My Top Christian Movies

Here is a list of my top Christian movies. I know there is only three.... I am very picky. When I say Christian movies, I don't necessarily mean movies produce by a Christian company that were trying to be explicitly Christian, though those could count. Here I'm thinking of something like Facing the Giants. Great message. Bad movie. When I say something is a top Christian movie I mean that the overall message is distinctly Christian, even though the movie producers might not have trying for that, and that the movie in general is well done: good acting, plot development, cinematography, etc.

This is my list. Let me know what you think.

3. Bruce Almighty: A movie about a man having all God's power for a week, on the surface sounds wildly heretical. But this movie actually presents what I think is a very accurate picture of the interplay between divine sovereignty and human freedom.









2. Amazing Grace: Great true story of William Wilberforce. This movie presents an excellent example of seriously contemplating how your faith can be lived out in your profession. In this case how a politician can act against societal norms (slavery) to bring about social justice.








1. To End All Wars: Awesome. This movie presents the true story of prisoners in a Japanese POW camp in World War II. This setting is the perfect representation for life in a fallen world, the need for mercy, and the salvation of Jesus Christ. Just awesome. There are so many great one-liners in this movie, and they all come right out of Scripture. (*Note: This movie is about prisoners of war and is rated R for language and violence).

Freedom - Josh Garrels

"Freedom" - Josh Garrels from Josh Garrels on Vimeo.

I'm a big fan of Josh Garrels. You might not have heard him before, in which case I urge you to really listen to the lyrics. In a world where "Christian" music for the most part really leaves something to be desired, Josh's lyrics stand out to me as being, well, real.

Enjoy.

www.joshgarrels.com

Sunday Lyrics: Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!

Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia!

Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia!
Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Does God Exist Debate

Sunday Lyrics: Frail Grasp on the Big Picture

Lyrics taken from "Frail Grasp on the Big Picture,"
on the album Long Road out of Eden,
by the Eagles

And we pray to our Lord
Who we know is American
He reigns from on high
He speaks to us through middlemen

And He shepherds His flock
We sing out and we praise His name
He supports us in war
He presides over football games

And the right will prevail
All our troubles shall be resolved
We have faith in the Lord
Unless there's money or sex involved

Frail grasp on the big picture
Nobody's calling them for roughing the pitcher
It's a frail grasp on the big picture
Heaven help us

The Kiddushin

The Kiddushin (or the Betrothal) is the period that begins after the Ketubah. During this time the couple is legally married but there exists a period of separation between them. The bride and groom are set apart with undistracted devotion to one another, living in constant anticipation of their union. We need to live with this anticipation for the return of Christ. We need to look forward to the Nissuin (or the Marriage) and to the future celebration we will experience upon the return of the bridegroom. The quarrels between us today come to nothing in light of our future hope and glory.

There are many dwelling places in my Father's house. Otherwise, I would have told you, because I am going away to make ready a place for you. And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will come again and take you to be with me, so that where I am you may be too (John 14:2-3).

You people of this generation, listen to what the LORD says. "Have I been like a wilderness to you, Israel? Have I been like a dark and dangerous land to you? Why then do you say, 'We are free to wander. We will not come to you any more?' Does a young woman forget to put on her jewels? Does a bride forget to put on her bridal attire? But my people have forgotten me for more days than can even be counted (Jeremiah 2:31-32).

You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ,' but rather, 'I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands by and listens for him, rejoices greatly when he hears the bridegroom's voice. This then is my joy, and it is complete (John 3:28-29).

Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready (Revelation 19:7).

The Shiluhim

The Shiluhim (or the Dowry), in addition to the love gifts, were gifts given by the father of the bride to His daughter. Any earthly analogy we use in trying to understand the intricacies of God 's operation, especially in developing relationships with humanity, falls apart at some point. In the analogy, God must fill the role of both the Father of the bride as well as the groom. Think of it this way: He continues to bestow blessing on us from every possible angle. If only we could concern ourselves with the work of blessing others spiritually from every side, then we would no longer need to preach unity.

I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence. Through these things he has bestowed on us his precious and most magnificent promises, so that by means of what was promised you may become partakers of the divine nature, after escaping the worldly corruption that is produced by evil desire (2 Peter 1:3-4).

The Mattan

The Mattan (or the Love Gifts) were voluntary gifts the couple gave to each other beyond the legal aspects of the bride price and the marriage contract. The love gifts given from the groom to the bride specifically reflect the love that God voluntarily gives to us. Beyond the gift of grace, as if it weren’t enough, God continues to bestow blessing on us. This blessing may not always come in the form of material wealth or worldly affluence, as we so often hear in the popular prosperity gospel preaching of today, but it most certainly comes. The following scripture quotation is long, but worth contemplating in its entirety. In fact I would recommend reading the remainder of Ezekiel 16 that follows this quotation to see how we take gifts given to us by God and pervert them to further our own selfish desires.. much like we have done with the gift of marriage.

"Then I passed by you and watched you, noticing that you had reached the age for love. I spread my cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I swore a solemn oath to you and entered into a marriage covenant with you," declares the sovereign LORD, "and you became mine. Then I bathed you in water, washed the blood off you, and anointed you with fragrant oil. I dressed you in embroidered clothing and put fine leather sandals on your feet. I wrapped you with fine linen and covered you with silk. I adorned you with jewelry. I put bracelets on your hands and a necklace around your neck. I put a ring in your nose, earrings on your ears, and a beautiful crown on your head. You were adorned with gold and silver, while your clothing was of fine linen, silk, and embroidery. You ate the finest flour, honey, and olive oil. You became extremely beautiful and attained the position of royalty. Your fame spread among the nations because of your beauty; your beauty was perfect because of the splendor which I bestowed on you," declares the sovereign LORD (Ezekiel 16:8-14).

The Ketubah

The Ketubah (or the Marriage Contract) would be agreed upon by the families once the bride price was paid. They would then seal the agreement with a drink of wine. Jesus broke bread, blessed the cup and drank it at the last supper. Just as we see this marriage imagery providing a deep and rich metaphor for the believer’s relationship with God, the Jewish Passover tradition contains a wealth of symbolism that Christ used to teach His disciples in their final moments together (for more on Passover tradition, visit www.chosenpeople.org, or listen to the sermon "The Messiah and the Passover," given by Mitch Glaser).

And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Matthew 26:27-29).

The bread (or afikomen) taken during the meal was actually in three separate pieces. One piece represented the people, one piece God, and the piece taken between them represented the priest. The tradition calls for the breaking of this middle piece. When Jesus breaks the bread, He asserts His role as our intermediary priest, between us and God, His body broken on our behalf. In a similar fashion, the wine was actually five different representative cups taken throughout the Passover. The third cup of wine, known as the cup of redemption, would be presented after the meal. It served as a reminder of Israel’s exodus from Egypt. This cup Jesus takes and calls His blood. He declares that the blood of His body, the blood of the Passover lamb, will alone atone for sins and save from death.

The Mohar

The Mohar (or the Bride Price) follows the Match. The Father of the groom gave the Mohar to the family of the bride as a statement of the bride’s worth. How much worth do you think you have in the eyes of God? God pays the ultimate price for unity with His bride, giving His one and only Son on the cross. God not only chose us while we rebelled against Him, but He loved us to the point of crucifying His Son to establish a relationship with us. As a pastor of mine would say "Grace is free, but it is not cheap. It is exceedingly expensive." God acts to redeem despite the cost of grace. If we can come to a greater appreciation of this sacrifice on our behalf, we will naturally respond through sacrificing our own lives for others, setting aside our own desires for the betterment of the community, no matter the cost.

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed– not by perishable things like silver or gold, but by precious blood like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, namely Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son (Acts 20:28)

.

The Shiddukhim

The Shiddukhim (or the Match) begins the marriage process. This was a responsibility belonging to the father of the groom, and it portrays God the Father as the initiator of the union process, not us. As much control as we like to think we have over our lives, especially when it comes to choosing who we will marry, we must realize that in our relationship with God He initiates and we respond. God chose us as a match for Himself while we still openly rebelled against Him. Despite our rebellion, God reaches out to humanity with grace and asks us to respond in faith. Grace lays the foundation for any hope of unity.

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that remains, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you (John 15:16).

The Bride of Christ

The Bride of Christ

Husbands, love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her to sanctify her by cleansing her with the washing of the water by the word, so that he may present the church to himself as glorious– not having a stain or wrinkle, or any such blemish, but holy and blameless... For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This mystery is great– but I am actually speaking with reference to Christ and the church (Ephesians 5:25-27,31-32).

The marriage analogy that Paul uses to describe the relationship between Christ and the Church no longer carries the weight today that it did in the original context. Today society perverts marriage into something purely romantic, and therefore fleeting and temporary. Don't misunderstand, romance plays a vital role in marriage, but a marriage founded solely on emotional feeling destines itself to crumble.

If we interpret the analogy as romantic, then we misinterpret the message of the text. When Paul uses this imagery in Ephesians, he does so in the context of mutual, joyful submission and obedience to one another (see the introduction to this section in Ephesians 5:15-21). The commitment holds the relationship together. We have no hope of grasping the importance of this marriage imagery as long as we continue to immerse ourselves in the mindset of a culture that has a warped view of the role God intended marriage to play. So, in order to fully understand this analogy, we must separate ourselves from the culture around us and explore the original context of the message: the marriage tradition of the first-century Jews.

Much of what is discussed here was first raised to my attention in a sermon by Brian Fisher, of Grace Bible Church in College Station, TX, entitled "The Church: Bride of Jesus Christ." I highly recommend you take some time to listen to this sermon. It traces the bride/bridegroom analogy beyond these few verses in Ephesians, identifying passages throughout the entire Bible that enlighten us to the commitment of God for His people and for His bride.

- J.W.

Sunday Lyrics: Be Thou My Vision

Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my heart; Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought, by day or by night, Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light. Be Thou my Wisdom, Thou my true Word; I ever with Thee, Thou with me, Lord; Thou my great Father, I thy true son; Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one. Riches I heed not, nor man's empty praise, Thou mine inheritance, now and always: Thou and Thou only, first in my heart, High King of heaven, my Treasure Thou art. High King of heaven, my victory won, May I reach heaven's joys, O bright heav'ns Son! Heart of my own heart, whatever befall, Still be my vision, O ruler of all.

Review: The Shack

The Shack. By William P. Young. Windblown Media, 2008. 256 pp.

Currently #1 on the best sellers list in religion and spirituality according to Amazon.com.

Review of The Shack, by Brian Fisher

The immense popularity of this book stems from the great curiosity that contemporary society has regarding the book's major theme: struggling with how to handle the apparent absence of God in the midst of personal tragedy and suffering.

This is a question that is vitally important for the Church to address, not only through intellectual argumentation, but also through emotional comfort and sympathy. But these two actions are not disjoint. You cannot make theological arguments that are emotionally detached from the people to whom you minister. And you cannot bring real comfort to anyone apart from sound theological truth.

Though the author is no doubt well intentioned in trying to provide answers and comfort from a Christian perspective, we have to ask: if you present the doctrine of God falsely in order to provide comfort, are you really providing comfort? Are you really thinking Christianly about the love and justice of God?

Here are a few quotes from the review:

Christians must avoid the temptation to modify or distort foundational theological truth as they seek to answer life’s most difficult questions

We should also question whether something is actually wrong about the point he is trying to make if he feels compelled to alter the nature of God in order to prove his case.

There are some boundaries within which creativity must operate if it still wishes to be considered orthodox.

The fact that this book has been so widely read and acclaimed reveals to us that the issues raised are very significant in our culture today. It also reveals that these issues are not being addressed adequately by the Church’s current methodologies.

Check out the review and see what you think. Pay close attention to the concluding remarks in reference to how the Church should go about discussing this book in a manner that is distinctly Christian.

If you would like some further discussion and interaction I also recommend the following discussion of The Shack by Dr. Michael Burer, Jeff Miller, and Brian Gross.

Review: Jesus, Interrupted

Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them). By Bart Ehrman. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2009. 304 pp.

Currently #6 on the best sellers list in religion and spirituality according to Amazon.com.

Like The God Delusion that we looked at yesterday, this is not a text I have read myself, so I will leave the thorough reviewing to people more qualified. I have interacted somewhat with Ehrman's previous work, God's Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question - Why We Suffer. (If you are interested in this latter work, check out this blogalogue between Ehrman and N.T. Wright, who wrote a book on a similar topic).

I would characterize Ehrman's hermeneutic as essentially this: an underlying distrust of Scripture and an elevation of human reason and ability. For Ehrman the Scriptures hold no authority other than what we give to them. But for the Christian, the Scriptures should hold supreme authority in no way dependent upon our reason.

If you haven't read Alvin Plantinga's "Advice to Christian Philosophers," I would highly recommend that you do so. Though geared toward a specific group, his advice is applicable to all Christians, not just philosophers. He essentially argues that there are presuppositions a Christian brings to their work, and in fact should bring to their work. For instance, the statement 'God exists' should be understood as true, and Christians should feel no need to have to rationally prove this statement in order for the belief to be accepted as a reasonable one.

In today's society it is popular to claim that our studies should be completely objective, with no underlying motives, and we should follow the evidence wherever it leads. This is utter nonsense. Evidence never leads anywhere on its own; there are always, ALWAYS, motives and presuppositions that influence the results. For example in Ehrman's case, say you desire to study the Scriptures in way that you feel is objective and neutral, so you set aside the assumption that Scripture is inerrant. You haven't rid yourself of biases, you have just replaced one bias, that Scripture is inerrant, with another bias, that Scripture could be errant.

To think Christianly about the Scriptures, and really any subject we approach, there are certain presuppositions that we must have. Here I think is an essential list. This comes from Dallas Theological Seminary as the seven basic doctrines a student must affirm.

• The Trinity
• The full deity and humanity of Jesus Christ
• The spiritual lostness of the human race
• The substitutionary atonement and bodily resurrection of Christ
• Salvation by faith alone in Christ alone
• The physical return of Christ
• The authority and inerrancy of Scripture
  

With that groundwork laid, I recommend that you check out the review of Jesus Interrupted by Dr. Darrell Bock. Dr. Bock is reviewing this work in stages, so look for us to revisit the topic again.

Sunday Lyrics: Before the Throne of God Above

Lyrics from "Before the Throne of God Above,"
by Charitie L. Bancroft, 1863

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in Heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

Review: The God Delusion

The God Delusion. By Richard Dawkins. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006. 464 pp.

Currently #31 on the best sellers list for religion and spirituality according to Amazon.com.

Though I have read and reviewed god is not Great, by Christopher Hitchens, I have not yet had the opportunity to sit down and read through this book by Dawkins. The absolute best review of this book that I have seen was written by Dr. Glenn R. Kreider in "Bibliotheca Sacra" (Jan-Mar 2008 edition). You can access the article online, but only if you are paying subscriber to the publication (which I would highly recommend, you can get some articles for free if you follow the link so that you can see what all the journal has to offer).

If you don't want to pay for the article, I recommend reading the follow up Q&A article with "Kindred Spirit." This you can access completely free and it will give you a good idea of approach Dr. Kreider takes in his full review.

You might ask, if I haven't read the book how do I know this is a good review? Well, having interacted with Hitchens' work, there are some common characteristics of the new atheism that Dr. Kreider interacts with, and he does so in a way that is distinctly Christian.

The claims of the new atheism must be confronted and dismissed, but they must be confronted Christianly, and the must be dismissed Christianly. In the same issue of BibSac Dr. Kreider also reviews the book The Dawkins Delusion, by Alister McGrath, and it is amazing the similar criticisms that can be leveled against both atheistic and Christian writers. The harsh tones Dawkins levels against Christianity and religion in general are basically mirrored by McGrath, only from the other side of the argument.

We need to stand up and defend our faith, but we need to do so in a way that is different, a way that is unique, a way that is Christian. I highly recommend reading the Q&A article so that you can see that perspective in action.

Review: god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything

god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything. By Christopher Hitchens. New York: Twelve Books, Hachette Book Group, 2007. 307 pp.

We begin this week of book reviews with a shameless plug. If you have visited the blog before, perhaps you have noticed in the upper left a link to an article I wrote on this book.
About a year ago I wrote a brief review for a Christian journalism class. It was published as an online article for "Kindred Spirit" magazine, a publication of Dallas Theological Seminary, in November 2008.

Check out the article here.

I included this book in a blog posting because I still feel it presents relevant opportunities for dialogue both with the Church and between the Church and its opponents. It is currently listed as #98 on list of best selling books on religion and spirituality by Amazon.com.

Hopefully you find the article a different take on modern atheism than what you will see from most Christian authors. Very often when atheists speak we as Christians tend to cover our ears and yell "La la la! I'm not listening!" That description is admittedly somewhat childish yet childish seems to be a good word to me that portrays Christianity's response to its critics. Don't misunderstand me, I am in no way advocating that everything coming from the mouth of modern atheism should be given credence. I often find both their philosophical and scientific arguments lacking (not to say that I have better ones, because my hope is built on faith and not rationalistic proofs, but I digress... a topic for another time). So we cannot take seriously the comments of those outside the faith in regards to Christian doctrine. But one point cannot be ignored: their comments in regards to Christian practice.

Give the article a read and let me know what you think.

Week(s) in Review

Week(s) in Review

Over the next two weeks we will be looking at reviews of several popular books in Christianity and spirituality today. As these books become increasingly popular, it becomes increasingly necessary for the Church to be able to interact critically with the views these books express. Often, books that question the tenets of Christianity find such a large readership because they are wrestling with issues that the Church itself has either remained silent on or treated inadequately.

I heard a quote given in response to a news report which stated that some 30% of people who label themselves as Christian doubt God exists.

"In some cases, because the American public is not terribly theologically literate, they hold contradictory view because they haven't thought deeply, or been taught deeply, about their faith tradition."

Hopefully, through engaging contemporary popular literature in a way that is distinctly Christian, the Church can stem the tide of theological illiteracy.


On the agenda for the weeks ahead:

- (3/9) god is not Great; How Religion Poisons Everything, by Christopher Hitchens

- (3/12) The God Delusion, by Richard Dawkins

- (3/16) Jesus Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (And Why We Don't Know About Them), by Bart Ehrman

- (3/19) The Shack, by William Young


- J.W.

Sunday Lyrics: It Is Well with My Soul

Lyrics from "It Is Well with My Soul"

by Horatio G. Spafford (1873)

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
If Jordan above me shall roll,
No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

But, Lord, ‘tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
Oh trump of the angel! Oh voice of the Lord!
Blessèd hope, blessèd rest of my soul!

And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
Even so, it is well with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Romans 3:21-26, Conclusion

Paul’s argument here appears to be a chiasm that culminates in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ as a demonstration of the righteousness of God (v. 25a). This saving act of God is in complete continuity with His covenant promises (v. 21) and His righteous nature (v. 26a) and comes to all alike through faith (v. 22, 25, 26b).

So when we ask “Is God really just?” we need to stop looking for answers through modern lenses that give rewards based on the merits of good works or intentions. If we keep looking in the wrong place then it should not surprise us to keep coming to the conclusion that it appears God is not acting according to the rules.

God has given His answer to these charges and that answer is the cross of Christ. So when you feel that evil abounds unpunished and the Lord is acting unjustly, don’t search for comforts in modern philosophies and the arguments of secular reasoning. But rather look solely to the cross. This event alone reveals God’s complete righteousness and His gracious mercy.

Romans 3:21-26, God's Perfect Justice

The Reason for Displaying His Righteousness from the Perspective of God (v. 25b–26)

Verifying His Perfect Justice (v. 26)

Again, just as the previous verses, this is still a continuation of a single thought in the Greek, but for English it is best to begin a new sentence. This verse repeats the main idea of the previous verse and adds the element of “the present time.” Verse 25b and verse 26 are really the same thought and both connect back to 25a, explaining why God displayed Christ: “So that He would be just and the justifier of the one (who lives)[1] in the faithfulness of Jesus.”

This serves as both a conclusion to Paul’s third point (see outline) and a summary of the passage as a whole, with the first point centering around God being the justifier and the third point centering on God being just (between them the point of contact in salvation from both man’s perspective and God’s: the cross of Christ).

God did not show His righteousness (v. 26a) in order to show that He is righteous and justifies (v. 26b), but rather He showed His righteousness in order that He might be righteous. What was at stake was not God’s being perceived as righteous but rather being righteous. Being righteous necessitates action. How marvelous then that God chose to act not in deservedly condemning all of humanity, but in providing a way for them to righteously receive mercy![2]

“God’s bearing the intolerable burden of evil Himself in the person of His own dear son is the disclosure of the fullness of God’s hatred of man’s evil at the same time it is real and complete forgiveness” (Cranfield, 214).

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[1] The phrase “who lives” needs to be supplied based on the translation of πίστεως Ἰησοῦ as “the faithfulness of Christ” as in verse 22 (see note 8). The one who is justified is the one who receives the faithful sacrifice of Christ through faith. In other words they now live in His faithfulness.

[2] δίκαιον καὶ δικαιοῦντα: it may be best to translate this καὶ as “even,” “That He would be just even in justifying…” i.e. that He might justify righteously without compromising his own righteousness. God would still be just if He did not justify sinners. Though no argument here is definite, this would also serve to intensify the wonder that God’s righteous action was a merciful one and not a wrathful one.

Romans 3:21-26, God's Righteous Wrath and Mercy

The Reason for Displaying His Righteousness from the Perspective of God (v. 25b–26)

Verifying His Wrath and Mercy (v. 25b)

Just as before, v. 25b is really a direct continuation of verse 25a, with no sentence breaks in the original (just as 25a related to verse 24), but for the sake of clarity it is best to begin a new sentence here in English. “He did this to demonstrate His righteous” or more literally, “for a demonstration,” this indicates the purpose of God’s action in v. 25a. The idea is “God displayed Jesus Christ in order to demonstrate His righteousness” or unpacked further “God publicly displayed Jesus Christ in order to demonstrate that He is righteousness” (Wallace, 117).

Paul now shifts from explaining why God needed to demonstrate His righteousness from the perspective of humanity (so that He alone would be the justifier, v. 26b), to why He displayed His righteousness from His own perspective (so that He would be just, v. 26a). The reason: “because in the forbearance of God He had withheld His wrath against the sins previously committed” or more literally translated “He passed over the sins previously committed.” To translate this as simply “passed over” would give the impression that the past sins will be forgotten without any retribution whatsoever. Rather what is indicated is really the idea of “to leave unpunished for a time though a penalty still remains.”[1]

The sins referred to before the time of Christ becoming hilastērion were not punished as they should (as imperfect sacrifices were accepted for their atonement) nor were they atoned for as they needed. The idea of God patiently holding back his wrath is familiar (Romans 2:4; Acts 17:30), but for God to pass over sins would be incompatible with his righteousness. “God has in fact been able to pass over sins without compromising His goodness and mercy because His intention has all along been to deal with them once and for all, decisively and finally, through the cross” (Cranfield, 1:212).

In other words, this was a demonstration of God’s righteousness because all sins (past, present, and future) are solely atoned for by the only acceptable sacrifice of Jesus Christ.[2] God displayed Christ as hilastērion so that the reality of his righteousness, goodness, and mercy (which would be questioned by sinful humanity wanting to see evil punished) might be established.

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[1] πάρεσιν occurs only once here, but its cognate verb (Cranfield, 1:211) occurs in Luke 11:42 (in reference to neglecting people that should have been paid attention to) and Hebrews 12:12 (in reference to a muscle that had been neglected and needed to be strengthened. In both cases the object is not forgotten entirely, but it is necessarily revisited.

[4] This is not to say that Old Testament saints were saved through an explicit faith in Christ. Rather, that from God’s perspective, He accepted their insufficient sacrifices based on their faith in Him to accomplish His promises which were culminated in Christ.

Romans 3:21-26, Hilastērion

The Culmination of Redemption in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (v. 25a)

“As the means of expiation” is a phrase with imagery that is directly tied in to this idea of sacrifice, and a proper understanding of it is crucial to this passage. Paul uses a Greek word here ἱλαστήριον (hilastērion) whose translation is somewhat debated. The word is used only one other time in the New Testament, in Hebrews 9:5, and there it points directly to its Old Testament referent the “mercy seat,” or in other words the covering of the Ark of the Covenant. In the Old Testament this is where blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement, a yearly ritual performed by the Priest to forgive the sins of the people. The question of this passage is does Paul intend hilastērion to refer to the sacrifice itself, or the place/means of expiation (in other words, Christ as the anti-type of the Old Testament mercy seat)?

The idea of “place/means” is preferable in this context, and probably more specifically “means.” Similar to our reasoning above between “purposed” and “displayed publicly,” to side with “place/means” does not discount that Christ is indeed the sacrifice that was offered, it simply attempts to bring out more the effects which humanity receives rather than the sacrifice which Christ gave. God is shown righteous by providing a means of atonement that is consistent with His righteous wrath against sin. “What it means that God purposed Christ as a propitiatory victim (or as we have interpreted it ‘the means of expiation’) is that because of his mercy he willed to forgive sinful man and forgive them righteously. Purposing to direct against His very self in the person of His son the full weight of that righteous wrath which they deserved” (Cranfield, 1:217, parenthesis added).

The phrases “in His blood” (ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι) and “through faith” (διὰ [τῆς] πίστεως) each modify hilastērion, “the means of expiation.” It was by means of the shedding of his blood that Christ was to be hilastērion. Blood means life, and the penalty of sin was death. For God to be righteous in His actions He must uphold the punishment. Here Paul indicates beyond a shadow of a doubt that just as the sacrifices of the Old Testament, Christ shed His blood, giving His life as the perfect and ultimate and eternal sacrifice, so that He alone would be the means by which sins were forgiven.[1]

The prepositional phrase “through faith” here modifies the noun in such a way that it forms a complete noun phrase and could be written as singular idea with the word “accessible” added (NET Bible note, see also Romans 1:4). So then we have the phrase “the-means-of-expiation-accessible-through-faith.”

Having dealt now with the translation and grammatical issues, let us unpack what Paul is saying. Coming to this verse Paul had two main issues to address: how this act of the crucifixion served as a demonstration of God’s righteousness (v. 22) and how it provided redemption for those who believe (v. 24). It demonstrates His righteousness by providing a means of expiation for sins that is consistent with His revelation in the Old Testament sacrificial system that required blood (life) as the penalty for sins, satisfying His just wrath. It provides redemption in a manner reminiscent of the mercy seat on the Day of Atonement, where the sacrifice was presented as a substitution for the guilty party who placed their faith in God to accept it.

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[1] For a concept of blood seen as sacrifice (see Leviticus 17:11 where cognate is used twice); 1 Corinthians 11:25; Matthew 26:28 = Mark 14:24 = Luke 22:20; Hebrews 9:11ff, 10:19, 29, 13:12, 20; 1 Peter 1:2, 19; 1 John 1:7, 5:6 (Cranfield, 1:210).

Romans 3:21-26, Through the Cross

The Culmination of Redemption in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ (v. 25a)

In the passage so far Paul has described the need of the demonstration of God’s righteousness based on the failure of humanity and that this demonstration came in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Now Paul explains why that sacrifice is indeed a righteous act on the part of God. Many people today view the idea of the cross as cruel and inhumane suffering that is not characteristic of a loving God. Here Paul makes it clear that in order to view God as righteous; He must be viewed through the cross. The crucifixion of Jesus Christ is not an argument against God’s righteousness; it is the argument for it. In this verse we gain a keen insight into how God can remain righteousness in redeeming sinful people.

In the original Greek, this verse is really a continuation from the previous one, beginning with the relative pronoun “whom” (ὃν) referring back to Christ Jesus in v. 24. But because of the complexities of the passage it is really best to start a new sentence here in English. “God displayed Him publicly” (προέθετο) could also be translated as “God purposed/intended Him.” The verb here is only used three times in the New Testament, and each by the hand of Paul (Romans 1:13, 3:25; Ephesians 1:9).

In Romans 1:13 it clearly has the idea of purpose, with Paul declaring his intention to visit the church in Rome, but the other two instances are not quite as clear in that they both refer to God’s revelation through Christ. Conceptually the nuances between the translations make little difference. Translating it as “purposed” emphasizes more the eternal plan of God while “displayed publicly” emphasizes more the physical and historical act of the cross, but neither explicitly deny the other.

God’s eternal purposes were realized in a specific historical event, and that historical event was not a spur of the moment decision on the part of God, but rather it was the final culmination of His eternal purposes. Based on the context within which Paul is arguing, focusing on the occurrence of a given event which made manifest the righteousness of God (v. 21), the translation “publicly displayed” is preferred here.[1] It is interesting to note that the verb could also carry the idea of “offer” as in a sacrifice (BDAG).[2] This would fit well with the imagery Paul uses in the remainder of the verse that we will begin exploring tomorrow.

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[1] There are a number of terms within the immediate context that denote publicity (πεφανέρωται, εἰς ἔνδειξιν, πρὸς τὴνἔνδειξιν), compared also with Galatians 3:1 “You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?” (Sanday and Headlam, 87). Also, though the verb is used scarcely in the New Testament, it’s LXX usage (Exodus 29:23, 40:23; Leviticus 24:8) was used primarily in reference to the setting out of the showbread, pointing to the concept of a public display (Fitzmyer, The Anchor Bible Commentary, 349). Cranfield, who argues for the translation of “purpose,” points to the usage of the cognate noun of προέθετο, προθεσις, in the New Testament. It is used twelve times, eight in reference to purpose and four in reference to the showbread (Cranfield, 1:209). With such a small sample size it is difficult to argue with certainty that the idea of “purpose” is evident in Romans 3:25, when the concept of “public display” was also in use at the time. Outside of the Bible the verb was also used to denote “public display” in other Greek literature (see, Herodotus, History, 31:48 and Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, 7.34). The verb as it appears in context, in the middle voice, typically refers to either “set before oneself/put forth on one’s own part” or “propose to oneself” (LSJ). It overwhelming appears to be used in reference to specific tasks or objects rather than an underlying purpose or intention that is void of any tangible effect. As was stated, taking the translation of “purpose” is not an explicit denial of the physical event, but the verb seems to require that if “purpose” is used it is done so in a way that places an emphasis on the outcome of that purpose.

[2] This sense of “offer” is noted of the active voice, and as mentioned, in this context, προέθετο appears in the middle voice. Perhaps though a possible translation might be “Whom God offered of Himself,” bringing out the deity of the perfect sacrifice of the God-man Jesus. It I impossible to bring this out of the text as the intending teaching of Paul in this verse, but conceptually it does seem to fit with a sound biblical and systematic theology of the cross.

Sunday Lyrics: In Christ Alone

Lyrics from "In Christ Alone"
by Phillips Craig and Dean
from the album Let the Worshipers Arise


In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This cornerstone, this solid ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My comforter, my all in all—
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied;
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid—
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain;
Then bursting forth in glorious day,
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory,
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me;
For I am His and He is mine—
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death—
This is the pow'r of Christ in me;
From life's first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home—
Here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

Romans 3:21-26, True Equality (part 2)

The Reason for Displaying His Righteousness from the Perspective of Man (v. 21–24)

Belief in the Faithfulness of Christ (v. 22–24)

Paul has just finished describing the lack of distinction between people in terms of everyone’s culpability for sin and lacking righteousness. Now in verse 24 Paul focuses on the positive aspects of all humanity being equal: everyone is given the same access point to grace through Christ. In the phrase “Being justified freely by His grace” we again see the theme of righteousness come into play. If we take “lack of glory” to indicate a “lack of righteousness” that all people have on their own merits, then here we see how all people are “declared righteous” (literal meaning of justified) only through grace in Christ. Again, this righteousness cannot be earned on the basis of works or merit (3:20), but solely by the grace of God.

This is emphasized in the word “freely” (δωρεὰν), indicating the manner of this justification: not earned, but free. “By His grace” also indicates that the means of justification is free as well. Paul’s emphasis is clear: we are declared righteous freely by His free gift.

Paul now includes a third modifier of “justified” with the phrase “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Here the idea of “redemption” (ἀπολυτρώσεως) is to be best understood as “being bought with a ransom.” This word is somewhat rare and is a combination of several words meaning literally “to buy back from” and it was used often in connection with the manumission of slaves (BDAG). Paul uses this verb again in Ephesians 1:7, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins” (NIV), and then almost identically in Colossians 1:14.

This relationship to our “forgiveness” leads some to conclude that the real idea is emancipation or deliverance with no concept of payment (Cranfield, 1:206). But when we consider how God brought about this forgiveness through Christ, and we take into account the numerous passages that speak of Christians being bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, 7:23 and 1 Timothy 2:6 from Paul, and then Mark 10:45, Matthew 20.28, Acts 20:28, 1 Peter 1:18f, 2 Peter 2:1, Revelation 5:9, though the verbs are different here they can be seen as synonyms), it should be clear that our forgiveness came at a cost.

God does not merely forgive the bad things that we do; He transforms the bad thing that we are. This is the essence of being re-deemed: reckoned again. We were created righteous in the image of God but became marred by sin and made slaves to its ruling power. In Christ we have been purchased out of our slavery and reckoned as righteous again. This idea of purchasing fits well with imagery of the other two modifiers we have already discussed: “freely” and “by His grace.” We cannot earn justification because it is free, a gift, it has already been purchased by Christ.

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