ROMANS ROAD
to RIGHTEOUSNESS |
Romans
1:18-3:20
|
Romans
3:21-5:21 |
Romans
6:1-8:39 |
Romans
9:1-11:36 |
Romans
12:1-16:27 |
|
SIN
|
SALVATION
|
SANCTIFICATION |
SOVEREIGNTY |
SERVICE |
NEED
FOR
SALVATION |
WAY
OF
SALVATION |
LIFE
OF
SALVATION |
SCOPE
OF
SALVATION |
SERVICE
OF
SALVATION |
God's Holiness
In
Condemning
Sin |
God's Grace
In
Justifying
Sinners |
God's Power
In
Sanctifying
Believers |
God's Sovereignty
In
Saving
Jew and Gentile |
Gods Glory
The
Object of
Service |
Deadliness
of Sin |
Design
of Grace |
Demonstration of
Salvation |
|
Power Given
|
Promises Fulfilled |
Paths Pursued |
Righteousness
Needed |
Righteousness
Credited |
Righteousness
Demonstrated |
Righteousness
Restored to Israel |
Righteousness
Applied |
God's Righteousness
IN LAW |
God's Righteousness
IMPUTED |
God's Righteousness
OBEYED |
God's Righteousness
IN ELECTION |
God's Righteousness
DISPLAYED |
|
Slaves to Sin |
Slaves to God |
Slaves Serving God |
|
Doctrine |
Duty |
|
Life by Faith |
Service by Faith |
|
Modified from Irving
L. Jensen's excellent work "Jensen's
Survey of the NT" |
WHOM GOD DISPLAYED PUBLICLY: on proetheto (3SAMI) o theos:
(Acts 2:23;
3:18;
4:28;
15:18;
1Pet 1:18-20;
Rev 13:8)
Remember to study
Romans 3:23-26 as a unit for in the Greek text these 4 verses in our
Bible are actually a single sentence.
Calvin
wrote
“There is not probably in the whole
Bible a passage which sets forth more profoundly the righteousness of
God in Christ.”
The Amplified Bible translates this
verse as...
Whom God put forward [before the
eyes of all] as a mercy seat and propitiation by His blood [the
cleansing and life-giving sacrifice of atonement and reconciliation, to
be received] through faith. This was to show God’s righteousness,
because in His divine forbearance He had passed over and ignored former
sins without punishment. (Amplified
Bible - Lockman)
Displayed publicly (4388)
(protithemai from pró = before, forth +
títhemi = place) means literally place before oneself, to set
forth, to set before the eyes, to set forth so as to be looked at and to expose to
public view.
Robertson writes that...
God set before himself (purposed) and
did it publicly before (pro) the whole world. (Greek
Word Studies)
In secular Greek this word was the
technical term referring to the bodies of the dead that were to be
lain in state.
Vine comments on
protithemai in this verse writing that it...
may mean either “to determine,” to
“purpose” or “to set forth,” so as to be manifest. Either sense would
convey a scriptural view here, but the context bears out the latter
meaning. The verb is in the
middle voice,
which lays stress upon the personal interest which God had in doing what
is said, as predetermined in His eternal purpose. The
aorist tense
indicates the definiteness of the act in the past. (Vine,
W. Collected writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson
)
Protithemai is found 3 times
in the NT (Ro
1:13; 3:25
;
Eph 1:9)
and is translated in the NASB as: displayed publicly, 1; planned, 1;
purposed, 1
Protithemai is found 8 times
in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Ex 29:23; 40:4, 23;
Lev 24:8; Ps 54:3; 86:14; 101:3; Pr 29:24)
Paul used protithemai earlier in Romans
writing...
And I do not want you to be unaware,
brethren, that often I have planned (protithemai) to come to you
(and have been prevented thus far) in order that I might obtain some
fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. (see
note
Romans 1:13)
In Ephesians Paul writes...
He (God the Father) made known to us
the mystery of His will (we could never have learned these things. We
did not desire to learn these things. In fact, we hated God.), according
to His kind intention which He purposed (protithemai) in Him (Eph
1:9)
Vincent says this word means
"Publicly, openly,
correlated with to declare. He brought Him forth and put Him before
the public." Bengel, “placed before the eyes of all;” unlike the
ark of the covenant which was veiled and approached only by the
high-priest. The word is used by Herodotus of exposing corpses (5:8); by
Thucydides of exposing the bones of the dead (2:34). Compare the
shew-bread, the loaves of the setting-forth (tes protheseos. See on Mark
2:26. Paul refers not to preaching, but to the work of atonement itself,
in which God’s righteousness is displayed. Some render purposed or
determined, as Ro 1:13; Eph 1:9, and according to the usual meaning of
prothesis, purpose, in the New Testament. But the meaning adopted here
is fixed by to declare.
The idea is that Christ was placed
before the eyes of all unlike the ark of the covenant which was veiled
and approached only by the high priest.
John Piper writes that:
"Ro 3:25,26
are, perhaps, the most central or most important words in the Bible -
especially if you consider them along with Ro 3:23,24...What
happens in Ro 3:25-26 is that we penetrate through the issue of
"justification" (v24) and through the issue of "redemption" or ransom (v24) to what C.E.B. Cranfield calls "the innermost meaning of the cross"
"Whom God displayed publicly [put forth] as a
propitiation [in context means "the turning away of...wrath"]
in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness
[Note: this is the purpose of Christ's death that hasn't been
mentioned yet - to demonstrate God's righteousness. Now why does God
need to demonstrate his righteousness?], because in the forbearance
of God He passed over the sins previously committed; [then he
repeats this aim lest we miss it] for the demonstration, I say, of
His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and
the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Why did God
face the problem of needing to give a public vindication of his
righteousness? The answer is in the last phrase of v25 and at the
end of v26:
"because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the
sins previously committed;" and because he is "the justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus."
Now what do those two phrases mean?
They mean that now and for centuries God has been doing what
Ps 103:10 says,
"He does not deal with us
according to our sins or repay us according to our iniquities."
He has been passing over thousands of
sins...not punishing them as fully as they justly deserve.
King David is a good example. In
2Sa 12 he is confronted by the prophet
Nathan for committing adultery with Bathsheba and then having her
husband killed. Nathan says, "Why have you despised the word of the
Lord?" (2Sa 12:9).
David feels the rebuke of Nathan, and in (2Sa 12:13)
he says, "I have sinned against the Lord." To this, Nathan responds,
"The Lord also has put away your sin; you shall not die." Just like
that! Adultery and murder are "PASSED OVER" It is almost incredible. Our
sense of justice screams out, "No! You can't just let it go like that.
He deserves to die or be imprisoned for life!" But Nathan does not say
that. He says, "The Lord has PUT AWAY your sin; you shall not die."
(Read full sermon text
Did Christ Die for Us or for God?)
The
prophet Micah (name = "Who is like Jehovah?") uses the same Hebrew verb
(put away) in
Mic 7:18
"Who is a God like Thee, who
pardons iniquity And PASSES OVER the rebellious act of the remnant of
His possession? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He
delights in unchanging love"
AS A PROPITIATION: hilasterion:
(Ex 25:17-22;
Lev 16:15;
Heb 9:5:;
1Jn 2:2;
4:10) (21/27 uses of hilasterion
in Lxx = "mercy seat") (see dictionary articles
Propitiation;
Expiation, Propitiation)
"WE COME O CHRIST TO YOU"
You are the Way to God,
Your blood our ransom paid;
In You we face our Judge and Maker unafraid.
Before the throne absolved we stand,
Your love has met Your law's demand.
---E. Margaret
Clarkson
Propitiation
(2435)
(hilasterion
from hiláskomai = propitiate, expiate <> from hileos
= appeased, merciful, propitious) to appease and render favorable, to
conciliate.
Hilasterion can refer to the place of
propitiation (see
mercy seat
below). Although some might say that Jesus Christ is the "mercy
seat" per se, most authorities agree that Paul's intended meaning of
hilasterion in Romans 3:25 is the means of gaining the favor of God
through Jesus Christ.
Hilasterion is used twice in
the NAS (Ro 3:25; Heb 9:5) and is translated once as mercy seat
and once as propitiation.
Hilasterion is used 16 times
in the
Septuagint (LXX)
(Ex 25:17-22 = 7x; 31:7; 35:12; 37:6, 8f; Lev 16:2, 13ff; Nu 7:89; Ezek
43:14, 17, 20; Am 9:1) and all 16 times are translated "mercy seat"
(note) .
Note that hilasterion
although used only twice in the NT is one of four closely related words
used in the NT:
(1) hilaskomai (2433)
propitiate, conciliate, make gracious, be gracious in
Lu 18:13 and
Heb 2:17;
(2) hileos (2436)
gracious, merciful
Mt 16:22 and
Heb 8:12;
(3) hilasmos (2434)
propitiation, propitiatory sacrifice (1Jn 2:2,
4:10);
(4) hilasterion (2435)
that which propitiates, means of propitiation, mercy-seat in
Ro 3:25,
Heb 9:5.
"Satisfaction" is used
as a synonym for propitiation, the concept of satisfaction
being that the moral requirement of God has been completely met by the
death of His Son on behalf of the believer and therefore has
satisfied or propitiated God.
Hilasterion means a
sacrifice that bears God's wrath to the end and in so doing changes
God's wrath toward us into favor. God has set the sinner free through
Christ, but He has not done so by setting aside the rules. He has set
the sinner free in Christ by satisfying the demands
of God’s justice in Christ. Due to sin, a penalty was to be meted out
and a price was to be paid. Christ paid that price and suffered that
penalty (“redemption”). God’s divine wrath had to be appeased,
due to man’s sin; Christ has appeased that wrath (“propitiation”).
A closely related word is
hilasmos which refers to that which propitiates or that which
appeases. John uses this word writing that Jesus
"Himself is the
propitiation (hilasmos - appeasement, satisfaction) for our
sins..." (1Jn 2:2)
The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross satisfied the demands of
God’s holiness for the punishment of sin. So Jesus propitiated or satisfied God.
MacDonald adds that
"This means that by dying
for us, He freed us from the guilt of our sins and restored us to God by
providing the needed satisfaction and by removing every barrier
to fellowship (Ed note: compare to "atonement" = "at-one-ment").
God can show mercy to us because Christ has satisfied the claims
of justice. It is not often that an advocate (or lawyer) pays for his
client’s sins; yet that is what our Lord has done, and most remarkable
of all, He paid for them by the sacrifice of Himself." (MacDonald,
W., & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Propitiation is not placating
a vengeful God but, rather, it is satisfying the righteousness and just
wrath of a holy God, thereby making it possible for Him to show mercy
righteously. God can now be just (His law says sin demands death) and
can deal with men graciously and benevolently (Justifier). The concepts
of “redemption” and “propitiation” are used
to demonstrate and draw our attention to the justice of God. God has set
the sinner free through Christ, but He has not done so by setting aside
the rules (His justice). He has set the sinner free in Christ by
satisfying the demands of God’s justice in Christ. Due to sin, a penalty
was to be meted out and a price was to be paid. Christ paid that price
and suffered that penalty (“redemption”). God’s divine wrath had
to be appeased, due to man’s sin; Christ has appeased that wrath (“propitiation”).
The only other NT use of
hilasterion is found in Hebrews where the writer records that
above the ark of the covenant
"were the cherubim of glory
overshadowing the
mercy seat
(hilasterion) but of these things we cannot now speak in detail."
(Heb 9:5)
Moses records God's instruction to
Israel regarding the ark of the covenant to cover it with
"a mercy seat (Hebrew = click
kapporet for 27 uses or
click here for
explanatory note;
Septuagint = hilasterion) of pure gold, two and a
half cubits long and one and a half cubits wide. And you shall make two
cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the
mercy seat. And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the
other end; you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy
seat at its two ends. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread
upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one
another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy
seat. And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and
in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. And
there I will meet with you; ("I will keep an appointment with you
there” for the word has idea of prearranged meeting) and from above
the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the
ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you
in commandment for the sons of Israel." (Ex
25:17-22; cf
Nu 7:89)
God added the promise that
“there I will
meet with you ; and from above the
mercy seat
(kapporet, Lxx =
hilasterion) , from between the two cherubim which are upon the
ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you
in commandment for the sons of Israel." (Ex
25:22,).
Hilasterion
describes the "mercy
seat" or cover of the
ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. It was upon this "mercy
seat" that the High
Priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrifice once each year on the
Day of Atonement (described in
Lev 16), which corresponds to the modern
day Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur that is held on the tenth
day of the seventh month, Tishri (7th month of the Jewish year
corresponding to September/October). On that day only would the high
priest enter within the inner veil bearing the blood of the sin offering
(cf.
Heb 9:7).
A second goat was released as
an escape goat to symbolize the total removal of sin (aza'zel =
scapegoat). This solemn day was the only day of fasting prescribed for
Israel. It was celebrated by a special sin offering for the whole
nation. All the sins of the people were brought symbolically to the Holy
of Holies, where blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat as a sacrifice to atone (supply satisfaction for - atonement
= making of God and sinners “at one” by the offering of sacrifice and
providing a way for humankind to come back into harmonious relation with
Him) for them.
Atonement is the act by which God restores a relationship
of harmony and unity between Himself and human beings. The word can be
broken into three parts that express this great truth in simple but
profound terms: “at-one-ment.” Although Old Testament
believers were truly forgiven and received genuine atonement through
animal sacrifice, the New Testament clearly states that during the Old
Testament period God’s justice was not served
“For it is not possible
that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins” (Heb 10:4).
Atonement was possible
“because in the forbearance of God He passed
over the sins previously committed” (Ro 3:25).
However, God’s justice was served in the death of Jesus Christ as a
substitute, Hebrews recording that
“not through the blood of goats
and calves, but through His own blood, He (both as our Substitute
Sacrifice and as our Great High Priest) entered the holy place once
for all, having obtained eternal redemption (lutrosis -
ransoming and release from penalty, power and ultimately some day from
the presence and pleasure of sin) (Heb 9:12).
"And for this reason He (Jesus Christ our Great High Priest)
is the Mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken
place for the redemption (apolutrosis - payment of a price to
ransom and emancipate slaves of sin) of the transgressions that were
committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may
receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." (Heb 9:15).
We see a parallel teaching by
Jesus Who describes
"Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a
Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer. The Pharisee stood and was
praying thus to himself, ‘God, I thank Thee that I am not like other
people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer.
‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ “But the
tax-gatherer, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up
his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be
merciful to me, the sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went down to his
house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself
shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (Lu 18:10-14)
The verb for "be merciful" is hilaskomai,
which is of the same word group as hilasterion and means be merciful,
make reconciliation for, be propitious, be gracious or be favorably
inclined. The idea in this verb is to show compassion and concern for
someone in difficulty despite that person having committed a moral
offense.
Vine adds that hilaskomai
"was
used amongst the Greeks with the significance to make the gods
propitious, to appease, propitiate, inasmuch as their good will was not
conceived as their natural attitude, but something to be earned first.
This use of the word is foreign to the Greek Bible, with respect to God,
whether in the Sept. or in the N. T. It is never used of any act whereby
man brings God into a favorable attitude or gracious disposition. It is
God who is propitiated by the vindication of His holy and righteous
character, whereby, through the provision He has made in the vicarious
and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can
shew mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the
remission of his sins. (Vine,
W E: Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament
Words. 1996. Nelson)
The Hebrew
word for "mercy seat",
kapporet,
"is not related to
mercy and of course was not a seat. The word is derived from the root
“to atone.” The Greek equivalent in the LXX is usually hilasterion,
“place or object of propitiation,” a word which is applied to Christ in
Ro 3:25. The translation “mercy seat”
does not sufficiently express the fact that the lid of the ark was the
place where the blood was sprinkled on the day of atonement. “Place of
atonement” would perhaps be more expressive." (Harris,
R. L., Harris, R. L., Archer, G. L., & Waltke, B. K. Theological
Wordbook of the Old Testament Moody Press)
Hugh Stowell caught a vision of
the sublime privilege we have to come before the mercy seat and
find comfort in time of need. In 1828, he penned the words to a hymn
that he originally entitled “Peace at the Mercy Seat,” but the
title was later changed to...
From Every Stormy Wind
Click to play
From every
stormy wind that blows,
From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat:
’Tis found beneath the mercy seat.
There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all besides more sweet:
It is the blood-bought mercy seat.
There is a
scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend;
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy seat.
There, there,
on eagles’ wings we soar,
And time and sense seem all no more;
And heaven comes down, our souls to greet,
And glory crowns the mercy seat.
Oh, let my
hand forget her skill,
My tongue be silent, cold, and still,
This bounding heart forget to beat,
If I forget the mercy seat!
Ray Pritchard
says that
"To propitiate means to "turn away wrath by
offering a gift." Pagan religions are built on the concept of
propitiation, whereby a devotee brings a chicken, a goat, a lamb, or a
plate of food and offers it to his god. I saw that very thing happen in
Haiti and also in India. By bringing the blood of a chicken, the
followers of voodoo hope to appease the evil spirits and turn away their
wrath. On a completely different level, a husband does this after having
a fight with his wife when he stops at the freeway off ramp and buys
flowers on the way home. He hopes the offering of flowers will turn away
wrath and restore a right relationship. In the Old Testament the High
Priest would enter the Holy of Holies once a year—on the Day of
Atonement—bringing with him the blood of a bull. When he sprinkled the
blood on the Mercy Seat—the lid of the Ark of the Covenant—that blood
was accept by God as an "atonement" or a "covering" for the sin of the
people.
The New Testament picks up this idea of propitiation in
1 John 2:2,
"He is the atoning
sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of
the whole world."
The phrase "atoning sacrifice" translates the normal
Greek word of propitiation. By the offering of himself, Jesus turned
away God’s wrath forever. Let me give you three truths to summarize the
effects of
propitiation:
(1) Because Jesus Christ died, God’s justice is now satisfied.
(2) Because Jesus Christ died, God’s wrath has now been turned away.
The price for sin has been paid.
(3) Because Jesus Christ died,
God’s mercy is now freely available to anyone who wants it. Justice
satisfied … the price paid … mercy available. What an awesome thought.
God’s wrath is real, but so is his mercy. He satisfied His Own wrath by
offering his own Son on the cross. "Amazing love, how can it be, that
thou, my God, shouldst die for me?" (Read full
Sermon)
A WORD OF
CAUTION REGARDING
"PROPITIATION"
Note that
many theologians of the "liberal persuasion" strongly object to the
truth that Jesus bore God's wrath against sin. In general, they tend to
be uncomfortable with the truth of wrath, judgment, and hell, and so
have fallaciously reasoned that "propitiation" is a translation
that relegates theology to the mythology of the Greeks and slanders the
character of God. This thinking has led these liberal theologians to
translate hilasterion as "expiation", as for
example in the Revised Standard Version ("whom God put forward
as an expiation by his blood,"). Expiation means an action
that cleanses from sin but includes no concept of appeasing God's wrath!
To be sure the truth conveyed by "expiation" is certainly included in hilasterion, but as you can discern, expiation
is not an adequate or accurate rendering of the truth conveyed by this
Greek word.
It is also notable that the
NIV misses the true
meaning, choosing to translate hilasterion as "atonement".
In fairness, the NIV does have a marginal note which is more accurate -
it reads
"as the one who would turn aside his wrath, taking away sin".
The difference
between the doctrines of propitiation in Christianity and in Greek
mythology is bound up in the character of God Himself. Being holy,
perfect, and immutable, the living God is never ruled by changing moods
as were the so-called gods of Greco-Roman mythology. Consequently, God's
wrath is a settled disposition against evil. The just demands of God's
holiness for the punishment and exclusion of sin must be satisfied or
propitiated.
Propitiation is the work of Christ
on the Cross in which He met the demands of the righteousness of God
against sin, satisfying the requirements of God's justice and canceling
the guilt of man's sin!
When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
by Isaac Watts, 1707
(play)
When I survey
the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.
See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?
His dying crimson, like a robe,
Spreads o’er His body on the tree;
Then I am dead to all the globe,
And all the globe is dead to me.
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
IN HIS BLOOD THROUGH FAITH: dia (tes) pisteos en to autou haimati
(Ro
5:1,9,11;
Isa 53:11;
Jn 6:47,53-58;
Col 1:20-23;
Heb 10:19,20)
Blood (1298)
(haima) is the basis of individual life, as the fluid that
circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a
vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away
waste products from all parts of the body. Blood carries life-sustaining
elements to all parts of the body; therefore it represents the essence
of life. In contrast, the shedding of blood represents the shedding of
life, i.e., death (cf. Ge 9:4). Note that "blood" is used here to
indicate a violent death.
Moses records that...
"the life of the flesh is in the
blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement
(from an Anglo-Saxon word which means ‘a making at one’ = it points to a
process of bringing those who are estranged into a unity) for
your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes
atonement (the act by which God restores a relationship of harmony and
unity between Himself and human beings)." (Lev 17:11) (Comment:
The principle behind atonement is life for life. Since the wages of sin
is death, symbolized by the shedding of blood, so “without the shedding
of blood is no remission.” Shed blood (death) from a substitute atones
for or covers the sinner, who is then allowed to live. Forgiveness does
not come because the penalty of sin is excused, but because it is
transferred to a sacrifice whose lifeblood is poured out.
When Jesus inaugurated the New
Covenant He announced that...
this is My blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for (huper = on behalf of = implies
substitution = He died both for us and in our place!) many for forgiveness of sins. (Mt
26:28)
In
Romans 5 Paul reiterates that justification is based on the blood of Jesus Christ writing...
Therefore having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ... Much more
then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the
wrath of God through Him. (see notes
Romans 5:1,
Ro 5:9)
Through (1223)
(dia) is a marker of instrument by which something is
accomplished, and so conveys the idea of "by means of". The
sacrifice of Christ becomes effective through the faith which
appropriates it.
Faith (1298)
(pistis)
(Click
in depth study of
pistis)
is synonymous with trust or belief and is the
conviction of the truth of anything, but in Scripture usually speaks of
belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things,
generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith
and joined with it. As pistis relates to God, it is the
conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things
well as the Provider and Bestower of eternal salvation through the
sacrifice of His only Son Jesus Christ. As faith relates to Christ it
represents a strong and welcome conviction or belief that Jesus is the
Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation and entrance into the
Kingdom of Heaven. Stated another way, eternal salvation comes only
through belief in Jesus Christ and no other way.
Wayne Grudem
defines faith that saves one's soul...
Saving faith is trust in Jesus
Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life
with God. This definition emphasizes that saving faith is not just a
belief in facts but personal trust in Jesus to save me... The definition
emphasizes personal trust in Christ, not just belief in facts about
Christ. Because saving faith in Scripture involves this personal trust,
the word “trust” is a better word to use in contemporary culture than
the word “faith” or “belief.” The reason is that we can “believe”
something to be true with no personal commitment or dependence involved
in it. (Grudem,
W. A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine
Zondervan) (Bolding
added)
THIS WAS TO DEMONSTRATE
HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS: eis endeixin tes dikaiosunes:
(Ro
3:26;
Ps 22:31;
40:10;
50:6;
97:6;
119:142;
1Jn 1:10)
Demonstrate (1732)
(endeixis
from endeíknumi = show forth <>
en = in, to + deíknumi = expose to eyes and
give proof, make known by visual, auditory, or linguistic means) means a
pointing out (particularly with the finger). It is something that points
to or serves as an indicator of something else and hence is synonymous
with a sign, an indication, evidence, verification. It describes the means by
which one knows that something is a fact. It is something that compels
acceptance of something mentally or emotionally and thus serves as a
demonstration or a proof.