The book of Romans was written by Paul while he was in the city of Corinth. These words depict essential truths of Christianity and give great doctrines about grace. It initially speaks of the fallen state of man in sin. Then the third chapter explains how mankind’s salvation occurs. There are keywords that we need to define for this spiritual comprehension.
Propitiation through Christ is not placating an angry God. It is a satisfying of the need for righteousness before a holy God. It is because of Christ that God is able to show mercy for man to be considered righteous.
Justification is possible because Christ bore our sins on the cross instead of us which means that God is able to treat the sinner as a righteous individuals through Christ. In a courtroom setting, God is able to declare the believer righteous because of his faith in Christ.
Righteousness is not a creation generated by mankind. It is what God demands and expects that is accomplished through Christ because his righteousness is forwarded on to the believer. As a result, God sees the righteousness of Christ instead of our sinful nature that is covered by his blood from the cross.
Unrighteousness is the original state of man, without the intervention of Christ without the faith directed toward him by an unbeliever. This makes the person in a complete state of waywardness from God’s person and perfection. Therefore, none of us are righteous; none of us are without sin. The measurement is not a quality from us, but that of God’s to which we compare.
Guiltiness is a state of mind and spirit as defined by the law. Since this condition exists for every person on this planet, every one of us possesses the sin nature and performs sinful acts making us inferior to the glory of God. Because of God’s justice, his judgment then turns against man.
Redemption refers to the price that Christ paid in our behalf. It is reminiscent of a slave being purchased on the open market and removed from future sale. The currency of redemption is the blood of Christ paid in our behalf as long as we are willing to receive it through faith.
Grace is unmerited favor granted from a loving God to rebellious mankind. It is what makes possible for God to declare his righteousness for the remission of sin even for past sin. This divine generosity takes the form of God’s declaration as judge to find nothing as an accusation against man.
This is why God’s plan is available to Jew and Gentile alike as he justifies through faith and not through physical condition or lack thereof within a person. Our appreciation of the law is what defines our sinful state in the first place. Our recognition of the failure of the law is what drives us to the cross. Our admission that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God is what makes us at liberty to what God has planned through responsive faith from each believer.
Christian Writer 