Romans 3.25a-God the Father Offered Publicly at the Cross His Son Jesus Christ to Sinful Mankind as a Propitiatory Gift
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday November 25, 2007
Romans: Romans 3:25a-God the Father Offered Publicly His Son Jesus Christ to Sinful Mankind as a Propitiatory Gift
Lesson # 102
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.
In Romans 3:24, we noted that justification is based upon God’s grace and is made possible by means of the work of redemption that was accomplished by the Lord Jesus Christ’s spiritual death on the Cross.
This morning we will study Romans 3:25a, which teaches that God the Father offered publicly at the Cross of Calvary His Son Jesus Christ to sinful mankind as a propitiatory gift.
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.”
Romans 3:25, “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.”
“Whom” is the relative pronoun hos (o^$) (hos) which refers to Jesus of Nazareth, who is the Christ.
“God” is the noun theos (qeov$), which refers to God the Father since He and not the Holy Spirit sent the Son into the world to become a human being according to John 3:16-17 in order to die a spiritual death as the propitiation for the sins of the entire world.
“Displayed publicly” is the verb protithemi (protivqhmi) (prot-ith-em-i), which is used of the Lord Jesus Christ and means, “to offer publicly” and not “display publicly.”
The reason for this is that the noun hilasterion, “propitiation” emphasizes that the Lord Jesus Christ was a “propitiatory gift” to sinful mankind in that His spiritual death satisfied the demands of God’s holiness that required that sinful mankind be judged.
Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ was “offered publicly” by God the Father to sinful mankind as a propitiatory gift.
The crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ is a historical fact and attested to by secular historians.
The apostle Paul declares to King Agrippa that the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ “had not been done in a corner” (Acts 26:26).
On the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter declares to the Jews the well-known fact that in Jerusalem the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and then rose from the dead (Acts 2:22-25).
In fact, Paul teaches the Colossians that Christ’s death made a public display of the kingdom of darkness in that it defeated them.
Colossians 2:13-15, “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.”
Romans 3:25, “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.”
“As a propitiation” is the adjective hilasterion (i(lasthvrion) (hil-as-tay-ree-on), which means, “propitiatory gift.”
Therefore, Jesus Christ was a gift from God the Father to sinful mankind whose purpose was to serve mankind by propitiating the demands of God’s holiness that required that human sin be judged.
Therefore, we can conclude in Romans 3:25 that Paul is saying that God the Father offered His Son Jesus Christ publicly at the Cross of Calvary as a propitiatory gift in the sense that His spiritual death on the Cross satisfied the demands of God’s holiness that required that human sin be judged.
The adjective hilasterion, “propitiatory gift” along with the words hilasmos and hilaskomai help to form the doctrine of propitiation and recall the Day of Atonement and the Burnt and Gift Offerings in the Leviticus 1 and 2.
Propitiation along with redemption and reconciliation form the “Finished Work” of Jesus Christ on the Cross.
“Propitiation” is the Godward side of salvation whereby the voluntary substitutionary spiritual death of the impeccable humanity of Christ in hypostatic union satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God that the sins of the entire world-past, present and future be judged.
“Propitiation” means that our Lord’s spiritual death on the Cross “satisfied” God’s holiness, which demanded that the sins of the entire human race be judged.
Remember Paul teaches in Romans 1:18-3:20 that God’s wrath or righteous indignation is against all men due to sin.
The wrath or righteous indignation of God needed to be satisfied and Christ and His spiritual death did just that.
The fact that Jesus Christ’s spiritual death satisfied the demands of God’s holiness, which required that human sin be judged, permitted God to extend grace to the human race, enabling Him to offer to the entire human race the gift of salvation through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.
Once God’s righteous indignation towards human sin had been satisfied by our Lord’s spiritual death on the Cross, God was free to extend grace to the entire human race and offer the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
The fact that Jesus Christ’s spiritual death propitiated the demands of God’s holiness, which required that sin be judged provided the following: (1) Basis for the unlimited atonement (1 John 2:2; 1 Tim. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:9). (2) Basis for the forgiveness of sins (2 Cor. 5:19; Col. 1:14; Heb. 9:12-15). (3) Basis for the imputation of divine righteousness (Rom. 3:25-26). (4) Basis for justification (Rom. 3:28; 2 Cor. 5:21). (5) Basis for reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18; Eph. 2:14-16; Col. 1:20-21).
Romans 3:25, “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.”
“Through” is the preposition dia (diaV) (dee-ah), which is employed with the genitive form of the noun pistis, “faith” as a marker of the instrument by which the sinner can appropriate the Father’s propitiatory gift of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, the preposition dia with the genitive form of the noun pistis indicates that faith is the “instrument” or “means” by which the sinner can appropriate God the Father’s propitiatory gift of Jesus Christ.
“Faith” is the genitive feminine singular form of the noun pistis (pivsti$) (pis-tis), which refers to the non-meritorious system of perception of placing one’s “trust” or “confidence in” the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His spiritual death on the Cross.
The object of faith is Jesus Christ on the Cross as indicated as indicated in Romans 3:22.
Romans 3:21-22, “But now, independently of seeking to be justified by obedience to the Law, the righteousness originating from God is being manifested at the present time while simultaneously being attested to by the Law and the Prophets. Namely, the righteousness originating from God through faith in Jesus who is the Christ for the benefit of each and every person who does believe for there is, as an eternal spiritual truth, absolutely no distinction.”
Paul omits Iesous, “Jesus” here in Romans 3:25 since it is clearly implied from the context.
Faith is the only system of perception that God will accept because it is compatible with His grace policy.
Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
The believer is saved and receives the forgiveness of his sins-past, present and future based upon the merits of Christ and His death on the Cross.
1 John 2:12, “I am providing information in writing at this particular time for the benefit of all of you, little children in view of the fact that for the benefit of all of you, your sins have been forgiven-past, present and future on the basis of His merit.”
Therefore, the noun pistis “faith” refers to making the non-meritorious decision to trust or place one’s complete confidence in the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ and His spiritual death on the Cross.