Thursday, January 28, 2021

Romans 3:19-31 comments: justified by Christ

 


Romans 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. 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. 21  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 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: 23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 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; 26  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. 27  Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. 28  Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. 29  Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also: 30  Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith. 31  Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.

 

Paul makes an incredible statement here that no one can be justified by the Law because the Law of God reveals that every person on earth is guilty before God. The Law makes our sin obvious and our failure to please God apparent. So, here is a great division, a great gulf if you will. The Law convicts all of us of sin while faith in Christ justifies us in God. We are convicted of sin and then we are forgiven by receiving the Lord Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Every person in the world, whether they have the Law or are accused by their own conscience for even one sin, is standing in the dock guilty and is only legally justified by faith in Christ. It is remarkable isn’t it?!

 

So, the Law plays its function in our justification by convicting us and declaring all mankind guilty before God. Remember how verse 23 is going to ring a bell in the Jew’s head as they will remember the words of Solomon.

 

2Chronicles 6:36  If they sin against thee, (for there is no man which sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them over before their enemies, and they carry them away captives unto a land far off or near;

 

Ecclesiastes 7:20  For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.

 

But, we are made righteous, declared to be so, in Christ by our faith in His righteousness and not our own. It is the sign of God’s ultimate mercy.

 

The Law is not made void by this. It is not erased from being in force. In fact, it is necessary to show us our status without Christ before God. The Law is our prosecutor, and, in a manner of speaking, Christ is our defense attorney. God is our judge.

 

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

 

In the ancient world it was a well-known practice to try to propitiate a god through a sacrifice or a ritual. The idea was to appease the god’s anger and to try to obtain his or her favor and avoid their anger and the consequence of their wrath. Christ is the only propitiation for God’s righteous anger against the rebelliousness of mankind. By trusting in His righteousness and by faith in His blood we obtain remission or forgiveness of sins, based totally on God’s patience, restraint, and tolerance. It is Christ who justifies us, renders us legally unblameable for past sins against God before God our judge.

 

In English remission is the cancellation of a debt and remission is linked as a synonym with forgiveness in the Bible with both words several times translated from the same Greek word. Remission is important to understand God’s forgiveness for the debt we owed to God is cancelled by the remissions of sins because of His forgiveness. Remission goes along here with justifying the believer due to the legal aspects of both words.

 

Modern definitions of remission include, “the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty,” or, “a temporary recovery from a disease or the pain associated with it,” and, “forgiveness of sins.”

  

In the era the King James Bible was translated there was a thesaurus called Thesaurus Linguae Romanae et Britannicae. This was compiled by Thomas Cooper in 1584. In it, remit, meant, “to acquit one of his debt; to forgive…”, and, “to pardon and remit the punishment one has deserved.” 

 

In 1587 Thomas Thomas’ Dictionarium Linguae Latinae et Anglicanae had, “to remit, or forgive, to pardon.” Remission in those early dictionaries and thesaurus in Early Modern English is listed as synonymous with forgiveness or pardon.[1] 

 

What does the Bible say? Clearly, in the verse in Romans we know that Christ’s shed blood is required for the forgiveness of our sins. 

 

Ephesians 1:7  In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 

 

Colossians 1:14  In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 

 

John the Baptist preached the baptism of repentance to the Jews for the remission of sins to prepare them for the Messiah. 

 

Mark 1:4  John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 

 

And when Peter faced the proselyte Jews after the Resurrection he told them that they must receive this baptism of repentance to receive the Holy Ghost. 

 

Acts 2:38  Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

 

But, what about the Christian? Does remission mean forgiveness and was this a special authority given to the Apostles only or was it for all Christians?  

The use of the word remission has to do with a debt that is cancelled. Many would say that remission and forgiveness are distinct and that if sins are remitted they not completely removed. But it is clear that remission and forgiveness are synonyms.  Remission is used by the Holy Spirit’s guidance after Christ’s resurrection so the bond of forgiveness and remission is completed. So, it is incorrect to say that remission only applies to the yearly setting aside of sin and does not apply to the believer as the word is used very clearly here in Romans and elsewhere where it is a reference to what results as a consequence of forgiveness.

 

This teaches us another very important point about forgiveness. Forgiveness, remission, involves the cancellation of a debt and the forgoing of a punishment that is rightly due but in and of itself does not imply restoration. Not punishing mankind to eternal misery is not quite the same thing as giving him fellowship with His Creator for eternity. That is the gift of God as we will see. He does not forbear our punishment by non-existence. That isn’t the alternative. The alternative to eternal suffering is eternal fellowship with Him, eternal life.



[1] Ian Lancashire, editor, Lexicons of Early Modern English, University of Toronto,   https://leme.library.utoronto.ca/search/quick (accessed 1.21.2021)

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