The justification of God

The justification of God | Romans 3:24-26 | Ian Goodman
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.

The key concern that Paul has in verse 24-26 of Romans 3 is to do with this question: How can God be both just and the justifier of sinful people? Paul is deeply concerned with the glory of God, especially in the gospel. But there is one thing about the gospel that is a potential threat to the glory of God, that is that the justice of God and the righteousness of God might in fact be undermined if God is too gracious with sinners. If God simply justifies ungodly people by faith alone then surely God is Himself unjust? This is a problem Paul wishes to solve in these verses. He wants to show that God is not shown to be unrighteous in the gospel, but rather God shows his righteousness in the gospel.
He solves it by using two words to describe Christ’s work in the cross: Redemption and Propitiation.
Redemption means “to be bought back at a cost”. The idea is taken from the slave market. If a person got into trouble and couldn’t pay their debts, they were often sold at the slave market in order to pay the debt they owed. However, if this happened, it was also possible for a friend or family member to come along and pay the debt that was owed and so “redeem” the person who was being sold, so that they could go free. Christ is our redemption, and His death is the price paid for our freedom.
The other word used in Christ's work is the word Propitiation, which refers to the way in which Christ deals with or takes away the wrath of God toward the sinner. Christ is the propitiation that takes away the wrath of God. The way He does this, of course, is He takes the punishment for our sins on Himself. Isa 53:5 “upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace.”
God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus Christ, because through Jesus Christ, God has found a way to execute His justice and at the same time let the sinner go free. What an amazing God we worship!