Growing Closer to God (3)

Justification

This morning we will be discussing a theological stand point and what it means for us. As we go through the book of Romans we will hit a variety of these points where we will learn what we believe. There are dangers in not knowing what you believe.

Romans 3:21–31 ESV

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. 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, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

Law of God

Justification defined is literally a wiping of the past—a Clean slate. We only need to get justified once. This is a one time event which is where the symbolism of the Baptism of water comes from. You go down dirty filled with the world you come up clean for .2 seconds.

We stated this before

Justification: Just As If I Never Sinned

The first thing we need to understand about Justification is that it’s

Apart From the Law of God

The biggest danger is I think Christianity faces when people don’t know the truth about their beliefs is legalism or it’s counter part permissibility. Thw ord of God allows us to walk a fine line. Think of it as a walking bridge like the one on Oak ST in Nicholson. On a bridge you have the safe place which is right in the middle. You can walk safely without falling off. On either side you have guard rales. Those gaurdrailes don’t stop you from jumping off the bridge purposefully, but they will stop you from tripping, slipping, or being pushed of the bridge. The guardrailes are merely suggestions for your safety. You have the ability to head those suggestions or to ignore them and pray you survive.

The same is true with the God’s Law.

Law of God

The Law of God shows us that we are sinners; without the law we would be ignorant of our disposition. We would go to hell without knowing why. The Law was made to be guardrails to the bridge so that when we bump into the guardrail we know we need to repent.

Galatians 2:21 ESV

I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Galatians 2:

Through Faith in Christ v22

We aren’t justified through works. We cannot work off our debt. That was the point of Christ. This is where legalism or those who like to follow strict rules get debunked. BY adding works to our justification you are subtracting Christ.

For Everyone

Romans 3:23 ESV

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

But not everyone accepts it.

By Grace V24

It’s only because God wants a relationship with his creation

At Christ’s expense V24-25

Think of it like a credit card debt you can’t pay. The credit card company wants to take your house, your car, and any other thing of value, but just as they were about to seize it all someone shows up to pay off the debt. They take the financial hit just like Christ took each thorn, punch, spit, whip, and nail for us. We cannot pay the debt to our sin—so Christ paid it for us

In Perfect Justice V25-26

Because God is perfect he couldn’t break his own law to save us. It’s the famous conundrum if a man is too poor to feed his family is it ok to steal the bread. Justice states no—the bread comes at a cost. To us when we pay for it. To the person who made it the bread and bought the ingrediants if we steal it.

In order to make both the baker and the hungry person whole the only route would be for someone else to pay for the bread and take the loss themselves.

That’s what Christ did. he couldn’t negate the law he had to fulfill it. Both sides had to be made hole. Satan demands death, he has to be paid, so Christ died Paying Satan the debt we cannot afford to pay Satan enough to let us live-so Christ fulfilled the law.

This fulfillment

Establishes the Law VV27-31

We are not free from the law. On the contrary Jesus’ death reaffirmed the law. This is why we are grafted into the family. God doesn’t have two ways to salvation. In fact the path never changed, the price did. Before it costs lambs, cattle and such. Now it’s Christ.

That’s Romans Chapter 3 Summed up in it’s entirety Romans chapter 4 uses Abraham to illustrate Chapter 3 so that the Jewish people will understand.

To state that we have a debt we cannot pay is an understatement.

I have been reading a series called the circle by Ted Decker and honestly it has some of the best imagery to describe salvation in two worlds. Long story short in one world everything is literal. There is a group of people called the scabs who where there sin on their skin. They smell like sulfir, they are pasty white and there skin is literally peeling off. They have grey eyes and the bones ache all the time.

The there’s the forest people who accepted God. they bathed in a river symbolic of baptism and they are free from the disease. The scabs hate the forest people like evil hates good. But toward the end of the seriesyou begin to see how the forest people view of the scabs change. First they were in constant battle. It was good to kill—then after the death of Jesus (called Justin in the story) they began to see the disease for what it was—not their fault-they didn’t even realize they were diseased. They thought the forest people were the diseased ones. They were so blinded by their pain they couldn’t see truth and the forest people’s heart began to break. They did all they could to get the scabs to bath—or be baptised by water. They risked life because the scabs wanted them dead.

We are justified. We are counted as sinless through Christ. We are free from the disease of deaht, but far to many Christians hold to this as part of an elite club. Afraid if they share it will somehow make this club less special. Marketing tells people to do this same thing If you limit the number of seats and raise the price you will make more money because somehow people add value to something if there is a possibility of being excluded, but Christ isn’t a country club.

The fact that we are justified, made whole, should break our hearts for those who are still broken.

the alter call for this morning is this: If you heart is broken for the lost—those who still have a debt they cannot pay. I want you to begin to pray that God breaks your heart. We cannot repay Christ for his death, but we can certainly not let his death count for nothing in other’s people’s lives. Whether you know it or not everyone who calls upon Christ is justified. But there are still so many who owe Satan their lives because death is the price to sin. Church if we aren’t witnessing to others than we are doing Christ a major disservice. We are letting Christ’s death be meaningless to so many others and failing the great commission. To be saved is to become more like Christ. To bear more of Christ’s heart! Ad we know that his heart is that no one shall perish, but all have everlasting life. We also know the bible tells us how will people know if no one tells them. Let us become an extension of the bridge to fill the gap between God and his people. Let us pray.