The Blood of Jesus Christ
A Sermon on Romans 3:25
Originally preached March 22, 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;
Sermon Description
The Old Testament proclaims the need for a savior. Even the Jews knew to look for a messiah. By saying “in his blood,” Paul is alluding to the Old Testament practice of animal sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins. Prior to Christ’s sacrifice, believers would have to sacrifice a clean animal in order for their sins to be blotted out. The blood of the animal is what deemed their sins forgiven, meaning that the death of the animal was necessary. The term “blood” is used to bring this teaching in line with the whole teaching of the Old Testament. In this sermon about “The Blood of Jesus Christ” from Romans 3:25, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones reminds that any interpretation of the New Testament should never contradict the teaching of the Old Testament. In contrast, Paul is now saying that blood means life rather than death. Since the Jews only thought of life in regards to a body, Christ’s sacrifice now shows that the blood He poured out means life. The Jews had to find an animal to be their substitute, but now God Himself has made Christ the substitute once and for all. In this sermon, Dr. Lloyd-Jones encourages rejoicing in the blood of Christ because He has paid the ransom.
Sermon Breakdown
- The sermon examines Romans 3:25 which states "whom 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".
- The sermon looks at how this verse fits into the larger passage from Romans 3:21 to the end of the chapter. This passage details the characteristics of salvation.
- The sermon notes how this passage has been frequently attacked and distorted. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says this is unsurprising given how foundational the truths in this passage are.
- The sermon examines the meaning of the word "propitiation" which refers to appeasing God's wrath. Dr. Lloyd-Jones notes how some try to replace this word with "expiation" to avoid the idea of God's wrath.
- The sermon looks at how Christ is the propitiation for our sins through his blood. His blood refers to his sacrificial death.
- The sermon shows how the New Testament doctrine of Christ's death is expressed using Old Testament sacrificial language, like referring to Christ as the "Lamb of God". This is done to show continuity between the testaments.
- The sermon outlines four principles in the Old Testament sacrificial system: 1) To propitiate God 2) Expiate sin 3) Vicarious punishment of a substitute 4) Pardon and restoration of the sinner.
- The sermon explains how in the Old Testament system, blood had to be shed to atone for sins, as per Hebrews 9:22. This is because the punishment for sin is death.
- The sermon shows how Christ is our substitute, like the animal sacrifices were for the Israelites. But God himself provided Christ as the sacrifice.
- The sermon explains how Christ bore our sins and God's wrath against those sins. This is shown through verses like Isaiah 53:5, Romans 4:25 and Romans 8:32. Christ's cry of dereliction on the cross also shows he endured God's wrath.
- The sermon outlines the accomplishments of Christ's death: ransom, access to God, reconciliation, cleansing, advocacy, and sealing the new covenant.
- The sermon notes that the benefits of Christ's atonement are only received through faith. God set forth Christ as a propitiation through faith in his blood.
- The sermon concludes with a prayer thanking God for his grace in providing salvation through Christ.
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.