3:21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets
In the cross, the righteousness of God was shown apart from the Law - yet the Law and the Prophets testified to it ("the Law and the Prophets" is a Hebraism which represents the entire Old Testament. The Old Testament is filled with prophecies of Christ's death on the cross, from the example of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar, to the symbolism of the various animal sacrifices, to the unambiguous predictions found in Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53). So, while the Law was contained in the Old Testament, the entire Old Testament (including the Law itself) points to the necessity of a righteousness that can never be attained under the Law. It can only be attained through faith in Christ.
The hidden righteousness of the invisible God has been manifested. In this world of destructive sin, the justice of God is hidden and seems unreal. Mankind has shaken its collective fist at God because the world in which we dwell often makes Him appear unjust. Yet God's hidden righteousness was revealed through a sinful act - in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at the hands of sinners! Just as the clouds which hide the sun do not disprove the sun's existence, so the injustices of a sin-saturated world do not disprove the justice of God. Rather, they reveal our desperate need for His justice, and the insufficiency of all purely human righteousness.
3:22-24 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;
For man, justice is a matter of deeds and has nothing at all to do with faith. In sharp contrast to this, God declares to all men that they are unjust sinners and incapable of doing what is necessary to create justice. He does the work Himself and calls us to trust Him on the basis of that work. Upon believing, we are justified, declared righteous, made right in His sight - all through what He has done.
Sinners are justified as a gift by His grace. Our condemnation is well earned, but our salvation is totally by grace. It is unearned, undeserved, unmerited, and unattainable apart from the free gift of God's grace.
3:25-26 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, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
God rarely judges a person's sins immediately, although He could justly do so at any time (two sobering examples of swift judgment can be found in Numbers 16. These examples should make us very appreciative of the patience with which God has carried us). If God was not forbearing, there would be no possibility of salvation. All mankind would be under an eternal sentence of condemnation, separated from the life of God forever (exactly as the fallen angels are, perhaps). God's act of patience means we can be saved. Think of it! He temporarily held back the just sentence that could have been executed against sinners so that He could execute it upon His own beloved Son instead. He has granted us time to repent and believe the Good News of the Gospel. In the face of such patience, let us not delay to take hold of the hope found there!
The blood of Jesus Christ was a propitiation. It removed the holy wrath of God by satisfying the just demands of His holiness. If God were not infinitely merciful, the blood of His Son would have ignited a wrath so unimaginably intense that all sinners would have been instaneously sealed under the sentence of endless doom and torment. Yet He ironically chose to make the blood of His Son the atoning sacrifice to wipe out our guilt and secure our souls eternally within His redeeming love.
God is just. Therefore, sin is punished with the furious condemnation that it deserves. In the cross, God condemns sin, but at the very same time He justifies sinners for whom Christ died. Thank God for such wondrous grace! Shall we not serve, and worship, and love a Being so great and wonderful as this? What kind of hatred and hostility would prevent us from doing so? Whatever it may be, and however strongly you might sense that ungrateful depravity within yourself, He is able to conquer it. Ask Him, and He will do it! Actually, if you are truly trusting in Christ, He HAS DONE IT already at the cross, and by grace it is now becoming real to you in your heart. So, the believer's experience of suffering and struggling through this painful life is nonetheless a SURE and JOYFUL one that ultimately triumphs. In this regard, Jesus Himself is our example. He suffered the most, and suffered most unjustly, yet He conquered the most, and overcame sin without ever once sinning.
The goodness of God involves the perfect balance of MERCY and JUSTICE, grace and truth. Although the objectives of justice and mercy would seem to contradict, in the cross of Christ they are beautifully reconciled and powerfully demonstrated.
I am only scratching the surface of this amazing passage. We could study this every day for 100 years and never exhaust its riches. But God knew we would need more Bible than this, so He gave us the rest of Romans and 65 other books to drive the Gospel deep into our hearts.
Sola Fide. Sola Gratia. Soli Deo Gloria.
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