Justified!
Good Friday • Sermon • Submitted
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· 12 viewsWe are justified only because of the cross. Jesus is both our rightoueness and our propitiation for our sins.
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Last Saturday we had Jerod Lecher come and present an online safety seminar for parents and children. Jerod is a police detective and specializes in technology related crimes. One of his jobs is to use things like social media to track down and arrest criminals. He told a story of a case were he pretended to be a minor and lured a man to a meeting place who intended to commit a crime. The police arrested the man, and when he went to trial instead of being put into prison for a very long time, the judge gave him one year in jail and 10 years of probation.
You hear about cases like that and you get upset. We naturally get upset when justice is not fulfilled. When the punishment does not measure up to the crime we fell like justice has been violated.
One of the truths that you have to understand about God, is that God is a just judge. He is a righteous judge. And God always must insure the punishment is equal to the crime. God never allows justice to be violated.
Paul uses this exact point in to help us understand the wonderful truth of the gospel. Specifically, Paul wants us to understand the theological necessity of justification. Justification is central to the message of the cross and is vital to the message of the gospel.
If you are to understand the wonderful truth of the gospel, if you are to understand the theological necessity of justification, then you need to believe in three essential truths.
1. God is a perfectly just judge
1. God is a perfectly just judge
Unlike the judges of our day, God will not allow justice to be violated. God cannot allow justice to be violated. God is a perfectly just judge.
5 But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
Normally, when we think of God as a judge we think of His wrath. And it is true, God does meet out wrath as a judge. But if we focus solely on God as a god of wrath we end up with an ignoble picture of God. He becomes a grumpy curmudgeon Who is waiting for you to slip up so he can wack you over the head with a big stick. That is a careless way to think about God. Rather, we need to think about God as a god of perfect justice. God is a god of righteous judgement. He cannot let justice become violated. He must perfectly maintain justice. He must be a perfectly just judge. If we get angry when we hear of earthly judges who are corrupt, who fail to bring about justice, how much more then must God be a perfectly just judge.
- Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
The Holy Bible: King James Version, Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009), .
How does this truth effect all of us?
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
God will perfectly render just judgement to every man according to his deeds. And there are two possible outcomes of God’s judgement.
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
Rom 2.7-
Now, some read this passage and they say, “See man is saved by his own good works. Doesn’t v. 10 say, ‘glory, honor, and peace, to every man that works good?’” The response to this statement, is yes it does.
If there is anyone in this room who has ALWAYS without fail perfectly persevered in well doing, who has constantly all of his days sought after glory and honor, who has never once acted out of self ambition, who has never once disobey the truth, who has never once committed unrighteous acts, who has never once in his or her life commited an act of evil, or had a thought in their heart that was evil, but always in every possible way worked good- that one is saved by his own good works.
But know this, God is a perfectly just God. He cannot allow justice to be violated. If anyone has every fallen short of the very righteous standard of God then,
6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
The point of is NOT to argue that ANYONE can be saved on the basis of their own righteousness. The point of is for every single person to walk away thinking, “I’m in trouble.” If I have to be judged by God on the basis of my own righteousness, then I will surely receive wrath and indignation and tribulation and distress. I have no hope on my own to receive eternal life or glory or honor or peace. I need a righteous other than my own.
Many a hymn writer has understood this truth:
“For nothing good have I whereby thy grace to claim— I’ll wash my garments white in the blood of Calvary’s Lamb.”
“Alas! and did my Savior bleed, And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred Head for such a worm as I?”
“Guilty, vile, and helpless we; Spotless Lamb of God was He. Full atonement! Can it be? Hallelujah! What a Savior!”
The hymn I would like us to sing is When I Survey the Wondrous Cross #293.
When I survey the wondrous cross, On which the Prince of glory died. My richest gain I count by loss, And pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast, Save in the death of Christ, my God; All the vain things that charm me most— I sacrifice them to His blood.
If you are to understand the wonderful truth of the gospel, if you are to understand the theological necessity of justification, then you need to believe in three essential truths.
God is a perfectly just judge.
2. God requires perfect righteousness
2. God requires perfect righteousness
19 Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Justified- to be declared righteous, like a judge declaring someone to be innocent. It means that God as a perfectly just judge looks at us and declares us to be fully just, fully righteous, fully innocent from all and any sin. How can God, as a perfectly just judge do that for anyone? It is not on the basis of our own righteousness- by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. In order for God as a perfectly just judge to look at you and to declare you just, you must have two things.
Perfect righteousness
You cannot provide for yourself perfect righteousness, you need some else to give you a righteousness that is not your own, that is outside of yourself. How do you get such a righteousness? The answer is through Jesus Christ.
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
.21
This is the only righteousness that can fully satisfy God’s perfectly just standard- the very righteousness of God. How does one receive such righteousness? V. 22- the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe!
God’s righteousness is only available through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, the second person of the trinity, the Son of God, came down to this earth and took upon Himself human flesh, and became a man like you and like me. But, unlike you and me, Jesus Christ was perfectly righteous.
If you go back to , Jesus always persevered in doing good, He alway sought after glory and honor, He never acted out of self ambition, He never was disobedient to the truth, He never acted unrighteously, He never once did evil, He never once had an evil though go through His head. Jesus always did good. He is the only One who deserves eternal life and glory and honor and peace on the basis of His own righteousness!
The glorious news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the wonder of the cross, is that that very same righteousness is available to you! The righteousness of God is available through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. And God can only judge you to be just, He can only justify those who have believed and have this very righteousness. No other righteousness will do.
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Our own righteousness is insufficient. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all fall short of the perfect standard of God’s righteousness. But if we are to have eternal life, God’s righteousness is exactly what we need. So God has provided a way for us to be justified (declared righteous), this justification is not something one can earn, it is a free gift of God’s grace and it is only possible through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus-
One hymn writer put it this way--
Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness, My beauty are, my glorious dress; Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed, With joy shall I lift up my head.
Do you have the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ?
V. 24 is a transition verse. And it transitions us to our third truth.
If you are to understand the wonderful truth of the gospel, if you are to understand the theological necessity of justification, then you need to believe in three essential truths.
3. God requires perfect justice
3. God requires perfect justice
Remember I said there are two things that we need in order to be justified. The first thing we need is the righteousness of God through Jesus Christ.
The second thing that we need is for God’s justice to be fully satisfied.
God is a perfectly just judge. It is not enough for us to be credited with the perfect righteous of Jesus Christ. God’s justice must still be satisfied for our sins. When we sin God cannot allow justice to be violated- He cannot sweep our sin under the rug. He must ensure that the punishment is equal to the offence.
In order to be justified we need the redemption which is in Christ Jesus.
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
The idea of redemption is the idea of releasing a slave from their captive condition. Jesus buys us out of the slave market of sin. Every time we sin we incur a debt that must be paid.
14 Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
14 having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.
How did Jesus do this?
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Rom 3.
The debt of our sins had to be paid! God requires perfect justice. He cannot overlook your sin debt. So He can either charge your debt to your account and you can pay the debt.
23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Or God can transfer your sin debt to His own Son Jesus Christ, Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood.
Propitiation- think of this in two ways- 1). Fully satisfies God’s wrath, fully exhausts God’s wrath. But this makes God out to be some mean vindictive God. 2). Fully satisfies God’s justice, fully exhausts God’s justice, this proclaims God to be Who He is- a perfectly righteous judge.
This is exactly why Jesus had to shed His blood on the cross. In order for you to be justified (declared perfectly just) you need someone else to fully exhaust the justice of God on your behalf.
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.
2 Cor
Identity theft- PayPal charge for a PlayStation in Florida, only I was sitting in my office in Wisconsin. Someone had stolen my identity and they had put their charge, the credited my account with their debt. Thankfully, I was able to call PayPal and have the charges reversed.
Propitiation is God crediting the debt of your sin to Jesus’ account, and although Jesus has every right to reverse the charges, instead He fully paid for all my sin, by shedding His blood on the cross.
If you are to understand the wonderful truth of the gospel, if you are to understand the theological necessity of justification, then you need to believe in three essential truths.
God is a perfectly just judge
God requires perfect righteousness
God requires perfect justice
Have you been justified through faith in Jesus Christ? Do you have His righteousness? Have you ever asked Jesus to forgive you fully for your sins through faith? Have you had your sin debt paid for by Jesus’ blood? Have you accepted his free gift of salvation, have you ever asked God to put all your sin on your Savior you debt can be paid, so that God’s justice can be fully exhausted for your sin? You can be saved today! You can be justified, you can be forgiven! All you need to do is believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ! Put you faith fully in Jesus Christ for your salvation.
Justification is only possible because of the cross.
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Only in the cross can God be both just and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus.
Many hymns have been written on this subject of justification:
Oh, to see my name
Written in the wounds,
For through Your suffering I am free.
Death is crushed to death;
Life is mine to live,
Won through Your selfless love.
This, the pow'r of the cross:
Son of God—slain for us.
What a love! What a cost!
We stand forgiven at the cross.
The hymn I want us to sing as we close is His Robes for Mine #279
His robes for mine: O wonderful exchange!
Clothed in my sin, Christ suffered ‘neath God’s rage.
Draped in His righteousness, I’m justified.
In Christ I live, for in my place He died.
Refrain:
I cling to Christ, and marvel at the cost:
Jesus forsaken, God estranged from God.
Bought by such love, my life is not my own.
My praise-my all-shall be for Christ alone.
His robes for mine: what cause have I for dread?
God’s daunting Law Christ mastered in my stead.
Faultless I stand with righteous works not mine,
Saved by my Lord’s vicarious death and life.
His robes for mine: God’s justice is appeased.
Jesus is crushed, and thus the Father’s pleased.
Christ drank God’s wrath on sin, then cried “‘Tis done!”
Sin’s wage is paid; propitiation won.
His robes for mine: such anguish none can know.
Christ, God’s beloved, condemned as though His foe.
He, as though I, accursed and left alone;
I, as though He, embraced and welcomed home!