dent from the fact that Christ is uniformly presented as a Redeemer, not in the character of a teacher, but of a priest, a sacrifice, propitiation, &c. Comp. Eph. 1 : 7. Heb. 9 : 15. Col. 1 : 14. 1 Tim. 2 : 6. Matt. 20 ; 28.
That is in Christ Jesus, i. e. which is by him, as the preposition here rendered in means in places almost without number; Acts 13 : 39, "by him all that believe are justified," &c. Acts 17: 31, "by that man whom he hath ordained," &c. &c.
(25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, &c. This clause contains the ground of our deliverance from the curse of the law, and of our acceptance with God, and constitutes therefore the second step in the apostle's exhibition of the plan of salva- tion. He had already taught that justification was not by works, but by faith, and entirely gratuitous ; he now comes to show how it is that this exercise of mercy to the sinner can be reconciled with the justice of God, and the demands of his law.
The two most commonly received interpretations of the word rendered propitiation are the following. 1. It may mean the propitiatory or mercy- seat. It is used in this sense repeatedly in the Septuagint, and also in the New Testament. See Exod. 25: 17, 18, 21. Heb. 9: 5, &c. But this meaning of the word is here unsuitable, because Christ is not else- where called the mercy-seat, and because it violates the propriety of the apostle's language, inasmuch as he immediately speaks of the blood ot this hilastarion. 2. According to the second interpretation the term here signifies a propitiatory sacrifice, or propitiation. It is properly an adjec- tive, and is applied to any thing designed to render God propitious. Hence the frequent phrases ' propitiatory sacrifice,' ' propitiatory monu- ment,' ' propitiatory death.' In this case the word for sacrifice may be understood, or the Greek term occurring in the text may be taken sub stantively. This interpretation is to be preferred to the other, as more consistent with the context, more consonant to the scriptural representa tions in reference to this subject, and perfectly consistent with usage.
Through faith in his blood. These words may be connected either with the immediately preceding or with those at the beginning of v. 24. According to the former method, the sense is, ' Christ is a propitiation through faith in his blood,' that is, which is available to those only who exercise this faith, and on this condition. According to the latter, ' We are justified through the redemption that is in Christ .Tesus (we are jus- tified) through faith in his blood.' So that this clause is co-ordinate with the last member of v. 24, and explanatory of it. The first method 'ippears the more simple and natural of the two.
To declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are pa.^t, through the forbearance of God. Having stated the nature and ground ©f the gospel method of justification, he comes, in this clause, to state it objects. ' God has set forth Christ, as a propitiatory sacrifice, to de- clare his righteousness.' It should be remembered that the object f)f the death of Christ, being very comprehensive, is very variously pid