Mike Focht 1/10/2025
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Romans 3:23-26
Here we have a good word for heavy hearts. This is a place of rest for anyone who knows they have fallen short. This is a place of understanding for anyone who knows God has had patience with their sin, over and over again. This is a place of hope for those who hold no hope of ever being able to justify themselves. This is a place of healthy Bible teaching.
It is important to know that though the Bible says we are justified freely by His grace, it does not mean justification has no cost. It means that the cost was not to us. Christ Himself was the propitiation—the Godward payment for sins once passed over.
We may feel like God is tired of our sin, like He must be worn out from our repeated falls, like our wandering hearts have already tested the boundaries of His patience, but despite those feelings, God’s Word tells us that God is forbearing. God was patient with the sins of the past, is patient with the sins of the present, and will be patient with future sins. Why? Because of the propitiation of Jesus Christ. God reached His left hand back to Adam and reached His right hand ahead to the final sinful man, and then brought all the past and future sins of humanity to the cross and laid them on the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. The forbearance of God was secured in the propitiation of Jesus Christ.
It is important to know that the Bible does not teach our sins are simply forgiven. Our sins have been paid for, and since just payment has been made, God is righteous in forgiving those who place their faith in Christ Jesus. If you owed an enormous debt to a bank, and I walked up to you and said, You are forgiven, the bank would still call in its debt and you would still be held responsible. I do not have the right to forgive while ignoring the debt. That would be an injustice. Only by paying your debt to the bank would I obtain the right to come and say, You are forgiven. Since Christ is our propitiation, He alone is just in offering us forgiveness.
Place your faith and your boast in the cross of Christ! No matter the distance of your fall or how deep your sins dove into the patience of God, no matter the size of your sin-debt, God has already demonstrated His righteousness in forgiving you. Does your heart still condemn you? Even so, He will remain both Just and the Justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. God the Father has put forward Jesus Christ as our propitiation. All who look to Him in faith will be forgiven.