Romans 3:24
24 Being justified [dikaioo] freely [dorean] by his [autos] grace [charis] through [dia] the redemption [apolutrosis]
that is in [en] Christ [Christos] Jesus [Iesous]: KJV-Interlinear
24 and
are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, ESV
Being justified, is the objective or result of obtaining
the perfect life. We are all born spiritually dead thanks to Adam and his sin
of cognizance. All of humanity has died
because of Adam, for through him we have all sinned. That is the transmittal of the sin nature
through humanity from parent to child, through all of the generations.
But now we can be treated as though we are righteous, namely
not or no longer in sin. That is our
perfection.
But this perfection did not come to us by means of our
own work.
Freely, is the word used here in opposition to that which
is earned or worked for, or that which is purchased.
Our perfection was not purchased by us, or by our
effort.
But the key here are the words, gift and grace.
We were born dead.
The dead cannot bring themselves back to life. Sin is a corruption or a decay. That which is decayed or corrupted, cannot
make itself pure and fresh again.
So, without some supernatural help, beyond ourselves,
then we have no way of having any kind of life, let alone a relationship with
Him who is perfect.
So along comes God, who is perfect, has always been
perfect, and will never be imperfect.
But God is also love and He has a plan for all of
eternity, and for us, and through that, we receive His attention.
Our salvation, or restoration to righteousness, comes
to us by means of a gift.
To acquire this, or to have it available, we need someone’s
kind attention and favor. And grace is
Gods favor, originating from Him, and given to us, at no cost.
We cannot deserve it, we cannot earn it, we cannot
work for it. Gods favor comes to us
through His grace, and by means of His effort.
Our redemption is His purchase, His payment of our
debt. Sin is a transgression that
carries with it, the penalty of capital execution. And that means a total and complete
separation from God. And since God is everything,
then we would be separated from everything.
That leaves us nothing and with nothing, if we were to
remain indignant or indifferent or unbelieving.
But for the mere function of a thought, namely faith
or belief in Christ, then we rid ourselves of permanent separation and gain for
ourselves, eternal life.
That person who did this for us, is Jesus Christ, who
is so named in this verse as well as throughout the entire Bible.
