Session 5: Justification By Faith

Transcription

1 Session 5: Justification By Faith By Bryan Kessler The Gift of Righteousness Leads to Justification Now that we have a firm understanding of the gift of imputed and imparted righteousness, let's spend some time now looking at justification, which is the outcome of the gift of righteousness. As we read in the last session, Paul stated, "On the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification" (Rom. 5:16). Based on the context, the "free gift" is the gift of righteousness and Paul said explicitly that the "free gift arose...resulting in justification." In other words, the gift of righteousness precedes our justification. Now that we understand the gift of righteousness and that it results in justification, let's take an indepth look in this session at how God justifies the ungodly by faith in Jesus Christ. Justification is a judicial pronouncement that one is innocent in a matter and is therefore acquitted from every charge, accusation, and punishment. Think of justification as the opposite of condemnation. When a judge pronounces condemnation, the person condemned is deemed guilty of a crime and is sentenced to some form of punishment, whether time in jail, the revoking of a driver's license, or community service. Justification, on the other hand, means that a judge reviewed a case carefully, found the accused innocent, pronounced a verdict of not guilty, and withheld any form of punishment. Justification is different from pardon. Whereas pardon removes a penalty or debt, justification goes a step further and bestows a righteous status. Pardon says to the guilty, "You may go free; you have been released from the penalty that your sin deserves." Justification, on the other hand, says, "You may go free, for you are righteous in the matter in which you were accused." Pardon is the remission of punishment, though guilty; justification is the declaration that no ground for punishment exists. Thus, justification involves two components: the declaration of righteousness and the remittal of punishment. Justification not only differs from pardon but also from sanctification. To justify is to declare or to pronounce righteous, not to make righteous. Sanctification is to make righteous. Put a little differently, justification gives us a new status while sanctification gives us a new nature. Every justified believer has been regenerated and is now progressing down the road of sanctification. The question that arises is: How can guilty sinners be declared righteous without a violation of justice? We looked at this in Session 3 and saw that God is just and the justifier of sinners because Jesus became the propitiation for our sins. When our sins where imputed to Jesus at the cross, God punished, condemned, and judged our sins in the body of Jesus. Our penalty for sin was already paid by Jesus on the cross. Now let's go a little deeper and look at how we paid for our sins in the death of Christ. Think about it this way. If a man has already been pronounced guilty and sentenced to prison, the only way for that man to be justified is to serve his sentence fully. His sin demands justice and only by going to prison and paying the penalty for his crime can he be justified. After the demands of the law have been satisfied, though, he can leave prison without fear of police or judges or juries, for he is justified from his sin. 1

2 As guilty sinners who are worthy of death, we need to realize that we have already paid the penalty for our sin in the body of Jesus. Throughout Romans 6, Paul made the case that not only were our sins imputed to Jesus, but that we were reckoned to have died with Christ when He died. That is, through our relationship of being in Christ, the crucifixion, death, and burial of Christ were imputed to us, so that we are reckoned to have been crucified, to have died, and to have been buried with Him. Therefore, if we have died with Him, then we have already paid the penalty for our sins in the body of Christ. Certainly we didn't feel the pain of the cross or experience a Roman scourging. Nevertheless, we died in the body of Christ and have therefore paid the penalty for our sins in the death of Christ. This concept was exactly what Paul conveyed in Romans 6:7, when he stated, "For he who has died is freed from sin." The Greek word for "freed" is dikaioō and means "to render righteous or such as he ought to be...to declare or pronounce one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be." 1 Dikaioō is used 15 times in the book of Romans and is translated in some variation of justify 14 times. The only instance where this Greek word is translated differently is in Romans 6:7, where it is translated "freed." A much better translation of this verse, therefore, is: "He who has died has been justified from his sin." The wages for sin is death and the only way for us to be justified for our sins is to die (Rom. 6:23). The good news is that we have died though we did not suffer personally on the cross but in our substitute Christ Jesus when He was crucified two-thousand years ago. Because Jesus' crucifixion, death, and burial were imputed to us, we are reckoned to have died with Christ when He died and therefore, to have paid for our crimes through crucifixion. And when He was raised from the dead, His resurrection was also imputed to us, so that God could legally raise our spirit from the dead by His resurrection power, which He did when we were born again. Because our death is followed by a resurrection, we can live the life of a justified person, having paid the death penalty in and through Christ for our sin. Now that we have also received the gift of righteousness, our punishment for sin is not only removed but we are declared righteous by the heavenly Judge, so that now we are justified forever! The Characteristics of Justification As we have seen, justification is the legal and formal acquittal from guilt, the pronouncement of the sinner as righteous, and the remittal of all forms of punishment. Now let's look at eight characteristics of justification: 1. Justification is not based upon obedience to God's commands; 2. Justification ends boasting; 3. Justification is by grace alone through faith alone; 4. Justification breaks the power of sin; 5. Justification precedes sanctification; 6. Justification precedes obedience; 7. Justification establishes the Law; 8. Justification is love that must be experienced. 1. Justification is not based upon obedience to God's commands. Paul said, "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight" (Rom. 3:20). When Paul said that we are saved and justified apart from works, he was not alluding to things such as giving our time and money to a charity, going to a foreign land to build a church, or giving food to a homeless person. Paul used the phrase "works" or "works of the Law" to 2

3 simply mean obedience to the Law's commands. Therefore, Paul revealed that no one will be declared righteous and acquitted from their sin by doing what the Law dictates. For example, we are not justified because we obey the Law's commands to keep the Sabbath, to refrain from stealing, killing, lying, or adultery, or to be circumcised. No sinner can get right with God by obeying the truth of God's commandments, no matter how holy and righteous His commandments are. Even if it was humanly possible to be justified by keeping the Law (and it's not!), if we were to break one commandment, we would break the whole Law. James testified to this truth, stating, "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all. For He who said, 'DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,' also said, 'DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.' Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law" (James 2:10-11). For those self-righteous individuals who boast in their heart of never committing adultery, murder, idolatry, or working on the Sabbath, consider what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount. The Law of Moses consisted primarily of keeping commandments externally, but Jesus showed that the Law must also be kept internally, in the heart (Matt. 5:17-48). You may have never committed an act of physical adultery but have you ever looked at a woman with lust? (Matt. 5:28). You may have never committed an act of murder but have you ever had anger toward someone? (Matt. 5:22). The point is that humans with a desperately sick and deceived heart can never obey every command in the Law at all times from their heart. It is humanly impossible. Therefore, we can never be put into a right standing with God through obedience. Bringing this concept into the New Testament, we are not declared righteous because we fast once a week, pray every day, read the Bible, attend church every Sunday, pay tithes, show compassion to our neighbor, or keep our eyes from looking at pornography. Obedience to the truth of God's commandments cannot make sinners right with God. Or as Paul put it, "By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight." In Romans 4, Paul revealed that Abraham received the gift of imputed righteousness through faith alone, not because He obeyed the Law or received circumcision (Rom. 4:9-13). Abraham's circumcision came later, after he was declared righteous, as a sign and seal of his faith to demonstrate that his faith in the One who justifies was real not in an attempt to prove his righteousness to God through obedience (Rom. 4:11). Commandment-keeping can never acquit us of guilt and give us a right standing with God. Paul said, "A man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus...since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified" (Gal. 2:16). Any form of commandment-keeping that we use in an attempt to obtain a right standing with God is a work of the Law. Whether Sabbath-keeping, sexual purity, a covetous-free life, honoring authority, or smashing our idols no one will be justified by obeying the Law. Paul said, "You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). This double warning of being severed from Christ and falling from grace should be strong enough motivation for us to live by faith in the finished work of the cross! If that is not enough, consider what Paul also wrote: "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM" (Gal. 3:10). So we have three clear warnings of what will happen to us if we don't put our faith and trust completely in what Jesus accomplished on the cross. If after reading this, we still insist on commandment-keeping as the way to be right with God, we 3

4 will be cut off from Christ, we will fall from the enabling grace of God that justifies and sanctifies, and we will be under a curse. 2. Justification ends boasting. Justification by faith in the finished work of Jesus puts an end to all boasting because it does not depend upon our obedience (Rom. 3:28). No matter how often we pray and fast, how obedient we are to God's commandments, and how stringently we study the Bible, our religious works cannot make us righteous, for "a man is justified by faith" alone (Rom. 3:28). This truth of justification by faith alone prompted Paul to ask and then answer his own question: "Where then is boasting? It is excluded...by a law of faith" (Rom. 3:27). This naturally leads to two questions: 1. Why does it matter that justification by faith puts an end to all boasting? 2. How does justification by faith put an end to all boasting? To answer the first question, we have to understand that pride is the greatest problem of the human race. As we saw in Session 2, when Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, his soul was puffed up with pride. His independent self was awakened and his moment-by-moment dependence upon God was severed. Just as Satan's heart was lifted up because of his beauty, Adam's soul was puffed up with pride. Recall from Session 3 that we looked at Romans 1:18-32 and saw three exchanges that were inspired by pride in the human heart. First, pride caused us to exchange the glory of God for an idol (Rom. 1:23). Second, in our pride, we exchanged the truth of God for a lie (Rom. 1:25). Third, in our pride, we have chosen not to keep God at the forefront of our mind and have chosen instead to exalt our own reasoning, wisdom, logic, and opinions, leading to an independent life void of the life of God and characterized by insolence, arrogance, and boasting (Rom. 1:30). What is the connection then between pride and justification? Self-determined obedience as a means to get right with God leads to boasting because we are the ones who work and strive to keep God's commandments. If we successfully keep God's commandments, we feel good about our achievements and this leads to self-righteousness and boasting. On the other hand, justification by faith alone, apart from works, humbles sinners and silences all boasting because it shows that only God can save us. Obedience through willpower glorifies us while the obedience of faith in the finished work of the cross glorifies God. Paul wrote, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God" (Rom. 4:2). Justification by faith apart from works is vitally important because it severs pride at the root and brings glory to God. To expose the arrogance of the Pharisees who were trusting in their own righteousness and to demonstrate that justification is by faith alone, Jesus told a parable that contrasted a law-abiding Pharisee from a depraved sinner who knew his need for mercy (Luke 18:9-14). The Pharisee boasted that he fasted twice a week and gave tithes of all his income. Yet this religious compliance to the Law did not impress God in the slightest way. This boasting in the self-empowered disciplines of fasting and tithing only separated the Pharisee from God rather than drawing him near, for it all revolved around the prideful idea that his efforts and performance could make him righteous before the God of heaven and earth. Contrasted with the Pharisee was a depraved sinner who was poor in spirit and knew his desperate condition. Rather than boast in his obedience, the sinner cried out for mercy. Jesus said, "This man went to his house justified rather than the other" (Luke 18:14). Observe carefully that Jesus taught justification by faith apart from works. Now look at how He ends the 4

5 parable: "Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 18:14). Justification by faith apart from works lays the axe to the root of pride and forces us to humble ourselves before God so that He alone receives the glory. The second question How does justification by faith put an end to all boasting can be answered by this simple statement: God accomplished our salvation without our help. In fact, the transaction that secured our salvation occurred two-thousand years before we were even born! God upheld His glory, vindicated His justice, and demonstrated His righteousness by unleashing the fullness of His wrath upon Jesus at the cross. What did we have to do with this great act of salvation? Absolutely nothing! God accomplished our salvation without any help from us. And because of the finished work of Jesus on the cross, His righteousness is imputed to us and we are therefore justified when we put our faith in Him. Justification by faith leaves no room for boasting or self-glorification because our teethgritting determination to obey God's commandments cannot give us a right standing with God. The price for our salvation was paid by Christ outside of us two-thousand years ago and has unleashed His abundant grace toward us, resulting in justification. We are declared righteous apart from any act of obedience, apart from any righteous deed, apart from any form of self-sacrifice, apart from any work of self-determination. Jesus justifies us by faith alone apart from works and therefore we have nothing to boast about. Our pride is silenced, God is glorified, and all boasting is excluded because God saves us apart from ourselves when we simply trust in Him. 3. Justification is by grace alone through faith alone. We do not achieve justification by what we do; we receive justification by what Christ has done. The Law condemns the best of us while grace saves the worst of us. Justification is therefore by grace alone through faith alone. Paul made this clear when he said, "Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus...For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law" (Rom. 3:24-28). Take note that justification is a gift of grace that we receive through faith apart from obedience to God's commandments. That is, we are justified by faith in Jesus and in His finished work before we obey one commandment, either in the Old Testament or the New Testament. Recall from Galatians 5:4 that commandment-keeping, in an attempt to be justified, severs us from Christ and cuts us off from the supply of grace. The reason is that our determination to be justified by obedience comes with an obligation whereas grace is an unmerited and free gift. Paul said, "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due" (Rom. 4:4). In other words, if we try to get right with God based upon church attendance, Bible reading, prayer, fasting, tithing, or acts of compassion to the poor, then our works come with an obligation. Our obedience demands a payment and the wages that God is obligated to pay is His acceptance, favor, and blessings. However, if we fail to obey and we break God's commandments, then He is also obligated to pay, but this time the wages are the not so favorable income of condemnation, punishment, and curses. This was the lifestyle that defined Israel before Christ came and set us free from the Law (Deut. 28). Grace, on the other hand, is a free and unmerited gift that makes us right with God. Paul said, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:5). When we don't try to achieve but instead receive what Christ has already accomplished, then our faith in Jesus and in the finished work of the cross results in righteousness credited to our account. This imputed 5

6 righteousness is a gift of God's free and unmerited grace and we receive it through faith. Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8). Looking back at Romans 4:4, when Paul said, "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due," the literal translation of this verse is: "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited in accordance with grace." This is the same phrase Paul used a few verses later when he said, "For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace" (Rom. 4:16). This means faith corresponds with grace whereas works correspond with debt. Faith is the opposite of working and grace is the opposite of obligation. Grace is the free and undeserved gift of God that justifies us and the unmerited and unearned power of God that sanctifies us as the Spirit prepares to glorify us. And faith is the only condition of the heart that accords with this grace. In your own self-effort, if you try to obey God's commands in order to become righteous and accepted by Him, you will get a wage that corresponds with your work. Like ancient Israel, if you are obedient then you will be blessed and if you are disobedient in the slightest way, even in the invisible desires of your heart, then you will be cursed. Whether obedient or disobedient, if you trust in your own discipline and goodwill to justify you, your work will be rewarded with the wages you deserve. This bless-me-for-obedience and curse-me-for-disobedience lifestyle is the opposite of living by grace through faith. But if you put your faith in Jesus and in His finished work before you obey one commandment in either the Old or New Testament, then God will give you the gift of imputed righteousness as a free gift of grace. Faith is the conduit that allows the endless supply of supernatural grace to flow into our lives. The grace that justifies us overrides our demerit, triumphs over our sin, and supersedes our self-determined efforts to obey God so that we are declared righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is the restful posture that receives grace by looking toward Jesus and the finished work of the cross. Grace not only gives us better than we deserve (Rom. 4:4-5); grace gives us what we cannot produce. Grace does the humanly impossible of bringing forth life from the dead, calling forth that which does not exist, recreating the human spirit in the likeness of God, conforming us into the image of Christ, and giving us an inheritance as a coheir with Jesus for all eternity. 4. Justification breaks the power of sin. The deepest root of slavery to sin is the feeling that we can never be forgiven or made righteous. Stronger than the allurement of future sin is the bondage from past sins. When we feel unforgiveable, unrighteous, and unworthy because of what we did in the past, we are held captive by sin's greatest weapons of guilt, shame, and condemnation. In this condition, despair, hopelessness, and despondency rule our lives. Guilt drives us. Condemnation weighs on us. Shame defines who we are. Paul said that "the power of sin is the law" (1 Cor. 15:56). The Law, even though holy, righteous, and spiritual (Rom. 7:12,14), defines sin (Rom. 7:7), points out sin (Rom. 3:20), increases sin (Rom. 5:20), and in the end kills us with guilt, shame, and condemnation (Rom. 7:9; 2 Cor. 3:6-9). People who are in bondage to some type of sin, whether pornography, homosexuality, drugs, or alcohol, usually realize that the short-term pleasure which sin promises is outweighed by the long-term pain which sin creates. Even so, they cannot break free from 6

7 slavery to sin because they don't believe that they can be forgiven or made righteous. They feel hopeless because of their condition. This person is enslaved by something greater than the allure of sin; they are held captive by the guilt of sin. Because guilt, shame, and condemnation dominate their thoughts and emotions, they have no strength to fight the seduction of sin. Paul spoke directly into this situation when he said, "For he who has died is freed from sin" (Rom. 6:7). As we saw earlier, the better translation of this verse is: "For he who has died has been justified from his sin." Notice carefully the word "for." This word connects verse 7 with verse 6, which states, "That we would no longer be slaves to sin." In essence, here is the main thought: "We will no longer be slaves to sin when we realize that we are justified." Stated another way, justification breaks the power of sin. Or as Charles Wesley's song declares, "He breaks the power of canceled sin." God cancels sin by justifying the ungodly, thus destroying sin's powerful arsenal of guilt, shame, and condemnation. Then God breaks the power of this canceled sin. That is, justification precedes sanctification. The guilt is removed before the lure is broken. To put it another way, we need a revelation that we have already received the gift of imputed righteousness and the judicial declaration that we are righteous before we can overcome the power of sin in our lives. Enabling grace for sanctification follows saving grace for justification. We are forgiven and declared righteous before one act of obedience and this legal foundation of justification becomes the beachhead where we wage war against sin's allurement. Justification is the indestructible bedrock of hope that gives us the ability to destroy the deceptive power of sin. 5. Justification precedes sanctification. Because justification breaks the power of sin, justification also precedes sanctification. Before we have any hope of deliverance from sin and the transformation of our mind, will, and emotions, we must first escape God's condemnation, receive the gift of righteousness, and experience justification. The key to overcoming lust, anger, pride, envy, addictions, or any other besetting sin is to know deep in our heart that we have received the gift of imputed righteousness and that the Judge of the universe has declared us legally righteous before the Supreme Court of heaven. Justification must precede sanctification, for imputed righteousness is the foundation for moral righteousness in our thoughts, affections, emotions, desires, choices, motives, and actions. Justification does not make sanctification optional; it makes it possible. Sanctification, the lifelong process of being transformed into the likeness of Christ in our soul, is an indispensible part of salvation. In fact, Paul said that salvation is "through sanctification" and that the outcome of sanctification is eternal life (2 Thess. 2:13; Rom. 6:22). Sanctification is so vital to our salvation that without it "no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14). Justification and glorification are instantaneous. Sanctification, on the other hand, is gradual, arduous, and often very painful. Sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit as He purifies us and forms Christ within our mind, will, and emotions. Sanctification is the present-tense work of salvation in our soul as we become increasingly more like Jesus through obedience to the Word and voice of God. Justification provides forgiveness for all our sins past, present, and future. Justification removes the punishment our sin rightfully deserves, gives us a new righteous status before God, cancels sin, and breaks the power of slavery to sin, so that now, from this firm 7

8 foundation, we can kill sin before sin kills us. Justification, therefore, is the beachhead from which we wage war against sin as we are being sanctified. When we fail in our journey toward holiness, the revelation that we are justified keeps us from feeling condemned, defeated, and hopeless, for deep in our heart we know our righteous standing before God. Without a revelation that we are justified before we obey one commandment, our striving for holiness will either produce despair or selfrighteousness. The only sins that we can overcome in our pursuit of sanctification are the forgiven sins resulting from our justification. To progress from unrighteous to partially righteous to totally righteous as we are being sanctified, we must first have a revelation that we are reckoned completely righteous and then declared absolutely righteous because of the finished work of the cross. 6. Justification precedes obedience. God gave Abraham a commandment not an option or a suggestion but a firm directive from heaven that "every male among you shall be circumcised" (Gen. 17:10). Did Abraham have to obey this commandment in order to be right with God or did he obey because he was already right with God? Was Abraham required to keep this commandment to be justified or did he keep it because he was already justified? The answer to these questions is crucial and cannot be overstated. So many people, including numerous Christians, are trying to obey their way into heaven or into favor with God. They believe that if they obey God then they will be made righteous, then they will inherit eternal life, then they will go to heaven, then they will receive a blessing. Ask yourself this question: Does your obedience precede your faith or proceed from your faith? Stated another way, what comes first: Obedience or faith? The difference between the two is the difference between life and death. Obedience before faith is what Paul termed "the works of the Law." And as we have seen, this type of obedience results in being severed from Christ, nullifying grace, and placing ourselves under a curse. For this reason, it is vitally important that our obedience proceed from our faith rather than precede our faith. In fact, the obedience that proceeded from faith was the goal of Paul's ministry and he called it "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5). We don't obey God in order to be justified but because we are justified. This crucial point was a truth that Paul emphasized strongly in his writings. Notice what he wrote about Abraham's faith and his subsequent obedience: "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised" (Rom. 4:11). Abraham's obedience was a "sign" and a "seal" of the imputed righteousness that he had already received. Abraham obeyed because he was justified, not to be justified. Abraham's obedience was a sign that he had already received the gift of imputed righteousness by faith. Therefore, Abraham's obedience certified that he was already justified. Take note of the difference between obedience that precedes faith and obedience that proceeds from faith. 8

9 Obedience that precedes faith Obeys to gain God's approval; Obeys to become righteous; Obeys for acceptance; Obeys for favor; Obeys to avoid condemnation; Obeys so that God will love us; Obeys to prove our love for God; Nullifies grace; Leads to self-glorification and boasting; Places us under a curse; Severs us from Christ. Obedience that proceeds from faith Obeys because we have God's approval; Obeys because we are declared righteous; Obeys from acceptance; Obeys from favor; Obeys because there is now no condemnation; Obeys because God loves us; Obeys because we love God; Is empowered by grace; Leads to God-glorification and worship; Positions us for blessings; Connects us to Christ. Many Christians who have been saved for years are still trying to gain God's approval, become righteous, feel accepted, obtain favor, avoid condemnation, and prove their love for God by their obedience. This only demonstrates that they lack a real revelation of the finished work of the cross, the gift of imputed righteousness, and the power of justification. Some Christians who have been saved for decades look at justification by faith as an elementary teaching that is only relevant to new converts rather than seeing it as the bedrock of the gospel upon which everything is built. If we don't get the doctrine of justification by faith correct everything that we build will be crooked, shaky, and will eventual crumble. The kind of obedience that pleases God proceeds from justification. We obey because we have already been approved, accepted, and made righteous. We obey because we already have God's favor, are no longer condemned, and are enjoyed by God. We obey, not to prove to God that we love Him, but because we love Him. This grace-empowered obedience proceeds from simple faith in Jesus and in the finished work of the cross. No act of obedience can give us a right standing with God. Whether we pray or don't pray, fast or feast, read the Bible or watch T.V., keep the Sabbath or work, go to church or stay home to play, keep our eyes from lust or look to lust no act of obedience can justify us. The only way for us to be justified is by faith in Jesus Christ and in the finished work of the cross. Nevertheless, when we have been truly justified by faith, obedience will be the natural result. Just like an apple tree naturally produces apples and an orange tree naturally produces oranges, we will begin to obey God's commands naturally after we have been justified by faith alone. Like Abraham's obedience to be circumcised was a sign and seal that his faith was real, our obedience demonstrates that we have truly put our faith in Jesus and in His finished work. 9

10 Obedience certifies that we have been justified, and if we are not progressively laying down our lives in sacrificial obedience to the Word and voice of God, we most likely do not have saving faith at all (James 2:14). The outworking of righteousness in our lives through obedience to the truth validates that our faith is real, that Christ is our perfect righteousness, and that we are justified. 7. Justification establishes the Law. We have to understand that Paul's gospel of justification by faith, before one act of obedience to God's commandments, was extremely controversial in his day. After all, Moses had received the Law directly from God as His glory set the mountain on fire and His finger inscribed His commandments upon tablets of stone. For Paul to suddenly appear on the scene and teach that we are justified by faith alone, before we obey one commandment, was offensive. The Jews viewed his teaching as heresy, for it appeared to inspire a lawless lifestyle and give depraved sinners a divinely-endorsed license to sin. To Paul's critics and to many Christians today Paul's writings gave the impression that the gospel nullified the Law and made it obsolete. Because of this controversy surrounding his gospel of grace, Paul had to constantly defend his doctrine to the critics, repeatedly attesting that grace does not inspire lawlessness and provide sinners with a license to sin (Rom. 6:1-2; 6:15). Perhaps Paul's critics kept asking, "Are you saying that the gospel and justification by faith abolishes the Law? Are you implying that now, because one believes in Jesus, that obedience to the Law is unnecessary? So are we to conclude that all those moral commandments in the Law, such as thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not covet, can be safely ignored now that Jesus has been crucified for us?" Paul had to deal with questions like these constantly as he taught justification by faith alone apart from works. It was into this context that Paul asked a rhetorical question to silence his critics, stating, "Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law" (Rom. 3:31). The critics wondered whether the Law was now null and void because of justification by faith and Paul answered with clarity absolutely not! At this point, let's make something very clear. When Paul talked about establishing the Law, he had the moral Law in mind not the dietary, ceremonial, or civil Law. Jesus removed the ambiguity about the dietary Law when He declared that all foods were clean (Mark 7:19). The ceremonial Law, which included all the regulations for the sacrificial system of worship, was rendered obsolete by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus (Heb. 8:13). And the civil Law related only to the nation of Israel. The moral Law, however, was not abolished or made obsolete by the cross. It is the moral Law, therefore, which Paul had in mind when he said that we would establish the Law. To confirm this, notice what he said in 1 Timothy 1:8-10: But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching. Every lawless and rebellious act that Paul listed, such as murder, immorality, homosexuality, kidnapping, lying, and perjury, relate to the moral Law not to the dietary, civil, or ceremonial Law. In fact, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made it clear that the moral Law was to be obeyed by everyone in the New Covenant, not just externally, but internally from the heart. 10

11 So justification by faith does not render the moral Law obsolete. On the contrary, justification by faith "establishes the Law." That is, we are given the gift of imputed righteousness and declared legally righteous before one act of obedience so that we can obey the moral Law from beginning to end. Justification by faith does not abolish the Law; it empowers us to obey the Law as God originally intended, from the heart, not for acceptance but from acceptance. As we will see in later sessions, we have to be delivered from the Law in order to keep the Law (Rom. 7:1-4). Paul repeated the same truth in Romans 8:4, this time in the context of sanctification rather than justification, stating, "That the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." We are delivered from the Law through justification so that we might be empowered to keep the Law through sanctification. What the moral law requires of us, we will be empowered to keep, when we pursue it by faith as those who are already justified and not by works as those who are seeking to be justified. We have to get right with God by faith alone before we can keep the moral requirements of the Law. Yet when we are justified and delivered from the demands of the Law through the cross, the indwelling Spirit empowers us to obey what the Law requires. As we live in the freedom of Christ and experience His love, acceptance, righteousness, and justification apart from what we do, we are transformed from the inside out, so that the demands of the Law are no longer a burden to us, but supernaturally and miraculously, we actually love the dictates of the Law and want to obey all the commandments with every ounce of desire within us. When our obedience shifts from performance-based obedience to love-based obedience, our devotion and dedication might resemble the most ardent of Pharisees. We will pray, fast, study the Word, give sacrificially, and surrender our lives to the mission of God. Yet the difference between our obedience and that of the Pharisee is the difference between life and death, the blessing and the curse. Unlike the Pharisee, we obey out of passion, joy, delight, and with a smile of on our face because our obedience is motivated by a deep revelation that we are already loved, accepted, and in a position of legal righteousness before we obey one commandment. 8. Justification is love that must be experienced. In Romans 5:1-5, Paul listed the results of justification, stating, Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Notice carefully that he began Chapter 5 with the phrase "therefore." By using the word "therefore," Paul was connecting this new thought with the truth he established in Chapter 4, namely the gift of imputed righteousness. In essence, Paul was stating that because we received the gift of imputed righteousness and are therefore justified, we have access to amazing privileges, such as peace with God (5:1), abundant grace (5:2), the hope of experiencing God's glory (5:2), tribulations that shape our character and prepare us for glory (5:3-8), and the experience of God's love (5:5). For the sake of time, let's just focus on the last privilege and look at how justification results in experiencing God's love. 11

12 Because there is so much truth crammed into these five verses, let's keep it simple, strip out the other privileges of justification, and read it this way: "Therefore, having been justified by faith...the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." So often, while reading through the book of Romans with all the contractual and legal terms such as imputation, propitiation, crediting, condemnation, justification, and righteousness, it can quickly feel like we are reading through a legal document like a mortgage, employment, or real-estate contract. This does not imply that the book of Romans is dry, boring, and laborious. In fact, the opposite is true the book of Romans is an unbelievably exciting revelation of the finished work of the cross and the riches that are ours in Christ. The point is that all the contractual and legal terms can drown out the emotional side of justification by faith. Stated another way, the legal expressions in the book of Romans which enunciate our new status and position in Christ can sometimes trump the emotional side of justification by faith so that we fail to experience the Father's love as His newly adopted children and the Bridegroom's love as His newly betrothed bride. When we are born again, we are justified as the Holy Spirit comes to dwell inside of us. At that very moment, we receive the "spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, 'Abba! Father!'" (Rom. 8:15). The Holy Spirit then "testifies with our spirit that we are children of God" (Rom. 8:16). Justification, then, results in a new relationship with God as He becomes our Father and we become His children. Because God's anger toward us was unleashed upon Christ at the cross, God is no longer angry with us and we are now loved, enjoyed, accepted, and rejoiced in by the Father. God loves us just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23). Not only do we become children of God when we are justified, but we also become the betrothed bride of Christ (2 Cor. 11:2). Justification results in a new relationship with Jesus as He becomes our Bridegroom and we become His cherished bride. Amazingly, Jesus loves us with the same love the Father has for Him (John 15:9). In a world where so many people struggle to know who they are, we can rest in our identity as the betrothed bride of Christ. Jesus loves us deeply and dearly enough to die for us; therefore, we are successful and have great value and worth. As His betrothed bride, we are Jesus inheritance and He takes great joy in us. This is our identity as justified believers. We are no longer just a sinner who has been saved, a servant who attends to his master, or even a follower doing the works of his leader. Because we have been justified, we are a betrothed bride who is greatly desired by our Bridegroom. As justified believers, Paul said that the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. Justification, therefore, is more than a truth that we know in our head; it is also an experience of love that we must feel in our hearts. Having revelation knowledge that Christ died for us when we were helpless, ungodly, unrighteous, sinful, and an avowed enemy of God tenderizes our hearts, destroys the negative emotions of guilt, shame, and condemnation, and melts away our stubborn and resistant pride (Rom. 5:6-8). Justification demonstrates God's love for us because the only solution that could deal with our sin while upholding God's justice was to send Jesus to the cross and release His wrath upon Him. If God did not love us so deeply He could have easily solved the problem our sin created by condemning us to hell. That would have vindicated His righteousness and upheld His justice but He didn't do that because of His unrelenting, unending love for us. Christ's sacrifice on the cross, therefore, proves the infinitely deep measure of love that God has for us. 12

13 Though we can hear about God's love for us all day long, facts apart from experience and knowledge without revelation, cannot change our emotions. That is why the Holy Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts. God's love, which enabled our justification, must be experienced by revelation so that we know God's burning love for us deep within our emotions, affections, and desires. The love that motivated the Father to send His Son to die for our justification must be experienced at the heart level so that we feel God's affections for us as His adopted children and betrothed bride. Because the gift of righteousness results in our justification, we are in a right standing with God by faith through grace before one act of obedience. From this new position of acceptance, approval, love, and righteousness, we can effectively begin our journey toward sanctification by obeying God's Word through the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. 1 Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for dikaioō (Strong's 1344)". Blue Letter Bible See referenced on August 27,