We should never stop being thankful for God’s plan of salvation. It is a plan that never could have been imagined by man. Paul said, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). Paul was referring to the gospel, God’s plan of salvation. A plan that involved a great sacrifice on God’s part and simple obedience on man’s part.
No biblical book has captured the beauty of God’s scheme of redemption quite like the book of Romans. God’s plan is both simple and complex at the same time. The steps man must take to obey it are simple, but the emotions, the depth of love, and, finally, the sacrifice that made it possible is more complex than the ocean is deep. At the center of it is the Son of God becoming the propitiation for our sins.
Romans 3:21-26 (ESV)
21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The righteousness of God in vers. 21-22 refers to the justification imputed to us by Him. It has to do with being declared “not guilty.” It is the state of one who has his sins taken away so that he appears before God as if he had not sinned. This righteousness did not come by the law but rather apart from it. The law could not set man free from sin (Acts 13:38-39) and, therefore, could not provide a state of righteousness. How is this righteousness obtained then? It comes through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is the blessedness of the gospel. Apart from Christ, righteousness can only come through perfect living. Only sinlessness would allow a person to maintain fellowship with a God, Who is morally perfect. Saying that the law of Moses could not free one from sin is not a knock against the law. The truth is until the gospel arrived, no law could free man from sin. The gospel, however, has something that no other law has ever had—the blood of Christ. We can be justified by God’s grace only because Jesus was set forth as a propitiation for sin.
The word propitiation simply means “a sin offering.” That is what Jesus became for us. He shed His blood so that our sins could be atoned. That was the price for sin—the shedding of blood (Hebrews 9:22).
It is important that we realize that not any blood could be shed. The sacrifice had to be blameless. The lamb had to be without spot or blemish. God knew that only His Son could live such a perfect, sinless life; so, He gave Him to the world so that the world might be saved (John 3:16). What mercy was shown by the Father being willing to sacrifice His Son, and the Son being willing to be sacrificed. Jesus was not forced to die for us, instead, it was an act of willing obedience.
Hebrews 9:14 (ESV)
14 how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
Aren’t you glad that Jesus was willing to offer Himself for your sins? We should all be thankful. It was the only solution to the problem of sin. God could not just ignore sin. The price for it had to be paid, and, in the end, it was paid by the only one who could pay it—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This allowed God to forgive us and maintain His righteousness. Because a propitiation was a part of God’s plan, He could be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things