The world was covered in snow! The white witch, posing as the queen, had ruled for 100 years, and she used her magic to keep the kingdom frozen in a perpetual winter. And in her castle, she kept a chilling collection of creatures which she had turned into stone. Aslan, the majestic lion and rightful King of Narnia, was nowhere to be found and the all the inhabitants suffered under the oppressive darkness that hung over the kingdom.
This was the bleak world that Lucy stumbled into when she walked through the wardrobe. To make matters worse, her brother Edmund fell under the witch’s spell when he gave into his carnal desires and ate the Witch’s Turkish Delight. She promised him more sweets and to make him her heir if he would bring his siblings to her.
Later, in a private audience with Aslan, the Witch pointed out that it was her right to kill Edmund as punishment for his treachery. This right was enshrined in the Deep Magic, an ancient law written on the Stone Table. When Aslan returned from his meeting with the Witch, he was sad, but told his followers that the Witch had agreed to spare Edmund’s life.
That evening, after Aslan shared a somber meal with his followers, he went to the Stone Table, where the Witch and her followers were gathered. There, Aslan was mocked, shorn of his mane, tied to the Table, and executed by the Witch. During the sacrifice, she revealed that Aslan exchanged his life for Edmund’s. Lucy and her sister Susan, who witnessed the ritual from afar, stayed with Aslan’s body all night.
But in the morning, the Stone Table broke in two, and Aslan rose from the dead—the result of an even deeper magic than that inscribed on the Table. As Aslan’s army battled against the Witch and her forces, he went to her castle to rescue the creatures she had turned to stone. Then Aslan killed the Witch, won the battle, and restored the world!
C.S. Lewis’ classic children’s book The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is an allegory of how Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for the sins of humanity and redeemed a world suffering under the curse of sin. As is alluded in Lewis’ fantastical tale, the story of Jesus’ death is foreshadowed in the Old Testament, told in the four Gospels, and explained in the New Testament Epistles, especially here in the Book of Romans.
So far, the Apostle Paul has gone to great lengths to show us the depths of human depravity. From Romans 1:16-3:20, he has argued that we all, whether Jew or Gentile, have proved our unrighteousness by breaking God’s law. He has covered the full range of our idolatrous decadence: sexual sins, sins of speech, sins of violence, judgmentalism, and attitudes of arrogance.
Now that he has shown us the sinfulness of our sin…now that he has convinced us of our great spiritual need…now that he has broken the bad news of the gospel…now he is ready declare the good news of the gospel: the gift of God’s grace through the death of Jesus Christ!
“But now” (21a)
Notice the first two words in verse 21—“But now.”
Martin Lloyd Jones, the great British preacher and expositor of Romans, once said that “there are no more wonderful words in the whole of Scripture than just these two words, “But now.” This is quite a claim!
Likewise, the Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, claimed that this section was “the chief point, and the very central place of the Epistle, and of the whole Bible.” (Moo 125) This, too, is quite a claim!
How could these men make such bold assertions? Because the words “but now” showcase the ultimate transition from bad news to good news! They express the stark contrast from the hopelessness of sin to the hope of salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ. (Moo 133)
The Gift of God’s Grace through the Death of Jesus Christ (21b-26)
Therefore, after the dramatic “But now,” transition, Paul goes right to the heart of the good news of the gospel when he says: “the righteousness of God is manifested apart from the law.” This means that God has created another way for sinful humanity to receive his righteousness other than obeying his law perfectly—“the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” This is what the Old Testament has been pointing to all along—that the Messiah would come and rescue God’s people from the curse of sin. Starting in the Book of Genesis and ending with the prophet Malachi, there is a myriad of messianic allusions to a suffering servant who would deliver God’s people from bondage. All these prophecies and foreshadows are fulfilled by the person and work of Jesus Christ!
But why, then, does God’s righteousness need to be available for “all who believe?” Because “all have sinned.” Paul inserts, here in verse 23, a brief reminder of his teaching in Romans 1:16-3:20, that humans, whether Jew or Gentile, are depraved by their very nature, and it is, consequently, impossible for them to save themselves. The penalty for their sin is condemnation in hell—but for the grace of God that offers justification and redemption through God’s Son Jesus Christ.
Verses 24-25 contains a wealth of technical theological terms. Let me explain them for you. “Justified” means “to make something right.” Here it refers to humans to be brought back into a right relationship with God.
“Grace” means “unmerited favor.” Here it refers to getting what we do not deserve rather than what we do deserve. Because of our sin, we deserve God’s wrath, but he offers his grace freely as a gift. Nothing we do requires God to restore us to a right relationship to him. “Redemption” means to “liberate by paying a price.” This redemption does not refer to cashing in your bottles and cans at the local liquor store—it carries the connotation of someone purchasing freedom for a slave, which is an apt description of our human predicament. “Propitiation” means “sacrifice of atonement.” It alludes to the Old Testament sacrificial system where animals were slaughtered on the altar as a means of appeasing God’s wrath. Here, Paul is saying that Jesus’ death on the cross was the ultimate and final propitiation for the forgiveness of sins. For those who truly believe in Christ, his blood washes all their sins away.
When all these words are understood in Paul’s flow of thought, we see that he is making a simple but profound point: All human beings are sinful and are therefore in need of a Savior. God, because of his grace, offers forgiveness for sins and a right relationship with himself through the sacrifice of his own Son Jesus Christ. This grace cannot be earned; it can only be received as a gift through faith in Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament period, God did not punish sins with the full severity he should have. People who sinned should have suffered spiritual death, because they did not yet have an adequate sacrifice to atone for their sins. But because of his divine forbearance, he put off his full punishment of sin until the coming of Christ. Jesus suffered the punishment that sinful humans deserve (God’s wrath) when he died in their place on the cross. Thus, Christ paid the price for the sins of all people—both before his time and after it. Thus, justification through faith was available to those who came before Christ and those who came after Christ! And God’s grace is still available to sinners today! (Moo )
This one paragraph contains so many wonderful words to explain and the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. These power-packed terms have inspired some of the greatest hymn lines throughout the history of the church. Let me share a few:
- Amazing grace! How sweet the sound—that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, Was bling but now I see.
- Dark is the stain that we cannot hide—What can avail to wash it away? Look! There is flowing a crimson tide—Whiter than snow you may be today…Grace, grace, God’s grace, grace that is greater than all our sin.
- There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins. And sinners plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains. The dying thief rejoiced to see that fountain in his day—And there may I, though vile as he, wash all my sins away.
- And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died he for me who caused his pain? For me, who Him to death pursued? Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God shouldst die for me?
- Not the labors of my hands, can fulfill thy laws demands; Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow; All for sin could not atone, Thou must save and Thou alone…Rock of Ages, cleft for me, Let me hide myself in Thee.
The gift of God’s grace through the death of Jesus Christ is good news for sinners like us! Even though our sin has separated us from God, he has given us a gift we don’t deserve and can never repay! Just as Aslan exchanged his life for Edmund on the Stone Table, Jesus gave up his life on the cross so that we can receive forgiveness and redemption.
The only question that remains is: Have you received God’s gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ? Have you received forgiveness and redemption through the shed blood of Jesus Christ? Have you exchanged your sin for the righteousness of Jesus Christ? We live in a time and culture where most people still self-identify as Christians—but do you really believe? Do you believe enough to surrender your life to Christ?
Boast No More (27-31)
Paul ends chapter 3 by drawing out the logical conclusion to God’s gift of grace—no more boasting! There is only one God; he is the creator of the Jews and Gentiles alike. And he has developed the same plan of redemption for everyone: Faith in Jesus Christ! Since salvation comes from God’s grace, not from obedience to God’s law, then nobody has the right to boast about what they have done. Obedience to God’s law does not earn salvation; it is a response of gratitude for salvation.
God extends his gift of grace to all of us, regardless of whether we are Jew or Gentile, male or female, black or white, or poor or rich! We are all in need of God’s grace—whether we have lived pretty good lives or really bad lives.
Therefore, if you are one of those people who thinks you are going to heaven because you’re a good person, stop it! If you’re one of those people who thinks you can earn God’s favor by obeying his law, stop it! If you’re one of those people who brag about all the good deeds you do, stop it! None of these things will get you any closer to God. Only God’s gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ can get us to heaven. If you have received God’s grace, show your gratitude by living a life of humble obedience to him who died for you!
There once was a majestic Lion
who died for the mistakes of a child
He suffered the shame of the Stone Table
to ransom a race and tame what was wild.
Shed first his mane and then his blood
To appease the Witch’s thirst
But in the morning the stone was cracked
And he rose to conquer the dreadful curse.