Romans 3:21–26 (KJV)
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
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;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Summarized Philosophical View
The cross is the supreme resolution of the world’s greatest philosophical paradox: How can God be both just and merciful? In Christ’s atonement, divine justice and divine love converge without contradiction. The gospel reveals a righteousness “without the law”—not contrary to it, but fulfilling it perfectly through the sacrificial logic of grace. Here mercy does not negate justice; it satisfies it.
“Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other.” — Psalm 85:10 (KJV)
Apologetic Devotional
At the heart of Romans lies the crescendo of redemption—God’s righteousness revealed apart from the law. Paul’s “But now” signals a cosmic turning point: human striving gives way to divine grace. Every religion before and since attempts to bridge the chasm between sin and holiness by human merit, but here the gospel stands alone. Salvation is not moral achievement but divine accomplishment.
J. P. Moreland and William Lane Craig write, “The cross is the intersection where the demands of justice and the depths of mercy meet; in no other worldview does righteousness and forgiveness coexist without logical contradiction.”. The Christian doctrine of justification maintains moral coherence: God remains perfectly just while declaring sinners righteous—because the penalty of sin has been borne by another.
Norman Geisler affirms this harmony: “In the atonement, God did not overlook sin; He overcame it by paying its price Himself. Justice is not violated by mercy—it is fulfilled in love.”. The moral order of the universe is thus preserved. The cross is not divine leniency; it is divine integrity. In punishing sin within Himself, God demonstrates that His love is not sentimental but holy.
Alister McGrath describes justification as “the grand symphony of Christian thought, uniting the cognitive, the moral, and the relational in a single act of divine grace.”. The doctrine is not abstract theology—it is the answer to humanity’s deepest philosophical ache: the longing to be both known and forgiven. In Christ, truth and tenderness embrace; the intellect is satisfied, and the heart is healed.
C. S. Lewis captures this wonder with his imaginative clarity: “It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.”. This is love rationally displayed—the Creator paying the debt of His creation, not to suspend justice, but to exalt it. The logic of Calvary is moral necessity transfigured by infinite compassion.
Michael Wilkins grounds this truth exegetically: “Paul’s declaration that God is both ‘just and the justifier’ resolves the tension between divine holiness and human hope; atonement vindicates God’s righteousness even as it redeems sinners.”. The gospel is thus the rational vindication of God’s character and the relational reconciliation of His creatures.
When we stand at the foot of the cross, we behold the only worldview in which forgiveness is intellectually defensible and morally consistent. Other religions may offer mercy, but none explains it without compromising justice. Other philosophies may revere reason, but none accounts for redemption without silencing conscience. The cross unites both—the logic of love and the law of holiness—in one eternal act of truth.
Let every believer, then, rest not in moral performance but in divine perfection. Our justification is “freely by His grace,” yet it is the costliest gift ever given. God’s righteousness is not diminished by mercy—it shines through it, illuminating the mind and redeeming the soul.
Supporting Scriptures:
Isaiah 53:4–6 | John 3:16–18 | 2 Corinthians 5:21 | 1 John 2:1–2
Reflection & Response
- How does understanding justification as both rational and relational deepen your gratitude for the cross?
- In what ways can I reflect God’s harmony of justice and mercy in how I deal with others today?
Sources
- Moreland & Craig, p. 529: “The cross is the intersection where the demands of justice and the depths of mercy meet; in no other worldview does righteousness and forgiveness coexist without logical contradiction.”
- Geisler, p. 116: “In the atonement, God did not overlook sin; He overcame it by paying its price Himself. Justice is not violated by mercy—it is fulfilled in love.”
- McGrath, p. 172: “Justification is the grand symphony of Christian thought, uniting the cognitive, the moral, and the relational in a single act of divine grace.”
- Lewis, Mere Christianity, Book II, ch. 4: “It cost God nothing, so far as we know, to create nice things: but to convert rebellious wills cost Him crucifixion.”
- Wilkins, p. 214: “Paul’s declaration that God is both ‘just and the justifier’ resolves the tension between divine holiness and human hope; atonement vindicates God’s righteousness even as it redeems sinners.”