Lessons # 113 and 114
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Christ our expiation/propitiation (Rom 3:25-26)
25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
We have been considering the subject of revealed righteousness of God Apostle Paul discoursed in Romans 3:21-31. We indicate that this section may be studied by recognizing that there are three major declarations of the apostle. First, in verses 21 to 24, the apostle declared the fact of revealed righteousness with other facts and reasons for the revealed righteousness. Second, the apostle declared that God set forth Christ as our expiation/propitiation in verses 25 and 26. Third, in Romans 3:27-31, he communicated that revealed righteousness or justification by faith excludes any form of boasting as he makes his conclusion based on the facts he marshalled out in the section. Furthermore, we stated that to help understand this section that deals with revealed righteousness, it is necessary for us to focus on each of the three major declarations of the apostle so that we may harness the message contained in the various declarations of the apostle in passage of Romans 3:21-31. We have studied the first that consists of verses 21 to 24. Its message is that God’s revealed righteousness that is independent of the law and obtained through faith in Christ, is necessary because all humans do not meet God’s approval. So, this morning we proceed with the second.
The second declaration in the apostle’s discourse of Romans 3:21-31 is given in verses 25 and 26. This declaration is concerned with expiation/propitiation. The two verses provide us with the means of expiation/propitiation and reasons for it. Thus, the message of the two verses we should hear is that Christ is our expiation/propitiation through His death on the cross so that God maintains His character as He justifies us. It is this message that we will expound in the passage before us.
Jesus Christ is central to everything connected with our salvation. Thus, Apostle Paul continuously focused on Him whenever he discoursed anything that is associated with our salvation. I am saying that the apostle is consumed in his thinking with Jesus Christ, something we all should do. In effect, we should be so conscious of Jesus Christ’s role and importance in our salvation that we should be ready to talk about Him any opportunity God grants us to do so. This can only be the case if inwardly you are preoccupied with Him. For after all, what comes out of our mouths are things in our minds with which we are preoccupied. The Lord Jesus conveyed this fact that it is what is in our minds that comes out of our mouths when He denounced the Pharisees who thought that it was by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that He drove out demons as recorded in Matthew 12:34:
You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
The point of the Lord Jesus in the clause For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks is that it is what occupies our minds that come out of our mouths. You can easily observe this in that when people are troubled because of a problem and you have a conversation with them, it takes a few moments before they begin to tell you what is bothering them because what is in their minds or hearts, so to speak, has a way of coming out. Furthermore, it is what comes out of our mouths that tells others what we are thinking. Hence, when a person says aloud something in their mind and walks it back by saying that the person did not mean what they said, the individual is not being truthful. It is what is in the person’s mind that came out of the mouth although once it comes out a person may be shocked to hear what comes of the individual’s mouth but that does not mean that it was not what was in the individual’s mind. This being the case, we contend that if you are preoccupied with Jesus Christ in the matter of your salvation, it should not take you long to speak about Him once the opportunity arises for you to do so. Apostle Paul, as we have stated, was preoccupied with Jesus Christ that he realized that nothing about our salvation takes place without Him. You see, in the preceding verse, that is, Romans 3:24, the apostle had written the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. His focus was on redemption and so when he shifted his attention to another thing that is involved with our salvation, he immediately mentions Jesus Christ.
It does not appear that the apostle immediately mentioned Jesus Christ because the first sentence of the NIV of Romans 3:25 reads God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement. “God” is the first word in the verse according to the NIV. However, a literal translation of the Greek reads whom God set forth (as an) expiation/propitiation. The first word of verse 25 is a Greek pronoun (hos) that as a relative pronoun may mean “who, which, what” but as a demonstrative pronoun means “this, that.” In our verse, the Greek pronoun is used as a relative pronoun in which case it refers to Christ Jesus mentioned in the last sentence of Romans 3:24 the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Be that as it may, Apostle Paul asserted what God did with respect to Jesus Christ in the sentence of Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement. The word “God” is here used in a general sense of the supreme being, the creator, without any distinction of persons. For, there is no doubt that God the Father sent Jesus Christ into the world as, we may read, for example, in 1 John 4:14:
And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
The way Jesus had to be the Savior of the world involved His death on the cross so we can say that the God the Father is the One that handed Jesus over to death. However, Jesus Christ also gave Himself to death on the cross for our salvation as implied in what Apostle Paul stated about our redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ in Titus 2:14:
who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.
Of course, Jesus Christ, was clear that no one took His life from Him but that He willingly gave Himself to death as we read in John 10:17–18:
17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”
The point we are stressing is that the word “God” in the sentence of Romans 3:25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement refers to the supreme being, the creator, without any distinction of the person of the Godhead.
The word “presented” is translated from a Greek verb (protithēmi) that its meaning is debated by scholars from ancient times. The word may mean “to have something in mind beforehand,” that is, “to plan, propose, intend” as Apostle Paul used it to convey to the Romans that he had in mind several times to come visit them as recorded and we have studied in Romans 1:13:
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.
Some commentators take this first meaning as the one the apostle intended in our passage. That notwithstanding, in our passage of Romans 3:25, we take that the meaning the apostle intended is “to set forth publicly” in the sense of “to put before a public for consideration.” Hence, God is said to set forth publicly Jesus Christ in the words of the NIV a sacrifice of atonement. A literal translation is expiation/propitiation. The reason for the use of the word “expiation” or “propitiation” is because of the possible meanings of the Greek word used in our passage.
The expression “sacrifice of atonement” is translated from a Greek noun (hilastērion) that is used in the Septuagint to translate a Hebrew word (kǎppōrěṯ) that is used in Exodus 25:17:
“Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide
The Hebrew word used in Exodus 25:17 may mean “mercy seat, atonement” but in Exodus 25:17, it means “atonement cover,” that is, “an ornamental lid that covered the Ark of the Covenant and was a symbol of where sins were forgiven by God.” We know that the “atonement cover” signified where Yahweh shows His grace or mercy on the Israelites in forgiving their sins because of what is described concerning the Day of Atonement as we read in Leviticus 16:15–16:
15 “He shall then slaughter the goat for the sin offering for the people and take its blood behind the curtain and do with it as he did with the bull’s blood: He shall sprinkle it on the atonement cover and in front of it. 16 In this way he will make atonement for the Most Holy Place because of the uncleanness and rebellion of the Israelites, whatever their sins have been. He is to do the same for the Tent of Meeting, which is among them in the midst of their uncleanness.
The blood of the animal that is offered for Israel’s sins is sprinkled on the atonement cover so that God will be pleased and accept the sacrifice and forgive Israel’s sins. That aside, our Greek word is used only twice in Greek NT. In its other use, following the Septuagint, it is given the meaning “mercy seat” or “place of propitiation” in Hebrews 9:5:
Above the ark were the cherubim of the Glory, overshadowing the atonement cover. But we cannot discuss these things in detail now.
The 1984 edition of the NIV gives a footnote that indicates that the phrase “atonement cover” is more traditionally translated “mercy seat.” In our passage of Romans 3:25, some take the word to refer to “that which expiates sin” but it has the sense of “propitiation,” that is, “the means of appeasing wrath and gaining the good will of an offended person; especially with respect to sacrifices for appeasing angered deities.” There is sometimes confusion between propitiation and expiation. Propitiation refers to appeasing or placating God’s anger against unrighteousness while expiation is concerned with removing the effects of sin that caused a barrier between humans and God. Hence, God who is wrathful against unrighteousness is propitiated while sin is expiated in the sense that sin is covered or cleansed. There is no doubt that while the two are different, there is a connection between them as it relates to God. When sin is expiated through sacrifice that will also mean that propitiation has taken place. For if sin is taken care of, God is placated so that the same act that brings expiation leads to propitiation. Anyway, the word “expiation” is not found in the New Testament, but it does accurately describe an aspect of the sacrifice of Christ on our behalf. Some try to equate expiation to atonement, but many reject such interpretation. The most we can say is that “expiation” is concerned with cancellation of sins or dealing with sins. Of course, some commentators contend that both meanings of “expiation” and “propitiation” are applicable in our verse. That aside, as we will state later, although the Greek word we are considering probably means “propitiation” in our passage but the expression “sacrifice of atonement” is a good way to describe the Greek word as we will explain later. Because we interpreted the Greek word Apostle Paul used in Romans 3:25 to mean “propitiation,” I will review completely what we studied in the past about it in our study of 1 John with some modifications.
Propitiation
Most often the focus on the application of the death of Christ on the cross in relation to sin is on humanity. For example, redemption deals with freeing humans from the slavery of sin to freedom of grace. In reconciliation, God did something for us that changed us to bring us into spiritual harmony with Him. So, these two concepts and more have been directed towards humans, but what of God? He is the One who was offended by our sins. Because God is the One offended, it is necessary for Him to be satisfied in order to bring us into harmony with Himself. After all, He pronounced the sentence due to us because of sin, therefore, if He is to accept us, something must be done that satisfies Him. Consequently, propitiation is that part of Christ’s work that is directed to God.
Propitiation is primarily a word that denotes “the turning away of wrath by an offering.” This concept can be seen in the Septuagint (LXX) by the fact that a Greek word (exilaskomai) that is not used in the NT that may mean “to appease” is usually the translation of the Hebrew word (kippěr) that carries the meaning of “averting wrath through an offering,” “to make propitiation,” “to expiate,” “to make amends for.” This Hebrew word is used to describe Jacob’s attempt to ward off Esau’s wrath by making costly presents to him as we read in Genesis 32:20:
And be sure to say, ‘Your servant Jacob is coming behind us.’” For he thought, “I will pacify him with these gifts I am sending on ahead; later, when I see him, perhaps he will receive me.”
The word “pacify” is translated from the Hebrew verb (kippěr) that we said could mean to avert wrath through an offering. Hence, here in Genesis 32:20, there is the sense of propitiation involved. Our Hebrew word is used for atoning sacrifice as what Yahweh said would not be acceptable for the guilt of Eli’s family as stated in 1 Samuel 3:14:
Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’”
Interestingly, the root of the Hebrew word (kippěr) has other words that are more consistently translated in the Septuagint by derivates of a Greek verb (hiláskomai) that may mean “to propitiate, appease.” Thus, in the NT, the idea of “turning away wrath” is conveyed by three Greek words that we will briefly examine.
The first is a Greek verb (hilaskomai) that we have already mentioned. As a word used outside the Bible by the Greek writers, it has the meaning “to make gracious, to placate or to make their gods propitious (i.e. favorably disposed towards someone).” It even had the meaning of “to bribe.” In addition, it was used for “placating of the emperor or his anger.” This Greek verb appears in two passages in the NT. The first usage is in connection with the prayer of the tax collector in the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector as narrated in Luke 18:13:
“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’
The NIV rendered the Greek verb as “have mercy,” the TEV renders it “have pity” and the HCSB translated “turn Your wrath” Of course, the sense of the Greek verb here in Luke 18:13 is “to be propitious,” that is, “to be or become disposed to be gracious or merciful, as in ready to forgive sins and bestow blessings.” The second usage of the Greek verb is in connection with a reason Jesus Christ took on humanity as He came into this world to die for our sins as stated in Hebrews 2:17:
For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people.
Our English versions translated the Greek verb differently. The translators of NIV and the NET translated the verb with the meaning “make atonement” although the NET in a footnote gave an alternative translation that fully should read “make propitiation” that is reflected in the ESV, the NASB and others. The Old KJV version reads “make reconciliation” that is erroneous, but the NKJV has corrected this with the translation “make propitiation.” The NABRE and the NJB translated the Greek verb as “to expiate.” These various renderings notwithstanding, the sense of the Greek verb in Hebrews 2:17 is “to propitiate,” that is, “to appease an offended party’s wrath (for some wrongdoing) in order to regain goodwill; normally accomplished by making sacrifice to an offended deity.” Because of the meaning of the word, we cannot say that the translation “to make atonement” of the NIV and the NET is wrong. This is because it is atonement for sins that makes God to be propitious towards the sinner. There is then a sense we can say that propitiation is a subset of atonement which is a larger umbrella that covers God’s dealing with the sinner and sins. You see, Jesus Christ as our High Priest took care of our sins before God. If sins are taken care of then God is satisfied and is free to love humans and have relationship with those who believe in Christ. His wrath towards sin is also appeased. Technically, it is better to take the meaning of the Greek verb that we are considering in the context of Hebrew 2:17 as “to propitiate” but because this meaning is not commonly used among believers, the meaning “to make atonement” would be more communicative to the English reader.
The second Greek word that conveys the idea of “turning away wrath” is a Greek noun (hilastērion) that we have already considered, hence, we will not repeat what we had said and so we move to the third word, that in the NT has the idea of “turning away wrath”
The third is a Greek noun (hilasmos) that also appears twice in the Greek NT. It is used to describe the Lord Jesus Christ’s work on our behalf in 1 John 2:2:
He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
The other passage where our Greek word appears also concerns the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf in 1 John 4:10:
This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
In both passages in 1 John, our Greek word is translated “atoning sacrifice” in the NIV and the NET. It is translated “propitiation” in the NASB and the ESV, among others, while it is translated “expiation” in the NABRE. The Greek noun is used in the Septuagint to translate a Hebrew noun (kippǔrîm) that means “atonement” in dealing with how an Israelite is to right the wrong done to a deceased individual through restitution and sacrifice as stated in Numbers 5:8:
But if that person has no close relative to whom restitution can be made for the wrong, the restitution belongs to the LORD and must be given to the priest, along with the ram with which atonement is made for him.
The Greek noun is used to translate a Hebrew noun (selîḥāh) that means “forgiveness” in describing what Yahweh does in Psalm 130:4:
But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
The Greek noun is used to translate a Hebrew noun (ḥǎṭṭāʾṯ) that refers to “sin offering” of a priest in Ezekiel 44:27:
On the day he goes into the inner court of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering for himself, declares the Sovereign LORD.
The fact the third Greek word we are considering is used to translate Hebrew words with a range of meanings that are related to sin suggests that it is difficult to determine its exact meaning. This is reflected in our Greek English lexicons. One lexicon gives the meaning “appeasement necessitated by sin, expiation.” Another gives the meaning “the means of appeasing, a propitiation.” Still another gives the meaning “propitiation, expiation.” We previously have argued that propitiation and expiation are not the same so to list both meanings for our Greek word tells us the difficulty involved in determining meaning in the English of our Greek word. All in all, it seems that the best meaning of our word in the English that would not be too technical is the meaning adopted in the NIV, that is, “atoning sacrifice.” This is supported by the fact that the eleventh edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary includes as the meaning of the word “propitiation” as “an atoning sacrifice.” Anyway, our Greek word includes the notion of “turning aside divine wrath” and the notion of “cleansing from sin.” The fact remains that it is by sacrifice of Christ on the cross that God is satisfied and, on its basis, shows his mercy to us who have believed in Christ.
All the same, we may then ask, what is propitiation in simple terms? It is “that work of God through the death of Christ on the cross whereby His wrath is satisfied regarding the sins of humans.” It is solely the work of God. Human is not capable of appeasing God by any means. Humans cannot offer sacrifice or good life or anything else that can appease God in relation to sin. This is where Satan succeeds in blinding humanity into thinking that by good works or clean moral living that God would ever be appeased. Nothing can please God except what He does Himself. He is the One who appointed Christ as the atoning sacrifice by which He is satisfied about our sins. Humans ignore the fact that the sin against God demands punishment because of His character. Again, Satan tries to convince humans that somehow God is going to ignore their sins and show them a favorable disposition because of their good living. The truth is that no such thing is possible. There is nothing humans can do or need to do to satisfy God’s wrath over their sins. The true God does not accept anything from His creatures as a means of appeasing Him.
In any case, I do not want you to think that all scholars accept what we have presented so far regarding the concept of propitiation. One such scholar is C.H. Dodd who argues strongly that these Greek words both in the Septuagint and in the NT denote expiation (the cancellation of sin) and not propitiation (the turning away of the wrath of God). He argues that the “wrath of God” denotes cause and effect whereby disaster is the inevitable consequence of sin. Scholars who argue this way often do so on the basis that “God’s wrath” is not mentioned in the NT as frequently as in the OT. There are two responses to these scholars. The first is that it is worth noting that the Hebrew word that means expiation, translated 83 times out of 100 in Septuagint (LXX) by the Greek verb (exilaskomai) we mentioned previously is never once used in the NT and to me that is significant to argue against expiation as the sole meaning of the group of Greek words translated “propitiation.” The second response is that Apostle Paul clearly states about God’s wrath that is revealed from heaven in Romans 1:18:
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness,
This passage makes it difficult to argue that the God of NT is not an angry God with regards to sin. The God of NT and OT are the same. This is no doubt that God’s anger burns towards our sins. Our only safety is in Jesus Christ, the One that has quelled this anger by His sacrifice on the cross.
To complete our consideration of the subject of propitiation, we should ask: What are the results of propitiation? There are two results of propitiation that the apostle stated in the passage of Romans 3:25-26 that we are studying. Let me state them in a nutshell before we consider these results in the passage we are studying. First, propitiation enables God to forgive the sins of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ without compromising His righteousness. Second, it frees God, so to say, to bestow His righteousness on those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. With this answer, we proceed to our exposition of the passage of our study.
Apostle Paul stated in Romans 3:25 that God is said to set forth publicly Jesus Christ in the words of the NIV as a sacrifice of atonement or literally expiation/propitiation. We have already stated that the phrase of the NIV a sacrifice of atonement is a good way to describe propitiation where we should recognize that “atonement” is indeed a theological term that is concerned with the work accomplished by Christ that deals with “the removal of guilt, the covering over of sin, or the satisfaction of the penalty for sin that separated humankind from God.” This being the case, Apostle Paul conveyed to us that this work is through the death of Christ on the cross and it is appropriated through faith. It is this fact that the apostle wrote in Romans 3:25 through faith in his blood.
The word “faith” is translated from a Greek noun (pistis) although often translated “faith” has several other meanings that we have considered in detail previously. For example, the Greek word may mean “faith” in the active sense of believing or trusting in someone; the kind of believing that brings salvation. Another meaning of the Greek word translated “faith” is “true piety or genuine devotion or even firm commitment.” Stephen was described as one who had a genuine devotion or firm commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ in that he did not waver in what he believed but was fully devoted to the Lord. This is the sense of the word “faith” in Acts 6:5:
This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism.
In our passage of Romans 3:25, the word has the sense of “trust,” that is, “strong confidence in, and reliance upon.”
The word “blood” in the phrase of Romans 3:25 through faith in his blood is translated from a Greek noun (haima) that literally means “blood” as the red life-fluid of humans and animals as in the description of what oozed out when the body of Jesus Christ was pierced by Roman soldiers while He was hanging on the cross as stated in John 19:34:
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.
Figuratively, the Greek word means “lifeblood” as constituting the life of an individual. Thus, the Greek word is used for “seat of life” in the Septuagint of Leviticus 17:11:
For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.
Because blood is considered seat of life, the shedding of blood is the same as killing or taking of life as the word is used to describe prophets killed by Israel’s ancestors as our Lord Jesus referenced in Luke 11:50:
Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world,
Some English versions such as the TEV and the CEV avoided the use of the word “blood” in their translation of this verse. For example, the sentence the blood of all the prophets that has been shed is translated in the TEV as the murder of all the prophets killed. In our passage of Romans 3:25, the Greek word is used with the meaning “lifeblood”, that is, “blood of a person considered as the seat of life” and an expiatory sacrifice. Hence, the phrase his blood of Romans 3:25 is a reference to the death of Christ.
Our interpretation that the phrase his blood refers to the death of Christ raises a question of what the phrase is related to in Romans 3:25. There are two most plausible possibilities. The phrase may be related to the Greek word that means “faith” so that the apostle was concerned with trusting in Christ’s work on the cross or it could be related to the Greek word that means “propitiation” or “sacrifice of atonement” so that the apostle stated that propitiation is accomplished through the death of Christ on the cross. Both interpretations are applicable so that when the apostle wrote the phrase of Romans 3:25 through faith in his blood he intended for us to understand that the death of Christ is the means of propitiation or “sacrifice of atonement” and that trust in Christ because of His death on the cross is a way that a person would appropriate Christ’s work that we called propitiation. So, the apostle conveyed that death of Christ on the cross is that which made it possible for sins to be atoned and for God’s wrath to be satisfied so that by faith in Christ a person benefits from His work on the cross. Anyhow, the apostle then proceeded to explain or provide reasons for propitiation or the sacrifice of atonement.
A first reason the apostle provided for propitiation or “the sacrifice of atonement” is that it proves that God is righteous in that He would not tolerate sin. Being a righteous God means that for God to be a just God He must punish sin. It is this truth the apostle stated in Romans 3:25 He did this to demonstrate his justice. The word “demonstrate” is translated from a Greek noun Greek noun (endeixis) that may mean “sign,” that is, “something that points to or serves as an indicator of something” as Apostle Paul used it to assure the Philippians of what would happen to those who oppose the truth as recorded in Philippians 1:28:
without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be saved—and that by God.
The word may mean “demonstration, proof”, that is, “something that compels acceptance of something mentally or emotionally” as Apostle Paul used it to encourage the Corinthians to prove their love for Titus and the others that serve the church of Christ as stated in 2 Corinthians 8:24:
Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.
In our passage of Romans 3:25, the word has the sense of “demonstration,” that is, the act of presenting something to sight or view to establish the validity of something.” The thing that the “sacrifice of atonement” is a demonstration is in the word of the NIV84 justice or “righteousness” in the NIV2011.
The word “justice” is translated from a Greek noun (dikaiosynē) that may mean “righteousness” in the sense of doing what God requires or doing what is right, as the word is used to describe those who are persecuted to whom belongs God’s kingdom as stated in Matthew 5:10:
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
It is also in the sense of doing what God requires that our Greek word is used to attribute righteousness to Abraham when he believed Yahweh’s promise, as stated in Romans 4:3:
What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Righteousness here is a blessing conferred to Abraham in the sense that God considered him as doing what He wanted since he believed in Him. What God requires should not be thought only in terms of moral actions but what is in accordance with His plan. This point is important since there is no morality involved in the use of our Greek word when it is used in the mouth of the Lord Jesus during His water baptism, but it is simply used in the sense of conforming to God’s plan, what He has decided, what is pleasing to Him in the Lord Jesus’ reply to John who was hesitant to baptize Him, as we read in Matthew 3:15:
Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.
Our Greek word may refer to the practices required by religion such as charitable giving so that it has the meaning of “religious observances,” as in Matthew 6:1:
“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
The phrase acts of righteousness may be translated “religious observances.” Our Greek word may refer to the quality, state, or practice of judicial responsibility with focus on fairness hence means “justice, equitableness, fairness.” Thus, it is used to describe the manner of God’s future judgment in Acts 17:31:
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
The word may refer to quality or state of juridical correctness with focus on redemptive action and so means “righteousness.” Our Greek word may mean “being put in right relationship with God”, as that is the sense of the word in Romans 5:17:
For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The phrase the gift of righteousness may be understood either as the gift that comes from God because He is righteous or the gift of being put into a right relation with God. Though it is difficult to separate these two interpretations, but it is probably the second interpretation that is intended so that our Greek word is given the meaning of “being put into right relation with God.” Our Greek word in some contexts may approach the meaning of “salvation.” This we can see from its use in the Septuagint of Isaiah 51:5:
My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.
Here Yahweh’s righteousness is near, so is salvation; hence, there is a parallel between the two that we can say that “righteousness” in certain context refers to “salvation.” In our passage of Romans 3:25, the word is used to describe the executive privilege that belongs to God in conferring a benefit and so means “righteousness” or “justice.” Each of these meanings could be justified in this passage, but it is probably the meaning of “righteousness” that is intended since the passage is concerned with how God puts persons right with Himself. Thus, the first reason the apostle provided for the sacrifice of atonement is that it proves that God is righteous in that He would not tolerate sin.
The second reason the apostle provided for propitiation or “the sacrifice of atonement” is that it shows that in the past God because of His forbearance let go unpunished sins committed before the death of Christ. This, of course, does not mean He did not punish sins only that such punishment was not the unleashing of His full wrath against sin. It is this that is given in the clause of Romans 3:25 because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished. The apostle used three words that appear only here in the Greek NT. The word “forbearance” is translated from a Greek noun (anochē) that appears only here in the Greek NT and has the sense of “forbearance,” that is, “a good-natured tolerance that delays enforcing rights or claims or privileges.” The expression “committed beforehand” is translated from a Greek verb (proginomai) that appears only here in the Greek NT and means “to happen formerly,” that is, “to happen at a previous time.” The word “unpunished” is translated from a Greek noun (paresis) that appears only here in Greek NT; it means “letting go unpunished,” that is, “deliberate disregard.” The point of the apostle in this second reason is that God had in His plan a specific time when sins would be dealt with by Christ’s death for, after all, He was said to have been chosen to do this before creation of humans as implied in 1 Peter 1:20:
He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.
So, God in His forbearance kept passing over sins of the past knowing that at a set time Christ would die for them.
The third reason the apostle provided for propitiation or “the sacrifice of atonement” is that it makes God to be just and justifier of those who believe in Christ. The fact of the justice of God is conveyed in the first sentence of Romans 3:26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time. The word “justice” or “righteousness” of the NIV2011 is translated from the Greek noun (dikaiosynē) we have previously considered and indicated that in verse 25 it is better taken as “righteousness” but in verse 26, it is better taken as “justice” because of what is stated in the rest of the verse is concerned with justice. That aside, the word “time” is translated from a Greek noun (kairos) with a range of meanings. It can mean “opportunity” as it is used when Governor Felix postponed hearing the defense of Apostle Paul because he was speaking of God’s coming judgment, as we read in Acts 24:25:
As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, “That’s enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.”
The clause when I find it convenient is more literally when I have an opportunity. Another meaning of the Greek word is “occasion” as the apostle used it in his instructions regarding constancy of prayer in Ephesians 6:18:
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
Still another meaning of the Greek word is “a point of time” or “period of time” as it is used by Apostle Paul in describing the conditions of the last days in 2 Timothy 4:3:
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
In our passage of Romans 3:26, the word has the sense of “time,” that is, “a fixed and definite time.” Hence, the phrase at the present time refers to the time from the moment Christ died for our sins. From that time to the present time, what is stated in the rest of the verse is true.
A person or even fallen created supernatural beings could object to God declaring righteous one who believes in Christ on the ground that such would be unjust. Consequently, the apostle answered that propitiation or “the atonement sacrifice” indicates that God is just as in the clause of Romans 3:26 so as to be just. Literally, the Greek reads for him to be just. The word “just” is translated from a Greek adjective (dikaios) that pertains to being in accordance with high standards of uprightness, so the word means “upright” as Apostle Paul used it to describe one of the virtues of an overseer of a local church in Titus 1:8:
Rather he must be hospitable, one who loves what is good, who is self-controlled, upright, holy and disciplined.
The word may mean “innocent” as the word is used to describe Jesus Christ by the wife of Pilate as narrated in Matthew 27:19:
While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
The word may be used in rendering to people what is due them as it pertains to justice and so it may mean “right” as Apostle Paul used it to describe God’s judgment in 2 Thessalonians 1:5:
All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
In our passage of Romans 3:26, the word has the sense of “just, fair” that is, “pertaining to being in accordance with high standards of rectitude.” Hence, if God is just as demonstrated in the “sacrifice of atonement” of Christ, He is free to declare anyone who believes in Christ righteous.
It is God’s right to declare anyone righteous based on the “sacrifice of atonement” of Christ that is given in the last clause of Romans 3:26 and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. The word “justifies” is translated from a Greek verb (dikaioō) that may mean to render a favorable verdict, that is, “to vindicate” as it is used by Apostle Paul to indicate that Jesus Christ was vindicated by the Holy Spirit as we read in 1 Timothy 3:16:
Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
The word may mean “to be free” as it is used of believers in connection with sin as we read in Romans 6:7:
because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
The word may mean “to declare, pronounce, righteous and therefore acceptable” as it is used negatively Romans 3:20:
Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.
In our passage of Romans 3:26, the word has the sense of “to justify,” that is, “to pronounce a verdict that someone is in full accordance with the requirements of the law (of God).” Hence, God because our sins have been paid for by the death of Christ on the cross, anyone who believes in Christ will be justified by God.
Anyway, let me end our study by reminding you of the message of the section we have considered which is is that Christ is our expiation/propitiation through His death on the cross so that God maintains His character as He justifies us.
05/08/26