What's So Great About Justification?

Romans 5:1–5 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Romans 5:1a (ESV)

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith...

FACT:

If you have placed your faith in Jesus...

Your status before the Judge of all the earth is:

Fully righteous and completely compliant with the Law of God.

This was paid for by the blood of Jesus.

Illustration:

You are guilty, the judge knows your guilty, everyone observing the trial knows your guilty. In fact, everyone witnessed you committing the crime.

But the judge, steps off his throne and comes to your side and pays your penalty fee by suffering, being imprisoned, and then executed.

Sounds like a good illustration… But its incomplete...

The reality is, Jesus’ blood not only pays your debt, but it completely reverses and remakes your status and reality. It completely changes everything about your past, present, and future. Not just because of it’s value. But because of the declaration of God that we are justified!

A declaration by God is so powerful that it “calls into existence the things that do not exist.” (Rom 4:17).

Romans 4:17 ESV

17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist.

This is the same power that we see in Genesis 1 when God declares “let there be...”.

There is a moment a book by C.S. Lewis called “The Magicians Nephew” where Aslan, representing Jesus, is walking around, speaking Narnia into existence while the two children are watching in wonder.

This is what God has done in our justification. He “calls into existence the thing that does not exist.” Our righteousness. Our complete compliance with the Law.

If God says it, it is so.

This, in itself is a great thing about Justification.. But Paul here tells us so much more.

What’s so great about Justification...

1. I Have Peace with God

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peace: Harmonious relations and freedom from disputes; especially during the absence of war.

If you truly understand God’s holiness and your own sinfulness this statement would be the most relieving and wonderful statement you've ever heard.

“I, a sinful wretch, am at peace with the infinitely holy God.”

What relieve! What joy!

Illustration

Malcom in the Middle episode about the red dress.

Malcom’s parent’s anniversary, his mom finds her favorite red dress in the toilet with half of it burnt. She assumes it was done by either Malcom or one of his two brothers. The entire episode consists of her punishing the kids in order to get a confession. During all of this Malcom and his brothers speak periodically, over the phone, with their older brother, the first born. He coaches them through the whole ordeal. By the end of it, Malcom’s mother gets on the phone and hears Malcom talking to his older brother. Malcom hangs up and his mother starts in to the first born! Blaming him for the entire ordeal. He reminds her that she is fixating on punishment while forgetting to celebrate her anniversary with her husband. This seems to get to her and calm her down. During this conversation, Malcom and his brothers have taped pillows and sheets all over themselves like armor and are tear a hole in the roof and are about to break the window to escape the wrath of their mother. She enters in, their frozen in place, and she says, “Who’s hungry? Let’s go get some dinner”. The boys are floored and relieved over the peace they now have with their mother.

Maybe you can remember being in trouble with your parents. Or at conflict with someone close to you. Do you remember what relief and calm you felt when peace came.

This is what Justification provides you! Jesus, the first born of many brothers, has interceded for us so that we might have peace with God!

You have peace with God!

What’s so great about Justification...

2. I Have Access to God

Romans 5:2a (ESV)

2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand...

Obtained: To have or possess. It’s yours. You own it now.

Access: In the sense of having access to a superior. Someone of importance.

Grace: Goodwill freely giving by God to someone regardless of what they have done to deserve otherwise.

Stand: Used in, what is called the Greek perfect tense. It has a beginning and continues without ending. If you were reading it in the Greek it you would see it as “we stand and continue to stand”.

In “justification” your standing with holy God has changed. You are now a recipient of His goodwill due to your close RELATIONAL proximity to Him. You now have unhindered access to Him.

Distance can’t separate you.

A person can’t separate you.

Your performance can’t separate you.

You can’t separate you.

As I was thinking about this idea of us, having access to God, based on our new standing with him, or you might say our new relationship to him, I was reminded of the pastor I used to serve with in San Bruno, California. Pastor Dave. Whenever Pastor Dave and I would have a meeting, no matter how serious, the topic, or how urgent the conversation we were in was, if his wife, Sharon, ever called, he would pause the conversation and answer the phone. He told me that he did this because she had priority based on their relationship. No matter what he was doing or where he was, or who he was with she had unhindered access to him.

Beloved, this is what you have now with God. Because of justification. Your relation to God has changed.

When you call, He answers. Period

You have access to God.

What’s so great about Justification...

3. I Will Share in The Glory of God

Romans 5:2b (ESV)

...and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Hope: The general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.

Glory of God: The sense of this is that Christians are looking forward to reflecting the glory of God completely as they were originally created to.

So we have hope to be, one day, fully reflecting the glory of God without sin and without stain.

This hope is only possible when trust exists.

It’s not a hope that could be disappointed. That’s generally how we understand and use the word hope. But this is more of an assurant feeling. You know the person’s character because they’ve delivered over and over...

While we as humans are frail, weak, and sinful… We can still see glimpses of this hope in our relationships.

Especially of that with mothers.

I know some didn’t have good mothers or never had a mother. That’s not the way it is supposed to be.

But by God’s grace, I was given a good mother. Maybe you were too.

I know, hope for assuredly, that when I call my mother, she is going to receive me lovingly. She is going to speak life to me. She is going to do the things she’s said she will do!

I know her. I’ve experienced her goodness. From when I was younger, would fall down and scrape my knee. To when I’ve had an emotionally grueling day in ministry. I know that when I call on her she will come and comfort me. Kiss my scrape. Speak life to me.

I know this because I know her. I hope this because it’s true.

Beloved, this is the kind of confidence you can have with God.

One day, Jesus will return.

One day, He will heal every hurt and pain.

One day, He will make you like Himself.

He has proven himself. He has proven His character.

He WILL share with us what He has bought for us!

Beloved, You will share in the Glory of God!

You want more proof of that?

What’s so great about justification...

4. I Am In Production by God

Romans 5:3–4 ESV

3 Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Rejoice: Boasting, bragging, showing off verbally.

Suffering: Any oppressive state of physical, mental, social, or economic adversity.

Produces: Preparing someone or something for use. Like gardening and tilling up soil or pruning leaves off of a plant to enable it to live longer.

Endurance: The power to withstand hardship or stress. Especially as possessing the inward fortitude or will necessary to keep going!

Character: The quality of being proven to be dependable or reliable.

Hope: The general feeling that some desire will be fulfilled.

The longer you endure the more and more you see how faithful God is to fulfill His promises.

All of us are familiar in some way with building muscle or training as an athlete. You can’t build muscle without tearing muscle fibers. You can’t grow in your soccer skills without the pain of practice. And just when you feel like you have to give up, thats when you know you have to keep going.

No pain, no gain.

Every ounce of your straining is tilling up your endurance. Those who are known for being the elite of their sport, like the character that is built over time, are people who suffered immensely to get where they are now.

Claire and I went to visit Larry Morton in the hospital this week. We spent some time listening to Marylin talk about their life together and the struggles and strain put into their life. She wasn’t complaining, but speaking to share their life with us. I couldn’t help but marvel at the simplicity and the steadfastness of their faith. I remember when they arrived here at Webster years ago. Ever since then, they have shown their faith and love and character. But beloved, that doesn’t come over night.

Character and holiness do not come immediately. Parents of recent converts. Holiness and character doesn’t come overnight. It comes with time, with suffering, and with endurance.

The good news is that all suffering for the Christian is under the authority of Jesus because He intends the enemies evil for your good.

And it hurts!

Maybe you’ve heard it said “God never gives you more than you can’t handle!”

BALONEY!! God will give you more than you can handle. Your sanctification depends on it!

But, beloved, He never gives you more than HE can handle!

You have to know this. You have to see this.

You are in production by God!

What’s so great about Justification...

5. I Am Filled by The Love of God

Romans 5:5 ESV

5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Shame: bring dishonor or failure to.

Your hope won’t let you down.

Poured into: Not just filled half full or to the brim. “to become expressed without restraint”. Like un-measuredly (is that a word?) poured into.

This reminds me of my grandmother. My nanny. When I would visit, she never seemed to hold back from me. She loved taking me to the Galleria in Birmingham. She’d buy me treats and shoes and toys. There never seemed to be a limit to her kindness. She’d even make me meatloaf when we got back to her house.

She would pour into me.

When you were justified by faith in Christ, God sent His Spirit into you and that Spirit continually renews you to understand the depth of God’s love for you. Everything you perceive in this earthly life is transformed by the Holy Spirit. You see that God is always working for your good because He loves you.

A lot of people misunderstand the order by which God’s Spirit works in you regarding love.

Some think the Spirit first produces love in you for God. He does do that. But before He can do that, He has to open up to you wide the gates of understanding regarding how much YOU are loved by God.

We love because he first loved us.

The Spirit helps us to understand how God, just like a wonderful grandmother, has lavished His love upon us in full.

Those of you feeling overwhelmed because you don’t love God as much as you know you should… Perhaps your problem isn’t what you can’t produce but is actually found in how shallow your understanding is of God’s love for you. The height, the depth, the width, and the breadth of it all.

Beloved,

You are filled by the love of God.

Summation

What’s so great about justification?

Peace with God

Access to God

Glory of God

Production by God

Love of God

What should I do now?

Because you have peace with and access to God

Go to Him with your heartaches and needs

Why do we feel the need to tell everyone else about our problems before going to the only one who can actually change them!

Fight the urge to complain to people who can’t change your problems

Entrust them to the only one who can “call into existence the things that do not exist”

Because you are in production into the Glory of God

Set your mind to the future that is sure

Surrender to God in the midst of your suffering

Don’t fight your production

Because you are filled by the Love of God

Pour out that love into those around you

Tell others about the love that you’ve found in Jesus

Show the hope that God’s love guarantees you

To Close -

Invite the worship team to the stage.

In just a moment, I’m going to close with reading the rest of this section of chapter 6.

If you need to respond with surrender, the alter is right here.

If you need prayer, we can pray for you up here.

Don’t leave this place without responding today.

I told you that justification through faith in Christ means God has rewritten your reality.

FACT:

Your status before the Judge of all the earth is:

Fully righteous and completely compliant with the Law of God.

Here is a reminder of the reality that needed to be rewritten:

Before you were justified...

You were at war with God because you were His enemy

You were completely cut off from God because of your sin

You were destined for the wrath of God because sin can’t behold His glory

You were in production by your sin and satan; completely in slavery to their purposes

You were God’s enemy fully deserving of His hatred and wrath

That’s what makes the gospel so powerful...

Maybe you need to hear it in God’s own words!

Romans 5:6–11 ESV

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

Life Group Questions

Why did Pastor Caleb say that justification is God “calling into existence the thing that does not exist”.

See Romans 4:17-18 for more deeper discussion.

Why is “peace with God” through faith such a scandalous idea?

Why is understanding my sinfulness and God’s holiness so important for appreciating Justification?

What has Jesus promised us in His scriptures upon His return?

What does “sharing in the glory of God” make you think of?

What are you most excited about regarding “sharing in the glory of God?”

Is being in production by God supposed to be pain-free?

Is there currently some type of “production” happening in your life? Do you need prayer and support?

Can you share how you’ve experienced the Holy Spirit revealing more and more of the love of God to you?

Why is deepening your appreciation and understanding of the gospel so necessary for growing in your own love for God?