Justification

*white board illustration — have people come up and write on the white board different sins / try to fill up the white board.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve learned some truths that have essentially stacked onto each other:

Scripture (tells us what’s true about ourselves and what’s true about God) -> God -> God’s Holiness (He is totally unlike anything in his perfection) -> God’s Sovereignty (He rules, oversees, and controls all things for the benefit of his people) -> God’s Power (God is limitless in his power) -> Creation (We covered this in Genesis — God is our Creator.) -> God’s Image (You, me, and everyone in the world are made in the image of God.) -> Sin (The image of God has been marred through universal sin and our individual acts)…

And these all lead us to a need to be justified or justification.

WHAT WE BELIEVE

What We Believe — Bible Baptist Church

We believe that the great gospel blessing which Christ secures to such as believe in Him is justification; that justification includes the pardon of sin, and the gift of eternal life no principles of righteousness; that it is bestowed not in consideration of any works of righteousness which we have done; but solely through faith in the Redeemer’s blood, His righteousness is imputed unto us.

Justification declares that Christ’s obedience and sacrifice for our sin counts as ours. So by faith, we need to receive, accept, and rest in Christ as the sole means of our justification. It is a gift of God to us. And God continues to forgive the sins of all who are justified. The faith that justifies is not a dead faith, but works itself out in love. Even though we can’t fall out of our justification, we may fall under our Father’s displeasure because of our sin. But if we humble ourselves, confess our sins, plead for forgiveness, renew our faith, and repent, the light of God’s face will once again shine on us.

Turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians 3:8-9

Philippians 3:8–9 KJV 1900

8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

Remember, our lesson from last week? The doctrine of sin tells us that we are inherently not righteous, we can’t make ourselves righteous, and we’ll never be righteous. Remember David’s words from Psalm 51? We are all shapen in iniquity (sin) from the womb. And so, as Paul wrote, if we are to have any righteousness it can’t come from inside of us. Righteousness must come from outside of ourselves.

HOW IT MATTERS

Because we’re sinners who stand under the judgment of the holy God, we need a sacrifice to atone for all our sin.

Can anyone define the word atone for me?

Atone: to cover or to make reconciliation.

Through the atonement received through Jesus’ blood, our standing before God is no longer based on our own performance. Instead, we have been justified, declared righteous, because of Christ’s performance.

*pay a debt

Let’s notice some implications and application for us concerning justification:

THE NEED FOR SACRIFICE

Many of you (and sometimes myself included) probably spend most of your time reading the Bible in the New Testament. It’s probably easier to understand what’s going on. You probably are gaining more application from it. etc… But if we believe all Scripture is profitable we must spend time in the Old Testament. Read it. Understand it. Apply it. Use the Bible Recap.

Here’s something for us to consider: You cannot see the brilliant glory of justification until you look at it through the lens of the Old Testament sacrificial system.

If we really thought about God… And if we really thought about ourselves… We’d ask questions like these: How in the world could the holy God have communion with unholy people? Would God bridge this huge, life-destroying sin gap, and if he would, how would he do it?

The answer is that sacrifices had to be made. Sacrifices had to satisfy the requirements of God’s justice so he could extend the mercy of his forgiveness to sinners. Yet… Old Testament sacrifices offered temporary satisfaction.

A payment for sin needed to be made that would once and for all satisfy God’s requirements and allow sinners to be forgiven and to live at peace with him.

This means that the entire old system, with all of its blood and gore, was a daily cry for the final Lamb of sacrifice, Jesus. His substitutionary obedience and his substitutionary sacrifice mean that all who put their trust in him are fully and completely forgiven and able to stand before God as righteous.

Hebrews 10:12 KJV 1900

12 But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;

Justification — We are declared forgiven and righteous by God.

Justification comes only through the righteous life and the acceptable death of Jesus. Jesus is the only way by which justifying grace can flow to sinners like you and me.

John 14:6 KJV 1900

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

As you read through the Old Testament, notice the correlation between the sacrificial system and Jesus. Notice the shortcoming of the sacrificial. Notice how Jesus is meant to be the sacrifice that satisfies all of God’s wrath.

Ask yourself this question — How do the Old Testament sacrifices make Jesus’ death for sin more amazing and precious to you?

As we prepare for the Lord’s Supper in a couple of weeks, these are things you should be thinking about. Jesus exchanged his righteousness for my unrighteousness. He gave me life through his death. God’s Son suffered for you and I to become a child of God.

TRUE CHRISTIANITY

Do you know someone who must always be right? Think about that person right now. And guess what? Someone is probably thinking about you right now… (Amanda).

Everyone wants to be right. Everyone wants to think he has a good track record.

Maybe you think this statement or have heard someone use it before — Do right, good things happen. Do bad, bad things happen.

A life that operates on that premise will be burdened by the constant need to perform, the constant need to measure up, the constant need to convince yourself that you’re good enough.

This never works.

The reality is that we fall short of God’s holiness.

Where do you feel as if you don’t measure up? Why do you feel that way / Academics — Feeling dumb compared to classmates who always get higher scores. Appearance — Comparing their body, weight, or height to influencers or peers. Popularity — Being left out. Talents — Feeling overshadowed by a more talented sibling. Spiritual — “I struggle with sin more than other Christians.”

But this is exactly what shows why justification is so precious. God declares us freely justified by forgiving our sins and by accepting us as righteous.

God does not justify us by declaring that our faith or our obedience count as righteousness. Instead, by grace, God justifies us by declaring that Christ’s obedience and his payment for our sin count as ours.

Notice these verses from Paul in Romans 4:5-8

Romans 4:5–8 KJV 1900

5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

What’s our response then to this justification? We need to receive, accept, and rest in Christ and his righteousness as the sole means of our justification.

And this is what is essential to Christianity.

Buddhism says we must achieve disciplines in order to reach enlightenment… AKA you can eventually be good enough.

Islam says that we must submit and obey in order to reach spirituality… AKA you be good.

Moralism teaches that if we do good then we are good… AKA you’re good.

Christianity is the only religion that looks to another in order to receive justification.

GOOD ENOUGH?

Here’s some uncomfortable news concerning justification — You can’t enter into the glorious rest of justification by hoping in yourself or your efforts.

*illustration about hanging on my doorsill in order to get taller.

Hopelessness is the key to receiving justification. You have to abandon hope in yourself in order to run in the hope of God.

This is not hope you have earned, but hope that has been earned by another and given to you by grace.

Ephesians 2:8–9 KJV 1900

8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Newsflash! You are not good enough. This is the opposite of what culture tells us.

Why does culture’s confidence in human ability ultimately lead to hopelessness?

And so, the bad news about yourself points to the good news — the gospel.

In his righteous life and substitutionary death, Jesus has made it possible for us to be forgiven, accepted, and declared righteous by God.

NEW LIFE, NEW LIVING

Turn with me to Galatians 2:20

Galatians 2:20 KJV 1900

20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Notice two statements in this verse that apply to all believers.

First, a historical gospel fact: “I have been crucified with Christ.” We are united with Christ in his death and resurrection.

This means that when Christ died, we died. And when Christ rose, we rose to newness of life.

But notice the second statement.

Second a present gospel reality: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” Because we are united to him, he empowers us to do what we could never have done before.

Simply put, Because of our union with Christ, we experience new life. This life, which ignites new thoughts, desires, and actions, is not ours. It’s Christ’s.

2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV 1900

17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Believers are new creations in Christ. But we all still struggle with sin, with the flesh.

Where are you giving in to thoughts, desires, and temptations that you now have the power to resist?

We don’t conquer sin through discipline, self-reformation, or trying harder.

Instead, being in Christ means that the power of the resurrection is now the power that lives inside of you.

Sin doesn’t just leave us condemned. It also renders us unable both to be what God has designed us to be and also to do what God has commanded us to do. Yet in Christ we are empowered for a brand new way of living.

ONE BIG FAMILY

The family with the most documented children in history is the 18th-century Russian family of Feodor Vassilyev and his wife Valentina, who reportedly had 69 children between 1725 and 1765. Valentina gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, 7 sets of triplets, and 4 sets of quadruplets in 27 pregnancies, with 67 children surviving infancy.

That’s a big family… But…

1 John 3:1 KJV 1900

1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.

In Christ, we now are accepted as the adopted sons and daughters of the Most High God.

*illustrate adoption / Annie musical

In Christ, we now live with all the rights and privileges of children of the almighty one.

Now look around this room. If you are a believer, you are not only united to God, but we’re united to one another as well.

Think about how amazing this is!

List things we have in common. List differences. List places where others are unified (Costco, YMCA, season ticket holders)

The unity that the body of Christ has in one that we could never create on our own. We have supernatural unity.

We are one because we are one in Christ. We are in him, and he is in us. And because this is true of you and me, we are united to one another as well.

What a shame it is when we gossip, when we snear at someone else, when we judge one another for what we wear… These are your brothers and sisters.

I’ve heard how some of you stick up loyally for your siblings… And I love it. But what a shame that when it comes to our spiritual family we allow hateful words, talking behind others backs, ignoring one another, or never getting to no someone outside of your click.

Scripture describes us as a family.

NEW LIFE IN CHRIST

The doctrines of justification and union with Christ are the best pieces of news sinners in this sin scarred world could ever hear. *Gospel presentation.

God uses justification not only to change our eternal destiny, but our every day interactions as well. He changes how we think, what we desire, and how we live.

What are some identifiers of justification in a believer’s life? How might justification change our day to day life?

Here are five words that capture the new lifestyle that is propelled by the doctrine of God’s justifying grace.

HUMILITY

God’s grace in justification confronts our self-righteous pride. Humility is one of the doctrine of justification’s good fruits.

GRATITUDE

Because sin is self-centered, complaint is more natural for us than gratitude. You can’t properly reflect on the doctrine of justification without a heart overflowing with thankfulness.

FREEDOM

The justifying mercies of Christ release you from the requirements of the law and from the paralyzing burden of guilt and shame.

VALUES

What you value demonstrates the level to which you understand justification.

DEFENSE

Have you ever felt Satan throw your unrighteousness at you? Throw the perfect righteousness of Jesus back at him, and he will flee.

APPLICATION

Here are a couple of practical pieces of application:

Spend time thinking about Jesus’ exchange of death for life on behalf of us. Justification is the most wonderful gift we’ve ever received.

Are you trying to hard? Pride seeks to justify itself. Justification through Christ fuels humility on behalf of the recipient.

If you’re not currently a believer, know this… you, me, and everyone in this room have two things in common. 1) We are not good enough to gain reconciliation with God and entrance into heaven. 2) Apart from the justifying grace of Jesus, we all stand under the just wrath of God toward sin through eternal death.

All believers are united to one another through the love Jesus bestowed to us on the cross. The only fitting response is that we love one another.