John Calvin wrote of the book of Romans that, 'when any one under­stands this epistle, he has a passage opened to him to the understanding of the whole Scriptures'. Martin Luther also referred to it as 'the chief part of the New Testament and the purest gospel'. If Calvin and Luther are correct in asserting that Romans is the key to understanding the whole Bible, Romans 3:21-26 is surely the key to understanding the main message of Romans. In fact, John Piper calls it 'the most important paragraph in the Bible'. Paul has chronicled the sorry tale of human failure – all humanity, with or without the Law of God, falls short of God's glory and lies under his judgement (Rom. 1:18-3:20). Yet there is hope, and Romans 3:21 begins with, 'But now...' Paul explains God's saving work in Christ in terms of three illustrations of salvation.

The Law Court⤒🔗

The first illustration is that of the law court (verse 24). Whenever an accused person is brought before a judge, he or she is either justified or condemned. The accused is not made righteous or unrighteous, but declared righteous or unrighteous. Hence the accused is either acquitted and released, or else found guilty and punished. The good news of the gospel is that the sinner who believes in Christ is justified by faith. He is acquitted, not because of any good in himself, but because of Christ's taking his place at Calvary. The sinner in himself is not innocent, but in Christ he is accounted as innocent. His nature as such is not changed, but his status is.

The Slave Market←⤒🔗

The second illustration comes from the slave market (verse 24). The sinner is a slave to sin (John 8:34), and so needs to be bought back or redeemed. The idea is not just that the slave is released but that he is released on the payment of a ransom. Christ paid the sinner's ransom to his Father. This sets the sinner free from sin, death and judgement. We are 'bought with a price' (1 Cor. 6:20), the price of Christ's own blood.

The Sacrifices←⤒🔗

The third illustration comes from the Old Testament sacrifices (verse 25). Christ is a 'propitiation' (as in the KJV, NKJV, NASB), not an 'expiation' (as in the RSV). 'Expiation ' refers to cleansing from guilt, but 'propitiation' refers to the satisfaction of justice. It is true that Christ's death on the Cross cleanses the sinner from guilt, but this is because it satisfies the holy justice of God. God cannot ignore sin. His wrath against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men (Rom. 1:18) cannot be defused simply with the passing of time. Sin has to meet with its just deserts. God's love is not lawless, and his wrath is not sinful. In the end, there are but two ways for God's justice to be satisfied: either in the everlasting punishment of the sinner or in the death of God's beloved Son.

These three illustrations are meant to help us to understand why Christ had to die if sinners are to be saved. We are guilty and we need to be acquitted; we are in bondage and we need to be freed; we are judged and we need to be exonerated. At Calvary, and nowhere else, God accomplishes all these things for his people. God is just, and those who believe in Christ are justified, redeemed and cleansed.