11 Justification

Foundational Bible Doctrines:

Justification

Text:  Romans 5:1-11

Romans 5:1-11 (NKJV)
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

Introduction:

1.      One of the most important events in history is related to our study of “Justification.”

Martin Luther was born in Eisleben in 1483, the son of a mining family of rural origin. He attended the Latin School in Mansfeld from 1488 onwards, continuing his schooling in Magdeburg and later in Eisenach. In 1501 Luther began his studies in Erfurt and intended to become a lawyer.

In 1505, however, he made a decision that changed the course of his life radically: he decided to enter the Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. This decision shaped the rest of his life, and his search for a merciful God and His Will culminated in the development of the Reformation of the Church. Luther's negative personal experiences with the ecclesiastical means of grace resulted in not only increasing criticism of the deplorable state of affairs within the church but above all to a fundamental reconsideration of medieval theology.

His public criticism of the misuse of letters of indulgence in 1517 (By the late middle ages, the practice of selling indulgence had degenerated into impenetrably murky financial and political transactions. In response to the wildly growing financial needs of the Papal Court, church institutions were given the rights to sell letters of indulgence as punishment for sin.) did not result in the desired discussion but led to the start of a court of inquisition culminating in Luther's excommunication after the Imperial Diet of Worms in 1521. Friedrich the Wise organized a "kidnapping" to protect Martin Luther's life. Luther spent almost a year as Knight George on the Wartburg, where he translated the New Testament into German.

Luther's most obvious break with his monk's vows ensued when he married the former nun Katharina von Bora in June 1525. The basic unit of the protestant parish house had been born. After the Peasants' War in 1525, which Luther had disapproved of, the Reformer promoted the development of the protestant territorial church through visitations and church policies.

He died in Eisleben, the town of his birth, in February 1546. By order of the Elector Luther was buried in the Castle Church in Wittenberg.

2.      Abraham is the Old Testament example.

a.      When we read “Therefore” we need to see what it is “there for”!

b.       Romans 4 shows how Abraham by faith was imputed with righteousness – NOT by works. (Romans 4:3-5)

c.       Justification is for him who is not working but is believing.

                                                              i.      Most Christians do not understand what it means to simply believe.

                                                           ii.      Believers are still trusting in their own efforts to please God.

d.       King David also believed in imputed righteousness by faith in God.

Psalm 32:1-2 (NKJV)
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.

e.      Abraham tried to accomplish God’s will through his own effort and method.

                                                              i.      The result was disastrous.

                                                           ii.      Abraham had to totally renounce his efforts and depend on God by faith alone.

                                                         iii.      The circumcision was a ritual consecration to follow God.

Romans 2:29 (NKJV)
29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

This vital principle is illustrated with great clarity in Abraham’s experience. For years he had been seeking the fulfillment of the promise in his own way. During that time, God could not give him the real child of promise. Finally, the Lord told Abraham positively that he had to let go of these procedures and accept God’s way. To confirm that Abraham had done so, he was to perform the rite of circumcision on himself and his household

f.        Because of Abraham’s faith “therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:22)

g.       Definition of “impute.”

3.      “Therefore” (because of Abraham’s example) we see how by faith we are justified…

4.      Four important things are accomplished in the believer by God’s declaration of our justification.

I.       The Believer is Pardoned of Guilt

Divine justification pardons those who believe from the guilt and penalty of all sins past, present, and future.

Ephesians 1:7-8 (NKJV)
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace
8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,

John 5:24 (NKJV)
24 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.

Romans 5:9 (NKJV)
9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

II.    The Believer is Imputed with Perfect Righteousness

A.      God bestows on believers the tested, proven, and perfectly righteous standing of Christ – “the righteousness of God!” (Romans 10:3)

1.      We were identified with Adam and thus condemned by his sinful act.

2.      Through the second Adam we have the righteousness of Christ accepted by God.

B.      We see that Christ is our righteousness by faith in him.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (NKJV)
30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption—

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

III. The Believer is Legally United to Christ

A.      Through faith sinful men and women are juridically “in Christ.”

B.      Believers are joint heirs of all the assets of Christ in glory.

Philippians 3:8-9 (NKJV)
8 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

IV. The Believer is Adopted into the Family of God.

John 1:12 (NKJV)
12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:

Conclusion:

1.      What is “Justification”?

a.       It is the gracious verdict of the divine Judge granting sinners united to Christ by faith a complete pardon from the guilt of all their sin and imputing to them Christ’s perfectly righteous moral status.

2.      Have you been justified by faith in Jesus Christ?

a.       You must be born again!

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[1] impute. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.0.1). Retrieved October 28, 2006, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/impute