. And in that sense, it mirrors
so much of what happened in the Old Testament, as we’ve already
alluded to there in the Holy of Holies, these things were
offered. Well, Here, it’s now put on full display, but it does
the same thing. It removes the wrath of God.
It appeases the wrath of God. It satisfies the righteous anger
of God against sin. In order to do justice to the
richness and the fullness of the work of salvation, Paul uses
a number of terms and any one of them You could look to any
one of these terms and state it, and you would essentially
state the gospel in full. Think of it, justification, you
have just stated the gospel justification by redemption that our sins have
been paid, we’ve been redeemed out of slavery to sin. The gospel
and now propitiation. Paul has used the language of
the courtroom. When he used the word justified, he’s used the
language of the marketplace of slaves when he refers to it as
redemption. And now here in the language
of the temple with regards to its sacrifices, he uses the word
propitiation. In verse 24a, as we look back
at the text, the word justification is used to focus in on the idea
of a declarative act of God pronouncing the sinner not guilty. The word
redemption, as we saw, is used to highlight the idea of our
utter bondage and sin being redeemed out of that. And as I said here in verse 25,
Propitiation is used to illustrate the idea of the liability we
have to God’s wrath, which which is completely remedied, completely
dealt with by Christ’s atonement on our behalf. It’s dealt with.
One said it this way, this word propitiation carries the idea
of basic basic idea, rather of appeasement or satisfaction,
often of man’s appeasing a deity by various gifts. In the New
Testament, propitiation always refers to the work of God. Man
is utterly incapable of satisfying God’s justice. Only the only
satisfaction that is for sinners that could be acceptable to God
and reconcile man to him is made by God. God did this. But note
here, and I want you to pause and grab that. The passage doesn’t
say that Jesus offered himself on an altar of propitiation on
a sacrificial altar, but that God did it. That is, God, the
father, set forth or displayed his son, Jesus. That is, one noted, it is quite
alien. To biblical thought to overlook
the agency of God, the father in the provisions of redemption,
consider a few verses. Romans 5, 8. But God demonstrates
his own love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. Romans 8, 3. For what the law
could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did, sending
his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering
for sin. He condemned sin in the flesh. Second Corinthians five, verse
18 through 19. Now, all these things are from
God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the
ministry of reconciliation, namely that God was in Christ reconciling
the world to himself. We can’t leave God out of the
equation. The death of Christ. As one commentator pointed out,
is the means by which God does away with people’s sin. He deals
with it. Not just symbolically, as in
the ritual of Leviticus 6 to 16, where the mercy seat is in
view, but really the sin that has been removed, not only from
the believer’s conscience of which it lays an intolerable
burden, but from the very presence of God. It not only removes the
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, but at the same time
averts the wrath or retribution, which is the inevitable result.
Did you get that? God made the payment. God plunked
down, if you will, his son as a payment for your sin and in
doing so appeased his own wrath. Now. Let’s pause for a minute,
take a deep breath. If I can get dry and very technical
for a moment, I want you to note, look down at the text. I want
you to note that everything else all the way down through verse
26 modifies this one word propitiation. Paul wants to tell us about it.
Paul wants to describe it. He wants us to to mull it over
and ponder it and meditate upon it. What is the nature of this
sacrificial offering? referred to here as propitiation.
Paul is prepared to inform us, and he does so by highlighting
these five profound features of the atonement offered in Christ
by the Father. What are these things? God’s
plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is what is in view, and
the redeeming sacrifice of Christ that secures salvation is in
his blood. First and foremost, it’s through
faith. Secondly, it is for the purpose
of demonstrating his righteousness. I’ll explain why I would translate
it so in a moment. Fourthly, it is for the demonstration
of his righteousness at the present time. And finally, it is for
the purpose that he might be just and the justifier of him
who has faith in Christ. Let’s go to the first one. Go
back to the text and back to the very first one, and essentially
this first one answers. It is the means of propitiation,
and it answers the question, how is sin or a payment for sin
made? How is this? Transaction executed. God’s plan
of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ. Tells us that the
redeeming sacrifice of Christ secure salvation in his blood. In his blood, it couldn’t be
any plainer than that. Pointing to the entire death,
all the events leading up to it, and ultimately the death
of the Lord Jesus Christ. See, according to Old Testament
understanding, you remember that blood represented life. Leviticus
17 11. The life of the flesh is in the
blood. I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement
for your souls. For it is the blood by reason
of the life that makes atonement. This is the plan of redemption
that God had set up. These things merely prefiguring
what Christ would do, but they knew well that blood was required
for the payment of sin. That blood represents life, and
so the shedding of Jesus blood refers to Jesus voluntary sacrifice
of his life in the place of sinners whom he came to save. It’s an
amazing thought when you really begin to ponder it. In that sense,
you could these words, these mere words would be a great entry
into the Lord’s table on any given Lord’s Day. To ponder the
blood that was shed for you. This didn’t come as a surprise,
they didn’t ambush Jesus. Jesus knew full well what he
had come to do. Matthew 20, 28, the son of man did not come to
be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for
many. John 10, 11, I am the good shepherd, the good shepherd lays
down his life for the sheep. Isaiah, which so often we have
used in preparation for the Lord’s table, the Lord was pleased to
crush him, putting him to grief. If he would render himself as
a guilt offering, he will see his offspring. He will prolong
his days and the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in his
hand. Jesus came to lay down his life. Referred to here as
being in the blood, so this blood points not just to his death,
but to the life that was offered to God. And also ultimately communicated
to us this life. As one said, it is this is the
means by which God affects propitiation, the blood shed on the cross and
offered from the throne is that which makes man acceptable to
God. It puts away sin, it brings him
home from the far country, it makes him at peace where he was
at enmity. It is by means of the blood and
Paul, for one. is dialed in on that whole thought.
Listen to it. I mean, he just almost repeats
himself verbatim over and over again through his epistles. Ephesians
2.13 But now in Christ Jesus, you who are formerly far off
have been brought near by the blood of Christ. Colossians 1.20
Through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made
peace through the blood of his cross. Colossians 120 through
him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through
the blood of his cross. Ephesians one seven. In him,
we have redemption through his blood. First, Peter one nine. Peter, obviously picking up this
great theme that we’ve been redeemed with precious blood. That’s twenty
twenty eight. Paul again. To the Ephesian elders,
be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock among which
the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church
of God, which he purchased with his blood. It’s through the blood. It is a blood sacrifice, this
propitiation, this payment meant death. And Jesus laid it down
willingly and God sent him for that very purpose. There’s a
second element. The second element in this great
description of the propitiation that was given. God’s plan of
salvation through Jesus Christ tells us that the redeeming sacrifice
of Christ secures salvation, not only in his blood, but through
faith. Now, this is a reiteration of
where we’ve already been, right? This is a reiteration of what
we saw earlier in the text, that it is only through faith in Christ.
And here’s Paul reiterates For once and for all, that salvation
is through faith. Christ’s offering doesn’t go
automatically into effect for any person and every person.
If a person hears the gospel and truly wants to be saved,
he must apply this blood as it were to his own life. He must
apply this payment that was made. He must put it into effect by
placing his faith. In the Lord Jesus, as we have
seen, that’s what turns away God’s wrath. That’s what secures
forgiveness. Sinner must exercise saving faith. Now, Paul will come back again.
He’s already been in the realm of faith. 118, 116, 117, 322,
26, 28, 43, on and on and on. Paul will come back to this idea
of faith and walking in faith and living in faith, not just
salvation by faith. This faith is the means by which
the sinner makes that propitiation his own. It’s not for everybody.
An unbeliever, someone who does not place their faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ, they are not benefited by the blood of Christ
shed on the cross in one iota. As one summarized, it indicates
here that the response of faith on men’s part is absolutely required. Redemption is to be accepted
and appropriated by faith, but it also implies that no other
way of appropriating this benefit is open to men. Faith is not
in this particular sense a work. That is meritorious or earns
God’s favor in God’s sight. It is simple. Open, free hearted
faith in God for what God has done and accepted ultimately
by his grace. We’ve seen that. There’s a third
element I want to consider. And this one will take some time,
probably the rest of the morning. In considering God’s plan of
salvation through Jesus Christ, the redeeming sacrifice that
secures our salvation, this propitiation that Paul is telling us about,
is not only in his blood and not only through faith, but for
the purpose of demonstrating his righteousness. Literally,
there is no this was, as the New American Standard has translated
it. It just says to demonstrate his righteousness. That’s the
purpose. To demonstrate his righteousness,
because in the forbearance of God, he passed over the sins
previously committed. So this is a mouthful. What on
earth does it mean? Is there another purpose for
setting forth Christ as a sacrifice? In a sense, there is an additional
purpose. When you begin to consider the great subject of Christ,
it is a very comprehensive, very thorough subject dealt with in
scriptures. But consider the reason for Christ’s
sacrifice, the reason for Christ’s payment for sin. Ephesians 3,
10 and 11 says it displays the manifold wisdom of God. Titus
2, 14 says it was designed to purify for himself a people zealous
for good works. Ephesians 2.15 says it was designed
to break down the distinction between Jews and Gentiles. Ultimately,
in that same passage, it says it was designed to affect reconciliation
to God. Galatians 1.4, it was designed
to deliver us from this present evil world. Ephesians 1.7, it
was designed to secure the forgiveness of sins. So there’s a multiplicity
of purposes, all ultimately pointing to the same one. But here he
says the purpose is to demonstrate his righteousness. Why did God need to do that?
He’d been doing that for thousands of years. Look at the passage. Paul tells us the reason. Let’s
look at the reason first, because in the forbearance of God, he
passed over the sins previously committed. This forbearance, it refers to
a letting go, kind of a passing by. And even though it’s temporary,
God’s character immediately comes into question. It might seem
to be impugned because he’s allowing sin. He’s turning a blind eye
to it. He’s ignoring the very thing that he hates. God’s purpose is to vindicate
himself. To say I wasn’t ignoring sin,
I’m not unaware of these sins. I didn’t turn a blind eye. This
word here, passing by, it doesn’t mean that the sins were remitted.
It doesn’t mean that they got off scot-free, but it’s a temporary,
it’s a passing by temporarily. It’s a temporary passing over
of sin, withholding the judgment that is due. It’s a temporary
thing. God isn’t, as one said, God isn’t
unaware, nor does he condone even the smallest sin. His forbearance
is not a sign of injustice, but a sign of his patient and loving
grace. Remember, Second Peter three, the Lord is not slow about
his promise. Don’t mock God. The Lord isn’t
slow about his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing for any to perish, but for all to come
to repentance. Don’t mock God. God doesn’t wink
at sin or ignore sin or overlook sin or miss sin. As one pastor said, he would not
be the good and merciful God had he been content to pass over
sins indefinitely. This is a temporary thing. For
this would have been to condone evil, a denial of his own nature,
a cruel betrayal of sinners. God has, in fact, been able to
hold his hand and pass over sins without compromising his goodness
and mercy, because his intention has all along been to deal with
them once and for all, decisively and finally through the cross.
God had a plan to deal with sin. God wasn’t ignoring sin. All
the while, through the Old Testament economy, for thousands of years,
God had tolerated with exceedingly great patience the sinfulness
of man. Think of it. And these passages
are familiar to us from our study of the Book of Acts, but even
from our study of the Book of Romans. We’ve visited these before.
Acts 14, 16. Don’t go because I’ll be gone
when you get there. In the generation gone by, he permitted all the
nations to go their own ways. Why didn’t God just blot them
out then? Why didn’t God judge them then? Because he has a plan. He has a plan of redemption.
Acts 1730. Therefore, having overlooked
the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all
people everywhere should repent. Because he has fixed the day
in which he will judge the world and righteous. Righteousness
to a man whom he is appointed, having furnished proof to all
men by raising him from the dead. In fact, Paul asked this question
already of the Jews, do you think lightly? Of the riches and kindness
and tolerance and patience of God, not knowing that the kindness
of God leads you to repentance. Do you think God was just mocked?
Do you think he was confused? Do you think he missed it? As one person said, justice is
the attribute of God, which the remission remission or passing
by of sins without punishment seemed to be in conflict and
which required vindication. God had to step up to the plate
and prove himself and he had intended to all along. It’s not
that God’s hand was being forced. It was necessary that the justice
of God should be publicly exhibited because he forgave sin. That’s
why Paul says it was to demonstrate his righteousness. Why did Jesus
come? Why is this propitiation so necessary
to demonstrate his righteousness? Because in the forbearance of
God, he had passed over sins previously committed. You see,
God had to demonstrate his righteousness, otherwise he wouldn’t be known
as righteous. It had to be a public display. People had to see God
dealing with sin, really dealing with sin. Otherwise, God is seen
as being allowing sin or trifling with sin or even fostering sin
and sinfulness. But God is not about to let this
blasphemous charge, this charge of injustice go unanswered. As
one said, he and his person and work is the agent of propitiation
and in the way in which he has achieved propitiation, vindicates
the righteousness of God and offers righteousness to men.
God’s going to kill two birds with one stone, he’s going to
vindicate himself and he’s going to make way salvation for all
who believe in the Lord Jesus. God had to deal with sin in order
to be considered just. Otherwise, his threatenings were
just a big bluff in the Old Testament. And he had to deal with sin in
this public fashion in order to demonstrate his righteousness. Here’s how one said it. This
happened in order to prove or demonstrate that God had not
been unfair or unjust when in his forbearance he treated with
indulgence or passed over or overlooked Sin for the time being,
the sins of the people have committed in earlier days when God’s son
suffered and died, he did so to atone for the sins for all
who had accepted or were going to accept him by a living faith
for all believers of all times. The merits of the cross reached
backward as well as forward. You understand that what he’s
pointing to is that those sins that were previously committed,
if those We’re living in faith of a coming Messiah, the blood
of Christ paid for their sins as well. God, one said, not only manifested
his divine righteousness by offering his own son, but he also used
that act of divine grace to demonstrate his righteousness. Through that
incomparable sacrifice, God provided punishment for sin sufficient
enough to blot out every sin. See, that’s what I said earlier.
This is good news, this is the best news ever. There’s no news
like this anywhere that God would send his own son. And would vindicate
himself by having his own son pay our penalty. and appease
his own wrath. Having the Lord Jesus shed his
blood for us. We’ll begin verse four, we won’t
finish this morning. There’s a fourth consideration. This justification That Paul
mentions this plan of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ
is presented to us as this redeeming sacrifice, which secures salvation
in his blood through faith for the purpose of demonstrating
his righteousness. And he repeats this thought in
verse 26. He says, for the demonstration,
I say, of his righteousness at the present time. Now, point three. If you just
jump back one answer the question, why did God pass over sins in
the past, even temporarily? That’s the question behind the
question, if you will, hear that here in verse twenty six. He
speaks to the issue of God, why would God pass over sins now?
We’re no better than the sinners of the Old Testament. We’re no
better than sinners that have lived in the past. We’re no better
at all. God has to deal with our sin.
The justification for God’s timing of this display answers the question,
essentially, why is God willing to pass over our sin in the here
and now? Because the period that is spoken
about now is from Christ forward up to and including this very
moment. Why on earth would God lower his standards as it were
seemingly to let us in to heaven? He doesn’t lower his standards
at all. His standards were so high that
it demanded a perfect sacrifice and he provided it in the Lord
Jesus Christ. As one said, Paul here is thinking
particularly of the beginning of the period between the time
of God’s passing over sins and the time of his decisive action
in relation to them, which may be said to have begun with the
coming of Christ. The right time, the exact critical
time, the opportunity, the season, the critical time determined
by God at that point in time. You see, God’s righteousness
is continually being displayed, it has been. Since there were
any who could perceive it beginning with Adam and Eve, God’s righteousness
was continually being displayed, not just on this one occasion.
God’s righteousness was seen in creation. God’s righteousness
was seen in the fall, in the flood, in the giving of the law,
in all of the events as they unfolded in God’s plan of redemption. The bottom line here. Is that
God is once again displaying his righteousness, this time
in the display of his own son as a payment for sin and sinners. God hasn’t overlooked sin in
the past. And he isn’t overlooking sin
in the present. God is not so unjust, God is not unjust, so
as to ignore or downplay the demands of his own law. No. He has displayed his righteousness
in the past and he is displaying it again. This time in an overwhelming,
once for all, sacrifice for sin and sinners in the Lord Jesus
Christ. Let’s humble ourselves before
him. Our merciful God, we bow before you and Even our own hearts,
perhaps, have been instructed by your word. Perhaps even there
was a note of bitterness. And how you could be overlooking
sin, even in our own day. How you could be seemingly willing
to tolerate it and not deal with it. Seems as though people are
getting away with murder. Sometimes even literally. Lord,
you have not overlooked sin. You don’t overlook anyone’s sin,
including our own. And were it not for the words
on this page, we would tremble even to death. Lord, you have
dealt with sin. You have made payment for sinners. You justify us by your grace.
You redeem us out of sin and the slavery to sin. Because of. What you have accomplished
in your son, the Lord Jesus. You have through him made propitiation. You have appeased your own wrath.
And all we have to do is believe. All we have to do is to place
our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And we will be saved. We will
be justified before you with the righteousness of Christ.
We will be freed from slavery to sin. And we will have the
wrath of God towards us appeased once and for all. God grant grace
to lead any in our midst who do not have this faith. Lead
them to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. For your own glory. It’s in Jesus name that we pray.
Amen. you