Reading through Romans-Free Redemption

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"

Being justified: Paul develops his teaching about salvation around three themes.

- Justification: an image from the court of law

- Redemption (an image from the slave market)

- Propitiation (an image from the world of religion, appeasing God through sacrifice)

Justification solves the problem of man's guilt before a righteous Judge.

Redemption solves the problem of man's slavery to sin, the world, and the devil.

Propitiation solves the problem of offending God our Creator.

Even as all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God is universal, so is the offer of being justified freely by His grace. It is open to everyone who will believe.

Morris, quoting Moule: "The harlot, the liar, the murderer, are short of it; but so are you. Perhaps they stand at the bottom of a mine, and you on the crest of an Alp; but you are as little able to touch the stars as they." Everyone falls short, but everyone can be justified freely by His grace.

How do we fall short of the glory of God? It's impossible to describe every way, but here are some important ways man falls short of the glory of God.

We fail to give God the glory due Him, in our words, thoughts and actions.

We fail to qualify for, and thereby reject, the glory and reward that God gives faithful servants.

Justified freely by His grace: Being in such a sinful state, the only way we can be justified is to be justified freely. We can't purchase it with out good works at all. If it isn't made free to us, we can't have it all. So we are justified freely by His grace - His unmerited favor, given to us without regard to what we deserve. It is a giving motivated purely by the giver, and motivated by nothing in the one who receives.

Freely is the Greek word dorean. The way this word is used in other New Testament passages helps us understand the word. Matthew 10:8 (Freely you have received, freely give) and Revelation 22:17 (And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely) show that the word means truly free, not just "cheap" or "discounted." 

Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Again, Paul's gospel centers squarely in Christ Jesus. Salvation is possible because of theredemption found in Him. God cannot give us His righteousness apart from Jesus Christ.

Redemption has the idea of buying back something, and involves cost. However, God pays the cost and so we are justified freely.

The word redemption had its origin in the release of prisoners of war on payment of a price and was know as the "ransom." As time went on, it was extended to include the freeing of slaves, again by the payment of a price.

The idea of redemption means that Jesus bought us, therefore we belong to Him. Paul expressed this thought in another letter: For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. (1 Corinthians 6:20)