Declared Clean: The Doctrine of Justification

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Now please take a moment of silence to prepare your heart for worship.

Advent Reading: Peace (Bibi Laborte)

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

Angels From The Realms of Glory

Prayer of Confession (Kevin Hammond)

Assurance of Pardon (Romans 5:1)

In The Fullness of Time

O Come O Come Emmanuel

Scripture Reading (Romans 3:21-26)

You can find it on page 1119 in the black Bibles

Pastoral Prayer (Jason)

Prayer for PBC—Elders

Prayer for kingdom partner—HRF (Paul Speight)

Prayer for US—Newly elected congress

Prayer for the world—Trinidad & Tobago

SERMON

START TIMER!!!

It’s the time of year for a fierce annual holiday debate: is Die Hard REALLY a Christmas movie?

Die Hard doesn’t focus on typical Christmas themes like generosity, peace, or the spirit of giving. Its tone is gritty and violent, which some argue clashes with the holiday mood.

While the film takes place during the Christmas season, the holiday is incidental to the film’s plot and far from central.

Perhaps most convincingly, the filmmakers didn’t initially market Die Hard as a Christmas movie, and its release date in July 1988 suggests they didn’t consider it one.

And yet, the film does have a number of Christmas songs in it’s soundtrack, Christmas decorations on display in multiple scenes, a few moments of holiday humor, and a powerful reunion between a sacrificial hero and a woman with the most Christmasy name ever: Holly.

It’s quite possible some of you may engage in a similar debate on your way home today: Was that REALLY a Christmas sermon?

Turn to Romans 3:10.

Like many churches, PBC has traditionally stepped away from our typical preaching calendar during the advent season. For years I would preach classic Christmas sermons about Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men.

But several years ago I decided to use the Christmas season as an opportunity to teach key Christian doctrines, in a way that would be much more challenging if we were limited to one book of Scripture.

In 2021 we explored the doctrine of the Trinity.

In 2022 we studied the doctrine of the atonement.

Last year we examined the threefold office of Christ.

This year, with God’s help, we’ll study the doctrine of salvation.

Over the next three weeks we’re going to study three steps in the doctrine of salvation that transform us from filthy sinners to clean and righteous in the sight of God.

SHOW SALVATION CHART

Next week we’ll study the doctrine of sanctification, which progressively frees us from sin’s power. Through the sanctification process we are becoming clean.

In two weeks we’ll study the doctrine of glorification, which permanently frees us from sin’s presence. When we are glorified we become forever clean.

Today we’ll study the doctrine of justification, which instantly frees us from sin’s penalty. When we are justified we are declared clean.

With God’s help I want to answer Three Questions About Justification:

Why is it necessary?

What does it mean?

How is it relevant? (Particularly for the Christian who has already experienced it).

1) Why Is Justification NECESSARY?

The doctrine of justification is one of the most important doctrines in the entire Bible.

John Calvin—“Justification is the main hinge on which religion turns."

Martin Luther—"The article of justification is the master and prince, the lord, the ruler, and the judge over all kinds of doctrines."

Charles Spurgeon—"Justification by faith is the cornerstone of the gospel, and when a church lets this slip, it is no longer a church of Christ."

J.I. Packer—"The doctrine of justification by faith is like Atlas: it bears a world on its shoulders, the entire evangelical knowledge of God the Savior."

R.C. Sproul—"If you don't have the doctrine of justification by faith, you don’t have the gospel."

But why is it so important? Consider from our text three simple reasons why this doctrine is necessary:

A) Because of the nature of HUMANITY

At the beginning of Romans 3, Paul explains the spiritual advantages of being born Jewish.

The Jews had access to the Old Testament Scriptures where God communicated personally to His people.

Does that mean, then, that the Jewish people have a special advantage when it comes to salvation?

Paul answers that question with an emphatic NO.

Romans 3:9–18—What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

Both Jews and Gentiles have the same problem.

All people from every ethnicity are born sinners.

No matter what the culture says, we are NOT born with a clean slate.

We are by nature unrighteous.

We do not naturally understand God or His Word.

We do not seek for Him, but like Jonah we run the opposite direction.

Our throats, tongues, lips, mouths, feet, eyes, and hearts are absolutely corrupted by sin.

Justification is necessary because the nature of humanity is corrupted by sin. But also, it’s necessary...

B) Because of the nature of GOD

Now perhaps you hear all this and you wonder what the big deal is. Sure, nobody’s perfect. But God will forgive me, right?

Maybe you view God as like a cosmic janitor. It’s His job to go around the universe cleaning up the messes we make, isn’t it?

Now it is true that God delights to make sinners clean. But God isn’t a lazy janitor. He doesn’t sweep our sin under the rug.

God is holy.

That means every single one of our sins must be dealt with, which means every single one of us is in trouble.

Look at the next verse...

Romans 3:19—Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.

When Paul talks about the law here, it might be helpful to think about the Ten Commandments as a summary of the entire Law.

This is God’s holy standard, what a perfect God demands from His creation.

When you compare your life to the Ten Commandments, how do you fare?

Almost everyone I’ve ever asked this question initially responds by saying, “I think I’ve done pretty good!”

Which means most people don’t really know the Ten Commandments. So let’s spend a few minutes here...

Have you ever ever told a lie before? If you have, you’ve broken the ninth commandment.

Have you ever stolen anything? Most of us probably haven’t robbed a bank or stolen money out of the offering plate, but if you’ve stolen candy from your child’s Halloween stash, or reported hours at work when you weren’t really working, or cheated in school, you’ve broken the eighth commandment.

Have you ever disobeyed your parents or any other authority? If you have, you’ve violated the fifth commandment.

Have you ever committed adultery? Your initial answer might be no, but Jesus says if you’ve ever lusted you’re guilty of breaking the seventh commandment.

Have you ever committed murder? Again, your initial answer might be no, but Jesus says if you’ve ever hated someone or called them names you’re guilty of breaking the sixth commandment.

How are you doing so far? If you’re like me, you’re guilty at every point and there’s five more commandments we haven’t even considered.

How are you going to defend yourself on Judgment Day when you must give an account before a holy God?

Perhaps your knee-jerk response is to say, “I’m not really that bad! Compared to other people I’m a pretty good person!”

Imagine you were on the jury that heard the case for Dylann Roof, the infamous Charleston Church shooter who killed nine church members at a prayer meeting in 2015.

What if he defended himself by saying to the judge, “Your honor, please let me go free. There are far worse murderers than me. What about Timothy McVeigh? Or John Wayne Gacy? Or what about people who have killed millions, like Ghengis Khan, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, or Pol Pot? I’m not really that bad. Compared to other people I’m a pretty good person!”

A judge who frees a murderer because other murderers are worse is an unjust judge.

And a god who frees sinners because others sinners are worse is an unjust god.

God is just, so He cannot grade on a curve.

Justification is necessary because the nature of God is holy and just. But finally, it’s necessary...

C) Because of the nature of the LAW

Maybe you would try to defend yourself before a holy and just God on Judgment Day by saying something like this: “I know I’ve messed up. But I’m going to try harder. I’m going to clean myself up, from here on out.”

Consider the next verse…

Romans 3:20—For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Yes, having the Law of God in the Old Testament was and is beneficial. But it doesn’t make you clean. Instead, the Law simply shows you you’re dirty!

The Law is like a mirror. Mirrors are beneficial to see when you’ve got lettuce in your teeth or ketchup on your cheek. But you don’t rip the mirror off the wall and wipe your face or pick your teeth with it. Through the mirror comes knowledge of filth. But the mirror is useless to help you clean it.

Now do you see why Paul says in verse 19 that the law stops every mouth?

There is no excuse, no work you can perform, no sacrifice you can make that will free you from the penalty you deserve for your sin.

So why is justification necessary?

Because we are filthy sinners.

Because God is holy and just.

Because the law wasn’t given to help us get clean. It was given to expose our filthiness.

Which means we must become clean another way.

Which leads us to the meat of our discussion this morning…

2) What Does Justification MEAN?

In their book Reformed Systematic Theology, Joel Beeke and Paul Smalley define the doctrine this way: “Justification is God’s gracious forensic declaration that guilty sinners are forgiven (and thus freed from condemnation) and reckoned as obedient to the law (and thus worthy of eternal life), both on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ received by faith alone.” [1]

I realize that definition is a mouthful, so let’s break it down together and test it by the Scripture.

Consider with me five keys to understanding this crucial doctrine…

A) Justification is the work of GOD

Our definition states that “Justification is God’s gracious forensic declaration…”

That means that whatever the Bible means by justification, it is clear that this is the work of God, not man.

You catch a glimpse of this beginning in…

Romans 3:21–22a—“But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.

Notice what we need. It’s a phrase mentioned twice in the passage we just read. We do not need self-righteousness. We need God’s righteousness.

And how are we going to get that righteousness?

Not through human effort. Not through law-keeping!

Again, this doesn’t mean the Old Testament Scriptures aren’t helpful, since they bear witness to the gospel.

But the path for you and I to become clean is through Jesus Christ.

Justification is not something we do to ourselves, it is something God does for us. It is God’s work, not ours.

Romans 4:5—And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.

Romans 8:33—Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

Galatians 3:8—And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.”

God is the One who justifies His people. But because God is holy and just, that means...

B) Justification is a gift of GRACE

Our definition states that “Justification is God’s gracious forensic declaration…”

Whatever the Bible means by justification, it is clear that it is something we do not deserve.

When the Bible talks about “grace,” it’s not talking about mere kindness. It’s talking about receiving goodness and mercy when what you deserve is punishment.

That concept is clear in…

Romans 3:22b–24—For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

No matter who you are, all of you have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

What then do we deserve? Eternal separation from God in a place called hell.

But what can we receive as a gift of grace? Justification!

Imagine it’s Christmas morning and you’re surrounded by family who are younger and much more tech savvy than you. You open a present with some sort of technological marvel inside, and everyone is incredibly excited about it. But you have no idea what it is and how it works.

Maybe that’s how you feel right now. You’re grateful for this gift of grace called justification, but you’re not really sure what it is or how it works.

Hopefully this next key will help you begin to understand...

C) Justification is a legal VERDICT

Our definition states that “Justification is God’s gracious forensic declaration…”

I hesitated to use this definition because of that word “forensic.”

When we think of forensics, we’re often thinking about television shows like CSI or NCIS where investigators use forensic science to solve crimes.

But the word forensic actually referred to the courtroom long before it referred to criminal investigations.

When Beeke and Smalley say justification is a “forensic declaration,” they’re inviting us to imagine a courtroom where a judge is about to deliver his verdict. When he declares the defendant “guilty” or “not guilty,” he is making a forensic declaration.

Whenever you read the words “justification,” “justify,” or “justified” in the New Testament, it almost always has this meaning.

A 16th century Dutch Reformed theologian named Antonius Thysius said “the Greek term translated as ‘justify’ . . . is strictly speaking nearly always a forensic term denoting a forensic act of judgment by a judge.” [2]

So when Romans 3:24 says we “are justified by his grace as a gift” it’s saying God is making a legal declaration in heaven’s courtroom.

Just like a criminal’s behavior isn’t changed when the judge renders his verdict, the doctrine of justification is not referring to some change in our behavior.

When the Bible talks about justification, it’s not talking about any change in our behavior.

It’s talking about God rendering a verdict about our eternal souls.

What is the verdict?

Look at our definition again: “Justification is God’s gracious forensic declaration that guilty sinners are forgiven (and thus freed from condemnation) and reckoned as obedient to the law (and thus worthy of eternal life)...”

God looks at guilty sinners—like you and me—and declares we are forgiven.

He looks at disobedient rebels—like you and me—and declares we are obedient.

But wait a minute… I thought God was holy and just?!?! How can a holy and just Judge simply declare that guilty sinners are clean? How can He render a verdict that you and I are innocent, when we know good and well that we’re guilty?!?

Consider with me the fourth key for understanding our justification...

D) Justification was purchased by JESUS

Our definition states that we are declared righteous “… on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ…”

What role does Jesus have in our justification?

Proverbs 17:15—He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

Because you and I are wicked, if God simply declared us to be righteous that would be an abomination.

Like a corrupt judge letting a mass murderer go free.

Or, perhaps, like a president pardoning his own son.

God made a way to declare us righteous without compromising His holiness. He sent Jesus to die on the cross in our place.

When Jesus died on the cross, God wasn’t condemning the righteous because Jesus was carrying our sins on His shoulders.

And when God declares you to be righteous, Christian, He isn’t unjustly justifying the wicked. He is crediting Jesus’ righteousness to your account.

That’s what Romans 3:25 means when it says Jesus was “put forward as a propitiation by his blood.”

Here’s a visual illustration that may help us understand this.

IMPUTATION SLIDE 1

By nature you and I are guilty of disobedience, hatred, impurity, theft, dishonesty, and covetousness. Just to name a few of our many sins.

IMPUTATION SLIDE 2

Jesus, on the other hand, lived a life marked by perfect obedience, love, purity, giving, truth, and contentment.

IMPUTATION SLIDE 3

But on the cross, Jesus was punished as if He had committed all our sins. And if we believe in Him, we are given a righteous verdict as if all His righteousness belongs to us.

2 Corinthians 5:21—For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

You need to understand this justification is not automatic for everyone. It is sufficient for everyone, but only effective for those who believe in Jesus!

Consider the final key to understanding this great and glorious doctrine...

E) Justification is received by FAITH ALONE

Our definition states that we are declared righteous “… on the basis of the finished work of Jesus Christ received by faith alone.”

Romans 3:25 tells us that Jesus was “put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

The instrument by which we grab onto the justifying grace of God that declares us righteous is not our best behavior. It’s not our church attendance. It’s not our giving. It’s faith.

Fanny Crosby put it this way in her hymn, To God Be the Glory:

Oh, perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives.

Dear unbelieving friend, would you believe in Jesus today? You can be declared righteous this instant if you will but trust in Christ!

Dear Christian, don’t think of this doctrine as some outdated relic that was important to the ancients but not relevant to your life today.

Let’s consider our final question…

3) How is Justification RELEVANT?

There is a sense in which that’s a silly question. What could be more relevant than what God’s Word teaches about how we can be saved?!?!

And yet, I understand why some Christians would say, “Yes, but I already have been saved! Why is it helpful for me to meditate on this doctrine now?

In a sermon on this doctrine, Kevin DeYoung said this doctrine should have three results in the life of the Christian: It should make us HEALTHY, HUMBLE, and HAPPY. [3]

Let’s consider each of these in turn…

A) It makes us spiritually HEALTHY

Many Christians are living in unhealthy spiritual despair.

You read the Bible or come to church and you see all the areas in your life where you’re failing.

You’re not evangelizing, you’re not giving enough, you’re not serving enough, you’re not really connected with the membership the way you want to be, you’re not raising your kids right, you’re not reading your Bible as often as you’d like, your prayer life is weak, and on and on we could go.

All of these things in your life is important. You need to grow in these areas. And yet, if you only focus on your sanctification—how you’re growing in holiness—without rightly understanding your justification—how God declares you righteous through the work of Jesus—you will always despair!

Satan wants you to focus on your sanctification before you understand your justification.

You will be more healthy spiritually the better you understand your justification…

B) It makes us HUMBLE

While some Christians are living in unhealthy spiritual despair, other Christians are living in foolish arrogance.

“I’m doing pretty well! I’m grateful I’m not like those other Christians. I read my Bible every day! I pray, I’m not addicted to any substances, I’m not messed up like those other Christians.”

Perhaps you are doing well in all these areas. But along the way you may have found yourself trusting in your own righteousness, rather than the righteousness of Christ.

Let this doctrine humble you, and remind you there was NOTHING you could have done to earn what you have received in Christ.

You will be more humble the better you understand your justification…

C) It makes us HAPPY

Many Christians aren’t too keen on the word happy. We prefer the word “joy.” Happiness we say is based on what happens, while joy is constant no matter what happens.

The problem with this is sometimes you find Christians who say they have joy, yet they look grumpy all the time.

But the New Testament word “blessed” literally means happy. God desires His people to have deep-seated, joy-filled happiness because we understand we have been declared righteous!!!

Truly understanding your justification can lead to an unshakeable happiness.

So Merry Christmas Ya’ Filthy Animal. Because God in Christ has declared you to be clean.

For nothing good have I

Where-by Thy grace to claim;

I'll wash my garments white

In the blood of Calv'ry's Lamb

Jesus paid it all,

All to Him I owe;

Sin had left a crimson stain,

He washed it white as snow

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Jesus Paid It All

Benediction (2 Thess. 3:16)