Rom 3:24-25 | TNotes | STEP | 3:24 God, in his grace: God makes us right in his sight , not because he has to, but because he has freely chosen to give us his favor through Christ Jesus . Because we are helpless slaves of sin (3:9 ), our righteous status before God can never be earned (see 4:4-5 ). • through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (literally through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ): In Paul’s day, redemption referred to the price paid to free a slave. God paid our redemption price with the blood of his own Son to rescue us from our slavery to sin (see 3:9 ). This language was used in the Old Testament to refer to the Exodus, the first redemption of God’s people from bondage (see 2 Sam 7:23 ). God promised that he would again redeem his people (Hos 13:14 ; Mic 4:10 ).

a3:24►

b3:9►

c4:4-5►

d3:9►

e2 Sam 7:23►

fHos 13:14►

gMic 4:10►

h3:25►

iLev 16►

jRom 1:18►

kHeb 10:4►

‏ Romans 3:24-25

3:24 ^a God, in his grace: God makes us right in his sight, not because he has to, but because he has freely chosen to give us his favor through Christ Jesus. Because we are helpless slaves of sin (3:9 ^b), our righteous status before God can never be earned (see 4:4-5 ^c).

• through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins (literally through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus): In Paul’s day, redemption referred to the price paid to free a slave. God paid our redemption price with the blood of his own Son to rescue us from our slavery to sin (see 3:9 ^d). This language was used in the Old Testament to refer to the Exodus, the first redemption of God’s people from bondage (see 2 Sam 7:23 ^e). God promised that he would again redeem his people (Hos 13:14 ^f; Mic 4:10 ^g).
3:25 ^h the sacrifice for sin (Greek hilastērion): This Greek word is used in the Greek Old Testament to refer to the “atonement cover,” the cover that rested on the Ark of the Covenant in the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle. The atonement cover was prominent in the Day of Atonement ritual (Lev 16 ⁱ) and came to stand for the atonement ceremony itself. Paul characterizes Jesus Christ as God’s provision of final atonement for his people. Jesus himself satisfies, or absorbs in himself, the anger of God against all sinful people (see Rom 1:18 ^j).

• those who sinned in times past: Paul refers to righteous Old Testament people who were not punished for their sins as strict justice would require. Hebrews reminds us, “it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:4 ^k). How, then, could God forgive people in the Old Testament? Paul answers that Jesus’ sacrifice works backward in history as well as forward—through Christ, God provided for the full satisfaction of his righteous anger against human sin.