The righteousness of God was shown to the Old Testament saints in God’s passing by their sins. Paul uses this term “passing by” in Romans 3:25. During Old Testament times, the sins of the people had not been taken away, but only covered by the expiating blood. Their sins were not carried away until Jesus Christ died on the cross. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). Before the Lord Jesus died on the cross, the sins of the Old Testament saints still remained, although they were covered with the blood of the type of Christ. God had to pass by their sins because He is righteous. The blood of the type of Christ was shed in the presence of God, and the righteous God was compelled to pass by all the sins covered by that blood. In passing by those covered sins God showed forth His righteousness.
Let me illustrate. Suppose I owe a certain person a billion dollars. Although it is impossible for me to pay this amount, I am bound by that person to pay him. However, I have a friend who is a billionaire. My friend proceeds to tell both parties that there is no problem, that he himself will pay the full debt, and he writes a promissory note as evidence. Once the promissory note has been delivered and accepted, I must be released because of righteousness. Likewise, the Old Testament saints owed God a tremendous amount, but there was a promissory note—the blood of the expiatory sacrifice sprinkled on the propitiation cover—which guaranteed that Christ would come to take away sins. This promissory note covered all the sins of the Old Testament saints. Christ redeemed the promissory note when He died on the cross and paid the full price. Therefore, because of His righteousness God had to pass by their sins. In so doing, He has shown His righteousness to the Old Testament saints. This is the meaning of Romans 3:25.
God’s righteousness has been shown to the New Testament saints in God’s justifying them. God has justified us freely by His grace through the redemption in Christ and through the faith of Jesus (3:24, 26). Since Christ has paid the price for our sins and has accomplished the full redemption to meet all of God’s requirements, God, in order for Him to be just, must justify us. On God’s side justification is by His righteousness; on our side justification is by His free grace as compared with justification by the work of the law. To be justified by the work of the law we need to work, but to be justified by the redemption in Christ there is no need of our work; it is freely given by His grace. We do not deserve it. But God is bound by His righteousness to justify us because of the redemption of Christ which meets all His requirements. Thus, God has shown His righteousness to the Old Testament saints in passing by their sins and to the New Testament saints in justifying them. God’s dealing with us today is not simply to pass by our sins, but to justify us. God has justified us.
Because of this, boasting is excluded. None of us has anything of which to boast. We have not been justified by the law of works, but by the law of faith (3:27). This faith does not originate with us; it is of the living Christ.
God is one. This one God justifies both the Jews and the Gentiles (3:30). He is the God both of Jews and Gentiles (3:29). In saying this Paul paves the way for the Body of Christ. If God’s dealing with people differed from one group to another, it would be difficult to have the Body life. However, God has one way of dealing with all people, and this one God with His one way brings the different peoples together as one. Whether we are Jews or Gentiles, it is the one God who justifies us all. Among us we have a number of Jewish brothers and sisters, and God has justified them in the same way as He has justified us, the Gentiles. The one God has justified all of us that we may be one as the Body of Christ.
God justifies the circumcision out of faith and the uncircumcision through faith. Notice the prepositions: the Jews, the circumcision, are justified out of faith; the Gentiles, the uncircumcision, are justified through faith. What does this mean? The Jews have a position before God as His people. In spite of their unbelief and apparent uncleanness, the Jews still have the position as God’s people. We must recognize this and be careful how we refer to the Jews, for God will say of them, “They are My people.” Having the standing as God’s people makes a great difference, and we need to respect it. In Genesis 12:3 God promised to Abraham, the forefather of the Jews, that whoever blessed him would be blessed by God and that whoever cursed him would be cursed by God. God continues to fulfill Genesis 12:3. Whoever touches the Jews in the way of cursing will be cursed. Throughout the past 25 centuries there has been no exception: every individual and nation, that has cursed the Jews has been cursed and everyone who has blessed the Jews has been blessed.
Although the Jews are conditionally not right with God today, they are still the people of God positionally. Elsewhere in Romans Paul says that God’s selection is irrevocable (11:28-29). The Jewish people are God’s selection, and God’s selection is eternal. Regardless of how unbelieving the Jews are at present, they still are the people of God positionally. Therefore, when God justifies the Jews, He justifies them out of faith, not through faith. Why is it not through faith? Because the Jews have the position already. However, when God justifies the Gentiles, He must justify them through faith because they are far away from God. There is a great distance between the Gentiles and God. Since the Jews, the circumcision, already have the position, they are justified out of faith; since the Gentiles are a great distance from God, they are justified through faith. It is through faith that the Gentiles reach the right position. In both cases it is a matter of faith.
One God justifies us all. Both Jews and Gentiles are under one God and in one way. Paul’s word in Romans 3:29-30 prepares the way for the Body of Christ in chapter 12. Whether we are Jewish believers or Gentile believers, we are one Body in Christ under the one economy of the one God.