Transcript Slide 1

Transformational Truth for Today
Justification by Grace
through Faith in Christ
Order of Salvation
1. Election (God’s choice of people to be saved)
2. Effective Calling (God’s drawing through the
proclamation of the gospel)
3. Regeneration (being born again)
4. Conversion (faith and repentance)
5. Justification (right legal standing)
6. Adoption (membership in God’s family)
7. Sanctification (growing in Christ-likeness)
8. Perseverance (eternal security)
9. Death (going to be with the Lord)
10. Glorification (receiving a resurrection body)
Justification
• How and when do we gain right legal standing
before God?
• The Bible says that: God “justifies him who has
faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26), and that “a man is
justified by faith apart from works of law” (Rom.
3:28). He says, “Since we are justified by faith we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ” (Rom. 5:1). Moreover, “a man is not
justified by works of the law but through faith in
Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16).
Justification
• Justify is related to the word for righteous.
• The word for righteousness in Greek (dikaiosune) is
related to the verb “to justify” or dikaio.
• “Righteousfy” means – to declare righteous.
Justification
• Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in
which He:
(1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s
righteousness as belonging to us
(2) declares us to be righteous in His sight
• This is COURTROOM LANGUAGE
Justification
• Then he [Abraham] believed in the LORD; and He
reckoned [credited] it to him as righteousness.
Genesis 15:6
Justification
• David Wells: From the time of the Reformation,
justification by grace alone and received through
faith alone has been considered the central,
defining motif in this New Testament gospel. It was
upon this doctrine, Luther declared, that the church
stands or falls.
Justification
• To justify – to declare righteous:
• “When they heard this all the people and the tax
collectors justified God [acknowledged God’s
justice], having been baptized with the baptism of
John” (Luke 7:29).
• He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns
the righteous, both of them alike are an
abomination to the LORD. Proverbs 17:15
Justification
• “Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the
innocent or the righteous, for I will not acquit the
guilty.” Exodus 23:7
• 3 What then? If some did not believe, their unbelief
will not nullify the faithfulness of God, will it? 4 May
it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though
every man be found a liar, as it is written, "THAT
YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND
PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED."
Romans 3:3-4, PS. 51:4 quote
Justification
•
31 What
then shall we say to these things? If God is
for us, who is against us? 32 He who did not spare
His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how
will He not also with Him freely give us all things? 33
Who will bring a charge against God's elect? God is
the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who
condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather
who was raised, who is at the right hand of God,
who also intercedes for us. Romans 8:31-34
Justification
In justification - God declares us to be just in his sight
• God declares that we have no penalty to pay for sin
• Therefore there is now no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1
• Romans 4
• Forgiveness makes us morally neutral, but does not
give us favor with God
• God also declares that we are righteous in his sight
Justification
• Justification includes imputation
• Imputes = God thinks of Christ’s righteousness as
belonging to us (Rom. 4:3; 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9;
Rom. 4:6-8).
• God credits something to our spiritual account
• For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM
BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED [logizomai ]
TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Romans 4:3
Justification
• 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things
I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More
than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the
surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9
and may be found in Him, not having a
righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but
that which is through faith in Christ, the
righteousness which comes from God on the basis
of faith… Philippians 3:7-9
Justification
• If justification changed us internally and then declared us
to be righteous based on how good we actually were
• A. we could never be declared perfectly righteous in this
life because of remaining sin
• B. there would be no provision for forgiveness of past sin
(committed before we were changed internally), and
therefore we could never have confidence that we are
right before God
• He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:21
Justification
•
3:20
because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His
sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin. 21 But now
apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who
believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly
as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate
His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over
the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His
righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the
justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Where then is boasting?
It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of
faith. (Romans 3)
Justification
•
28 For
we maintain that a man is justified by faith
apart from works of the Law. 29 Or is God the God of
Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes,
of Gentiles also, 30 since indeed God who will justify
the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised
through faith is one. Romans 3:28-30
Justification
• But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, Romans 4:5
• Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ… Romans 5:1
• nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law
but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus,
so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the
Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.
Galatians 2:16
• The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith,
preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “ALL THE NATIONS
WILL BE BLESSED IN YOU.” Galatians 3:8
Justification
• Now that no one is justified by the Law before God
is evident; for, “THE RIGHTEOUS MAN SHALL LIVE BY
FAITH.” Galatians 3:11
• Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us
to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
Galatians 3:24
• for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
being justified as a gift by His grace through the
redemption which is in Christ Jesus…
Romans 3:23-24
Justification
• Why Faith? It’s the exact opposite of works or selfmerit or self-reliance
The dividing line between Catholics and Protestants:
• to be declared innocent
or
• to be made innocent?
• To be imputed or credited with righteousness or
imparted/infused with righteousness.
Justification
The Roman Catholic View:
• Infused righteousness: At the moment of salvation,
God infuses or weaves into you an actual sinless
holiness. At that moment, you are perfectly
innocent in actual practice.
• Does this sound like legal, courtroom language? No.
Justification
The Council of Trent (1545-1563)
• “The means of justification is the sacrament of
baptism.”
• Those who, by sin have fallen from the received
grace of justification may be again justified ...
through the sacrament of penance. (confession,
Hail Marys, etc.)
Justification
The Council of Trent
• “If any one says, that by faith alone the sinner is
justified; in such a way as to mean, that nothing
else is required to co-operate in order to the
obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is
not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and
disposed by the movement of his own will; let him
be anathema – condemned.” (Council of Trent,
Canons on Justification, Canon 9)
Justification
The Council of Trent
• “If any one says, that man is truly absolved from his
sins and justified, because he assuredly believed
himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is
truly justified but he who believes himself justified;
and that, by this faith alone, absolution and
justification are effected; let him be anathema.”
(Canon 14)
Justification
The Council of Trent
• “If any one says, that the justice received is not
preserved and also increased before God through
good works; but that the said works are merely the
fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a
cause of the increase of justification; let him be
anathema.” (Canon 24)
Justification
• “If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing
else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning
sins for Christ’s sake, or that it is that confidence
alone by which we are justified ... let him be
accursed” (Canon 12)
• For we maintain that a man is justified by faith
apart from works of the Law. Romans 3:28
• Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have
peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ…
Romans 5:1
Justification
• “If any one says, that, after the grace of
Justification has been received, to every penitent
sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal
punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there
remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be
discharged either in this world, or in the next in
Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of
heaven can be opened (to him); let him be
anathema.” (Canon 30)
Justification
•
13 When
you were dead in your transgressions and
the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive
together with Him, having forgiven us all our
transgressions, 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. Colossians 2:13-14
• For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of
God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23
Justification
• 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not
as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9
Justification
Justification
Sanctification
1.
Objective – declared
righteousness
1.
Subjective– demonstrate
righteousness
2.
Imputed righteousness
2.
Imparted righteousness
3.
Legal act
3.
Transforming righteousness
4.
God’s work for us
4.
God’s work in us
5.
Based on death of Christ
5.
Based on present ministry of
Christ
6.
Basis of sanctification
6.
Result of justification
7.
Finished at conversion
7.
Finished at consummation
Justification
• Summary: The Roman Catholic view of salvation
promotes an insufficient Christ, an inadequate
Cross, a losable salvation, and a salvation that fails
to protect you from God’s wrath against sin since it
is based on your good works. - Joel James
Transformational Truth for Today
Justification by Grace
through Faith in Christ