Romans 3:21-25: "Christ Has Provided the Way"

Paul had just made it clear that we are all sinners and we all seek after unrighteousness. He has put us all in the same group: whether, Gentile or Jew, we are all hopeless in our sin. However, Paul will now show us the light at the end of the tunnel. Or to be more specific he will show us Christ on the cross. There are several times in his epistles that Paul will give us a dreadful report, or a seemingly hopeless situation, and then give us a wonderful "but" to show the contrast between our hopelessness and God's grace. We have that very thing occurring here in v. 21. "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested". Man's total depravity and inability to save himself is contrasted w/ God's provision for him. God provided a way for man outside of the Law to be reconciled to Him, through "the righteousness of God". Our righteousness can now be obtained apart from keeping the entire Law. If God required that the law be met in order for man to be saved and did not provide Christ's righteousness apart from the Law, we would have no ability to ever be reconciled. However, in His wonderful grace, God provided that way at it has been manifested in Christ. This was Paul's way of telling the Jews that they could no longer expect to put their trust in the law they had taken for granted to save them. Because they could not satisfy the Law, they needed to seek the alternate rout to God, through Christ. MacArthur helps explain, "Before he presents the means for men to receive God's manifested righteousness, however, Paul declares that it not only is apart form legalism but is also divinely revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets." Paul was trying to get the Jews to understand that this righteousness being spoken of was not new, but had already been spoken about by the Prophets, and the Law. These prophets, and the Law, has all along spoken of man's inability to attain his own righteousness. MacArthur writes, "the Law and the Prophets did not show men how to achieve their own righteousness but pointed to the coming Messiah, the Savior and Son of God, who Himself would provide the righteousness that God demands of men."

Paul helps us to understand that he is not speaking of self-righteousness, but in fact the perfect righteousness that God demands, by again stating "even the righteousness of God". We can now see that this righteousness is "apart from the law", and is instead found by "faith in Jesus Christ". A true, deep, life changing trust and faith in Jesus Christ is what is needed to receive the "righteousness of God". MacArthur writes, "The saving faith in Jesus Christ that the New Testament teaches is much more than a simple affirmation of certain truths about Him. Even the demons acknowledged many facts about Him . . .saving faith is placing of oneself totally in submission to the Lord Jesus Christ, and it has certain indispensable elements that the New Testament clearly teaches."

So the Jews have been given the 'how' of salvation and Paul now moves to who will be saved, "for all those who believe". Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ will be saved. For the Jews who felt that salvation was for them only, they again got a dose of reality. John 6:37 says, "The one who comes to me I will certainly not cast out." God shows "no distinction". Each man is just as non deserving of salvation as the next. No man can DO anything that can earn him salvation. No man's works puts him above another. God shows no distinction to man because "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." In comparison to God's glory we "all fall short", and our sin has separated us from God. It is then and only then that we can understand it is only faith in Jesus Christ that can save us.

All who believe who understand themselves to be sinners are "justified as a gift by His grace". MacArthur states, "Justified means to declare the rightness of something or someone. Justification is God's declaration that all the demands of the law are fulfilled on behalf of the believing sinner through the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Justification is a wholly forensic, or legal, transaction. It changes the judicial standing of the sinner before God. In justification God imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ to the believer's account, then declares the redeemed on fully righteous." Because of our condition and inability to please God apart from Christ, we must understand that we are helpless. We must understand that to be saved is truly all God's doing, and because of this it can truly be declared "as a gift by His grace." And this gift of grace can only be redeemed in Jesus Christ. Paul wants us to understand that it is in Christ and Christ alone that we receive righteousness. Only the perfect, sinless Savior was able to pay the price for our sins. And Paul shows us how that penalty of sin was paid for, "whom God displayed publicly". Paul was again reminding the Jews that their own sinfulness had put Christ on that cross. They knew about this Jesus, but only mocked and hated Him while He was on this earth. God displayed his Son publicly for all to see as He poured His wrath out on Christ "as a propitiation in His blood through faith". Propitiation is the idea that through Christ's punishment on the cross, God's wrath was satisfied. We have to understand that it is only in Christ's blood was their propitiation. No sinful man could have been put on that cross and punished and that appease God's wrath. Instead, it had to be the perfect, sinless blood of God that could satisfy His wrath. What an amazing thought. How could man have come up w/ this idea for redemption. Yet another proof that this book was written by God and not man! Man is shown as frail and helpless with no opportunity to save himself. We are completely reliant upon the saving work of Christ on the cross.