Sermon Tone Analysis

! INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this paper was to research either Justification or Progressive Sanctification.

Both points of view are held by Christians in our world today.

The question then is which is the most biblical?

Which does the bible support by its doctrines?

In this course we are studying the book of Romans and it is in this book of the Bible that Paul directly confronts this question.

He makes a very clear point that we are justified by our faith in Jesus Christ.

It is with this perspective that I write this research paper.

Justification will be my main topic and I will build the case for it on sound Biblical doctrine.

In the Book of Romans, Paul builds the case that man is justified by faith alone.

There are no works that need to be done to be justified, just faith.

This is a faith in the Jesus, in what he has done for man through his life, death and resurrection.

This is the only atonement that is needed for our sins; nothing we do can take away our sins.

Christ has done all this for us.

With this in mind let us look closer at Justification.

!

Justification – A Definition

Looking at the word in English, justification means “the act, process or state of being justified by God.”[1]

It is also defined as “a divine, forensic act of God, based on the work of Christ upon the cross, whereby a sinner is pronounced righteous by the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.[2]

So by looking at the English word we see that Justification is an act of God that makes one righteous based on the work of Christ on the cross.

We add to this the word Faith.

The idea that one believes in this justification based on its face value.

There is nothing to give, nothing to do, just believe.

In the Greek the word for faith is Pistis.

In the Greek the word Justification is dikaiosune.

This word can be translated as justification, but can also be translated as the word justice.[3]

But as Romans clearly shows by the context the word is used in the proper translation should be justification.

Paul is talking of justification as an act that has been completed.

Justice shows that something must be done.

With this in mind I feel that the word that Paul is using is best translated as justification.

As will be pointed out in the following paragraphs the two words Justification and Faith are closely related.

It is by our faith in Jesus Christ that we are justified.

To summarize the definition of Justification let us look at what Augustus Strong points out:

By justification we mean that judicial act of God by which, on account of Christ, to whom the sinner is united by faith, he declares that sinner to be no longer exposed to the penalty of the law, but to be restored to favor.

Or, to give an alternative definition from which all metaphor is excluded:  Justification is the reversal of God’s attitude toward the sinner, because of the sinner’s new relation to Christ.

God did condemn; he now acquits.

He did repel; he now admits to favor[4]

!

Justification – A Brief History

Our justification simply put is based upon God’s Grace.

So why do we need to be justified?

This question goes back to the Book of Genesis, when Adam and Eve broke God’s commandment not to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree.

This willful act put a wall between God and man.

We have been trying to climb this wall ever since.

The thing man forgot was that there is nothing that he could do to make this right.

Though man made the decision that separated us from God, only God could bridge this gap again.

We will see in the Book of Romans that God has indeed made it possible for man to be joined with Him once again.

God began his plan of retribution for man’s sin immediately after man had taken the bite of the apple.

God never left man; He guided man throughout the Old Testament trying to lead man back to righteousness.

He first chose a man to lead man back to this state.

Abraham was a man that God chose.

The important point that must be noted here is that God chose Abram (Abraham).

Abraham did not choose God.

Paul in the Book of Romans (Romans 4 1-25) shows how this choosing by God led to Abraham’s faith.

This is important; Abraham’s faith came after God choose him.

It was not Abraham’s faith that caused God to choose him.

God choose Abraham as he was.

As a sinner and a man that was raised in the religions of the times that had multi-gods and unholy acts.

This is great proof for Paul’s argument in Romans as it deals with us.

God takes us as we are and what we are.

He does not make us go through a certain routine or course to become righteous.

God’s continues our path to righteousness by working through the man Moses.

By this time Israel had become a nation and as God’s people they wanted to be justified.

God gave them the Ten Commandments to aid them to this end.

In giving them the Law or as in the Greek nomos, God gave Israel a means to be justified.

Unfortunately this was a plan of disaster for Israel.

They would find that it was very difficult to uphold the Law.

Instead of leading the Israelites to God the Law led them farther away.

The Old Testament tells the story of how the Israelites tried to fulfill the law.

They found ultimately that it was too difficult to uphold.

God also realized this and he sent Jesus to fulfill the Law.

It is through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection that we are justified.

Jesus is the propitiation or our atonement for our sins.

Christ came to the earth to die for our sins.

He once and for all covered the sin of the world.

The one who was sinless became sin so that we might live.

From this point the Church began to teach the idea of sanctification, a means by which man becomes justified.

This is based upon what man can do to earn his justification.

It was not until a catholic monk in Germany questioned the teaching and in particular searched the Book of Romans that Justification by faith came to the front.

In particular he studied Romans 1:17:

“For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.””[5]

It was in this verse that Martin Luther began to question what he had been taught his whole life.

He saw a connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the righteous will live by faith.”[6]

More in depth, Luther saw what the Bible teaches above what man tries to teach.

“I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that “the just shall live by his faith” Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith.

Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise.

The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the “justice of God” had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love.

This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven.”[7]

It is clear that Martin Luther has seen the clear teaching of the Bible.

That man is Justified by his Faith.

God is the one who Justifies but man is the one that believes.

! Basis – What is Justification Grounded ON?

 

 First we will look closer at Romans and various scriptures that reinforce the theology of Justification.

In Romans 3:9 – 12:

 

What shall we conclude then?

Are we any better?

Not at all!

We have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin.

As it is written:  There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands God.

All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good not even one.

[8]

 

This is where we begin.

We begin as nothing.