How do we justify ourselves before God who is holy and without sin?
As you may have read in the paper this week about he person who was fat and wanted to get money from McDonalds because they offer food that made him fat. He wanted to justify his reason to be fat. Who or what would you like to blame for what you are? Job was a man that had good integrity yet he asked the question twice, “How can a man be justified with God?” He was not concerned about his physical appearance or that he lacked some things or pleasures in life. He wanted to stand right before God. I want to look at some opinions that some have and what the Word of God says in relation to those opinions. In the second part I want to speak on what it means to be justified that you may clearly understand that you are justified.
Job 25:4, 9:2 “How can a man be justified with God?” 9:1-8 2"Yes, I know that this is true. But how can a mortal be declared righteous to God?
ALL MEN A LIKE NEED TO BE JUSTIFIED. RM 3:9 “All are under sin.” “The entire world is guilty.” (19) “All come short” (23). The result as we read in these same chapters is every mouth is stopped, all consciences are smitten and everyone stands guilty before God. All are condemned alike so all must be justified alike. “There is no difference.”
Opinions of how this is to be done:
1. I THINK THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL THAT NEED TO BE JUSTIFIED MORE THAN OTHERS.
Only the ones that sin badly really need to come in repentance to God. RM 3: 10, as Scripture says, "Not one person has God’s approval. [11] No one understands. No one searches for God. [12] Everyone has turned away. Together they have become rotten to the core. No one does anything good, not even one person. [16] There is ruin and suffering wherever they go. [17] They have not learned to live in peace. [18] They are not terrified of God."
2. I SUPPOSE THAT IF A MAN KEEPS THE LAW HE WILL BE JUSTIFIED. 3:20 “Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.” Laws were added to increase the failure. But where sin increased, God’s kindness increased even more.
3. I DEEM THAT GOD JUSTICIFIES THE GOOD. RM4:5 “However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.” 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.” Will doing as well as you can, all the time bring you at oneness with God? You may receive an OK from the people who are around you but that does not mean God approves. The man Abraham did good works but that did not make him righteous with God. The only good works that we can do is as they come from a heart that is right with God. If we trust our own goodness instead of trusting in God we show that we are still against God and an enemy to Him.
4. I REASON THAT EVERY MAN MUST GIVE EXPLANATION FOR HIMSELF. RM 8:33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died--more than that, who was raised to life--is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.
5. I ASSUME THAT IF A MAN TRUSTS IN CHRIST AND DOES AS WELL AS HE CAN BE SHALL BE JUSTIFIED. .Acts 8: 39 “Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the Law of Moses.” RM 3:21 “But now righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.” 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between people.”
6. I RECKON THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MORE TO DO THAN TO MERELY BELIEVE. RM.3:28 “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”
7. I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AND KNOW I AM JUSTIFIED. RM 5: 1Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. “
A person is justified by faith. It is through faith that we find peace with God. We count on God’s word being true and act accordingly.
WHAT IS IT TO BE JUSTIFIED? Seven things will happen:
A. YOUR SINS WILL BE FORGIVEN. RM 4:7"Blessed are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him." “We are like nails; the harder you hit us the deeper you drive us.” Our suffering then develops our CHARACTER.
B. TO BE JUSTIFIED IS TO BE SAVED FROM GOD’S ANGER. 5:9 “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s anger through him!” WE RECEIVE SALVATION FROM WRATH Christ died at exactly the right time. Just when we needed Him the most He came through for us. He did it to save us from the wrath God had against our sin. More importantly, He did it for us while we were STILL sinners! He didn’t wait for us to get things right (thank God) but rather met us where we were.
C. TO BE JUSTIFIED IS TO BE CONSIDERED RIGHTEOUS, BLAMELESS, UPRIGHT. 4: 9 we have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness.” Many things that Abraham did showed that his works would have never made him right with God.
D. TO BE JUSTIFIED IS TO HAVE HARMONY, COME IN AGREEMENT WITH GOD. 5:1 “Now that we have God’s approval by faith, we have peace with God because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done.” WE HAVE PEACE WITH GOD What is peace with God? How is it different from other kinds of peace? Why did we not have it before? What were we to God before we had it? His enemies what will become of the enemies of God? (Heb. 10:26) Hebrews 10:26 “If we go on sinning after we have learned the truth, no sacrifice can take away our sins.”
E. TO BE JUSTIFIED IS TO DELIGHT IN HOPE. 5:2 “Through Christ we can approach God and stand in his favor. So we brag because of our confidence that we will receive glory from God. WE HAVE a GLORIOUS HOPE What is our Hope? 1 Cor. 15:44 “It is planted as a physical body. It comes back to life as a spiritual body. As there is a physical body, so there is also a spiritual body.” The glorified body! Hope- to rely; to wait expectantly. We are not hoping it might, we know it will! WE HAVE HOPE In Eph. 2:12 Paul lists 5 things we did not have before we were Christians: 1. Separate from Christ 2. Excluded from citizenship in Heaven 3. Foreigners to the covenants of the promise 4. Without hope 5. Without God in the world. He was saying that every morning when we got out of bed, we were on our own! When we were scared, we had no promises to cling to! There was no God to hear us! Now that we have been justified we can say, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear not because You are WITH me!!! The lost are exactly that: LOST. They do not have Christ, they are not heirs of the eternal kingdom, they have no assurance of security and so they have no hope. The only certainty their future holds for them is eternal condemnation! Remember this the next time a lost person treats you like you don’t feel you deserve to be treated. Show them your hope!
F. To be justified is to enjoy the love of God 5:5 “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”
G. TO BE JUSTIFIED IS TO BE RECONCILED TO GOD. 5:10 for if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! WE DEVELOP CHARACTER What is character? The pattern of behavior or personality found in an individual or a group; moral constitution. What do we need to know about character? 1. It’s more than talk. 2. It’s more that talent. 3. It brings lasting success. 4. People without it will not stand very long.
It is only God who can justify; 1. It is not by works that we do. 2. It is by God’s grace. 3. It is through the blood of Jesus Christ. 4. it comes by our faith.
