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“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
> “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
> and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
> whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness,
> because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
> to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
> — Romans 3:23–26 (NKJV)
The lyrics of the song simply restate, in plain language, what Paul declares by the Holy Spirit:
At the heart of this passage is one of the most vital themes in all Scripture: grace through faith. Not human effort. Not religious performance. Not moral improvement. But God’s grace, received through faith in Jesus Christ.
This is not a marginal doctrine. This is the very axis of the Gospel. If we are confused here, we will be confused everywhere. If we are clear here, we can walk in security, freedom, and spiritual power.
Romans is Paul’s most systematic presentation of the Gospel. He writes to believers in Rome—some Jewish, some Gentile—who have never heard his teaching in person. So he lays the foundation step by step.
In chapters 1–3 Paul has one main objective: to prove that every human being is guilty before God.
By the time we reach Romans 3:23–26, Paul has stripped away all human boasting. No one can say, “I am better.” The moral person, the religious Jew, the pagan Gentile—all stand in the same category: sinners, lacking the glory of God.
Into that black backdrop of universal guilt, the Holy Spirit now introduces the bright jewel of God’s solution: justification by grace through faith in Christ.
The situation, then, is this:
Romans 3:23–26 explains how God can remain perfectly just and yet freely justify guilty people. This is the divine dilemma—and the Gospel is God’s answer.
The speaker is Paul, but the message is not human reasoning. It is revelation by the Holy Spirit of what God did at the cross.
To understand this passage, we will focus on two key Greek words:
1. “Justified” (δικαιόω – dikaioō)
2. “Propitiation” (ἱλαστήριον – hilastērion)
### 3.1 “Justified” – δικαιόω (dikaioō)
Romans 3:24:
> “being justified freely by His grace…”
The Greek verb *dikaioō* means:
It is a legal term. It belongs in the courtroom, not first in the temple. Justification does not mean God pretends we are righteous when we are not. It means that, on a legal basis, God declares us righteous because the claims of His justice have been fully satisfied in Christ.
Notice carefully:
So when the lyrics say:
> “Yet God, in His kindness, freely makes us right with Him.”
That is a plain-language description of justification. God, through Christ, brings us into a relationship where there is no barrier of guilt, no outstanding debt. Legally, before the throne of Heaven, the case against us is closed. The verdict: Righteous.
And this is:
You do not earn it. You cannot pay for it. You only receive it.
### 3.2 “Propitiation” – ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion)
Romans 3:25:
> “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith…”
The word *hilastērion* is rich and important. It has two connected ideas:
1. Propitiation: A sacrifice that turns away wrath, satisfying justice.
2. Mercy Seat: In the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), *hilastērion* is used for the “mercy seat”—the gold cover on the Ark of the Covenant where the high priest sprinkled blood on the Day of Atonement (see Exodus 25:17–22; Leviticus 16).
So Paul is saying:
This means:
> “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice that takes away our sins…”
is not a sentimental statement. It is a legal and priestly reality. God Himself set Jesus forth as the once-for-all sacrifice that satisfies His justice and opens the way for mercy.
This deepens the lyrics:
The cross is not God compromising with sin; it is God judging sin in Christ, so He can justify sinners in righteousness.
Let us now move through the lyrical themes and connect them to the wider witness of Scripture.
### 4.1 “Everyone has sinned; all of us fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
This echoes Romans 3:23:
> “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
Notice two facts:
1. Sin is universal. “All have sinned.”
2. The standard is God’s glory.
God’s “glory” (*doxa* in Greek, *kabod* in Hebrew) is His revealed excellence, His moral perfection. The standard is not:
The mark is God’s own nature. To “fall short” (*hystereō*) means to lack, to miss the full measure. Humanity has been created for the glory of God (Romans 11:36; Isaiah 43:7). Through sin, we have become defective in relation to our created purpose.
This is not just about bad actions; it is about a fallen condition. Ephesians 2:1 says we were “dead in trespasses and sins.” We are not basically good people who make mistakes. We are sinners in need of a Savior.
This understanding is essential for spiritual maturity. If we underestimate the seriousness of sin, we will underestimate the price of our redemption and the power of grace.
### 4.2 “Yet God, in His kindness, freely makes us right with Him.”
Romans 3:24:
> “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Here we have three key words:
The lyrics rightly attribute this to God’s kindness. Romans 2:4 speaks of “the goodness of God” that leads us to repentance. Titus 3:4–5:
> “But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared,
> not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us…”
Notice: God does not wait for us to improve. He takes the initiative in kindness.
The word “redemption” implies:
So when the lyrics say:
> “He does this through Christ Jesus, who set us free by offering His life.”
They reflect Hebrews 9:12:
> “…not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.”
Redemption is finished work. Christ has obtained it. We do not add to it. We only receive the benefit by faith.
### 4.3 “God presented Jesus as the sacrifice that takes away our sins, and we receive this by trusting in Him.”
This follows Romans 3:25:
> “whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith…”
Several truths stand out:
1. God is the source.
“God presented” or “God set forth.” The initiative is entirely His. John 3:16:
> “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”
The cross is not man’s idea to persuade a reluctant God. It is God’s own provision to satisfy His own righteousness and express His own love.
2. Jesus is the sacrifice.
As we saw, He is the *hilastērion*. This corresponds to:
The entire sacrificial system of the Old Testament pointed to this one final sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1–14).
3. The means of receiving is faith.
“We receive this by trusting in Him.” Scripture is consistent:
Faith is not a feeling. Faith is a decision to rely on what God has said and what Christ has done. Faith does not look inside for worthiness; it looks outside to the finished work of the cross.
### 4.4 “God did this to show that He is truly righteous—for in His patience He had been holding back and not punishing sins committed in the past.”
This reflects Romans 3:25–26:
> “…to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed…”
All through Old Testament history, God seemed at times to be “letting sin go.” He did judge—Sodom, the Flood, Israel’s exiles—but often He showed remarkable patience.
Was God being unjust? No. He was exercising forbearance (*anoche* – holding back, tolerating) because He was waiting for the full and final sacrifice of Christ.
The sacrifices of the Old Covenant did not remove sin; they covered it temporarily, pointing forward:
At the cross, God gathered all sin—past, present, future—and placed it upon Jesus.
Thus, God showed that He had never ignored sin. He had been postponing full judgment until the appointed time when Christ would bear it all.
### 4.5 “And now, at this time, He shows His righteousness so that He remains just, even while He makes right anyone who puts their faith in Jesus.”
This restates Romans 3:26:
> “to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Here is the heart of the matter:
How can both be true?
Answer: The cross.
At the cross:
So God does not “overlook” sin. He judges it in His Son. Therefore, when He justifies the believer, He does so on a righteous basis.
This is why justification cannot be by works. If we could earn it, the cross would be unnecessary (Galatians 2:21). But since the cross has taken place, we know there is no other way.
Therefore, whoever puts their faith in Jesus:
This has enormous implications for spiritual warfare and deliverance. The accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10) depends on legal grounds—sin, guilt, unresolved condemnation. But when we stand on the ground of justification by faith, Satan’s accusations lose their power.
We overcome him:
> “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…” (Revelation 12:11).
The blood is the basis; our confession is the application.
Doctrine must become practice. Truth must be applied. Let us consider several steps and corresponding proclamations.
### Step 1: Acknowledge Your True Condition
First, we must agree with God’s assessment: “Everyone has sinned; all of us fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
This means:
1 John 1:8–9:
> “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves…
> If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us…”
Proclamation 1:
“I confess that I have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I do not trust in my own goodness. I acknowledge my need of the Savior, Jesus Christ.”
### Step 2: Put Your Faith Fully in Christ’s Finished Work
Second, we must deliberately renounce trust in our own works and rely entirely on Christ.
Romans 3:28:
> “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”
Faith means you rest your entire case on Jesus—His person, His blood, His sacrifice.
Galatians 2:20:
> “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
Proclamation 2:
“I put my faith not in my works, my efforts, or my religion, but in Jesus Christ alone. I believe that on the cross He bore my sins, paid my debt, and satisfied God’s justice on my behalf. I receive Him as my personal Savior and Lord.”
### Step 3: Accept God’s Verdict of Justification
Third, we must accept what God says: “You are justified.”
Romans 5:1:
> “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God…”
Stop living as if the case were still open. Stop agreeing with the voice of condemnation. The Judge of all the earth has pronounced His verdict over everyone who is in Christ.
Romans 8:33:
> “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
If God justifies you, no one has the right to condemn you—not Satan, not people, not even your own emotions.
Proclamation 3:
“On the authority of God’s Word, I declare that I am justified by faith in Jesus Christ. God has declared me righteous in His sight. There is now no condemnation for me, because I am in Christ Jesus.”
### Step 4: Walk in the Freedom of Grace, Not in the Bondage of Legalism
Fourth, we must learn to live day by day in the grace that justified us.
Legalism says: “If I perform well, God will accept me.”
Grace says: “Because I am accepted in Christ, I desire to live a life that pleases Him.”
Titus 2:11–12:
> “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly…”
Grace is not permission to sin. Grace is power to live free from sin.
In spiritual warfare, this means:
Proclamation 4:
“I renounce all trust in my own righteousness. I choose to live by grace through faith. The righteousness I stand in is not my own, but the righteousness of God in Christ. On this basis I resist Satan, and he must flee from me.”
### Proclamation of Faith (Based on Romans 3:23–26)
“I affirm that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and that includes me. But I also affirm that God, in His kindness, has justified me freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
God Himself presented Jesus as the sacrifice for my sins, the propitiation by His blood. I receive this gift by faith. I believe that on the cross, Jesus bore my sin, paid my debt, and satisfied the justice of God on my behalf.
Therefore God has demonstrated His righteousness in forgiving me. He remains just, and yet He is the One who justifies me because I have placed my faith in Jesus. I am no longer under condemnation. I am reconciled to God. I stand before Him clothed in the righteousness of Christ, justified, accepted, and at peace, through the blood of Jesus. Amen.”
### Prayer
“Lord God, I thank You for the clear testimony of Your Word. I acknowledge that I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. I thank You that in Your kindness and grace, You did not leave me in my sin, but You provided a perfect sacrifice—Your Son, Jesus Christ.
Father, I thank You that You set Him forth as the propitiation for my sins, that in His blood Your justice was fully satisfied. Today I choose to renounce trust in myself, in my works, in my religion, and I put my faith wholly in Jesus—His death, His blood, His resurrection, His righteousness.
Holy Spirit, write this truth deeply in my heart. Deliver me from condemnation, from legalism, from striving to earn what You have already given. Teach me to walk daily in the freedom of grace through faith.
Let the reality of justification by faith be a shield around my mind and heart, silencing the accusations of the enemy and establishing me in peace with God. I receive it now, and I thank You for it, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
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