fering His whole
displeasure to arise,' but allowing all nations to walk in their own
ways and to find out their own mistakes and helplessness[3]. The
result of their being thus left to themselves was that men did indeed
become conscious of their misery {134} and need, but also came to
entertain all sorts of slack or unworthy ideas about God. A mere
declaration of forgiveness might have left men with an impression of an
easy-going or 'good-natured' God who would make light of sin. But the
awful burden laid upon Jesus on account of human sin, the awful
sacrifice of His life which He readily offered, restores the sterner
element to our thoughts about God, just at that crisis or opportunity
in the divine dealings, when by God's declaration of free forgiveness
we are made to feel His love. God does forgive us, but it costs Him
much. And no one who under these conditions comes and takes at the
hand of Jesus the gift of pardon can fail to receive with it the awful
impression of the divine holiness and of the severity of the divine
requirements. All the former 'passing over of the sins done aforetime'
was made morally possible because God had in view that 'now at the
present season,' or opportunity, He would 'show,' or prove, His whole
righteousness, and be before men's eyes the righteous being that He is
in fact (righteous rather than merely 'just'); and be able, without the
danger of a great misunderstanding, to give His righteousness full
scope by admitting into {135} it, by a pure act of pardon, every one
who comes simply taking Jesus at His word[4].

Here then there is no room for pride or glorying. It is utterly
excluded because there is here no consideration of human merit. It is
a pure and unmerited boon of the divine bounty bestowed, without
reference to any law known or observed, simply on those who, utterly
confessing their need, accept in faith the offer of love. Again there
is no reference to any chosen race. Jew and Gentile, circumcision and
uncircumcision, are all in the same case. All have the same need. God
is the same, with the same offer, for all alike. He will accept the
Jew because he believes, and He will accept the Gentile with no other
equipment but his faith. Yet this principle of faith involves no
repudiation of the principle of law; rather, it realizes the very end
which law was intended to serve (vers. 27-31).

But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested,