Romans 3:25 Meaning: The Heart of the Gospel

In the vast landscape of Scripture, few verses contain such profound theological significance as Romans 3:25. This pivotal text has been described by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones as part of "the Acropolis of the christian faith" and represents "the classical statement of the great, vital and central doctrine of the atonement." But what exactly does this verse mean, and why is it so crucial to our understanding of salvation?

The Context and Significance of Romans 3:25

Romans 3:25 states: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

This verse doesn't stand alone but marks a dramatic turning point in Paul's letter to the Romans. Dr. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes the significance of the transition that begins in Romans 3:21 with the words "But now," which he calls "the most vital words in the whole of scripture."

As Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains: "We left it at the end of the 20th verse in this third chapter, we saw ourselves in a completely hopeless position. And that, may I say, is something that is always essential. I cannot see how a man can be a Christian without realizing his own utter hopelessness."

The words "But now" introduce God's solution to humanity's desperate condition. Romans 3:25 stands at the center of this solution, explaining precisely how God has made salvation possible through Christ.

Key Elements of Romans 3:25 Explained

1. "Whom God hath set forth"

This phrase reveals that Christ's death was no accident but God's deliberate action. As Lloyd-Jones states:

"The cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, His death on the cross on Calvary was not an accident. It was God who did it. It was God who set him forth there. Not an accident, but something deliberate."

This emphasizes that salvation originates with God Himself. Lloyd-Jones points out: "The gospel is entirely God's. It is God's righteousness, God's provision, God's plan." The initiative for our redemption belongs entirely to God, not to human beings.

2. "To be a propitiation"

This term has been the subject of significant controversy, with some translations replacing it with "expiation." Dr. Lloyd-Jones vigorously defends the word "propitiation," explaining that it means "to appease, to placate, to avert anger or wrath."

He outlines four essential elements in any propitiation:

• "An offense to be taken away"
• "A person offended who needs to be pacified"
• "An offending person, a person guilty of the offense"
• "A sacrifice or some other means of making atonement for the offense"

Dr. Lloyd-Jones warns against modern attempts to remove the concept of God's wrath from the gospel: "If you take out of the Bible this idea of the wrath of God, well there's only one thing to say. You haven't got a Bible left."

3. "Through faith in his blood"

The reference to Christ's blood is central to understanding Romans 3:25. Lloyd-Jones explains that the term "blood" is used deliberately:

"The term blood is used rather than death in order to bring this teaching concerning our Lord and the way in which he redeems us into line with the whole of the teaching of the Old Testament with regard to sacrifices."

He further clarifies that blood in Scripture means "life laid down in death" - not merely life, but "life laid down in death." The blood is proof that a death has occurred, and in Christ's case, it demonstrates that He bore God's wrath against sin.

4. "To declare his righteousness"

This phrase reveals another crucial aspect of Christ's death - it vindicates God's character. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes:

"The cross is the vindication of God. The cross is the vindication of the character of God. The cross not only shows the love of God more gloriously than anything else, it shows his righteousness, his justice, his holiness, and all the glory of his eternal attributes."

In other words, the cross doesn't merely tell us that God forgives; it explains how God can forgive while remaining perfectly just and righteous.

5. "For the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God"

Lloyd-Jones notes that the word translated "remission" would be better translated as "pretermission" or "passing over":

"What does pretermission mean? What does to pretermit sins mean as distinct from to remit sins? Well, this is a very interesting word... It means, if you like, to pass over, the man gave something to all these friends and relatives. He passed over that one..."

This refers to how God temporarily "passed over" sins in the Old Testament era without fully punishing them, which created a theological dilemma. The cross solved this by demonstrating that God does indeed punish sin while providing a way to forgive sinners.

Common Questions About Romans 3:25

Why is the concept of propitiation so controversial today?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies two main reasons for opposition to the concept of propitiation:

1. Linguistic arguments: Some claim the term should mean "expiation" based on Greek usage.

2. Theological objections: Many reject the idea of God's wrath: "They say that this whole idea of the wrath of God is not only wrong and must be utterly rejected, that it is almost blasphemous."

Dr. Lloyd-Jones counters both arguments, noting that linguistically "in terms of language alone, it simply cannot be established" that propitiation should be replaced with expiation. Theologically, he points out that the concept of God's wrath appears "580 times in the Old Testament alone" and ten times in Romans itself.

Does Romans 3:25 teach that Jesus changed God's mind about sinners?

This is a common misunderstanding that Dr. Lloyd-Jones directly addresses:

"This is not a teaching that the Lord Jesus Christ, by dying, has persuaded God to forgive us. Don't you notice what Paul says? 'Whom God set forth?' It's God, the Father himself, who's doing it. It isn't we or even the Lord Jesus Christ who are changing the mind or the attitude of God towards the sinner. It is God himself providing the propitiation in his own son and by his blood."

The cross doesn't change God from being angry to being loving; rather, it's the means by which God expresses both His justice and His love simultaneously.

How does Romans 3:25 relate to the Old Testament sacrificial system?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that Christ's sacrifice fulfills what the Old Testament sacrifices foreshadowed:

"The Old Testament animal sacrifices were not meant to affect men at all. They were meant to affect God... The propitiation was secured by the expiation or the canceling of the guilt of the sin... The propitiation was affected by the vicarious punishment of the victim, substituted by the offender, and for him."

Christ's sacrifice perfectly accomplishes what the animal sacrifices could only symbolize - the full payment for sin that satisfies God's justice.

Why does Paul use the term "blood" instead of simply saying "death"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that this terminology deliberately connects Christ's sacrifice to the Old Testament system:

"The New Testament doctrine about the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, you will find, is always couched and put in terms of the Old Testament sacrificial language. John the Baptist started it. He stood, you remember, and he pointed and he said, behold the lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the whole world."

This language emphasizes the continuity between the testaments and shows that Christ fulfills what was foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

The Profound Implications of Romans 3:25

Romans 3:25 reveals how God has solved what seemed to be an impossible dilemma: How can a holy God forgive sinners without compromising His justice?

As Dr. Lloyd-Jones puts it: "How can God be just and justify the ungodly? The answer is that he can, because he has punished the sins of these ungodly sinners in his own son."

This verse shows us that:

1. God takes sin seriously: He doesn't simply overlook it but deals with it through Christ's sacrifice.

2. God's love is demonstrated in providing the sacrifice Himself: "The very God whom we've offended has himself provided the way whereby the offense has been dealt with."

3. Salvation comes through faith in Christ's blood: "This doesn't cover everybody. This only applies to those who have faith in him."

4. Christ's sacrifice honors God's holiness and justice: "The cross is the vindication of the character of God."

Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds us that grasping the full meaning of Romans 3:25 transforms how we understand salvation:

"If you really want to see what God's love is, you must hold on to this notion of propitiation. It's a much bigger thing, a profounder thing altogether."

William Cowper's Testimony: The Power of Romans 3:25

Perhaps the most striking testimony to the power of Romans 3:25 comes from the poet William Cowper, whose experience Dr. Lloyd-Jones recounts:

"William Cowper. He tells us that he was in his room in an agony of soul under deep and terrible conviction, and he could not find peace. And he was walking back and forth almost at the very point of despair, feeling utterly hopeless, knowing not what to do with himself. And suddenly, in sheer desperation, he sat down on his chair or a seat by the side of the window in the room, and there was a Bible there, and he picked it up and he opened it, and he happened to come to this passage."

The result was immediate and transformative:

"On reading it, I immediately received power to believe. The rays of the Son of righteousness fell on me in all their fullness. I saw the complete sufficiency of the expiation which Christ had wrought for my pardon and entire justification. In an instant, I believed and received the peace of the gospel."

This testimony illustrates the life-changing power contained in this profound verse when its meaning is truly grasped.

Visit the MLJ Trust's sermon on Propitiation to dive deeper into Dr. Lloyd-Jones's exposition of this crucial verse.