40. Justification Series

[IN GOD’S IMAGE 40 - JUSTIFICATION]

This message is part of a series of 90 sermons based on the title, “In God’s Image – God’s Purpose for humanity.” This series of free sermons or the equivalent free book format is designed to take the reader through an amazing process beginning with God in prehistory and finishing with humanity joining God in eternity as His loving sons and daughters. It is at times, a painful yet fascinating story, not only for humanity, but also for God. As the sermons follow a chronological view of the story of salvation, it is highly recommend they be presented in numerical order rather than jumping to the more “interesting” or “controversial” subjects as the material builds on what is presented earlier. We also recommend reading the introduction prior to using the material. The free book version along with any graphics or figures mentioned in this series can be downloaded at www.ingodsimage.site - Gary Regazzoli

We have been looking at the atoning work of God specifically with regard to justification.

• What Christ has accomplished through His atoning work has fulfilled the three requirements needed for justification.

• 1) The death penalty demanded for the sin of the world has been satisfied through the death of the only one who is capable of fulfilling this role, the Creator of mankind, the Son of God who has joined Himself to mankind in His incarnation (Colossians 1:15-17, Mark 10:45).

• Consequently, the justice demanded by a holy God for mankind’s sin has been served.

• 2) With His passive obedience of going to the cross on our behalf, Jesus acknowledged human sinfulness and God’s right to judge and punish this sinfulness.

• In other words, Jesus repented for us and acknowledged God’s right to punish our sinfulness.

• 3) While Jesus bore the weight of the world’s sin when He went willingly to the cross on our behalf, God in turn, now imputes the righteous life Jesus lived on our behalf to us so that we are now considered as righteous as Jesus Christ.

• 2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

• This is called the “great exchange,” the bargain of the universe. We gave Jesus our sin, and in return He gave us His righteousness.

• As a result of all this, the good news of the gospel is, Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

One has to marvel at this godly act, as no court in the land would allow this type of transaction to occur.

• There is no way a judge would allow an innocent person to substitute himself to accept the punishment of the guilty party.

• Yet this is precisely how God chooses to justify us. The judge sentences the guilty then steps around the bench and assumes the penalty on behalf of the guilty party.

• Here we see God in the ultimate act of love bearing in His own incarnation His own judgment on mankind.

• God Himself endures His own wrath against sin.

• What we see here is the breaking in of the new order of the kingdom of God, a system of justice accompanied by terms such as grace, forgiveness and mercy.

• As we have learned earlier, all of God’s characteristics including anger and judgment are governed by “love.”

• “Love” necessarily involves a relationship between parties, something sadly missing in man’s system of justice where everything is kept on a strictly legalistic basis.

• But such is God’s love for His wayward children, He has initiated a system of justice that not only sets them free from the demands of the law, but also demonstrates to those same rebellious children His unwavering love and commitment to them.

However this is not to say that God has suspended the demands of the law in order to come to this arrangement.

• Forgiveness and pardon has come at the supreme price, the death of the Son of God. Absolute judgment has been administered on the One substituted in our place.

• But this very fact introduces the other benefit of dealing with sinful humanity through grace rather than the law.

• While there is the unmistakable sense of joy associated with this good news for sinners, there is also the shame of knowing that our sin has caused the death of God.

• Love by its very nature is a choice. A response generated by fear of punishment, as occurred under the administration of the law is not “love,” it is coercion!

• However the whole dynamic of the equation changes under the administration of “grace.”

• Under “grace” we are dealing directly with a loving God who has already justified and reconciled us despite our sinfulness.