MEASURE UPON MEASURE – JUDGMENT and CONDEMNATION – THE RESTORATION OF GOD - Part 16 (Section 2)
This is the second part of the great transformation from condemnation, having been declared guilty, to what we are in Jesus Christ. Jesus took all the condemnation for us and we have justification. It is a wonderful appropriation of righteousness. That is what we will look at now.
THE SAVIOUR’S ROAD
The bible explicitly asserts that the soul that sins shall surely die. Christ was without sin but became sin for us. Figuratively, as He took on our sins and appropriated the consequences of those sins, He stood before the bar in the courtroom of God. The holy and righteous Father judged the sin represented there, or in other words, His own Son, and the verdict was a guilty one. The Lord Jesus Christ was condemned by the Father for sin not His own. That condemnation was death.
Sin meant the sinner had to die; a death was required. Thus in condemnation for us, He was condemned and led to Calvary and there drank the cup we have already mentioned, the cup of God’s wrath. There the whole judgment of God against sin fell on Him. It pleased the Father to bruise Him but Jesus bore all the judgment for us. By His stripes we have been healed and the death that He died, He died for sin, once for all.
It would be difficult for a person of some conscience to watch as another, an innocent one at that, took the punishment that was correctly meant for the guilty one. What response would, or should that evoke in the guilty one? I know most are cowards, but there should be the sense of remorse or repentance, and of unreserved gratitude. Absorbing the truth of the following verse (already quoted), should produce the same result. {{Isaiah 53:5 “But HE WAS pierced through for our transgressions, HE WAS crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our wellbeing fell upon Him, and by His scourging, we are healed.”}}
When you speak with people about Jesus dying FOR THEM it means nothing to them. The conscience is devoid of gratitude and interest. They don’t want to know about “this religion stuff”, and that is because they have no sense of need; no conviction of sin and impending judgement for sin. They have no fear of God before their eyes. The god of this world has blinded their eyes. The only one who can get through to these people is the Holy Spirit for He brings the proper conviction.
Because the consequences of sin are so dire, so everlasting, the problem of sin could not be swept under the carpet by God into an unseen place. The matter had to be faced at the appropriate time, at the appointed time, and resolved. All sins ever committed must be punished, for the wages of sin is death. (Sin pays death for its wages). The continual sin problem had to have a resolution.
In Old Testament times the sins of the people were covered by their animal sacrifices and therefore could be overlooked, so the repentant people were accepted before God, for without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sins. Even those people, along with us, had their sins remedied in the cross of Christ by one sacrifice forever. That work of the Lord was full atonement for the sins of His people, pre and post Calvary.
All the judgment from God was meted out that day and no more wrath remains for us, only cloudless skies after the passing of the lightning and the blackness of the storm. Noah experienced this similar condition. There was a window in the ark that permitted Noah to look upward, not downward. God’s judgment had fallen from the skies and had beaten heavily upon the ark which bore the full fury of His wrath, but Noah was safe in the ark and lifted up above all the judgment. That was God’s blessed provision.
He could look out from that window to the skies from where the judgment had originated and he could see there was no judgment for him - just the peace and serenity of a new life. So it is for us, but let us not forget it was the Saviour who was exposed to the whole judgment of God for our sins but we rest now calmly and safe in Him. The Lord Jesus was our Ark and weathered the judgment of wrath, but now protects all those in Him. For His saints there is no longer any wrath; judgment has emptied itself to the last drop. The storm of the cross passed to leave cloudless skies.
O Jesus, Lord, You stood once in my stead;
God’s holy wrath was poured upon Your head;
For me You once were numbered with the dead -
For me, O Lord, for me.
THE RESTORATION OF GOD – JUSTIFICATION AND PARDON
This will lead us now to what our Lord’s restoration for us is. He took our place. What did He not steal, and yet has restored?
He removed judgment and has granted to us above all, JUSTIFICATION, but also has imparted RECONCILIATION and REDEMPTION and RIGHTEOUSNESS. Justification is being in the state where nothing detrimental can be listed to your account. There is nothing to be held against you, not even a blemish. One is fully cleared, fully without blame, without spot or mark or imperfection. All in Christ are declared just, or righteous before God, fully acceptable to Him. All this is because, into our account, has been entered the righteousness of Christ. We are clothed in His righteousness and His holiness.
There is a common definition devised to try to explain the meaning of justification. It is said that to be justified means, “just if I’d” never sinned. This simplification is not fully true, though in part it helps to explain the concept. If it was true, it would place us in the same condition as the Edenic Adam. It would have meant only earthly prospects and work associated purely with the earth, a whole earthly outlook. We would have had communion in the cool of the evening.
Justification for us means much more. There has to be the acknowledgement of being sinners saved by grace, knowing the transformation from darkness to light. We have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and on a much higher plane we dwell, a plateau of redemption with a heavenly vision and anticipation.
Faith! Faith is what holds us to the promises of God. For all of us who have been born again, are we justified? Most certainly we are. We can accept that by faith as our trust is in the Lord Jesus Christ. One dilemma we can have is that faith accepts this work of God, but our feelings get in the way. We sort of don’t feel justified, and I would say that is because we don’t understand that great transaction well enough. We walk by faith and must continue to do so. Our feelings can be imperfect, even distorted and wrong.
NO CONDEMNATION EVER MORE FOR ETERNITY
Romans 8:1-2 is most significant. {{“There is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.”}} This is a lovely verse. Before we were saved we were under inescapable condemnation our sin caused, but when we were regenerated in Jesus Christ, it was recognised by God that Christ was condemned and underwent the judgment for us, and therefore His PARDON or JUSTIFICATION can be graciously appropriated to us.
That verse has much assurance. When the devil points an accusing finger regarding our sins, when he wants to condemn us, then this verse is our right of reply, our strong anchorage. Yes, we are justified from all things. Our justification comes by faith in the Saviour but operates through the completed work of Christ, that is, He has taken every drop of the judgmental wrath of God poured out against sin. The dreadful penalty was paid, and through His work, justification is my undeserved gift from God.
There is a term applied to Satan and it’s here – {{Revelation 12:10 “I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN has been thrown down, WHO ACCUSES THEM BEFORE OUR GOD DAY AND NIGHT.”}}
I find I am accused for sins in the past, even grievous ones, even those committed as a Christian who has slipped up. Satan and his demons love to come and make out we are failures and God is rejecting us because of those sins. “They are on your account,” the devil tries to impress on us. It is very nasty. If we confess our sins God is faithful to His word, and righteous to forgive those sins. The blood of Christ cleanses from all sin. Through faith we are justified from all things, and justification means there is noting on our ledger that God will raise against us! All is washed clean. The accuser has no standing with us! He is defeated.
THE MAGNIFICENCE OF ONE PASSAGE FROM ROMANS
Another scripture also very pertinent to our topic is found in Romans 5:15-19. It is a passage of contrasts. Note them as you follow the verses. This passage is so much portraying the Results of Sin, and the Saviour’s Road, and then the Restoration of God. Adam and Christ are contrasted and what resulted from one has been remedied by the Other. It is Measure Upon Measure. More than that, the remedy has resulted in even greater blessing than Adam could ever have known. Contrasted here are the TRANSGRESSION and the FREE GIFT.
{{15. “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ abound to the many. 16. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. 17. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. 18. So then as through the transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19. For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.”}}.
In Adam there is transgression but in Christ there is the free gift of absolute pardon. However it is more than pardon. If a man has been held in prison for a crime, and eventually is released or set free on parole, he is taken out from prison and let go for him to work out his own way after that. That is not what God does to the one who is pardoned and released from Satan’s prison of sin. Yes, of course he is set free, BUT then, all manner of blessings come his way. He is justified. He enters into a loving family relationship with God’s Son. Great fellowship with all the saints becomes his on earth and later in heaven. He has multiplied blessings in spiritual places. We can’t begin to set forth those wonders that pertain to the one once condemned, but now justified.
The work on the cross is one huge mix of grace, love and mercy!
(a). Let us draw out the contrast from those Romans verses. One transgression meant many died BUT from one Man, Jesus Christ, God’s grace and His gift have abounded to many. (verse 15). This verse serves as the introduction to the section.
(b). Through one transgression, JUDGMENT arose and CONDEMNATION followed BUT the free gift arose out of many transgressions resulting in JUSTIFICATION. (verse 16). This verse spells out clearly the two contrasting camps.
(c). One transgression caused death to reign BUT the gracious gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ will result in life (verse 17). Paul uses the two great opposites, death and life in his contrast .
(d). Condemnation for all resulted from one transgression, BUT JUSTIFICATION of life to all, resulted from one act of righteousness (verse 18). This is the key verse in the passage. It expands the central theme of much of Romans - from condemnation to justification. That is why the Lord Jesus Christ came.
(e). One man’s disobedience (transgression) made all sinners, BUT one Man’s obedience makes many righteous. (verse 19). This verse concludes the previous verses in a concise, summary way.
For Adam he felt the great culminating consequence of his sin as it revealed itself in condemnation and expulsion. This consequence incorporated all previous consequences of guilt and shame, separation, cursing, sorrow and death. It wrapped them up in a box called CONDEMNATION SEALED FOREVER – NOT TO BE OPENED. It is one thing to be reproved but it is totally another to be judged and condemned. That is what happened to Adam and Eve.
In a similar contrast, Christ’s restoration blessings have culminated in this one great consequence - JUSTIFICATION. Without justification, then glory, communion, blessings, joy, acceptance and life would have no basis, and without a foundation, all things are in a state of uncertainty. This is not so with us, for our great foundation is justification and on this basis alone, all other restoration blessings are pegged. The great truth of justification is also closely related to reconciliation, which has been the thought in Romans 5. That chapter opens with a reassuring verse, which is in the past tense for the conversion through faith; yet in the present tense for the continued outflow of blessing. {{Romans 5:1 “Therefore HAVING BEEN justified by faith, WE HAVE peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”}}
The perfect righteousness of God
Is witnessed in the Saviour’s blood;
‘Tis in the cross of Christ we trace
His righteousness, yet wondrous grace.
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God could not pass the sinner by,
Justice demands that he should die;
But in the cross of Christ we see
How God can save, yet righteous be.
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The judgment fell on Jesus’ head,
‘Twas in His blood, sin’s debt was paid;
Stern justice can demand no more,
And mercy can dispense her store.
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The sinner who believes is free,
Can say, “The Saviour died for me;”
Can point to the atoning blood
And say, “This made my peace with God.”
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(Albert Midlane)
One more Chapter will follow – the Conclusion - and that will summarise to wrap up this whole study. God bless each one who is present with His word.
