A Study of The Book of Romans

Lesson 24 Chapter 3:25 – 31

1. Verse 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;”
1. “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation”

a. “Whom” – refers to verse 24 “Being justified freely (without any cause) by his grace through the redemption (a ransom paid in full) that is in Christ Jesus:”

b. Salvation is and never was by any act on our part or anything outside of Jesus Christ or else the debt was not paid in full at the cross.

2. “God hath set forth to be a propitiation”

a. When Paul says “God hath set forth” the Greek meaning here is “God has afore ordained” and it comes from a Greek word meaning to afore set in place. So God set in place afore Jesus Christ to be our propitiation.

b. The word “propitiation” means mercy seat but why would Paul call Jesus Christ a mercy seat? It is my understanding that the lid or cover of the Ark of the Covenant. Was known as the mercy seat and it was made of gold and was in the Temple. Blood would be sprinkled on it and around it and it was because of this that God pronounced pardon, or expressed himself as reconciled to his people. Leviticus 16:15-17 "Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: (16.) And he shall make an atonement for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins: and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness. (17.) And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.”

c. However Christ being our mercy seat also means He is our propitious sacrifice which means He is our place of reconciliation with God and God used the mercy seat in the Old Testament.

3. “through faith in his blood”

a. John Gill said the following “The "blood" of Christ is that, by which Christ is the propitiation; for without the shedding of that blood, there is no redemption, no peace, no reconciliation, or remission of sin; and "faith" in his blood is the means by which persons become partakers of the benefits of his propitiation; such as peace, pardon, atonement, justification, and adoption: and the end of Christ's being set forth as a propitiation, on the part of God's people, is,”

b. Faith in His blood as our only sin cleansing solution. One cannot be saved if they do not have faith in the blood of the mercy seat. Ephesians 1:7 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”

c. Ephesians 2:13 “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”

d. This is exactly why salvation cannot be in any kind of works or merit on our part. The forgiveness of sin is in the blood of Christ Jesus only.

4. “to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” it is believed (as I also believe) that since Paul has referenced the mercy seat and the sprinkling of the blood in the Old Testament that here the phrase “for the remission of sins that are past” are the past saints of the Old Testament. We have no doubt that His blood cleanses all of our sins past, present, and future. 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
5. “through the forbearance of God;” If the last Phrase “to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past” truly means as described then this makes wonderful sense, God’s forbearance or longsuffering (as described here) was for the Old Testament saints in waiting for the appointed time for the shedding of blood to cover their sins. Acts 17:30 “And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”
1. Verse 26 “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
1. “To declare, I say, at this time” – “This time” means at the present time, since Paul was speaking basically of the Old Testament he now brings us to the present time or to the time of Christ’s manifestation to be the Saviour.
2. “at this time his righteousness: that he might be just” – The words “might be” are interesting, it means - to exist; or am, or are. So here Paul is saying our mercy seat, our Saviour, or our Redeemer is just and that is who He is. Might be is not a suppose, but rather a definite is just.
3. “and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” He (Jesus Christ) is not only the “Just One” but also the justifier of mankind to everyone who trust in Him as their Saviour. Hebrews 9:15 “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.” Acts 13:38-39 “Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (39.) And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”
2. Verse 27 “Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.”
1. “but by the law of faith.” – it is believed (and I agree) this word law refers to doctrine or teaching of God’s word. Isaiah 2:3 "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem." – The doctrine of a sinner's justification by faith in the righteousness of Christ.
2. Therefore there is no boasting, no works, but only by faith.
3. This is why Paul went on in verse 28 to say, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
4. And in verse 29 that it is the same for us all. “Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:”
5. He is one God and one Saviour for us all whether Jew or Gentile, circumcised or un circumcised, it is all through faith. Verse 30 “Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
6. This does not void out the law, the law is sill the law of God and we should still obey it. Verse 31 “Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”