The Mercy Seat of the Risen Christ: Atonement and the Glory of God in Romans 3.21–26

• Published in: Journal for the study of the New Testament Vol. 48; no. 1; pp. 173 - 196
• Main Author: Westfall, David M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.09.2025
• Subjects: righteousness; Atonement; mercy seat; redemption; resurrection; glory
• ISSN: 0142-064X; 1745-5294
• DOI: 10.1177/0142064X241309937

Scholarship on Romans 3.21–26 typically isolates the death of Jesus on the cross as the moment when Paul says the righteousness of God was disclosed, leading to the justification of all who believe the gospel. In this paper I argue that, although the death of Christ relates in important ways to Paul’s claims in the paragraph, this reading does not fully account for his metaphorical description of Christ as a ‘mercy seat’ (ἱλαστήριον), nor his assertion that those who believe are ‘justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus’. I show that Paul uses this language and imagery to characterize the risen Christ as the sacrificial abode of the glory of God (δόξα θεοῦ) that humanity forfeited through sin and idolatry. His larger claims in the paragraph concerning the revelation of God’s righteousness through faith are thus inclusive of Christ’s ongoing status as the risen Lord, and are not limited to the moment of his death.