Justified - June 9, 2013 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

As we have been studying Paul’s letter to the Christian’s in Rome, up to this point he has spoken about sin. He has said that everyone is without excuse, both the Jew and the Gentile. But Paul doesn’t leave us at sin. He doesn’t stand off by himself merely identifying who is a sinner and who is not (something Christians have a tendency to do. Isn’t it true that Christians seem awfully quick to point out the sin in others but refuse to see the sin in themselves). In Romans, Paul is taking his readers on a journey that leads them to hope; to grace; to righteousness. Our reading assignment was Romans 3:21-31. Let’s turn there and see the next step in this journey.

We all have sinned, says Paul. We cannot come to God by making excuses. But we can come to God through Jesus. Even though there is not one single person who is righteous, God provided a way for us to be declared righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty of our sins. This is what it means to be justified. And I’m not talking about the kind of “justified” we see portrayed in television shows where a person is justified to punish or do harm. When God speaks of being justified He means that a person is declared righteous. God makes a pronouncement against humanity saying that “All have sinned”. But then He turns around and says, “But I declare you righteous”. And God can do this simply because of what Jesus accomplished upon the cross. God now views us not as we are but as we will be in Christ.

What this means is that neither birth, culture, nor education; neither our environment nor the degree of our sin can keep us from being justified (declared righteous) because that declaration comes from God, not by merit. This was a whole new way of thinking for the Jews. Under the Old Testament Law, righteousness came by a person behaving. But under the Gospel, righteousness comes by believing.

This is a beautiful message of hope to the person who is willing to stand before God without making an excuse for their sin. The person who makes excuses for their sin or denies their sin is, in reality, refusing to be convicted. But, the person who is convicted is the person who makes no excuse, and stands before God ready to receive His punishment. But instead of receiving what they justifiably deserve, the convicted person receives grace. Who knew? Who would have guessed that God would step in and do for us what we could not do for ourselves? And yet by doing this, this process of justification demonstrates the righteousness of God.

Theologian Warren Wiersbe has said, “A God of love wants to forgive sinners, but a God of holiness must punish sin and uphold His righteous Law. How can God be both “just and justifier”? The answer is in Jesus Christ. When Jesus suffered the wrath of God on the cross for the sins of the world, He fully met the demands of God’s Law, and also fully expressed the love of God’s heart”. That’s the beauty in all of this. God establishes a standard of holiness that no one can obtain. He does this because He is holy. And all who want to draw near to God must obtain the level of holiness which He demands. But instead of standing off by Himself identifying who is a sinner, God draws near. Christ steps in and takes the punishment we deserve. Is there any more clear example of God’s deep love for us than this? The fact that God provides a way for corrupt, sinful people who deserve His wrath to escape His wrath testifies to His righteousness.

That Law, which was given to the Old Testament Jews, was a witness to God’s righteousness. But all it did was demonstrate just how holy and righteous God truly is. It could not, however, provide righteousness for a sinful humanity. That’s where Jesus steps in. Only Jesus could provide for us what the Law could not. “For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die” (Galatians 2:21).

I think many of us know this. I think most Christians understand just what God did through the death and resurrection of Jesus. But what we may not know is that the death of Jesus didn’t just pay the penalty for our sin, but for all of humanity who have been, who are, and who will one day be. You see, long ago God knew of the sacrifice Jesus would one day pay for all of humanity. And he held back punishing people for their sin knowing the day would come when the blood of Jesus would cover all sin. This is the meaning behind verses 25 and 26. “For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, ²⁶ for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:25-26). This is what the animal sacrifices accomplished in the Old Testament times. Although it seems the Jews did not know this, the animals they sacrificed purchased a temporary righteousness from God. And He accepted their sacrifice knowing that one day Jesus would pay the full debt.

Of course, this section raises a valid question. If people are justified because of the death of Jesus, does this mean all people? Does this mean everyone gets to go to heaven? And if not everyone, then who is justified? Who is declared righteous by God? Paul anticipated this question which he stresses in the end of this section. Justification is granted to a person by God because of their faith. But what that faith looks like and what justification means is discussed in the next section which we will cover in two weeks. Until then may you fully realize that even though all of us have sinned and that all of us have fallen short of God’s glorious standard, God, in His love and mercy declares us innocent (justified) because of what Christ did on the cross.