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Romans 3:21–26
“This [propitiation by Christ] was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (vv. 25–26).
Various signs that took place as Jesus hung on the cross indicate that something more was going on as He suffered and died. The darkness on the land revealed that God’s judgment on sin was taking place, the tearing of the temple curtain indicated that the way to the Lord’s presence was opened, and the resurrection of many saints in Jerusalem showed that death had been defeated (Matt. 27:51–53; Luke 23:44–45). Christ’s physical pain was real, yet His death was not merely the loss of physical life but was an effectual atonement for His people. We will now take a break from our study of Luke’s gospel to consider Jesus’ atonement. Dr. R.C. Sproul’s teaching series The Cross of Christ will form the basis of our studies.
In the history of the church, people have held different views regarding the necessity of the cross. False teachers such as the Pelagians in the early church and the Socinians at the time of the Reformation said that the atoning work of Christ was unnecessary. That is, they believed that while the cross might be a good example of a man who was willing to die for others, God does not require a payment for sin in any sense; thus, the cross has no atoning significance, and sin is not really something that must be covered or forgiven by God.
Others have believed that the cross was only hypothetically necessary. In this view, the death of Christ was not necessitated by the very character of God but happened only because God willed Christ’s death as the way that He would provide salvation. He could have chosen to save people a different way, such as by unilaterally forgiving sin, but nothing about His righteousness made death the only way that sin could be covered. Sin had to be dealt with somehow, but it could be done in a multitude of ways.
Finally, Reformed Christians have held that Christ’s death was absolutely necessary. Because of God’s righteousness and His imposition of death as the penalty for sin (Gen. 2:15–17), sin must be punished with death. If sin is dealt with apart from death, then God’s righteousness is not satisfied and His promise that sin incurs death is meaningless. Romans 3:21–26, among many other passages, teaches this view of the necessity of Christ’s death. Paul says that Jesus was put forth as a propitiation to demonstrate God’s righteousness because before the cross, God seemed to pass over sin, not fully dealing with it. Until the crucifixion of Jesus, the Lord did not fully manifest His justice.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Surely God would not have subjected His Son to the indignity of the cross if there had been another way to save His people. Jesus was crucified precisely because it was the only way for God to forgive sins without compromising His righteousness. It is a singular display of God’s love that He was willing to save us when the shameful death of our Savior was the only way that it could be accomplished.
For further study
- Mark 8:31
- Romans 6:23
The bible in a year
- Ezekiel 45–46
- 2 Peter 3
- Ezekiel 47–Daniel 2
- 1 John 1–2