By Grace Through Faith, Part Two (Romans 3-4)
Introduction
Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I’m Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This podcast is being recorded for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2023. I’m preaching through the book of Romans this spring. “By Grace Through Faith” is my series title, and today is Part Two, looking at Romans 3-4.
Here Paul articulates his proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that we are justified by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law. To this day, this is a radical and liberating message, one that because it sounds too good to be true, most folks, including well-meaning Christians, attempt to misuse God’s law and limit God’s grace. And like Martin Luther did 500 years ago, it is up to the Lutherans today to call for reformation, to submit to the word alone, and let God be God. We begin, as always, by reading the Bible, listening to what it says, then we’ll try to figure out what it means, and what it means for us today.
Romans 3:19-31 (NRSV)
Now we know that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.
21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a [sacrifice of atonement] by his blood, [effective] through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus.
27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Yes, of gentiles also, 30 since God is one, and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law through this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.
Romans 3:19-24
The word of God. Amen. Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s go back and take a closer look at this passage. As we talked about last week, Paul had spent the first couple of chapters making the argument that we are all in the same boat, that the Law of God exposes our sinful nature—a magnifying mirror that reveals every blemish and wrinkle. Nevertheless, it is God’s kindness, not God’s wrath, that informs and motivates God’s response to our sin. Now, here in Romans 3:20 he says it one more time: no human will be justified in God’s sight by deeds prescribed by the law, instead, through the law comes knowledge of sin. The law of God is a mirror, not a remedy.
No, he says in verse 21, the righteousness of God is made known outside of the realm of dos and don’ts. This is how it has always been. God has always dealt with humanity by grace through faith, Paul says, from Moses to Malachi, the law and the prophets. Verse 22 says that God’s righteousness has been brought into clearer focus “dia pisteos Jesou Xristou” literally: “on account of because of the faith of Jesus Christ.” There is no distinction, no us and them, Paul says in verse 23: all have sinned, and all are justified freely as God’s gift. God has redeemed us, he says, which is what happens when a slave is set free. We have been redeemed, set us free from sin through Jesus Christ, just like God had redeemed Israel from their slavery in Egypt through Moses.
Romans 3:25-31
Now, in verse 25, Paul says that God has revealed Jesus to be a “hilasterion.” This word choice has given translators and theologians fits for 2000 years. Literally, the hilasterion is a piece of furniture. It is atonement cover--the ornate, golden lid of the ark of the covenant, the holiest of holies in the wilderness tabernacle, and later in the Temple in Jerusalem. It became known as “the mercy seat,” because that is where God promised to come and speak to the people (Exodus 25:22).
Just as the existence of the mercy seat inspired faith in the faithfulness of God in the olden days, Paul says, the cross of Jesus is the new mercy seat—the place where God promises to meet us and impart God’s word. The cross proves, as it were, righteousness and forbearance of God. After all, if God hasn’t given in to wrath up til now, and still does not give into wrath, even after we kill the Anointed Christ of God, then we can truly believe and trust God’s grace. If God says we are righteous in God’s sight, then who are we to doubt it?
No, we are right with God by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law. This is nothing to boast about, Paul says. This has nothing to do with our relative goodness or religious background. God is the God of both Jew and Gentile, and God alone has the final say on who’s in and who’s out.
Does this mean that what we do doesn’t matter? By no means, Paul says. It just means that we need to remember what the law is for. It’s a mirror, not a remedy.
Romans 4:1-25
In chapter four, by the way, Paul expands on his assertion that God has always been about grace and faith. God chose Abraham by grace—a gift, not a transaction. And Abraham trusted God long before God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. And Sarah? Sarah was barren at age 90 when God essentially resurrected her womb so that she could give birth to Isaac, a child of the promise.
Just like they trusted God, so also we can trust God’s righteousness in Christ Jesus. After all, Jesus died on account a because of our sins, but God raised him from the dead to assure us that we are justified, held, and saved, not because of our righteousness, but through the righteousness of God. It has always been grace through faith, apart from our good deeds. YHWH is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, abounding in hesed—steadfast love, who does not deal with us according to our sins, but as a parent with a child, so God has compassion for us (Psalm 103). It has always been grace through faith.
Substitutionary Atonement Theory
But let’s go back to that tricky word in verse 25: hilasterion. Theologians have wondered if Paul really meant the mercy seat, or if he was referring to the sacrifice of atonement that took place annually at the mercy seat. That’s why most English Bibles now translate this word as “sacrifice of atonement.” And this has led to an understanding of the cross and the blood of Jesus as a payment for our sins, satisfying the wrath of God. Fulfilling a legal obligation. This is the theory of substitutionary atonement.
In Luther’s day, this line of reasoning was the basis for the practice of indulgences—the church distributing the merit of Jesus’ sacrifice to people who showed their faith by giving more money to the church. It is still around today: the gospel is described in terms of Jesus’ death as a transaction by which God’s wrath is satisfied, God obeys the law, and we can earn our salvation by subscribing to this theory.
In many Christian circles, if I question this theory, then I am rejecting the gospel, denying the authority of Scriptures, and going to hell. Which is simply not the case. So, as Luther did in his day, so now Lutherans are called upon to reject the legalism and works righteousness of the theory of substitutionary atonement. Here are my three chief objections.
Lost in Translation
First, it isn’t what the plain reading of the Bible says. The plain reading of the text is that Jesus is presented as the mercy seat, not as a sacrifice of atonement that took place at the mercy seat. And it’s not the only time Jesus is compared to a piece of furniture. I refer you to one of the most beloved passages of the Bible, John 3:16. But let’s read the whole thing, John 3:14-17:
John 3:14-17
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
So, we turn to Numbers 21, and we find a story about the Israelites in the wilderness who are tired of eating manna every day. So they scavenge for more than what God provides them, and they happen into a big snake pit, and everybody gets bitten and start dying. And the people come running to Moses, and God tells Moses to give them a bronze snake on a tall pole. Anyone seeing the bronze snake will be reminded of the mercy of God, and they will be healed.
In the same way, Jesus says in John 3, God “gave” his Son in order that the people might look upon the love of Christ, once again trust the trustworthiness of God, and be saved. A bronze snake on a pole. A mercy seat—symbols, signs, and reminders of the faithfulness of God.
God’s Wrath Doesn’t Need to be “Satisfied”
My second objection is to the notion that God’s wrath needs to be satisfied by bloodshed. Paul takes great pains to explain that God has God’s wrath very much under control. God doesn’t have anger issues or a wrath problem. God’s wrath is always a function of God’s grace. God only gets mad because God loves us. How many of you have ever gotten mad at your children? Because you don’t care about them? NO! Because you love them, and when they lie to you, when they break curfew, when they run out into the busy street when you told them a million times how dangerous that is—we get angry. As a parent with their child, so God is with us. God’s anger is a function of God’s nature, God’s grace.
So there are all sorts of really cool hymns and songs out there that talk about the blood of Jesus. To the extent that they express God’s great love for us, demonstrating that God would rather die than for us to ever doubt God’s love—the image of the blood of Christ shed for me—it is rich and humbling. But when it moves to transactional language of satisfying the wrath of a bloodthirsty God. Not helpful. Not biblical.
God’s Kindness doesn’t need to be “Justified”
And my third objection to this language of transactional atonement is that it asserts that somehow God has to answer to a higher law. As though God says well, gosh, I’d really like to forgive sins, but the law won’t let me unless a price is paid.
No, God is the law giver, and is not subservient to the law. The law does not and cannot justify humanity. The law does not and cannot justify God, either. The righteousness of God is given and is A given. The righteousness of God has revealed from the beginning to the end. God’s nature, God’s mercy, kindness, and forbearance doesn’t need to be justified by any law, or by me, by you, or by anyone else.
Conclusion
We are justified by the grace of God the Father, through the faithfulness of God the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit, apart from works of the law. This is nothing new. God has been providing for and protecting and forgiving and loving humanity and all of creation since the very beginning, and will to the very end. This faithfulness and righteousness of God has been demonstrated and proved through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that all who look to him might be saved, that all who come to God’s mercy seat will be find grace, kindness, and forgiveness.
The theory of substitutionary atonement is helpful to a point, as one way to begin to grasp the great love of God for all of us: all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory; but all have now, in Christ, been saved, declared righteous, according to the steadfast love and mercy of God. But at the point at which this theory brings about doubt—fear of God’s uncontrollable wrath or a bloodlust that trumps God’s righteousness, then we must set it aside, and approach the mercy seat of God, the bronze snake in the wilderness, and, gazing upon the goodness of God, find healing and forgiveness again.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So why is life still so hard? Why am I still so often of two minds? Why is faith in God such a daily struggle? That’s what we will look at next week in Romans chapter five.
Thanks for listening to this podcast. I am being encouraged and challenged as I prepare and preach this series on Romans, and I hope you are, too, as you listen and read Romans for yourself. I’d love to hear what God is saying to you, and what you think about it.
Meanwhile, to listen to more of this podcast, or to learn more about Faith, go to our website, www.faithshelton.org. While you are there, check out some of our Bible studies, prayer groups, and ministries. And then like us, subscribe, donate, or sign-up for our newsletter. You can subscribe to this podcast on most podcast platforms, including Spotify, Apple, and Google. Chas and Nadia, thanks for your production work on this podcast every week. All glory…