Part Two of Justification by Faith

(Romans 3:21-24; begin with 24)

Introduction:

The title of our lesson this morning is . . . . and if you remember from our first lesson on justification we looked at several words that go into defining for us the doctrine of justification, didn’t we? Justification is something that God does to us, something Christ did for us, and something we receive, isn’t it? It is an act of God whereby we are declared righteous! We are not made righteous, but we are given a righteous covering, we are given the righteousness of the risen Christ. The final result of justification will be an actual righteousness, though, won’t it? When Jesus comes again, people, the devil and the works of the devil will be destroyed. We shall be made like Jesus , won’t we? We shall be without sin! Justification is not just something for the here and now, it goes on through to eternity. 1 John 3:2 (KJV)

2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

We also talked about the three components of justification: God declares us not guilty; He declares us innocent; and as I just said, He declares us righteous. We talked about the Day of Atonement and how that most important day prefigured the coming of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus, who would take away the sins of the world. There is no longer a need for the daily sacrifices for sin, or the yearly sacrifice for sin, Jesus made the final and complete sacrifice, didn’t He? Instead of the blood of a slain animal on the altar of the living God we are to present living sacrifices, aren’t we? We are to present ourselves as living sacrifices to our God.

If you remember we discussed a whole lot of words last time together. And other than justification, which is a word we need to always keep in our minds as we study this morning, we are going to come back to three words this morning: atonement, propitiation, and redemption.

The word atonement really means reconciliation. We tend to use the word atonement to describe what Jesus accomplished on the cross. We say He made atonement for sin. And by His sacrifice, He certainly reconciled to the Father to all who place their trust in Him. Another word that describes what Jesus accomplished on the cross is propitiation. The sacrifice of Christ’s atoning blood satisfied the Father’s wrath for our sin. So, this word is a vitally important one, isn’t it? It is no accident that Paul uses this word here after so forcefully writing of the universality of human guilt in the preceding chapters leading up to this section on justification, isn’t it? The final word, redemption, is a glorious word. Again, as Paul has so forcefully concluded, all of humanity is guilty before God. We are none righteous, we are all sinners. We are all trapped in the bondage of sin. The Bible describes us as slaves to our sin natures, right? The word redeem means to buy back, to repurchase. It was used in NT times for purchasing a slave from slave block with the idea of setting that slave free. And because we are slaves to our sin, and the consequences of sin is death and decay, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross must redeem us, buy us back from the slave market of sin. Our redemption has both a present and a future implication then, doesn’t it? We are free from the judicial consequences of sin, we won’t be punished for them; we are free right now from the dominion of sin, the power of sin to dominate our lives; and we are also free from the corrupting and decaying power of sin, we will one day have an eternal body just like our Lord’s! And how are all of these marvelous things applied to repentant sinners? They are offered freely as a gift, by grace, through faith. Justification by faith is the title of our lesson, isn’t it? We are justified by faith apart from any works! Let’s read our passage of Scripture now.

I. Propitiation and Justice (Romans 3:24-26)

(1 I want to read verses 24-26 together this morning, although we will mostly be considering the last two verses. Verse 24 frames what comes after it, I believe. We need to focus on the word freely when we consider all the aspects of justification. We hear all the time in sermons about our not being able to work for our salvation, of course. But it is a fact that we need to meditate on from time to time. We also need to always consider our own unworthiness before God. Many of us, even in the church, really do imagine that the world is all about us, don’t we? That everything about the life that God has given to us is only for our own benefit. In sermon after sermon you will hear that God is merely waiting to give you the best days of your life right now. And there are all these little things you must do to tap into the vast reservoir of God’s goodness. We almost have the idea God is some genie in a bottle waiting on us to rub the magic lantern and He will pop out and grant us our heart’s desire. But while it is certainly true that God will bless His children, it is also true that our blessings and our needs are not God’s primary consideration when it comes to His actions in the world He created. Why has God done all that He has done? What is His motivation for acting in the world? Why did He create in the first place? The answer to these questions is not stated in the verses we will read, but it really needs to kept in view when we discuss justification, when we consider the wonder of our salvation. God has acted in world for His glory. Redemption! Salvation! The cross exists to show the grace, mercy, love, and glory of the Triune God. And what God counts as glorifying to him is amazing to consider. Listen: Ephesians 2:7 (KJV)

7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. God has justified us freely as a gift by His grace. And He has done so in order that we might more fully see the great and awesome beauty of His glory. Look at your Bibles, verses 24-26.

(2 Verse 25 states that God was propitiated, He was satisfied, by the shed blood of His Son, right? Why does God require a blood sacrifice? Why is it blood shed in death is the only that makes atonement for sin, that reconciles fallen sinners to a holy God? The answer is found in one the more difficult books of the Bible to read. Leviticus is probably not on anyone’s top ten list of favorite books of the Bible, is it? And yet throughout some of the genuine strangeness of the book, you can find answers to why Christ fulfilled all of the requirements of the law. If Leviticus is read with Jesus in mind many of the things there become more understandable. Blood is required to propitiate the Father! Why? Leviticus 17:11 (KJV)

11 For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.

(3 It is the blood pumped throughout our bodies by our hearts that brings life, isn’t it? Without a proper flow of blood to all the parts of our body there will be an inevitable decay of whatever body part is not receiving the proper flow of blood. I don’t know how long I had a blockage in my right leg. It was for a fairly long period of time. At first I put the weakness and pain I felt off as being the result of being out of shape from lack of exercise due to an operation I had on my knee. But the fact was I wasn’t getting the proper blood flow to my leg. The result is my right leg is still quite a bit weaker than my left one. There was some damage to tissue and muscle that I haven’t gotten back up to par. The life of the flesh is in the blood, right?

(4 What is the penalty for sin? Death! Romans 6:23 (KJV)

23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

(5 So, God requires our death as payment for our sin, doesn’t He? Eternal separation! The second death! But throughout redemption history, God has graciously allowed mankind to offer a substitute, hasn’t He? The OT animal sacrifices all prefigured the coming Lamb of God, Jesus, right? And now that Jesus has eternally paid the price there is no need for all those bloody sacrifices to be made. But we must never forget the severity of God. He is gracious to be sure. More gracious than I deserve. But He demands payment for sin. Justice must be served!

(6 The writer of Hebrews tells us this: Hebrews 9:22 (KJV)

22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

We have a tendency to want to kind of sanitize our faith, don’t we? We want a neat and tidy little religion. We want nice, pretty little decorations of crosses. We want perfume and nice little bromides and cliches. We want nothing that is truly too offensive, do we?

(7 But listen, the cross is offensive! The cross is dripping with blood and savagery! It is only at the cross of our Lord and Savior that we can truly see the Father’s wrath for sin. God hates sin! And Jesus bore the fury of His Father’s wrath for our sin on the cross, didn’t He? And that blood sacrifice that Jesus made, that shedding of His life’s blood in death, propitiated, satisfied, the Father’s wrath. Right? If you have trusted Christ as your Savior that wrath is no longer pointed at you, is it? If you have not, you will have to bear that wrath yourself. Listen, you cannot satisfy the Father. Only Jesus could!

(8 All those animal sacrifices never finally and completely satisfied God’s wrath. They had to be repeated over and over again, didn’t they? Hebrews 10:1-4 (KJV)

1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. 2 For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. 3 But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. 4 For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Because Jesus is Himself eternal, His sacrifice eternally satisfied the righteous demands of a holy God. Only He could do this, guys. You cannot. There is no righteous deed we can do that will eternally satisfy God! None! And through the forebearance of God, by His not pouring His full wrath on humanity, but waiting until the fullness of time to send His Son into the world to live and die, God showed His grace, didn’t He? But by pouring that wrath on Jesus, He demonstrated His righteousness, too.

(9 Look at verse 26 again. What is it that I have been saying we need in order to gain entrance into God’s presence? It is righteousness, isn’t it? Hebrews 12:14 (KJV)

14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: God is holy, we are not! We’ve been saying this ever since we began our studies in Romans. How did God show justice at the cross? He did punish sin, didn’t He? God vindicated, absolved, cleared, His righteousness at the cross. He punished wrongdoing. The righteous Judge passed sentence, didn’t He? And by punishing sin there on the cross, by displaying His righteousness, He could become the justifier of all those who place their trust on Doer of this insanely wonderful event!

(10 Guys listen, our justification is a miracle! I cannot think of a greater miracle that the living God performed that is more truly miraculous than the salvation of single human soul. The redemptive plan that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit created in eternity past to rescue the creature God so lovingly created is one of such stunning and glorious perfection that it takes my breath away sometimes.

(11 I am a manifestly sinful man! Even though I am saved and God has graciously allowed me to turn from many of the sins I used to commit, much to my chagrin and shame, I still sin! And yet as God looks at me, He sees Jesus, doesn’t He? When God looks at me, He sees me clothed in the garment of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! He has declared me not guilty! He has further declared me innocent! And even further, my God has declared me righteous! I can now enter into the presence of the living God whenever I want, and find grace to help in time of need! Listen, I am justified, not by any merit or work of my own, am I? I am justified solely by the finished work of Christ on the cross and by my faith in that singular act!

(12 Do you understand why I have chosen to end each Sunday School message with John 14:6. John 14:6 (KJV)

6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If the Bible is true, if salvation is through Jesus and what He accomplished in His death and resurrection, why would the God who initiated this plan allow anyone to come to Him in any other way? Justification is a miracle, isn’t it? It is in justification then that we can see the glory of God, isn’t it?

II. Justification, Faith, and Boasting (Rom. 3:27-28)

(1 So, where will boasting be? When you and I stand before God and give an account, what will we have to boast about? Ourselves? Our work? Paul wrote in Galatians 6:14 (KJV)

14 But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whoma the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. And also in an important passage from 1 Corinthians, Paul tells the church at Corinth the wisdom of the world is foolish. There is no boasting in the world’s wisdom, or in our own wisdom and good deeds. This teaching from Scripture on justification has been a major stumblingblock for many, hasn’t it? 1 Corinthians 1:23-24 (KJV)

23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; 24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. We are so self-centered that we cannot stand to admit our own lack of worth before God, can we? We have such a difficult time believing that we have nothing in the way good works that will make us acceptable to God. We feel an almost primeval urge to boast about our own works, our own perceived goodness. But there is none righteous, is there? All have and come short of the glory of God. There will be no boasting about ourselves on that day, guys. Look at your Bibles, verses 27-28.

(2 Have you ever met someone that all they could do was talk about themselves. It never seems to matter what the conversation is about they will somehow steer it around to them. They are so me-centered they are a pain to be with, aren’t they? They have a vaunted and exaggerated opinion of themselves. And they don’t mind sharing that opinion with others. Not long ago, there was a CEO of a Fortune 500 company who pulled into a service station to get gas. He went inside to pay, and when he came out he noticed his wife engaged in a deep discussion with the service station attendant. It turned out that she knew him. In fact back in high school before she met her eventual husband, she used to date this man.

The CEO got in the car, and the two drove in silence. He was feeling pretty good about himself when he finally spoke: "I bet I know what you were thinking. I bet you were thinking you're glad you married me, a Fortune 500 CEO, and not him, a service station attendant."

"No, I was thinking if I'd married him, he'd be a Fortune 500 CEO and you'd be a service station attendant."

(3 What Paul is saying here is, you cannot stand before God and brag about how good you are and how you are a self-made man. That big guy CEO thought he was a big deal, didn’t he? But his wife informed him that without her he just wasn’t much. And guys, without the Lord, we aren’t much either. Paul writes that really we are nothing.

(4 Paul writes that boasting is excluded. How? By works? No! But by the law of faith. Faith! That word, faith, is vital for having a relationship with a God you cannot see with your physical eyes. Our five physical senses cannot detect God, can they? I believe they can point to a Creator-God, but we cannot know Him by physical means. But we know He exists and that He is real in our lives, don’t we? How do we know? We sense God’s presence by means other than our physical senses; those senses of sight, smell, touch, hearing, and taste. God can, and often will, use the material world around us to impress upon us the reality of His existence, but we come to the Lord in spirit and truth, don’t we? We look back on certain reliable happenings: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus; the reliability of all Scripture; even our physical senses looking around us at the universe and concluding that the universe must have a Creator. We look at all these things and trust, have faith, in the truth of them. Our faith, your faith, should never be placed of something that isn’t true. Our faith is not a blind one, but is one that is placed firmly on a Rock, the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ!

(5 Without faith there is no Christian life, is there? Because without faith there is no salvation! We can’t begin a life with Christ without faith and we can’t live a life with Christ without faith. But faith is not just some emotion out there that comes and goes with winds of life. Faith is the gift of God. So is the air, but you have to breathe it. So is bread, but you have to eat it. So is water, but you have to drink it.

So how do we accept this gift? Not by a feeling, for “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). It is not for me to sit down and wait for faith to come upon me with a strong feeling of some kind. Rather, faith comes when we take God at his word. We believe Him! Right? You know the famous verses from Ephesians, don’t you? Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

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. The whole package of salvation is a gift! No on, and I mean no one, will stand before God and brag on their own goodness. It ain’t going to happen. I have people talk about what they are going to say to God when they see Him face to face. They’re going to tell God this and they’re going to tell Him that! They’re going to ask Him about all the crummy things they think He’s allowed and how they think He could have done a better job. It’s all baloney! When we see God for who He really is, our mouths, all mouths, will be stopped, won’t they? Look at Rom. 3:19.

(6 The title of the past two lessons has been Justified by Faith. We find that phrase in verse 28. Look at 28 again. I don’t really think that God could be any more clear about how a man is saved than here in verse 28, do you? Or really in this entire passage of Romans from 3:21-31. We are justified, saved, by grace alone, through faith alone, in the finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone! Period! Take nothing away and add nothing to! It is done! Right?

(7 You know, we talked earlier about justification being a miracle. And it truly is. And I think that one of the aspects of this mighty redemptive act of God is what it tells us about His feelings toward His creatures, us. God demonstrates through Jesus’ death that his hatred of man’s evil is as real as his forgiveness of man’s sin. God did not spare his Son one iota of the wrath we deserve. The only way God could save us consistent with his own justice was the way he did—and it cost him everything! We are loved, guys! This is so wonderful that perhaps we should lie flat on our faces, struck dumb before God! So phenomenal is His love that we should pause as often as we can and meditate on this wonderful salvation of ours.

(8 There are very few actual atheists in America. Polls have been conducted that reveal a full 92% of Americans believe in the existence of God. Actual atheists are a rare breed. And a fairly startling statistic states that nearly 75% of Americans believe the Bible is indeed the Word of God. That belief ranged from taking it all as inerrant and infallible to taking it as merely a book that contains many teachings of God, but also some things of man. But of those 92% of people who allow as there must be a God, and the 75% of people who believe the Bible is at least in some way inspired, a full 79% of Americans believe that a good person of another religion could get into heaven. What is missing in the religion of most Americans is the certainty that God has given us a divine text to order our lives by. We do not believe in doctrine anymore, we believe in experience. And because we feel it is unjust for God to judge basically good people for their wrongdoing we assume our feelings supplant the God-given truth of the Bible. By the way, if you believe that a person of another faith can get into heaven, what would be the absolutely worst thing you could tell that person. Jesus, right? If so-called good people are going to heaven, why tell anyone about redemption? Why tell anyone about Jesus?

(9 Paul wrote in the God’s Word that there is none good, didn’t he? That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And listen, that is true for everyone, whether they have heard the name of Jesus or whether they haven’t. Paul concluded that all men and women are justified by faith in Christ and not by our good deeds outweighing our bad ones.

(10 People, the Bible we are studying tells us that we are not good! You are free to have any opinion you choose to have, about anything you choose to have an opinion you want. But you can’t use the Bible to back any opinion other than faith being what is required for salvation. But what a marvelously liberating doctrine justification is, isn’t it? I am free from the worry of working to please God. He is as pleased with me as He ever will be! Why? Because I am in Christ; Jesus in the Father; and the Father is pleased and in love with the Son! And listen, even though I am a sinner, God is pleased and in love with me!

(11 And again, you are free to believe any nutty thing you want to believe in, but I tell you something, I am going to believe in this grand and majestic thing we call Christianity! Why? Because smack in the center of the Christian faith is the One who died for me that I might live in Him. Jesus Christ, the God-man, the Word made flesh, the center of the universe, no, the center of eternity came into this world, lived a perfect life so that He might become the perfect sacrifice for sin, died horribly on a cross to make atonement for sin, propitiating the righteous wrath of God, rose in glory from the tomb on the third day, and ascended back to the Father ever making intercession for my sin!

(12 Do you believe that is true? If you do, say Amen! Have you received it though? Have you placed your faith, not on your dead works, but on His finished work! Do you know Jesus? There is no other way! Let me repeat! There is no other way to heaven, guys! That is the clear, consistent teaching of the Word of God! What is our verse? John 14:6 (KJV)

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