The Vindication of God
A Sermon on Romans 3:25-26
Originally preached March 29, 1957
Scripture
25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the …
Sermon Description
Perhaps no other theme is preached more often in evangelical churches than the cross of Christ. Evangelical Christians regularly sing songs and hymns of God’s love and specifically of the forgiveness found only at Calvary. What could be wrong with this? In this sermon from Romans 3:25–26 titled “The Vindication of God,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones expounds on the cross of Christ in great detail. Dr. Lloyd-Jones addresses that it is not so much what is said about the cross of Christ, but what is often neglected. Evangelical Christians must never neglect the full doctrine of the atonement. They must not forget that the cross of Christ not only displays the love of God but also the justice of God. The atonement of Christ is where God indicates His holy name. At Calvary, the wrath of God is poured out against sin and the righteousness of God is vindicated. Listen to this sermon on vindication by Dr. Lloyd-Jones on an often neglected attribute of God and see how God’s character is much more than love; He is also just and righteous.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon focuses on Romans 3:25-26 which discusses how God presented Christ as a sacrifice to demonstrate God's righteousness.
- Verse 25 says "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith." This shows how Christ's sacrifice allows us to be reconciled to God through faith.
- The term "sacrifice of atonement" refers to a propitiatory sacrifice that appeases God's wrath. Christ's sacrifice appeased God's wrath for our sins.
- The shedding of Christ's blood refers to his death. His death is what allows for the atonement of our sins.
- We access this atonement through faith in Christ. Only those who have faith in Christ can experience redemption and salvation.
- God did not just present Christ as an atonement, but also to demonstrate his righteousness. God's righteousness refers to his moral uprightness, holiness, and justice.
- God demonstrated his righteousness by passing over sins committed beforehand through his forbearance. God withheld punishment for sins before Christ's sacrifice out of patience and tolerance.
- Christ's sacrifice demonstrated God's righteousness by showing that God did in fact punish sin through pouring out his wrath on Christ. This allowed God to remain just while justifying sinners through faith in Christ.
- Christ's sacrifice is not just for sins before his time, but for all sins - past, present and future. His sacrifice dealt with all sins once and for all.
- The cross does not just show God's love and forgiveness, but also his righteousness, holiness, and justice. We must understand the full meaning of the cross, not just part of it.
- God can justify sinners and remain just because he poured out his wrath on Christ as a substitute for us. Our sins were punished in Christ, so God can forgive us freely.
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.