Sermon
delivered on September 21st, 2014
By: Pastor Greg Hocson
Text: Romans 3:9-28
Last Sunday we started to look at
what happens when a person repents and believes the Gospel. When a sinner
becomes a Christian, that is, repents and believes the gospel, that person is
...
Ephesians 1:3 Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all
spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
My prayer is that God would awaken
you and me to the reality that we are blessed beyond measure.
Eternal life, forgiven of sin,
reconciled with God, cursed removed, no more condemnation, justified, redeemed,
adopted, regenerated, joint heir with Christ, became a child of God, became a
citizen of Heaven, new creation, servant of God, sanctified, indwelt by the
Holy Spirit, became a member of the body of Christ, access to God, peace, joy,
freedom, hope, purpose, and many more.
Today I want us know and understand,
that when a sinner repents and believes the Gospel is that, that person is
justified.
Some may say, "You mean that
person has been forgiven of sin!" Yes, it includes forgiven of sin but
to be justified is much more than forgiven of sin. It includes forgiveness of
sin which is already an amazing thing.
Psalm 32:1 Blessed is
he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2: Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and
in whose spirit there is no guile.
But God went beyond forgiving our
sins. He has justified us.
To be justified, does not mean
acquitted, that is, the accused successfully defended oneself against all
charges. To be justified, does not mean paroled, that is, the accused is found
guilty and set free with certain restrictions and conditions.
I - What is
Justification?
Justification is a legal word,
wherein a person charged or prosecuted is pronounced or declared righteous, and
is openly absolved.
When a earthly judge justifies an
accused person he does not make that person an upright person. He simply
declares, that in his judgment the person is not guilty of the accusation but
is upright in terms of the law relevant to the case.
It is not the function of the judges
to make people righteous.
Deuteronomy 25:1 If
there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the
judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the
wicked.
The judges are to, simply and only,
give a just and fair judgment and therefore they were to declare the innocent,
righteous, just as they were to declare the wicked, guilty.
Now, in justifying us, God does not
only forgive our sins. After He forgives our sins, He declares us to be
righteous. God openly declares the sinner, as one who has completely satisfied
the demands of the law. God looks at the sinner as if he had never sinned, as if the sinner has kept the
whole law perfectly all his life.
In justifying us, God openly declares
that we are righteous even though we are not, which is, in our legal system, an
outraged. It is a scandal. It is a violation of justice.
In our legal
system ...
Proverbs 17:15 He that
justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are
abomination to the LORD.
To justify the wicked, that is to
declare the guilty criminal as righteous when he is not, is an abomination to
God. If an earthly judge were to do this it would be an abomination in God's sight. Man must punish and condemn the wicked and he may
justify only the righteous. But God is able to justify the ungodly.
Romans 4:5 But to him
that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith
is counted for righteousness.
God does what no man can do. Yet He
is not unrighteous. He is just when He justifies the ungodly.
Man justifies the innocent, but God,
justifies only the guilty.
II - How can this be?
How can God justify the ungodly and
remain just? How can a just God justly justify the unjust? How can a holy and
righteous God let the guilty sinner go and not violate justice. What is it that
enables God to be just when He justifies sinners?
The answer is ...
1. Substitution
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ
also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, (the innocent for the guilty, the righteous for the condemned) that
he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
Spirit:
This is a divine exchange. What an
exchange! Jesus
Christ taking our place. Instead of you and me paying for our sins, dying for
our sins, Christ did it. He was punished for me. He suffered and died for my
sins. He suffered and died for us.
Romans 5:8 But God
commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. 9: Much more then,
being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Substitution is the twofold act of
Christ:
1. He took upon Himself the guilt and
paid the penalty of our sin
Galatians 3:13 Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it
is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.
Christ redeemed
us, bought us off from the curse of the
law, having
become what we were, on our behalf a "curse," that we might no longer be a
"curse."
2 Corinthians 5:21 For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
"Sin for us," not
sinful, but bearing sin of the whole world.
2. He imputed His righteousness upon
us.
Imputed is an accounting term which
speaks of the adding or subtracting of something to someone's account. This bookkeeping term is also translated "counted" or "reckoned".
2 Corinthians 5:21 For
he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him.
Christ was made a curse for us, was
made sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him, that is,
that His righteousness might be put to our account.
God places our guilt upon the account
of Jesus Christ and places Christ's righteousness upon our account.
My sins became His and His
righteousness became mine.
So the answer to the question how can
God be the just justifier of the unjust is...
Romans 3:26 To declare,
I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier
of him which believeth in Jesus.
He pardons all our sins, and accepts
us as righteous in His sight, only because of the perfect sacrifice and the
righteousness of Christ, imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
The righteousness and the obedience
of Christ is the ground of justification. Christ's
perfect righteousness, perfect obedience to the law and his perfect sacrifice
is the ground of sinners being declared right before God.
Justification is an act of God's free grace, whereby He exercises mercy without violating
justice.
III - What is the
motive of justification?
Why would God do that? The answer is
not found in us or anything that we did, but the answer is found in God. It's
the free grace of God.
Romans
3:24 Being justified freely by his
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
God does not justify us because we
are worthy, but by justifying us makes us worthy.
Romans 3:28 Therefore
we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
IV - What is the goal
of justification?
What is God's
purpose in justifying the ungodly?
1. God justifies the
ungodly so that the ungodly will become godly
God did not justify us so that we
will stay ungodly. No, He redeemed us, justified us to sanctify us. All whom
God justifies, He also sanctifies
1 Conrinthians 6:11 And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Justification and sanctification are
inseparable. Our righteousness and holiness is not the basis of our
justification, but it is the necessary fruit of justification.
When God justifies He also
sanctifies.
"No
one is regenerated who is not justified. No one is justified who is not
regenerated. No one is regenerated and justified who is not progressively
sanctified." - J. C. Ryle
2. That God may get all
the glory
This is the best way for God to be
glorified. This is the only way that God could get glory out of sinful men.
6: To the praise of the
glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 1:7 In
whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of his grace;
1 Corinthians 1:29 That
no flesh should glory in his presence.
1 Corinthians 1:31
That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
V - Applications
1. To the believers
Adore the infinite wisdom and
goodness of God
God found out a way to justify us by 'rich grace and precious blood.' We were all involved in guilt; none of us could plead
not-guilty; and being guilty, we lay under a sentence of death. Now that the
judge himself should find out a way to justify us, and the creditor himself
contrive a way to have the debt paid, and not distress the debtor, should fill
us with wonder and love.
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out!
2. To the unbelievers
Christ has laid down His blood as the
price of our justification. He offers Himself and His righteousness to us, to
justify. He invites all to come to Him. He is willing,ready and able to save.
Come to Him while the door of mercy is still open!
Isaiah 55:1 Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye,
buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2:
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for
that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is
good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. 3: Incline your ear, and
come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Isaiah 55:6 Seek ye the
LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: 7: Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him
return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he
will abundantly pardon.