Romans 3.24b-Justification is By Means of Jesus Christ's Work of Redemption
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday November 21, 2007
Romans: Romans 3:24b-Justification is Accomplished By Means of Jesus Christ’s Work of Redemption
Lesson # 101
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 3:19.
We are currently engaged in a study of the third major section in the book of Romans, which appears in Romans 3:21-5:21.
This section is divided into four parts: (1) Divine righteousness is imputed through faith in Christ (Romans 3:21-26). (2) Divine righteousness is available to both Jew and Gentile (Romans 3:27-31). (3) Justification by Faith: The Example of Abraham (Romans 4:1-23). (4) The Results of Faith (Romans 5:1-21).
In Romans 3:21a, Paul teaches that the righteousness of God as revealed by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ during His First Advent is manifested through the communication of the gospel of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.
Through the gospel, the Holy Spirit offers the unbeliever the gift of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 3:21b, Paul states that this offer of divine righteousness through the communication of the gospel is attested to simultaneously by the Old Testament Scriptures.
In Romans 3:22, we noted that the righteousness of God can be received by anyone whether Jew or Gentile, through faith in Jesus Christ.
In Romans 3:23, we studied that the reason why anyone, whether Jew or Gentile can receive the gift of righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ and be declared justified by God is that both groups have sinned and thus are always failing to measure up to the glory of God, who is Jesus Christ.
Last evening we noted Romans 3:24a, which teaches that justification, is based upon God’s grace.
This evening we will study Romans 3:24b, which teaches that justification is made possible by means of the work of redemption that was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ’s spiritual death on the Cross.
Romans 3:19, “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.”
Romans 3:20, “Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.”
Romans 3:21, “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets.”
Romans 3:22, “Even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe for there is no distinction.”
Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Romans 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
“Through the redemption” is composed of the preposition dia (diaV), “through” and the noun apolutrosis (a)poluvtrwsi$) (ap-ol-oo-tro-sis), “the redemption.”
The noun apolutrosis, which means, “to buy back a slave thus making him free by payment of a ransom, the act of release or state of being resulting in release or redemption” (Luke 21:28; Rom. 3:24; 8:23; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7; 1:14; 4:30; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:15; 11:35).
Originally, the word denoted “the buying back of a slave or captive thus making him free by payment of a ransom” (Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, page 96).
The word was used was used in secular Greek as a technical term for money paid to buy back and set free prisoners of war or to emancipate, to liberate a person from subjection or domination, to free from restraint, control, or the power of another) slaves from their masters.
Apolutrosis would have been a very meaningful term to the first century reader as there were by some accounts up to 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire!
Many of these slaves became Christians and fellowshipped in the local assemblies.
A slave could purchase his own freedom, if he could collect sufficient funds or his master could sell him to someone who would pay the price and set him free.
Redemption was a precious thing in Paul’s day.
Slavery was a major institution in the Roman Empire.
Enslavement for debt was the primary means in which Rome acquired slaves in the early days of the Republic, but as the Empire expanded so did the influx of slaves into Rome.
From the 3rd Century B.C. onward slaves flooded into Rome from all quarters as a result of their victories in wars.
For example, there were 75,000 enslaved prisoners from the 1st Punic War who came from the city of Tarentum.
In the 2nd Punic War, 150,000 were enslaved from Epirus in 167 B.C.
Almost the same number arrived from Marius’s victory over the Germans in 102-101 B.C.
Nearly, half a million slaves arrived into Rome from Caesar’s Gallic Wars.
Great slave markets such as Capua and Delos were set up to handle the tremendous influx of slaves into the Roman Empire.
It was not unusual for 10,000 slaves to be auctioned off at Delos in a single day.
In Romans 3:24, 1 Corinthians 1:30, Ephesians 1:7, Colossians 1:14, and Hebrews 9:15, apolutrosis, “redemption” refers to the Lord Jesus Christ “purchasing” the entire human race out of the slave market of sin by means of His voluntary, substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross.
Ephesians 1:7, “In whom (the Beloved) we have the redemption through His blood (Christ’s substitutionary spiritual death), the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace.”
Colossians 1:13-14, “For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
“Redemption” refers to that aspect of Christ’s finished work on the Cross-that “purchased” all of humanity out of the slave market of sin.
The Bible teaches that the entire world is born into the slave market of sin and that only the Lord Jesus Christ who is impeccable and truly free from sin can redeem the world from the slave market of sin (See John 8:31-36).
The fact that every member of the human race is born into the slave market of sin is due to the fact that God the Father imputed Adam’s original sin the Garden of Eden to every person born into the world (Romans 5:12-21).
This imputation of Adam’s sin was done by God in order to make the entire human race qualified for grace, which is all that God is free to do for anyone who places their faith in Christ (Romans 11:32; Galatians 3:22).
Redemption is appropriated through the non-meritorious decision to believe in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Redemption is one of the three major doctrines of Soteriology: (1) Redemption: inward (2) Reconciliation: manward (3) Propitiation: Godward.
Christ is our Redeemer.
1 Timothy 2:5-6, “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”
He is our redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30, “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”
The Lord Jesus Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Mosaic Law, which we could not keep.
Galatians 3:13-14, “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us -- for it is written, ‘CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE’ in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Redemption is the basis of justification (Rom. 3:24) and sanctification (Eph. 5:25-27) as well as the believer’s eternal inheritance (Heb. 9:15).
Redemption is the basis for the strategic victory of Christ in the angelic conflict (Col. 2:14-15; Heb. 2:14-15).
Redemption of the soul in salvation leads to redemption of the body in resurrection (Eph. 1:14).
Redemption of the body is the ultimate status of the royal family of God forever (Rom. 8:23; Eph. 4:30).
Ephesians 4:30, “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Romans 8:23, “And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.”
In Romans 3:24, the preposition dia functions as a marker of means and the genitive form of the noun apolutrosis as a “genitive of means” indicating that the redemption is the means which makes possible the justification of the sinner who exercises faith in Jesus Christ.
Romans 3:24, “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.”
“In Christ Jesus” is composed of the preposition en (e)n), “in” and the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Christos (xristov$), “Christ,” which is followed by the dative masculine singular form of the proper name Iesous ( )Ihsou$), “Jesus.”
The proper name Christos, “Christ” is a technical word designating the humanity of our Lord as the promised Savior for all mankind who is unique as the incarnate Son of God and totally and completely guided and empowered by the Spirit as the Servant of the Father.
The word denotes the Messiahship of Jesus of Nazareth, thus He is the Deliverer of the human race in 3 areas through His death, resurrection, ascension and session: (1) Satan (2) Cosmic System (3) Old Sin Nature.
The word Christos also signifies the uniqueness of Jesus of Nazareth who is the God-Man and signifies His 3-fold office: (1) Prophet (2) Priest (3) King.
Christos signifies that Jesus of Nazareth served God the Father exclusively and this was manifested by His execution of the Father’s salvation plan which was accomplished by His voluntary substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross.
The word signifies that Jesus of Nazareth has been given authority by God the Father to forgive sins, give eternal life, and authority over all creation and every creature as a result of His execution of the Father’s salvation plan.
It signifies that Jesus of Nazareth was perpetually guided and empowered by God the Holy Spirit during His 1st Advent.
This word contains the figure of “metonymy of the cause” where the Person of Jesus Christ is put for His substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross, which redeemed mankind out of the slave market of sin.
The preposition en is a marker of means indicating that the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary spiritual death on the Cross was the “instrument” or “means” that God the Father employed to redeem mankind out of the slave market of sin.
Therefore, the proper name Christos functions as a “dative instrumental of means” indicating that the substitutionary spiritual death of Jesus Christ on the Cross was the “instrument” or “the means” that God the Father used to redeem mankind out of the slave market of sin.
“Jesus” is the proper name Iesous ( )Ihsou$), which is the Greek spelling of the Hebrew word Jehoshua meaning, “Jehovah saves,” and refers to the perfect human nature of our Lord.
Christos, “Christ” precedes Iesous, “Jesus” emphasizing that redemption was accomplished by the Lord Jesus functioning in His role as the Savior of all men as denoted by the former.
The impeccable human nature of the incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ accomplished the work of redeeming mankind out of the slave market of sin since deity can never die a spiritual death, only a human being can.
The spiritual death of the impeccable human nature of Jesus Christ redeemed the entire human race out of the slave market of sin in which they were born physically alive but spiritually dead and yet qualified for God’s grace, which is for the undeserving.