Romans 3:24

‘Being justified (accounted as in the right) freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus,'

But on receiving the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (Romans 3:22), any one of the ‘all' who have been demonstrated as sinful (Romans 3:23), is immediately ‘reckoned as righteous' before the Judge of all men. And this is through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, something which is available freely, at no cost, as a result of God's undeserved favour and compassion revealed in action towards him (that is, it is of God's grace). The verb dikaio-o means ‘to reckon as righteous those on whom judgment is to be passed', regardless of what the person might be in himself. It refers to a legal verdict. It never means ‘to be made righteous'. It is a forensic term.

This passage is so important that perhaps we should analyse its contents in some depth. Our being accounted as ‘in the right' before God's judgment throne at this present time, and therefore as being fully acceptable to God, is granted to us:

· ‘Freely.' It is at no cost to the recipient, and we could translate ‘as a gift'. No payment or exaction of any kind is required (compare Isaiah 55:1). No standard of works has to be achieved. Nothing has to be contributed by the sinner. (It is precisely because of this idea that men made the claim that Paul allowed men to continue in sin so that grace might abound - Romans 6:1).

· ‘By His grace.' It is given as a direct result of the direct action of God acting in undeserved love and favour. Man has no part in it except to respond. Grace is not a something that God gives (except in a secondary sense), it is God Himself acting in undeserved favour and love towards us.

‘Through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.' It is through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. Redemption involves the activity of someone who sets out to deliver, and accomplishes it, usually by the payment of a price. ‘Christ Jesus was made unto us -- redemption' (1 Corinthians 1:30). The price for our redemption is paid by another Who has ‘given His life as a ransom instead of (anti) many' (Mark 10:45; compare 1 Timothy 2:6). We ‘are bought with a price' (1Co 6:20; 1 Corinthians 7:23; Gal 3:13; 2 Peter 2:1; Revelation 5:9; Acts 20:28), the price of blood (Romans 3:25; compare Eph 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18; Revelation 5:9). And because of this we can be ‘declared righteous'.

We may ask, to whom was the price paid? And the answer is that it was paid to God Himself as the Judge of all men. Justice required that a price be paid for sin. The paying of the price satisfied the demands of justice. And it was accomplished through God the Saviour of all men setting forth Jesus Christ on our behalf, to take on Himself the penalty that should have been ours.

· ‘Which is in Christ Jesus.' All this comes to us through the activity of the Messiah Jesus on our behalf. It is He who pays the price of deliverance, and then brings it about in men. And it comes when we put our trust in Him as our Saviour and receive forgiveness and are made one with Him (Ephesians 1:7).

· ‘Whom God set forth to be a propitiation.' But it was the whole of the Godhead Who were one in sending Him forth in public display, and this was in order that He should be a propitiation, or a propitiatory sacrifice made on our behalf, a sacrifice that fulfilled the demands of justice and therefore averted God's antipathy to sin. Prominent in the action was God the Father. ‘He Who spared not His own Son but gave Him up for us all --.' (Romans 8:32). And as a result, when we become Christ's the antipathy of God against sin, His wrath (Romans 1:18), is removed from us because our sins are atoned for. We are seen by Him as holy. And this because He (Jesus Christ) bore our sins in His own body on the tree (1 Peter 2:24), being made sin for us so that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21).

· ‘Through faith.' And this benefit is obtained freely (as a gift) through responsive faith.

· ‘In His blood.' And that faith must be in His offering of Himself as a sacrificial offering on our behalf (1 Corinthians 5:7; John 1:29; Hebrews 13:12). It must be in Him as the crucified One Who has died for us and is risen again (1 Corinthians 2:2; 1 Corinthians 15:3).

This work of God can be, and is, presented in a number of ways. One way is to see Jesus Christ dying as our substitute. This is unquestionably true in Mark 10:45. Because Jesus has died in our place as ‘a ransom in the place of many' (lutron anti pollown) and has borne our sin, we can be accounted as righteous and go free, as a result of the fact that He paid the price instead of us. Another is to see Him as our representative Who has incorporated us into Himself. We see ourselves as ‘in Christ', which is a regular New Testament idea. And as a result, being one with Him we are seen as having gone to the cross with Him. We have been crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20; Galatians 3:13; Romans 6:1), because He was crucified as our ‘representative'. When He died, we died there with Him. Thus with the punishment for all our sin being borne by Him as the One Who has absorbed us into Himself, we have paid the price of sin in Him and can go free, to commence our new lives for Him. He is our Elder Brother Who partook of flesh and blood so that through death He might deliver all who fear death (Hebrews 2:11).

Imagine a scene in a court room. A young man stands in the dock. He is accused of the most abominable of crimes, and he knows that he is guilty. He is aware that a death sentence hangs over him. The previous day the prosecutor, unable to keep the scorn and anger from his eyes, had laid out the charges against him. He has been aware of the anger even in the judge's eyes. All are against him. And now all the evidence is to be introduced against him. He is without hope, and he awaits the proceedings with dread. The prosecutor comes forward. But now he is no longer angry, he is smiling. He declares to the court that all charges have been dropped. The young man's elder brother has taken the full blame for the crime. He has pleaded guilty and has been justly sentenced and executed. The young man can leave the court room with no charge lying against him. As far as the prosecution is concerned he is free to go. The judge also is now smiling. He declares the young man to be ‘justified' in the eyes of the court. He can leave without a stain on his character. All he has to do is believe it and go free. Everyone gathers round to pat him on the back. The judge comes and shakes his hand. He is aware in his heart that he is guilty. But the whole court has declared him to be ‘accounted as righteous', because his elder brother has borne the shame and ignominy of the crime. That is ‘justification'. It is to him who works not, but believes in Him Who ‘reckons as righteous the ungodly' (Romans 4:5). His faith is counted as righteousness (Romans 4:5).