“whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins” (Romans 3:25 ESV).
This portion of Scripture offers a remarkable wealth of spiritual insight in one brief sentence. Here in the final segment of our three-part study of Romans 3:25, we’ll take a closer look at this reference to God’s forbearance in “passing over” these “former sins.” The quotation from the Living Bible paraphrase of this verse that closed our previous study points the way to a proper understanding of this idea.
To begin, we can view this passage in relation to those Old Testament saints who placed their trust in God before Jesus came into the world. God’s decision to pass over the sins of the Old Testament faithful does not mean He ignored, dismissed, or excused those sins. Instead, He graciously looked forward to the time when Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross would atone for them.
One Biblical commentary offers a concise, but thorough explanation of this concept that warrants an extended excerpt…
“The finished work of Christ declares God’s righteousness for the remission of sins that are past. This refers to sins committed before the death of Christ. From Adam to Christ, God saved those who put their faith in Him on the basis of whatever revelation He gave them. Abraham, for example, believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness (Gen_15:6).
But how could God do this righteously? A sinless Substitute had not been slain. The blood of a perfect Sacrifice had not been shed. In a word, Christ had not died. The debt had not been paid. God’s righteous claims had not been met. How then could God save believing sinners in the OT period?
The answer is that although Christ had not yet died, God knew that He would die, and He saved men on the basis of the still-future work of Christ. Even if OT saints didn’t know about Calvary, God knew about it, and He put all the value of Christ’s work to their account when they believed God. In a very real sense, OT believers were saved on credit. They were saved on the basis of a price still to be paid. They looked forward to Calvary; we look back to it.” (1)
In this manner, God saw fit to demonstrate His righteousness as He revealed the scope of His redemptive plan through the unfolding narrative of human history.
(1) William Macdonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary Edited by Arthur Farstad. Thomas Nelson Publishers [Romans 3:21-31]