24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 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; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. (Romans 3:24-26 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
Observe here, 1. A glorious privilege vouchsafed to believers, which the scriptures call justification, whereby they are judicially acquitted and discharged from the guilt and punishment of all their sins and accounted righteous before God.
Observe, 2. The efficient cause of our justification. It is God that justifies: Who can forgive the crime, but the person against whom we have done the wrong?
Observe, 3. The moving or impulsive cause, namely, the free grace of God: Being justified freely by his grace.
Observe, 4. The meritorious cause, the blood-shedding and death of Christ; through redemption that is in Jesus Christ.
Observe, 5. The final cause; to declare his righteousness, not his clemency and mercy only, but his justice and righteousness, especially that attribute which disposes and inclines him to punish sin and sinners.
Observe, 6. The instrumental cause of justification, faith: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood &c. Some of the papists, especially Cagetan and a Lapide, do call faith causa aplicans in our justification: Verily, an unapplied Christ justifies none, being saved, he must be justified, that is, discharged of or absolved from the guilt of all sin, upon the account of a complete satisfaction given to divine justice for sin.
Learn, 2. That not all and every sinner, but only repenting and believing sinners are justified by God.
Learn, 3. That when the Lord justifies a believing sinner, he does it freely; being justified freely by his grace. It is an act of mere grace; there is nothing in the creature that can merit or deserve it: then it would be debt and not grace.
Learn, 4. That God’s free grace and Christ’s full satisfaction were consistent, and both concurring in the believer’s justification; we are justified freely by God’s grace; yet, though the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Him God having set forth to be a propitiation.
The word propitiation is an illusion of the mercy seat, which covered the ark wherein the law was; this typified Christ who fully covers our sins, the transgressions of the law, out of God’s sight.
When therefore the apostle says, that God has set forth Christ to be a mercy seat to us, through faith in his blood; we have reason to believe the blood of Christ, as our sin offering, does make an atonement for us, and renders God propitious to us.
Learn, 5. That Almighty God, in the justification of a believing sinner, is not only gracious and merciful, but just and righteous, in the most exalted degree: To declare his righteousness for the remission of sin.
Where note, That the design and end of God in exacting satisfaction from Christ was to declare his righteousness in the remission of sin; but the apostle would have us take notice, that our justification is an act of justice as well as mercy, and that God, as he is a just God, cannot condemn the believer, since Christ has satisfied for his sins.
Oh blessed be God! That pardon of sin is built upon that very attribute, the justice of God, which is so affrighting and dreadful to the offending sinner. This attribute, which seemed to be the main bar against remission, is now become the very ground and reason why God remits.
Hence saith St. John, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins: Faithful concerning his own promise, and just concerning his Son’s satisfaction.
Who then can lay anything to the charge of God’s elect, when justice itself does justify them?
Behold here the sweet harmony of the divine attributes in justifying and pardoning the believer! One attribute is not robbed to pay another; neither is one attribute raised upon the ruins of another; but justice and mercy both triumph. And well might the justice of God triumph, for never was it thus honoured before, to have such a person as the Son of God stand honoured before, to have such a person as the Son of God stand at its bar, and such a sum as the Son’s blood paid down at once by way of satisfaction to its due demands.
Oh glorious and all wise contrivance! whereby God made sufficient provision for the reparation of his honour, for the vindication of his holiness, and for the manifestation of his truth and faithfulness, and for the present consolation, and eternal salvation of all repenting and believing sinners, to the end of the world.