The Gospel of Grace (Romans 3:21-31)

[Stephan Choe]

November 2, 2026

Key verses 23-26: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

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We are – to a greater or lesser degree – influenced by a mindset based on the principle of "performance and reward," even if we are often unaware of it. Consequently, we tend to believe that everyone should be treated according to their actions: those who have done wrong should be treated accordingly, while those who have done good deserve a corresponding reward.

There is certainly some truth to this view. However, it is precisely the attitude that often makes it difficult for us to understand and accept the grace of the Gospel.

Martin Luther, John Wesley, and many others initially approached the Word of God in the Bible through the cencept of this performance-reward principle. However, once they understood the grace of God as revealed in the Gospel, they were filled with joy and began to proclaim the Gospel of grace with great power.

Today's Bible passage offers a fitting explanation of the grace of God found in the Gospel. When we understand this grace correctly, we can fully enjoy the blessings of God's grace.

1. The turning point (21-23)

We strive to lead as blameless a life as possible, hoping to be recognized by others as good and reasonable people.

But how good do we have to be for God to recognize us – based on our behavior and actions – as good and righteous people?

In response to this question, Jesus said: “Therefore you must be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

To be perfect means to commit neither mistakes nor sins, but to do only good. In other words, we must be as perfect as God—free from sin and doing only good—in order to be recognized by God as good and righteous.

Unfortunately, we all make mistakes and sin. That is why Paul explains, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (23).

Consequently, at God's future judgment, nothing other than "damnation to hell" awaits us.

But to our surprise, instead of delivering a sentence of condemnation, God announces our pardon,

“But now, apart from the Law, a way to the righteousness of God has been revealed to us, as it was attested by the Law and the Prophets” (21).

The Supreme Judge does not unleash his wrath from heaven upon our godlessness and injustice—as we might have deserved. Instead, he proclaims forgiveness and blessing to us, the children of God. This comes as a complete surprise! It is a fortunate turn of events in our lives.

With this judgment, the age of law has passed, and the age of grace has begun. That is why the Apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 6:2,

“Behold, now is the time of grace, behold, now is the day of salvation.”

We should truly recognize that we live in the age of grace.

2. Four terms[1] for our rescue (24-26)

How is it possible for God to declare flawed, sinful people righteous and to warmly welcome us as His children?

The answer is:

 “24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”

In this answer we find four terms that relate to our salvation: justification (“being declared righteous”), grace, redemption, and atonement . Understanding these four terms allows us to grasp the Good News.

First: Justification [2](24)

The first term is “justification”.

Paul says in verse 24, “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

The image above explains justification as "being rewarded for having done nothing" (in German: “Für’s Nichttun Belohnt werden.”)

The word "Justification” – in German “Rechtfertigung” means the claim to have done everything correctly. Someone who has acted correctly in every respect is considered just.

However, God declares us righteous—even though we have acted wrongly—because we confess our sin and believe in Jesus Christ, who already took the divine punishment upon himself in our place. Consequently, God forgives us and declares us righteous. This is precisely what is meant by "justification."

We must understand that we were not made righteous because of our own righteous deeds. Rather, God forgave our injustice and accepted us as righteous people—as His own children. Through our own deeds, we would have no way of being recognized as righteous by God or being His children. But Jesus Christ took the divine punishment for all our sins upon Himself. As a result, God forgave us all our sins, declared us righteous, and warmly welcomed us as His children. Our righteousness, therefore, is a righteousness bestowed upon us —a gift from God.

As Paul says in verse 22, “I am speaking of the righteousness from God that comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.”

This righteousness is a wonderful grace from God. This is the Gospel—the Good News. We must never think that we have become righteous and children of God because of our own good deeds. We must never forget this grace. We must hold fast to this Gospel and always remain humble and grateful to God for it.

Second: Grace [3](24)  

The second term that describes our salvation is grace.

In verse 24 Paul says, “(we) are justified freely by his grace …”

What does the word "grace " mean?

Grace has four important meanings. These four meanings help us to better understand the nature of God's grace.

First, grace refers to God's forgiving kindness. When we describe someone as gracious, we mean that they are not strict or legalistic. Rather, they are willing to forgive others' mistakes and warmly welcome them. Our salvation comes about because God is gracious—He readily forgives our sins and receives us with open arms. We can accept God's grace with a heart full of gratitude.

Secondly, grace means salvation . Salvation encompasses both redemption and blessing . Through Jesus Christ, God redeems us from sin and hell and blesses us as His children. This is a wonderful grace from God. That is why Jesus is called our Savior.

Third, grace means "gift." God gives us something precious—completely free. He grants us forgiveness, the privilege of being His children, and the Kingdom of Heaven. But His gift is not "cheap"; God sacrificed His Son, Jesus Christ, for it. We are to accept God's precious gifts—forgiveness and our adoption as children of God—and thank Him for them.

Fourth, it means "favor." God is well-disposed toward us and loves us. Out of this favor, God gives us eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and his kingdom. We were sinners and enemies of God—yet God loves us—despite the fact that we are sinners and his enemies! What immeasurable favor that is! Therefore, we can cry out to God with grateful hearts: "Dad, my dear Dad!"

We can now summarize these four meanings of grace: God's grace in Jesus Christ means that God, out of love and through the forgiveness of sins, has freed us from condemnation and given us eternal life, the status of children of God, and the kingdom of heaven.

The story of the believing criminal on the cross is a good example of this grace.

As Jesus hung on the cross, two hardened criminals were crucified beside Him. One of the criminals repented, believed in Jesus as the Son of God, and pleaded with Him: “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!”

Jesus immediately answered: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise!” (Luke 23:42–43).

Through faith in Jesus Christ, the criminal received forgiveness, salvation, the gift of paradise, and the favor of Christ. This is God's grace. This is a miracle of Christ.

Not only this criminal, but everyone who believes in Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God receives the same grace – completely free of charge.

Third: Redemption [4](24)

The third term that describes our salvation is redemption.

In verse 24 Paul says, “to be justified… through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

What does the word "redemption" mean?

There are two ways to explain the concept of "redemption": one can look at it from its Greek word or understand it through the story of the Old Testament.

In Greek, the term "redemption" means "ransom." In Roman times, if a slave was to be freed, the required ransom had to be paid to his master. God gave the life of Christ as a ransom for us—which is why Jesus died on the cross for us. Since God has already paid for us with Jesus Christ as a ransom, we are now free from sin and hell; we have received forgiveness and attained the status of children of God.

In the context of the Old Testament, we understand the word "redemption" as "liberation." The Book of Exodus tells us that God redeemed Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Israelites could not free themselves from this bondage; yet, through His omnipotence, God freed them from their slavery in Egypt and led them to the promised land of Canaan. This was God's redemption of the Israelites from the slavery imposed upon them by the Egyptians.

God has redeemed us from the bondage of sin and hell. To this end, He sent Jesus Christ—just as He once sent Moses to bring about the liberation of the Israelites. Jesus Christ redeems us from sin, the devil, and hell; He gives us true freedom and the status of being children of God, and He leads us into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus Christ is the true liberator. We are to fully accept and enjoy this liberation.

Fourth: Reconciliation [5]through atonement (25)

The fourth term that describes our salvation through Christ is reconciliation through atonement.

God is holy. Therefore, as long as our sin problem remains unresolved, He cannot simply accept us as His children. God requires an atoning sacrifice to be reconciled to us and to accept us as His children. In the Old Testament, priests slaughtered animals and sprinkled their blood on the altar to make atonement; this made reconciliation between people and God possible. Blood symbolizes life, and the shedding of blood represents death—for sin demands nothing less than the death penalty, as God's Word states in Hebrews 9:22b: “Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.”

For this reason, in the Old Testament the blood of the sacrificial animal was sprinkled on the altar to make atonement for the people (Leviticus 17:11).

Paul says in verse 25,

“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith , in his blood, to demonstrate his righteousness, by forgiving the sins committed previously.”

"Him" here refers to Jesus Christ. God used Jesus Christ as an atoning sacrifice so that He could die bleeding on the cross to bring about our reconciliation with God. Whoever believes that the blood of Christ was shed for their sins receives forgiveness and is reconciled with God.

We are to believe in the efficacy of Jesus' shed blood. Once and for all, Jesus Christ took upon Himself the punishment ordained by God for all our sins—past, present, and future; He shed His blood on the cross and died. As a result, God blots out the sins of all who believe and remembers them no more. We no longer need to fear God, for He has forgiven us, bestowed upon us the status of His children, given us the Holy Spirit, and provides for us for all eternity. What a great blessing!

While we hold fast to our belief that Christ shed His blood for our sins, the Holy Spirit transforms our inner selves – sometimes gradually, other times in quite dramatic ways.

When we become aware of our weaknesses, we should not lose heart. Instead, we should remember that Jesus shed His blood precisely for our sins, and thank Him for it. In this way—step by step, but with certainty—we put away our old habits and adopt new ones. Thus, God, through His Holy Spirit, transforms our inner being and reveals His holiness. We are therefore called to believe in the work of the Holy Spirit and to thank God for it.

3. Can we boast [6]? (27-30)

May we now boast because we have become God's princesses and princes?

What does Paul answer? He answers in verse 27: “That is impossible. By what law do we become righteous and children of God? Not by the law of works, but by the law of faith.”

God has faith in Jesus Christ for two reasons made the path to our salvation :

First, because we did not become children of God through our own deeds; and second , because God does not want us to boast about ourselves. Instead, God desires that we remain thankful and humble before Him. If we want to assess our spiritual condition, we should examine whether we are thankful and humble before God.

4. Love [7] uphold the law (31)

Verse 31 reads: “Do we then by faith nullify the law? On the contrary, we uphold the law.”

How does faith in Jesus Christ uphold the law? Faith in the grace of Jesus Christ empowers us to follow the law more effectively—not according to the letter, but in the spirit of Christ and out of gratitude for his grace. The spirit of the law is love: love for God and love for our fellow people. Through faith in Jesus Christ, we can gratefully accept God's love for us and thank him wholeheartedly for this love. With a grateful heart, we no longer view our fellow people through the lens of legalism, but through the lens of love. In this way, we can readily forgive others their sins and strengthen them in their faith. Amen!

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[1] https://pixabay.com/de/klee-vier-kleeblatt-gras-symbol-156451/

[2] http://www.nebenjob.de/ratgeber_nebenjobs/mindestlohn-umgehen-arbeitgeber-tricks.html

[3] https://abideandgrace.com/products/abide-and-grace-gift-card?srsltid=AYCX9vJkdizkM5iHk8pC0XvuQnCOlRgxEaXELxvwqZYb7XI8p3Hr0qKH

[4]https://elpuntocristiano.org/estudios/ser-humano-esclavo-pecado/

[5]http://www.my-blumenversand.de/streitversoehnung.html

[6] https://www.fotolia.com/id/38426977

[7] https://www.autonomhealth.com/blog/valentinstag-so-feiert-dein-herz-die-liebe/