God’s Righteousness For Us – Romans 3:25-26
Bethel Baptist Church – David Rising
Romans 3:25-26; July 12, 2026 Sunday AM
God’s Righteousness For Us
In our last study from the book of Romans we covered verses 22b through verse 24 and focused on two words: justification and redemption.
Justification is the teaching from scripture that shows how God declared us righteous on the basis of the work of Jesus. We were not righteous and we did not suddenly become righteous, but God declared us righteous on the basis of the work of Jesus. We needed to have our name cleared because of our guilt and shame, and God grants this to us by grace through faith in Jesus.
God grants us justification because of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Jesus paid our bill – the bill we could never pay. Jesus paid it all.
Last Sunday, Rich Price covered the doctrine of propitiation and we’ll see that term again today as we learn the many different details of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
As we cover Romans 3:25-26 we will see what God’s redemption for us looked like. When we think of the cross, we can look at the events and explain them as the gospel records do. They certainly were historical events that involved people and events.
Paul explains to us not historical events, but the theological reality of what God the Father did for us through Jesus Christ. Pray.
So that we get the flow of the text, let me read again verses 21-24:
Romans 3:21–24 (NKJV) 21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Verse 24 ends with mentioning Christ Jesus, and now in the verses 25-26 – our text for today – we will see what God the Father has done through His son, Jesus Christ.
1. God’s righteousness in the past (3:25)
25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
25ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ [τῆς] πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων
As we come to verses 25-26, the focus is upon what God the Father has done for us. The object of attention becomes the Son, Jesus, but the focus here is upon what God the Father did.
We see here that God set forth Jesus as a propitiation (ἱλαστήριον). Here’s that big word again that you heard about last week. This is a term that is hard to put into English with few words as it is packed with meaning.
Translators choose variations of words as they translate into English. KJV, NASB simply translates it as ‘propitiation’ which then has to be explained. NIV: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement’. NET: “God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith.”
What exactly is Paul saying here?
We see that the subject is God – God the Father – and something He did with Jesus. Jesus shed His blood, but God the Father was involved. Thus we see two members of the Trinity highlighted here.
We know from earlier studies in Romans that sin brings guilt, and guilt brings about judgment. The OT Law makes this clear as well. The Law was intended to give us the knowledge of sin. The Law does not solve our sin problem. The more law increases, the more I become guilty.
Paul puts forth Jesus as the solution, and that solution was initiated by God the Father.
We can trace the life and eventual death of Jesus in the gospels in the NT, and we could explain Jesus’ death from a human perspective as a legal matter and as a historical matter. He was accused of blasphemy and the complicit Roman government went along with it. Yes, it truly did take place in history.
But Paul explains the work of Jesus theologically here. Paul explains the solution as the work of God the Father on behalf of sinners.
The end of verse 25 shows that God had not fully dealt with the sin of mankind until the death of Jesus.
“because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,”
Prior to Jesus’ death, God passed over previous sins. He had not yet fully dealt with them.
But now, in the death of Christ, in the shedding of His blood, He was now dealing with that sin permanently. No more Day of Atonement. No more animal sacrifices.
The term Paul uses here in verse 25 to explain this is the word ‘propitiation’. This is not a word we hear often, except for detailed discussions like this and last week about what the bible says about the death of Jesus.
This term has generated an enormous amount of comments in the study books, and in the translations that I read earlier you can get an idea of generally how this is understood. This term is generally understood to refer to at least three things:
(1) The wiping away of sin. The term for this is ‘expiation.’ Expiation focuses on the sinner and what the shedding of the blood of Christ did. To wipe away our guilt and punishment, we need to have our sin wiped away.
Our sin is real and the consequence are real, but God the Father, through the death of Christ, wiped away our sin. Paul says in Colossians 2:14, “having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.”
When we think of wiping away something, we might think of windows that have been cleaned, chalkboard that has been erased, garments that have been washed, or hard drives that have been wiped clean. In all cases, we get the picture: something was filthy or unwanted, and it was removed.
In the OT, the solution was the shedding of the blood of an animal. This merely covered over the sin, and the covering was temporary.
The term ‘atonement’ refers to covering. Propitiation is more. It speaks about wiping away sin.
In other words, God was no longer going to pass over sin, but He would resolve it once and for all in the death of His Son. That public death was a display of His righteousness.
God the Father took the initiative to wipe away the sins of sinners through the death of His Son, Jesus.
Many people, even some Christians, are put off by this notion of God the Father sacrificing His Son. It is a cruel picture to be sure.
But the scripture clearly presents these truths to us. Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
The term ‘propitiation’ also speaks about the …
(2) Satisfaction of God’s wrath. God’s wrath comes forth in response to sin as we saw in Romans 1:18ff. Because of the pervasive sinfulness of mankind, God issued forth His wrath against sin.
God gave mankind over to suffer the consequences of his sin. The end of Romans 1 spoke about this being God’s righteous judgment and that those who sin as noted are deserving of death.
God’s wrath is not arbitrary and based on some flareup of emotions. We can sometimes incorrectly associate God’s anger with human anger.
Sometimes a parent can be easily angered by the slightest of things, and sadly might use this anger potential as a weapon to teach their children to make them happy by avoiding making them mad. That’s what Dr. David Banner in the 1970s “Incredible Hulk” series used to say– “You wouldn’t like me when I’m angry.”
That’s not a biblical parenting technique and it’s not a good picture of God the Father. God is not some touchy parent who is easily offended.
Children are supposed to obey their parents in the Lord because that is right, not necessarily to avoid making their parents mad.
It is not the same with God. God is not fickle, arbitrary, and easily angered by the slightest of things. God’s wrath is righteous and is based on specifics.
The Law sets forth God’s perfect and righteous requirements, and when we fail to meet those requirements, we incur upon ourselves His righteous anger and judgment. It is the satisfaction of God’s holy and righteous anger toward sin that ‘propitiation’ addresses.
Paul asks the question in 3:5-6 – “Is God unjust who inflicts wrath? (I speak as a man.) Certainly not! For then how will God judge the world?” Judgment by God is coming, and it will be a demonstration of His wrath.
But the great news we see here in Romans 3:25, in the death of Christ, is that we avoid this judgment and find a refuge in the completed work of Christ.
As we have previously noted, the solution for our sin problem is found only in the person of Jesus Christ.
Another important and related concept of the term ‘propitiation’ is what the NET bible translated:
(3) mercy seat. We sing about the mercy seat, and we hear about it from time to time in our OT studies. What was the mercy seat?
In Leviticus 16 we have the details for Israel’s annual celebration of the Day of Atonement. You will recall that before Solomon built the temple Israel had the tabernacle – that temporary, portable edifice that was at the center of Israel’s life before God.
The tabernacle was where the priests served daily through sacrifices, and where the ark of the covenant and other important items were carefully kept.
In the tabernacle there were a few rooms, and in the most holy place was kept the ark of the covenant – that box that housed key reminders of God’s provision from the past. It was also the place where God would appear.
In Leviticus 16:2 the LORD said to Moses that he will appear in the cloud above the mercy seat. The only way Aaron the priest could enter this holy place was with the blood of a young bull as a sin offering, and of a ram as a burnt offering.
He would have to wear special clothes and prepare himself properly with offerings for himself and for the people. He would bring the blood of the animal into the holy place and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat.
This was but one aspect of this special day, and this routine was to make atonement for the Holy Place ‘because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions, and for all their sins’ (16:16a).
There was also the live goat that was used to lay upon it the iniquities, transgressions, and sins of the children of Israel. This living goat was sent out into the wilderness and would bear on itself all of their sins.
Of course, this was only temporary, as verse 25 of Romans 3 implies, and the ritual would be repeated year after year.
Paul says here in Romans 3:25 that God the Father set forth Jesus as a propitiation, as a mercy seat. Schreiner notes:
“in the OT the mercy seat symbolized Yahweh’s presence. That Jesus functioned as the priest, victim, and the place where the blood is sprinkled should not trouble us. Paul is attempting to communicate that Jesus fulfills the sacrificial [practices of the OT], and the fulfillment transcends [it]. The sprinkling of Jesus’ blood makes it possible for believers to meet with God … What Jesus accomplished on the cross transcended previous categories and constituted their fulfillment.”[1]
[1] Schreiner, T. R. (1998). Vol. 6: Romans. Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (194). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.
And so as you think of propitiation and what God the Father did by publicly displaying Jesus are at least these three things: (1) expiation-wiping away of our sin, (2) satisfaction of God’s wrath against sin, and (3) the mercy seat – the presence of God, access to God through the blood of Christ.
This verse sends a strong signal that there has been a major shift from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. No longer would the blood of bulls and goats be effective. Now, the focus is upon the Lamb of God and His precious blood. This is what the book of Hebrews explains.
Notice the phrase in verse 25 “through faith” – this emphasizes the earlier point of the need for faith. Faith in Christ is the only way these blessings can be applied to the individual.
Literally it is ‘through faith in His blood’ (διὰ [τῆς] πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι) and so when we speak about faith in Jesus, our trust is not just in a nice person, but in the God-Man who shed His precious blood for sinners.
Trusting in Christ means we accept His sacrifice on the cross. God was satisfied with this payment. His wrath was appeased. This comes to us by faith.
And so we have a mouthful in verse 25, but an important one as it explains what God the Father did for the sinner through the death and shedding of the blood of His Son.
God’s ultimate wrath against sin had been on hold, but was set forth against His Son through His public and blood death upon that cross.
Can you see now why we preach and sing about blood? Some of our hymns about blood offend some, but they should not. Are You Washed in the Blood? There is Power in the Blood. Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness. I know a fount where sins are washed away. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. Oh, precious is the flow that makes me white as snow. There is a fountain filled with blood, drawn from Immanuel’s veins. …Sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains.
Not all the blood of beasts on Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace, or wash away the stain.
But Christ, the heav’nly Lamb takes all our sins away,
A sacrifice of nobler name and richer blood than they. (Isaac Watts)
And so, verse 25 describes in a large dose of details His righteousness in the past. Now, notice in verse 26 …
2. God’s righteousness in the present (3:26)
Verse 25 looked to the past, and verse 26 speaks about the present:
26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
26ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ, πρὸς τὴν ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ νῦν καιρῷ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα τὸν ἐκ πίστεως Ἰησοῦ.
What God did for us through Christ, is not just an event for the past, but a reality in the present. Verse 26 brings together the ideas of justice and righteousness that have been the point of discussion throughout.
God displays His justice against sin because of His righteousness. His holy and perfect character demands justice. God could have executed justice against every single person, but He did not. In His sovereign grace, He chose to save some by His mercy and grace and verse 25 explains how God did it.
That grace and mercy are realities in the present for the one who has faith in Jesus. The gospel, Paul says in 1:17, reveals God’s righteousness, and all who by faith receive it will be saved, will be justified, will be pardoned, will come to understand God’s righteousness in this marvelous plan.
God set forth Jesus as a propitiation so that He might be two things: (1) just, and (2) the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
God sent Jesus to the cross because of His justice. Sin demands a payment, and in God’s plan Jesus was that perfect sacrifice.
God would not be God if He did not uphold His perfect righteousness.
When a city or town or state does not uphold its own laws, it is unjust. If the law is selectively enforced, there is injustice.
This is not how God works. Chapter 2 made it clear that God does not play favorites and He operates according to truth.
As a result of God setting forth Jesus as a propitiation, God is just and also the justifier – the one who justifies the sinner who has faith in Jesus.
He who is a justifier is one who can rightly and lawfully declare someone righteous.
A judge has the right to make a judgment with regard to the one standing in court. The judge has the legal right to render a judgment.
God can justify a sinner because the penalty has been met. The payment has been completed. God is just in setting the sinner free. He is just and the justifier.
He can justify the sinner because, as verse 26 concludes, the sinner has faith in Jesus. The solution has been received.
Romans 6:23 will use the language of receiving a gift.
As our doctrinal statement says, “faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only condition of salvation” (Acts 16:31). “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved….”
Faith in Jesus is the only condition of justification.
Justification is the great gospel blessing to us because of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. That redemption was accomplished because God the Father set forth Jesus as a propitiation by His blood.
God was just in doing so, and He is the One who justifies the sinner who has faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul is weaving together a beautiful tapestry that explains to us the gospel of Jesus Christ.
I do think that Romans 3:21-26 is one of the great places in scripture to find the nuts and bolds of our salvation.
I challenge you to meditate upon these verses and marvel at the grace of our Lord toward us.
How do we respond to these things?
Application
1. Prepare yourself to be able to explain these key terms to someone when you discuss the gospel with them. Righteousness of God. Faith. Believe. Justification. Redemption. Propitiation. Just.
2. Give thanks to God for His marvelous salvation.
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15).