Romans 3:19-26 English Standard Version (ESV)

¹⁹ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. ²⁰ For by works of the law no human beingwill be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

The Righteousness of God Through Faith

²¹ But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— ²² the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: ²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, ²⁵ whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. ²⁶ It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

This is the essence of the New Covenant. Hidden within these verses is a critical point upon which all salvation hangs in the balance. In verse 20 it can be noted that we need to be justified in God’s sight. Justification is the key element of all salvation and the major difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Strong’s Expository Encyclopedia defines justification in this way; “a sentence of acquittal,” by which God acquits men of their guilt, on the conditions

(1) of His grace in Christ, through His expiatory sacrifice,

(2) the acceptance of Christ by faith,

In Christ, God’s need for justice is satisfied. The word propitiation means acceptable substitute, His expiatory sacrifice.

Exodus 21:1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.

Exodus 21, 22, and 23 lay out details about how Israel should deal with one another. These judgments were specific in detail. These judgments were set in place while Israel was not keeping the covenant of the circumcision. They detail God’s desire for life within the camp before they ever came to the promise land.

In chapter 24 they were written in a book referred to as the book of the covenant. Nowhere within those chapters are there penalties for judgments violated. Penalties for violations would come in the books of Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Mosaic and Levitical laws are separate from these judgments.

When presented with these judgments the people swore to keep those judgments without a promise of performance nor fear of penalty. This is similar to a covenant promise made by man to God apart from promises from God. When we make covenant promises we are bound to our words. If we break them we are found to be liars. God is not bound to covenants we make alone.

Isaiah 44:24-25 English Standard Version (ESV)

²⁴ Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: “I am the Lord, who made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself,
²⁵ who frustrates the signs of liars and makes fools of diviners, who turns wise men back and makes their knowledge foolish,

We are accountable for our words. This however is not the second type of covenant. The second covenant of God was foreshadowed in the wilderness journey while Israel failed to keep the covenant of the circumcision. It was signaled by the design of the wilderness tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant and the sacrificial rites of the Levitical priesthood.

The sign that was shown while Israel was outside the covenant of circumcision is significant. The New Covenant was extended beyond the sign of circumcision to all mankind.