But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

²⁷ Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. ²⁸ For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

1) Verse 21 begins with the word “but,” which indicates a contrast. What are these verses contrasting?
The verses just before this talk about the Old Testament law, and how no one could be justified through it. All the law could do is prove that everyone is a sinner and is accountable to God. In verse 21, Paul begins explaining something different—a righteousness from God that comes apart from the law, something that through Christ is actually attainable for us, but not by us, as we’ll see later on.

2) What does “propitiation” mean?
By typing in “propitiation” at studylight.org, we can find that it means “to turn away a person’s anger by giving that person an offering.” Jesus Christ was a sacrificial offering that appeased God’s wrath for our sin. Because of His righteousness, there is no way to remove God’s wrath against us as a result of our sin without Christ’s offering. 

3) What does it mean that God had “passed over former sins”?
Before Christ died for our sins, there was no true, lasting way for God’s wrath to be appeased. The Old Testament sacrificial system was temporary—each year a new lamb had to be slaughtered to pay for more sins. Even this was largely symbolic, as it was the faith behind the sacrifices that really saved a person. These verses indicate that, because God is just, He delayed the punishment of those sins that were committed before Christ’s death until the time that they could be paid for once and for all.

4) Why is boasting excluded?
To boast is to brag about or be proud of one’s accomplishments. But we are justified through faith, apart from works. In other words, there is absolutely nothing we do to deserve or earn our salvation. We can’t boast, because salvation is not our accomplishment—it’s God’s.

1) Verse 21 begins with the word “but,” which indicates a contrast. What are these verses contrasting?
There is great value in thinking about the big contrasts in the Bible. Think about what it would be like if Christ didn’t die for our sins, and we were dependent on upholding the law to earn our salvation. What an impossible burden to bear! Praise God that He made it possible for us to be justified! The more we apply ourselves to learning His word and His character, the more we see our own character in contrast, which leads to ever greater praise on our lips for what He has done and continues to do in our hearts!

2) What does “propitiation” mean?
When I think about Jesus’s sacrifice, the only response I have is to praise Him. In what areas are you struggling? Take time to think about being completely covered by Christ’s sacrifice. There is no condemnation. No shame. Only thankfulness! Thank you, Jesus, for giving Your life to satisfy the righteous wrath of your Father!

3) What does it mean that God had “passed over former sins”?
The more we study Scripture, the more we see how God has been working His plan from the very beginning. He was patient with the sins of the Old Testament saints, knowing that one day they would be paid for by His Son’s death. He was able to delay punishment and still be completely just, because has He orchestrated the whole of history to work for His glory. We can trust that He knows exactly what He is doing and that His salvation is entirely complete, not needing anything additional from us.

4) Why is boasting excluded?
Am I trying, intentionally or unintentionally, to take credit for my salvation? Do I believe that God owes me something because of my good behavior? Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to ways you may be depending on yourself, not just for salvation, but for sanctification (becoming more righteous, like Christ). Holiness can not be manufactured on our own. We couldn’t earn salvation, what makes us think we could become like God after salvation? Boasting in ourselves has no place in the life of a believer.

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We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources.  Just type in the verse you’re looking at and Boom! It’s right in front of you in English and Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament), which are the original languages the Bible was written in.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Find super awesome stuff like “origin”, “definition”, and even all the different ways that single word has been translated into English! If you want to be geeky, you can even click the word and hear its original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want to get more background on a word or phrasing or passage? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Embracing God’s fullness in our lives is rooted in scripture and memorizing His word is vital to our continued growth and depth with Jesus.
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