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Commentaries
English
Romans
  
25whom 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,26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.


Not only humanity crucified Christ, but God so loved our evil world that he gave his only Son to the sinners, knowing that they would kill him. Yet, in his heavenly knowledge, he intended that the death of the Holy One should be a sacrifice and atonement for all sinners in all times. The blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. There is no redemption except in the blood of the innocent Son of God.
In our age of phenomenal and technological triumphs, we have lost the knowledge that the wrath and judgment of God are the active powers in the history of the world, and that they are more important than planes, submarines, tanks, and H-bombs. Each one of our sins requires punishment and atonement, for in principle we are condemned to death, and the vicarious sacrifice of Christ is our only way to salvation. For this purpose, the Son of God became incarnate to be burnt on the altar of the cross in the flame of God’s anger. He who comes to him faithfully is justified. Millions of people have experienced that all the powers of God work in the shed blood of Christ. Therefore, we call upon you, dear brother, not to keep away from him who was crucified. Instead put your house, your work, your past, your future, your church, and yourself completely under the sprinkling of the blood of the Lamb of God, that you may be sanctified and protected in the truth of God forever. There is no protection from the complaints of the devil and the afflictions of God’s anger except in the blood of Jesus Christ.
Learn verses 21 through 28 by heart. Read them word by word, and let their meanings move in your heart. Then you will recognize that the essential thing in this lesson is not the justification of the sinner, but the demonstration of the righteousness of God, which is mentioned 3 times throughout the passage.
Our loving God did not destroy the sinners in the past, as required by the law. The Merciful One forgave and neglected all iniquities because of his love and patience, until the moment awaited on by all creatures would come; the moment of reconciliation of the world to God in the cry of death of Christ on the cross. All angels then rejoiced, for in the resurrection of the Crucified, all sinners were justified.
Whoever says that God himself can forgive whomever and whenever he wills, is ignorant, and listening to a human, superficial logic; for God is not absolutely free, but instead he limited himself with the words and meanings of his holiness, and has to make every sinner die. He also revealed that without shedding of blood there is no remission. If Christ was not sacrificed, God would be blamable if he forgave of himself without meeting the requirements of righteousness.
Two things were done in the crucifixion of Christ: God demonstrated his righteousness, and justified us completely at the same time. The Holy One is not unjust for forgiving us, because Jesus has fulfilled all the requirements of righteousness. The Nazarene lived without sin, holy and humble. He could, as the only one of all creatures, bear the sin of the world because of his powerful love. So, let us worship Jesus and love him, and glorify his Father, who preferred to die instead of his beloved Son, but due to the continuance of the universe, and the necessity of judgment on the Crucified, could not cause himself to die in his place.
In his priestly prayer (John 17), Jesus addressed God with the words, “O Holy Father”. In these words, we find a profound sense of the righteousness of God. The creator is filled with love and truth. He has no unjust love, but builds his mercy on justice. In the death of Christ, all the requirements of God’s characteristics are united. This unlimited love, which is built on the lawful right, is what we call “grace”, for it is offered to us through free justification, as God continues to be righteous although he loves and forgives us.

Prayer
O Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we worship you, because your love in beyond all understanding, and your holiness is deeper than the seas. You redeemed us from all sins, from death, and from the authority of the devil, not with silver or gold, but through the bitter sufferings of Christ and his death on the cursed tree. His precious blood cleansed us from all our sins, and we became righteous and holy by grace. We honor the sacrifice of Jesus, and commit ourselves to you, thanking you for your redemption in justifying us.
Question
What is the meaning of the phrase: “to demonstrate the righteousness of God”?