Justification: The Verdict of Salvation Romans 5:1 I. INTRODUCTION- a. There is no doubt that over the years there have been guilty people who when they were tried in court for whatever reason were found innocent. b. These people may have cheated justice in this world but there is another court and another judge they are going to have to face. c. That court is the courtroom of Heaven and the ultimate judge they must face is a perfect and holy God who will not be swayed by the flawed decision of an earthly court. d. In eternity it does not matter how a person is judged by this world what matters is the judgement of the God who made us and the God to whom we are accountable for how we live the life He gave us. e. Since God s verdict on our life is the only one that matters we need to answer the question of how guilty sinners can be made right before a perfectly holy and just God. f. Job asked Job 9:2 How can a man be in the right before God? the psalmist asked the question this way Psalm 130:3 (NIV) If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, who could stand (before you)? g. I recently heard a young married woman say that she would never be the housekeeper that her mother-in-law is. h. When measured by the housekeeping standard set by her mother-inlaw this young woman felt like she was a failure. i. If we have a hard time living up to the standards of imperfect and sinful people imagine what we are dealing with when God expects us to meet His standard.
j. The standard God holds us to is not just being mostly good or being pretty good or being sometime good the standard God holds us to is perfection. k. Leviticus 20:7 (KJV) Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the LORD your God. l. How good do you have to be to be accepted by God how good do you have to be to go to Heaven?... you can t just be good you have to be perfect. m. When a perfect and holy God holds us to His measuring stick up to us and marks off all of our sins and failures there is not a person on earth who can stand before Him. n. So the question is how can unholy and sinful people ever be made right and acceptable before a holy and perfect God? o. When it comes to salvation we don t have to worry about falling short of our mother-in-law s glory or our neighbor s glory the problem is that we have all fallen short of God's glory. p. So if God expects us to be perfect how can we ever be made right with God? q. God could deal with our sin in one of three ways #1, He could simply issue a verdict condemning all sinners and be done with it leaving us all hopeless and forever lost. r. #2, God could compromise He could lower His standard skip over our sin and take us just as we are. s. But if God did that He would cease to be holy and just if God did that the implications would be enormous and unthinkable God would cease to be God. t. #3, But, God took a third option He provided a way that our sins could be fully judged and also forgiven and He provided a way to
give us the holiness, righteous and perfection we need to be accepted by Him. u. The biblical term for this act of grace by God is justification. II. THE CONCEPT OF JUSTIFICATION- a. To understand the greatness of our salvation it is important that we understand the words the Bible uses to describe our great salvation. b. Words like justification, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation, regeneration, grace, and sanctification. c. Over the next few weeks we are going to study these great Bible words. d. The Greek word translated justify is a legal term taken from ancient courtrooms. e. The word means to announce a favorable verdict to declare one innocent not guilty. f. Justification is a judicial act by which God declares righteous, innocent, not guilty those who believe in Jesus Christ. g. The opposite of justification is condemnation to be condemned is to be declared guilty. h. Many people who believe in God believe that after they die God is going to judge their life and if they have done more good than bad then God will allow them to go to Heaven but nothing could be further from the truth. i. The Bible says in John 3:18 and other places that because we have sinned and broken the laws of God we stand condemned already. j. The courtroom of Heaven has already meet in our case the verdict in our case has already been handed down because of our sin
because we have broken the laws of God many times we stand condemned already! k. The only thing that will happen after we die is the execution of God s just and righteous verdict against us the wages of sin is death because of our sin we will forever be separated from God. l. But, when a person believes in Jesus Christ and receives Him as their Savior and Lord everything changes. m. Because the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary paid the penalty and debt of our sin when a person puts their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for salvation God is free to reverse His verdict of condemnation toward them. n. And, not only are we saved by the sacrificial death of Christ we are also saved by His righteousness His perfect life. o. So that when a person puts their faith in Christ not only are our sins covered and paid for by His blood His perfect life is credited to our account and we are covered by His perfection. p. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. q. Philippians 3:9 (NKJV) And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness (perfection), which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. r. When a person gives their life to Christ a great exchange happens we give Him our sins and He gives us His perfection! s. When a person gives their life to Christ not only is their sin debt paid and their sins are their sins forgiven they are covered with the perfection of Christ so that God sees us through the filter of Christ s perfection and we are acceptable to Him.
t. If you go to Heaven it will be because of perfection but it will not be your perfection that makes you right with God and acceptable to Him we have no perfection of our own it will be the perfection of Christ that was credited and imputed to you the moment you were saved. u. When a person gives their life to Christ the courtroom of Heaven is called back in session. v. New evidence is presented that our sin debt has been fully paid and our many and massive sins and imperfections have been covered by the perfection of Christ. w. And a new verdict in our case is declared because of Jesus we are declared finally, fully and forever not guilty! x. Hallelujah!... what a Savior and what a great salvation! III. THE BLESSINGS AND BENEFITS OF JUSTIFICATION- a. Being saved is not a minor adjustment in our life being saved spiritually is equal to coming from death to life physically. b. Being saved is a life-changing event that will change how you walk, talk, act and behave it will change your focus, your priorities, your desires and your values. c. Being saved will change how we live in this world and it will change our eternal destiny. d. If your life did not change and stay changed after you were saved then my friend you were not saved. e. What are some of the blessings and benefits of coming into a right standing with God?
f. #1, Peace with God Romans 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. g. When you give your life to Christ your war with God and God s war with you comes to an end you have peace with God. h. #2, Unlimited access to God because we have peace with God the door barring our way to Him has been opened and are welcome to come into His presence anytime we want to come. i. The story is told of a man who sat crying on a bench outside the office of President Abraham Lincoln one day. He had a problem he wanted to see the president about, so he had come to the White House hoping to see Lincoln. But the guards wouldn't let him in, so he sat there crying. A little boy came up to the man and asked him what was wrong. The man explained his dilemma, but the boy took him by the hand and led him past the guards straight into the president's office. Nobody said anything to stop him because the boy was Lincoln's son. j. Through Jesus Christ we can walk by the guards into our heavenly Father's presence. k. The writer of Hebrews said that since we have such a high priest therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace Hebrews 4:16. l. We have access to God because we have been justified by His grace. m. #3 Blessed Assurance as saved as we are we will face hard and difficult times in this world. n. But because we have been justified in Christ we can have the blessed assurance that nothing we face in this world will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
o. #4, Restoration to Fellowship when you are justified by the blood of Christ and you stand in right relationship to God you will never need to get saved again you will never face the penalty for your sins. p. But we live in a dirty, fallen world and until we get to Heaven we still have the potential to sin. q. But because we have been justified by God s grace when you and I sin we don t need to get saved again. r. We can come to God as His child and confess our sin and God will forgive us cleanse us and restore our fellowship with Him. IV. CONCLUSION- a. What a wonderful thing it is to be justified by God s grace!