God’s Word Translation
Romans 3:25
25God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past.
Romans 3:25 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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;
- New International Version (NIV)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—
- English Standard Version (ESV)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.
- New King James Version (NKJV)whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
Context of Romans 3:25
23Because all people have sinned, they have fallen short of God’s glory. 24They receive God’s approval freely by an act of his kindness through the price Christ Jesus paid to set us free ⌞from sin⌟. God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past. 26He waited so that he could display his approval at the present time. This shows that he is a God of justice, a God who approves of people who believe in Jesus. 27So, do we have anything to brag about? Bragging has been eliminated. On what basis was it eliminated? On the basis of our own efforts? No, indeed! Rather, it is eliminated on the basis of faith.
Read all of Romans 3Romans 3:25 word by word
ὃν προέθετο ὁ θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν πάρεσιν τῶν προγεγονότων ἁμαρτημάτων ἐν τῇ ἀνοχῇ τοῦ θεοῦ·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- hath set forthπροτίθημιprotithemai · to plan/presentG4388
- a propitiationἱλαστήριοςhilastērion · propitiationG2435
- throughδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- faithπίστιςpistis · faithG4102
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
- toεἰςeis · towardG1519
- declareἔνδειξιςendeixis · demonstrationG1732
- righteousnessδικαιοσύνηdikaiosunē · righteousnessG1343
- the remissionπάρεσιςparesis · passing overG3929
- of sinsἁμάρτημαhamartēma · sinG265
- that are pastπρογίνομαιproginomai · to do beforehandG4266
- the forbearanceἀνοχήanochē · toleranceG463
Cross-references for Romans 3:25
- Acts 2:23By using men who don’t acknowledge Moses’ Teachings, you crucified Jesus, who was given over ⌞to death⌟ by a plan that God had determined in advance.
- Acts 3:18But in this way God made the sufferings of his Messiah come true. God had predicted these sufferings through all the prophets.
- Acts 4:28Through your will and power, they did everything that you had already decided should be done.
- Acts 15:18He is the one who will do these things that have always been known!’
- 1 Peter 1:18Realize that you weren’t set free from the worthless life handed down to you from your ancestors by a payment of silver or gold which can be destroyed.
- Revelation 13:8Everyone living on earth will worship it, everyone whose name is not written in the Book of Life. That book belongs to the lamb who was slaughtered before the creation of the world.
- Exodus 25:17“Make a throne of mercy to cover the ark out of pure gold 45 inches long and 27 inches wide.
- Leviticus 16:15“Next, Aaron will slaughter the goat for the people’s offering for sin. He will take the blood inside, go up to the canopy, and sprinkle it on the throne of mercy and in front of it, as he did with the bull’s blood.
- Hebrews 9:5Above the ark were the angels of glory ⌞with their wings⌟ overshadowing the throne of mercy. (Discussing these things in detail isn’t possible now.)
- 1 John 2:2He is the payment for our sins, and not only for our sins, but also for the sins of the whole world.
- 1 John 4:10This is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the payment for our sins.
- Romans 5:1Now that we have God’s approval by faith, we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.
- Isaiah 53:11He will see and be satisfied because of his suffering. My righteous servant will acquit many people because of what he has learned ⌞through suffering⌟. He will carry their sins as a burden.
- John 6:47I can guarantee this truth: Every believer has eternal life.
- Colossians 1:20God was also pleased to bring everything on earth and in heaven back to himself through Christ. He did this by making peace through Christ’s blood sacrificed on the cross.
- Hebrews 10:19Brothers and sisters, because of the blood of Jesus we can now confidently go into the holy place.
Commentaries on Romans 3:25
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 25Whom God hath set forth - Appointed and published to be a propitiation, , the mercy-seat, or place of atonement; because the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on and before that, in order to obtain remission of sin, punishment, etc. The mercy-seat was the lid or cover of the ark of the covenant, where God was manifest in the symbol of his presence, between the cherubim; therefore the atonement that was made in this place was properly made to God…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Whom God hath set forth - Margin, “Fore-ordained” ( ́ proetheto). The word properly means, “to place in public view;” to exhibit in a conspicuous situation, as goods are exhibited or exposed for sale, or as premiums or rewards of victory were exhibited to public view in the games of the Greeks. It sometimes has the meaning of decreeing, purposing, or constituting, as in the margin (compare Romans 1:13; Ephesians 1:9); and many have supposed that this is…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-26Verses 21-26 Must guilty man remain under wrath? Is the wound for ever incurable? No; blessed be God, there is another way laid open for us. This is the righteousness of God; righteousness of his ordaining, and providing, and accepting. It is by that faith which has Jesus Christ for its object; an anointed Saviour, so Jesus Christ signifies. Justifying faith respects Christ as a Saviour, in all his three anointed offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25As an atoning sacrifice (Greek hilastērion): This Greek word appears in the Greek Old Testament. It refers to the atonement cover, the lid placed on the ark of the covenant inside the most sacred room of the tabernacle. This cover played a central role in the Day of Atonement ceremony (Leviticus 16). Over time, the word came to represent the atonement ritual itself. Paul uses this word to describe Jesus Christ. God provided Jesus as the final sacrifice…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 25-2625-26. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation--or "propitiatory sacrifice." through faith in his blood--Some of the best interpreters, observing that "faith upon" is the usual phrase in Greek, not "faith in" Christ, would place a "comma" after "faith," and understand the words as if written thus: "to be a propitiation, in His blood, through faith." But "faith in Christ" is used in Ga 3:26 and Ep 1:15; and "faith in His blood" is the natural and…Read the comment
Topics related to Romans 3:25
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Romans 3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries