rjones
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2007
- Messages
- 314
''How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?'' (Job 25:4) (KJV).
This age-old question from the book of Job is still being asked today, and the glorious message of the Gospel is that God has provided a perfect and entirely satisfactory way of ''justifying'' the ungodly. (Rom 5:1-11)
THE MEANING OF JUSTIFICATION
"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39).
Here we see that through believing we receive forgiveness of sins AND justification.
Justification is more than forgiveness; it is to be cleared of ALL blame and to be free from EVERY charge. In an earthly court, the judge cannot forgive AND justify a man at the same time. If the judge FORGIVES him, then the man must be guilty, and therefore cannot be justified. If the judge JUSTIFIES him, then he doesn't need forgiveness, because he isn't guilty. God, however, undertakes to both forgive the sinner, and then put him in a new position where there is no charge against him at all. God makes it as though he had never sinned.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1Cor 6:9-11).
HOW WE ARE JUSTIFIED
It is very clear in the Word of God that no one is ever justified by his own efforts (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). This was the fatal error of the man in the Lord's parable in Lk. 18:11-12. No works or resolutions of our own can contribute anything to our justification. It is like a person who has committed a serious crime. All the good deeds that he could ever do would not cause him to be justified in the eyes of the law. In the same way, all the good deeds possible cannot do anything for the sinner.
How can we be justified then? The New Testament presents us with a number of facts about justification:
1. We are justified by God
'' . . . he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus'' (Rom. 3:26)
2. We are justified by grace
This is the principle of the covenant provided by God. This means that we are justified without any merit of our own.
"he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).
3. We are justified by blood
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him"! (Rom. 5:9)
A holy God must have just grounds on which to base his release of sinners. This is found in the sinless blood of Christ shed on the Cross. Sin demands the death penalty (Rom. 6:23). Since all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), all must die - or a representative man must be the substitute. This perfect provision is made in the death of Jesus, the Son of God. Through Him, all the demands of the Law are met, and a holy God is satisfied.
4. We are justified by faith
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1)
Faith is the condition of salvation (Heb. 11:6). Believing on Jesus is the only condition for being justified before God.
5. We are justified by the resurrection
"...but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Rom. 4:24-25).
The resurrection of Jesus is God's guarantee and the eternal and visible proof that He was satisfied with the complete work of Jesus (Jn. 19:30), and that the way has been opened for all who will believe.
6. We are justified by works as evidence of our faith
Our good works after we have believed are the evidence of the reality of justification in our lives. Although they, themselves, don't gain anything for us, they are the product of our release into the new life God has for us.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. (James2:20-24)
This age-old question from the book of Job is still being asked today, and the glorious message of the Gospel is that God has provided a perfect and entirely satisfactory way of ''justifying'' the ungodly. (Rom 5:1-11)
THE MEANING OF JUSTIFICATION
"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:38-39).
Here we see that through believing we receive forgiveness of sins AND justification.
Justification is more than forgiveness; it is to be cleared of ALL blame and to be free from EVERY charge. In an earthly court, the judge cannot forgive AND justify a man at the same time. If the judge FORGIVES him, then the man must be guilty, and therefore cannot be justified. If the judge JUSTIFIES him, then he doesn't need forgiveness, because he isn't guilty. God, however, undertakes to both forgive the sinner, and then put him in a new position where there is no charge against him at all. God makes it as though he had never sinned.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1Cor 6:9-11).
HOW WE ARE JUSTIFIED
It is very clear in the Word of God that no one is ever justified by his own efforts (Rom. 3:20; Gal. 2:16; 3:11). This was the fatal error of the man in the Lord's parable in Lk. 18:11-12. No works or resolutions of our own can contribute anything to our justification. It is like a person who has committed a serious crime. All the good deeds that he could ever do would not cause him to be justified in the eyes of the law. In the same way, all the good deeds possible cannot do anything for the sinner.
How can we be justified then? The New Testament presents us with a number of facts about justification:
1. We are justified by God
'' . . . he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus'' (Rom. 3:26)
2. We are justified by grace
This is the principle of the covenant provided by God. This means that we are justified without any merit of our own.
"he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:5-7).
3. We are justified by blood
"Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him"! (Rom. 5:9)
A holy God must have just grounds on which to base his release of sinners. This is found in the sinless blood of Christ shed on the Cross. Sin demands the death penalty (Rom. 6:23). Since all have sinned (Rom. 3:23), all must die - or a representative man must be the substitute. This perfect provision is made in the death of Jesus, the Son of God. Through Him, all the demands of the Law are met, and a holy God is satisfied.
4. We are justified by faith
"Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom.5:1)
Faith is the condition of salvation (Heb. 11:6). Believing on Jesus is the only condition for being justified before God.
5. We are justified by the resurrection
"...but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Rom. 4:24-25).
The resurrection of Jesus is God's guarantee and the eternal and visible proof that He was satisfied with the complete work of Jesus (Jn. 19:30), and that the way has been opened for all who will believe.
6. We are justified by works as evidence of our faith
Our good works after we have believed are the evidence of the reality of justification in our lives. Although they, themselves, don't gain anything for us, they are the product of our release into the new life God has for us.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. (James2:20-24)
