Romans 3:25

Paul stressed faith in this verse. Therefore we should probably understand his reference to the public display of Christ as being an allusion to His presentation in the gospel rather than to His crucifixion.

There are two possible meanings of "propitiation" (NASB) or "sacrifice of atonement" (NIV). The Greek word (hilasterion) is an adjective that can substitute for a noun. It means having placating or expiating force. [Note: A Greek-English . . ., s.v. "hilasterios," p. 301.] It could refer to Jesus Christ as the place where God satisfied His wrath and removed our sins. This is the substantival usage, translated "propitiation." In favor of this interpretation is the use of this Greek word to translate the mercy seat on the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:17, LXX; Hebrews 9:5). However, it seems more natural to take hilasterion as referring to Jesus Christ as the sacrifice that satisfied God’s wrath and removed our sins (cf. Luke 18:13; Hebrews 2:17). This is the normal adjectival use, translated "sacrifice of atonement" (cf. 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Jesus Christ was the sacrifice, but the place where God made atonement was the Cross.

The translation "through faith in His blood" (NIV) correctly represents the word order in the Greek text. Paul elsewhere urged faith in the person of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22; Romans 3:26). Probably Paul mentioned His blood as representing His life poured out as a sacrifice of atonement instead of the person of Christ here to draw attention to what made His sacrifice atoning (cf. Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7; Ephesians 2:13; Colossians 1:20). This then is a metonymy, in which the name of one thing appears in the place of another associated with it.

The full idea of the first part of the verse would then be this. God has publicly displayed Jesus Christ in the gospel as a sacrifice of atonement that satisfied God’s wrath and removed our sins. His sacrifice becomes efficacious for those who trust in Him.

The antecedent of "this" (NASB) is the redemption (Romans 3:24) God provided in Christ, as is clear in the NIV translation. Another reason God provided a sacrifice of atonement was to justify (declare righteous) God’s own character (i.e., to vindicate Him). This was necessary because God had not finally dealt with sins committed before Jesus died. God had shown forbearance, not out of weakness or sentimentality but because He planned to provide a final sacrifice in the future, namely, at the Cross.

"Passed over" (NASB) or "left . . . unpunished" (NIV) is not the same as "forgave." Two different though related Greek words describe these two ideas, paresis and aphesis respectively. God did not forgive the sins of Old Testament saints finally until Jesus died on the cross. The blood of the animal sacrifices of Judaism only covered (removed) them temporarily. God did not exact a full penalty for sin until Jesus died. It is as though the Old Testament believers who offered the sacrifices for the expiation of sin that the Mosaic Law required paid for those sins with a credit card. God accepted those sacrifices as a temporary payment. However the bill came due later, and Jesus Christ paid that off entirely. [Note: See also Jarvis Williams, "Violent Atonement in Romans: The Foundation of Paul’s Soteriology," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 53:3 (September 2010):579-99.]

"Paul has thus pressed into service the language of the law-court (’justified’), the slave-market (’redemption’) and the altar (’expiation’, ’atoning sacrifice’) in the attempt to do justice to the fullness of God’s gracious act in Christ. Pardon, liberation, atonement-all are made available to men and women by his free initiative and may be appropriated by faith." [Note: Bruce, pp. 101-2.]