Jensens survey of the old testament adam 453
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B. JUSTIFICATION (3:21—5:21)
All the world is guilty before God,
because all have sinned and have fallen
short of God’s glory. “But now,” writes Paul,
“a way to get right with God has been
revealed … provided by God, through faith
in Jesus Christ, for all who believe in Him”
(3:21-22).4 This is the bright message of this
second main section of Romans.
Paul writes here about God’s grace in
justifying sinners, as he follows this train of
thought:
Justification defined (3:21-31)
Justification illustrated (4:1-25)
Justification’s fruits (5:1-21)
Paul writes also about three other
doctrines in connection with justi cation.
De nitions of the four divine works are
given here. (Read the verses where they
appear in the text of Romans.)
1 . Justification (3:24, 26, 28). In
justi cation God declares a sinner righteous
on the basis of his faith in Jesus Christ. Such
a believer is legally declared to be in good
standing with God.
2 . Redemption (3:24). Christ’s work of
redemption for a soul is the o ering of His
life as a ransom, to give (1) deliverance
from the penalty of the law, sin as a power,
and the bondage of Satan; and (2) release to
a new relationship to God and a new life in
Christ.
3 . Propitiation (3:25). Propitiation is not
man’s appeasement of God’s wrath for sin,
but God’s merciful provision of forgiveness
for that sin (cf. Heb. 2:17). The shedding of
Christ’s blood e ected this propitiation.
Read Hebrews 9:5 and note the reference to
the mercy seat, which in the Old Testament
was the place where the high priest
sprinkled blood to provide a sacri ce for the
people’s sins. The Greek word translated
“mercy seat” is the same word translated
“propitiation” in Romans 3:25.
4. Remission (3:25). In the ten appearances
of this word in the New Testament (KJV),
the word sins is always included (e.g.,
“remission of sins”). Remission of sins is the
canceling, pardoning, passing over of sins
against the soul, made possible by the
shedding of blood (cf. Heb. 9:22). Christ
appeared “to put away sin by the sacri ce of
Himseir (Heb. 9:26b).
Now read 3:24-25 in the light of the
above
de nitions, and
observe
the
interrelations of those four works of Christ
on behalf of the sinner.5 The good news for
the people of the world, all of whom are
guilty before God because of their sin, is
that God in His grace o ered His Son as a
sacri ce to pay the penalty of sin. He who
places his faith in Jesus Christ is counted as
righteous, and therefore receives the gift of
eternal life. Abraham believed God, and his
faith (not works, nor religion, nor law) was
counted unto him for righteousness. God
accepts the sinner in the same way He
accepted Abraham (4:24), and showers him
with all the cherished fruits of justi cation,
including eternal life, joy, and love (5:1-21).
C. SANCTIFICATION (6:1—8:39)
The doctrine of sancti cation is one of the
most practical and vital doctrines involving
every believer. Sancti cation is a work of
God in three phases of the believer’s
experience: past, present, future. It began in
