Bible students have great difficulty with the phrase “faith of Jesus Christ” (3:22). Some say that it means our act of believing in Jesus Christ. Others argue that it refers to the faith of Jesus, that the faith of Jesus becomes ours. I would put it this way: genuine believing is to believe in the Lord Jesus by His faith. We believe in Jesus Christ by His faith, for we have no faith of our own. Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb. 12:2). The more we look at ourselves and examine ourselves, the faster our faith disappears. Faith is not our invention; it can never be initiated by us. It is impossible for us to generate faith. Faith is an aspect of Christ Himself. In fact, faith is Christ. Galatians 2:20 says that we live by the faith of the Son of God. I do not live by my faith—I have no faith of my own—but by the faith of the Son of the living God who has faith and who Himself is faith to me. If you look at yourself, you will never find faith, but if you forget about yourself and say, “O Lord Jesus, I love You,” faith will immediately rise up within you. This faith is the faith of Jesus, or we may say it is Jesus believing within us. Thus, the phrase “through faith of Jesus Christ” means believing in Jesus Christ by His faith.
The righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law by our believing in Jesus Christ by His faith. We believe in Christ by His faith, not by our own. Christ is our faith. Never say that you cannot believe, for you can believe if you want to. Do not try to believe by yourself, because the more you try the less faith you have. Simply say, “O Lord Jesus, I love You. Lord Jesus, You are so good.” If you do this, you will have faith immediately. We believe in Jesus Christ by His faith, and out of this faith and to this faith the righteousness of God is revealed to all who believe.
The righteousness of God has been manifested to meet the requirements of His righteous law and His glory (3:23). When we believe in the Lord Jesus, we receive the righteousness of God which meets all the requirements of God. In Romans 3 we find that the requirements of God are of two categories: the requirements of His righteousness and His glory. Paul clearly mentions God’s law and God’s glory. We have all broken the law and we have all come short of the glory. Therefore, Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and come short of God’s glory.
Why does Paul suddenly mention the glory of God? The answer involves the propitiation cover mentioned in verse 25. As Paul was writing this part of Romans, he probably had in his mind the picture of the ark of the testimony, especially the propitiation cover. Upon this cover were the cherubim of glory. As we have already pointed out, underneath the cover was the law exposing the sinfulness of people and condemning them, and above the cover were the two cherubim representing God’s glory and observing every action of the people. Underneath the cover was the exposing law; above the cover were the watching and observing cherubim. The exposing and condemning law signified the requirements of God’s righteousness according to the law, and the observing cherubim signified the requirements of God’s glory according to the expression of God. Unless these requirements were fulfilled and God was satisfied, there was no way for sinners to contact God and for God to communicate with them. Hallelujah for the expiating blood! The expiating blood was sprinkled upon the propitiation cover, meeting the requirements of the righteous law and of God’s glory.
Propitiation is not only an action; it is a place. Propitiation is a place where God can meet with man. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul was bold to say that this propitiation place is Jesus Christ. God has set forth Christ Jesus as a propitiation cover (3:25), and this propitiation cover is the propitiation place where God can meet with man. This place is the Person of Jesus Christ the Lord. Although many Christians love the Lord Jesus and realize that He is so much to them, they may not know that Christ is a propitiation place where God can meet with us and where we can contact God. Before we knew of this place, we were frightened by the thought of approaching God, but now we are no longer afraid of Him. Upon Christ as the propitiation cover we can meet with God. This is the meaning of Paul’s writing in Romans 3. He used the type of the ark with its cover to show the meaning of justification.
In this universe the Lord Jesus has been set forth as the propitiation place, and all sinners may come to meet God upon Him. Where are we today? We are on the propitiation place. We do have a position, a ground to meet with God, and God has the same ground to communicate with us. Where is the law? The law is under the propitiation cover; it is covered by the propitiating Christ. Where is God’s glory? It is above us, yet it has no claim against us because we are upon Christ as the propitiation place. Here we are justified. On this propitiation cover we are the same as God in His righteousness. We and God correspond to one another and are mutually approved. We approve God, and God approves us; God justifies us, and we justify Him.
Do you think it is too bold to say that we can justify God? Romans 3:4 gives us the ground to say it. This verse says that God should be justified in His sayings and overcome when He is judged. We can justify God. I have done this a number of times. Although I recognized that I was a sinner, I did not follow God blindly. I tried my best to verify His words. Eventually, I fully approved God as being right. Do not be afraid to study about God and investigate Him a little to see whether He is right. If you investigate Him, you will find that He is one thousand percent, even one million percent right. You will justify God. On Christ as the propitiation cover, God and we mutually approve one another.
According to our experience, it was not God who firstly approved us, but we who approved God. We do not know how much time God spent to convince us of His righteousness. We were rebellious and said, “I don’t like God. God is not right.” We all thought this way before we were saved. Many people speak against God saying, “If God is right, why are there so many poor people on the earth? If God is right, why is there no justice among the nations?” They admit that there is God, but claim that He is not righteous. Many of us can testify the same thing, confessing that we thought God was wrong, that He was not righteous. However, God has been patient with us, doing many things for us until He finally convinced us of His righteousness. Who justified whom first? We firstly justified God. When we were convinced by God of His righteousness, we justified Him and wept in repentance, saying, “God, forgive me. I’m so sinful and unclean. I need Your forgiveness.” When we called on the name of the Lord Jesus, we not only were put into Christ but upon Christ. Now we are upon Christ as our propitiation place where God and we can justify one another. We declare, “God, You are righteous. I have no problem with You.” Then God replies, “Dear child, I have no problem with you either.” Firstly, we approved God; then God approved us. We justified God; then God justified us. All this happened upon Christ as the propitiation place. Under Him the law is covered and upon Him the cherubim are joyous when they see the mutual justification that occurs upon Him as the propitiation cover.
Where are we now? We are on Jesus Christ as the propitiation place. We are on the propitiation cover. The law is under our feet, and the glory of God is over our head satisfied. The law has been silenced; it can no longer speak against us, but the glory of God can rejoice over us with satisfaction. Here upon the propitiation cover we enjoy God’s full justification.