We're preaching today at Faith
Chapel Baptist Church across from Tennessee, where Donnie
Bell is pastor. And we're blessed to have with
us today Pastor Ralph Dale from Oakton, North Carolina. He's
going to be preaching in both services. So this church welcomes
you, Brother Ralph. You come and preach. Well, it's good to be in your
midst this morning and be able to be with you. I'm humbled and honored by your
pastors inviting me, having confidence to invite me to stand here and
minister to you the gospel. It's a high responsibility. I
don't take it lightly. I read a statement some time
ago that's stuck with me. I was preaching at a church back
during August. Well, I think Paul and Terry Y'all two came down. Right, Rick. And during that time, I was in
the pastor's study. I was going through some of his
books and came across a statement. It just really, I needed it at
that particular time in my life and concerning preaching. The statement went something
like this, that God does not honor preaching that does not
honor him. and his son. And I try to remind
myself of that every time I stand up in the pulpit. I want most
of all for my preaching to honor the Father, God the Father, and
God the Son, and of course, God the Spirit, that he would be
pleased to honor his word, his gospel. that my preaching would exalt
the Lord. And that's what I desire. That's
my prayer as I stand before you this morning and, Lord willing,
tonight. Our God would be honored. Christ would be exalted by the
message that I attempt to bring to you. Would you turn with me,
please, this morning to the book of Tychus? Titus chapter number three. I have chosen several passages
that I want for us to look at this morning. We're going to
begin in Titus and then move on to some others. But Titus chapter 3, verse 4, beginning in verse number
4, Titus 3, beginning in verse number 4, But after the kindness and love
of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness,
which we have done. But according to His mercy, He
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which He shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Savior, that being justified by His grace,
we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life,
that being justified by His grace. Now would you turn with me to
the book of Romans? Romans, the fifth chapter. Romans 5, Romans chapter 5, verse number
1. Romans 5, verse 1. Therefore,
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, justified by faith. Now, Romans, the eighth chapter. Romans 8. Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28. Romans 8, 28. And we know that
all things work together for good to them that love God, to
them who are the cause according to his purpose. For whom he did
foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image
of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. Moreover, whom he did predestinate,
them he also called. And whom he called, them he also
justified. And whom he justified, them he
also glorified. What shall we then say to these
things, if God be for us, who can be against He that spared
not his own son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall
he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay
anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth." And now our final passage will
stay there, and it's Romans 3. Romans 3, verse 24. Romans 3, verse 24. Being justified freely by His
grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. You notice in all these passages
that I've had you turn to speak of justification, beginning with
Titus, chapter 3, verse 7, and then
Romans 5, Romans 8, now Romans 3. I could have turned to more.
The book of Galatians speaks much of justification, but I
wanted to establish the subject by giving you those passages.
I want to speak to you this morning on the subject of justification. I have entitled the message,
Some Questions Concerning Justification. Questions Concerning Justification. Long ago, in the book of Job,
Bildad asked this question, How then can man be justified with
God? That's a good question. How then can man be justified? with God. That's not a foolish
question. The Apostle Paul said, avoid
foolish questions. There's a lot of questions being
asked today in religion that are foolish. Many foolish questions being
asked. Questions about the law, questions about genealogies,
questions about this and about that. Foolish questions. Paul
said, avoid them. They're a waste of time. I'm afraid that most of the questions
that people are asking in religion are foolish questions. But this
question is not a foolish question. How, then, can man be justified
with God? We need to seek an answer to
that question. We need to deal with that question.
We need to give serious attention and consideration to that question.
Let's not avoid that question. That's not a foolish question. Many today asking that question.
I'm afraid not. Many today are avoiding that
question. How, then, can man be justified
with God? And I feel this morning that
we need to deal with that question. We need
to wrestle with that. And we need to seek an answer
to that question, seek the answer that is found, the only true
answer that can be found in God's work. How, then, can man be justified
with God? So let's ask some questions concerning
justification and seek to answer these questions. You know, justification,
that's a fundamental Bible truth. We need to be clear on justification. It's a doctrine, it's a truth
that has been attacked down through the years. Justification, that was what
rocked the Roman Catholic Church under Martin Luther. God raised
up that man to ask that question, to deal with it. Justification,
and it rocked the Roman Catholic system, false system of salvation
by works. And so that issue, the issue
of justification then, has been one that has caused controversy
whenever it's dealt with. So it's a fundamental, essential
Bible truth, Bible doctrine, that we need to be clear on.
Now, my first question, and I'm going to give you this message
in a series of questions. My first question, number one,
what is justification? What is the meaning of justification? Justification is a legal term. It's a legal term. Justification is an act of God
whereby He pardons, forgives, and declares
a sinner to be righteous in his sight." Now, that's justification,
as best as I know how to sum it up or give a summary statement. It's an act of God whereby he
pardons, forgives, and declares a sinner to be righteous in his
sight. Now, justification is not just
the forgiveness of our sins. It includes that, of course,
but it includes—it involves more than just to have the forgiveness
of our sins. When God justifies us, we not
only receive the forgiveness of our sins, but we receive a
perfect righteousness, which is Christ's righteousness. That
involves more than just being forgiven. and pardon, and have
our sins to be forgiven. That's included in justification,
but we receive a righteousness, a perfect robe of righteousness
which is of Christ. Christ's righteousness is given,
imputed unto us by God. And therefore, we are accepted
in the Beloved. God accepts us as only He can,
and that's in the righteousness of Christ that He gives us. Now,
that's justification. Now, justification is the opposite of condemnation. Justification is the opposite
of condemnation. All that are not justified are
condemned. If they're not justified, then
they stand in condemnation by God. No matter how much they
try to justify themselves, as self-righteous sinners do in
the sight of God, they're always trying to justify themselves.
That publican, a Pharisee, who went to the temple to pray, so-called,
he was there. What was he doing? Justifying
himself. You see, and that's an illustration of self-righteous
sinners. They speak to justify themselves
before God, but if God doesn't justify them, they're condemned,
and they remain in condemnation until God justifies them. And
all that are justified are no longer in condemnation. For there is therefore now no
condemnation to all that are in Christ Jesus," justified by
Christ Jesus through Christ. So justification, then, is the
very opposite of condemnation. If you're not justified, you're
condemned. That's your stake in the sight
of God—condemnation. Now, if God has justified you
That justification is an eternal justification, irreversible.
God does not justify us and then turn around and condemn us. It's an eternal, irreversible
justification. Remember in Romans chapter 8
where it says, "...whom he justified, them he also glorified." All that He justifies, He glorifies—all
of them without exception. So if God justifies us, then
we're going to be glorified one day. And the purpose of God, we're
already glorified. So justification, then, is eternal
justification. What is justification? It's an
act of God whereby He declares forgives, pardons, and then declares
a sinner righteous in his sight. And that righteousness is the
righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, that perfect robe of
spotless righteousness we have in Christ. That's my first question.
All right. The second question is this.
Why do we need to be justified? Why do we need to be justified? because of who we are and what
we are by nature. And we could turn to many scriptures,
but let's stay here in Romans just for a moment. Let's first
of all turn to Romans chapter 5, just a couple of chapters
over there from 3, and I want us to look at, beginning in verse
number 6, and I want you to mark, underline, or Just remember three
words in Romans, beginning in Romans chapter six. I'm sorry,
chapter five, verse six. Romans five, verse number six. And I'll emphasize these three
words here to impress upon us why we need to be justified,
why every person needs to be justified. Romans chapter 5 verse
6, For when we were without strength in new times, Christ died for
the ungodly. And that's the first word, ungodly. Verse 7, for scarcely for a righteous
man will one die, yet peradventure for a good man some would even
dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners," that's the second word,
sinners, Christ died for us. First word, ungodly. Second word, sinners. All right? Verse 9, "...much more
then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies,"
that's the third word, For if when we were enemies we were
reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more being reconciled
we shall be saved by His life." Three words there that declare
the state of every person who comes into this world, ungodly,
sinners, enemies. brought out this morning in the
Sunday school lesson, says, most people don't like to be called
sinners, but that's what they are in the sight of God, sinners. We don't like that word, sinners.
We don't like to refer to people or ourselves as being sinners,
but yes, believe it or not, admit it or not, we're all sinners.
By nature, we're ungodly. Yes, we're ungodly by nature. Even the religious person who's
not been justified by God is ungodly. Ungodly by nature. Sinner by nature. Enemy. An enemy of God? For the very nature we have is
enmity with God. at enmity, opposed, hatred of
God, God's true character. We hate that by nature, the God
of the Bible. Why do we need to be justified?
Because of who we are by nature—ungodly, sinners, enemies. All right, back in Romans chapter
three. Romans 3, why do we need to be
justified? Verse 10, as it is written, there
is none righteous. No, not one. You mean there's
not one righteous before God? No, not one, he says. Not one. There is none righteous. There
is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after
God. They are all gone out of the way. They are together become
unprofitable. There is none that doeth good.
No, not one. Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have
used deceit. The poison of ash is under their
lips, whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their
feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in
their ways, and the way of peace They have not known. There is
no fear of God before their eyes. That's why we need to be justified,
because by nature we're like that. Why do we need to be justified?
Because of who we are. We stand condemned before a holy
God. In the light of God's holiness,
we're awful sinners. No, there's not none that is
righteous, good in the sight of God. We need to be justified
because of who we are. All right, third question. Who is the one that justifies
sinners? Who is the one that justifies
sinners? Well, that's God. Only God can
justify sinners. Romans 8, 23. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Only God can justify sinners. Now, in James chapter 4 and verse
12, mark that down, we'll not turn there, but in James 4 and
verse 12, We read where James writes, there is one lawgiver
who is able to save and to destroy. Who is that lawgiver? Who James
is referring to there is referring to God. God is the great judge,
the lawgiver, who is able to save and is able to destroy. He's able to save, he's able
to condemn. He has that right because he's
the one who is the great judge of the earth, the universe. He
is the lawgiver. And remember I said a few moments
ago that justification is used in the Bible concerning salvation
and so forth, as it's set forth here in the Word of God, is a
legal term. God is the lawgiver who has that
right to either justify or condemn. He has that right because He's
the lawgiver. And as a lawgiver, He's the only
one that can declare a sinner to be justified in His sight. You know, justification and sanctification
are both acts of God. But we need to remember that
there is a difference in justification and sanctification, as I understand
it. Both justification and sanctification
are what God does. We cannot sanctify ourselves
either more than we can justify ourselves. But there is a difference
there between these two things of justification and sanctification. I like to look at it in terms
like this. Justification is God dealing
with us as a judge, declaring us to be not guilty by virtue
of the person and work of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
whom we have as His... His righteousness is our righteousness.
forgiveness of sins. It's God, you might say, as a
lawgiver declaring us to be justified. That is justification. Now, sanctification
is like God as a physician healing us of our disease, which is sin. Dealing with us as the great
physician, curing of this terrible disease,
this deadly disease of sin. Thou shalt call his name Jesus,
for he shall save his people, not in their sins, from their
sins, from their sins. You know, salvation is, I am
saved. I'm continuing to be saved, and
I shall be saved." Yes, God in sanctification is the doctor,
the physician, doing that internal work by his Spirit. Justification is God declaring
us righteous. in his sight by the person, through the person
work of Christ, redemptive work of Christ. So who is the one
that justifies? Well, it's God. Only God can
justify sinners. All right, the next question.
I believe it's question number four, if you're keeping up with
the number. Question number four, and this
is one that Very important question. How does God justify the sinner? How does God justify guilty sinners? You know, along this same line, The same
question. We need to put in parentheses
another question that goes along with this. I'm not trying to
confuse you. I'm just trying to deal with this in this way. How can God be just and justify
the guilty? How can God be just and justify
the guilty? Well, that's a question that
we need to wrestle with. Very few people today are asking—wrestling
with that question. God is holy. God is righteous. God is just. How can a holy,
just, righteous God justify someone who's guilty? Have you ever wrestled with that
question? Well, doesn't it say in Proverbs
chapter seventeen and verse fifteen that to justify the wicked is
an abomination when done by men? For man to justify the wicked
is an abomination in the sight of God. For man to do that, then how
can God be just? and still justify guilty sinners?" Well, that's a good question. You know, the answer to that
question only comes by revelation. Man, in all of his so-called
wisdom, knowledge, and learning, cannot answer that question. That's the revelation of God.
How can God be just and justify the guilty? Well, the answer
to that question is found here in our text, in Romans chapter
3. Would you look at it with me? Romans 3. We're going to see how God can
be just and justify the guilty. who deserve nothing
but condemnation, who deserve nothing but judgment, who have broken His law, who
stand condemned in His sight, who deserve His wrath and His
judgment to be poured out. Well, verse 24, being justified
freely by His grace, by His grace. We read a few moments
ago in Titus, that first passage of Scripture I had you turn to,
Titus 3-7 there, it says the same, almost uses the same words,
justified by His grace. by his grace. Here, Paul uses
the word freely, free grace, justified, being justified freely
in order to emphasize that, that justification is an act of grace. There is nothing in us that moves God to justify us, nothing whatsoever. Nothing. The reason for Him justifying
sinners is not found in sinners. There is nothing in us that would
cause God, move God, to justify us. It's all by His grace. He justifies
us freely by His grace. The grace of God shines gloriously
in the justification of sinners. We have that emphasized over
and over in the Scriptures, that it's of grace. Paul here states
it, doesn't he? Being justified freely by His
grace. And then he goes on to say this,
being justified freely by His grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus. Verse 25, Whom God hath set forth
to be a propitiation, a mercy seat. You know, I've been told
that same word there, propitiation, is used In the original language
there in Luke's gospel, where that publican went to the temple
and smote upon his breast and hung his head down and said,
Oh God, be merciful to me, a sinner. The same word there is used as
propitiation, mercy. Look to the mercy seat and be
merciful to me. That is, look to Christ. Justify
me, oh God, for Jesus' sake. And Paul is saying here that
God has sent whom God, speaking of Jesus, whom God has set forth
to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, to declare
His righteousness for the remission of sins that are passed through
the forbearance of God. To declare, I say at this time,
His righteousness, that is, God's righteousness, that He might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth. in Jesus. What is the answer to the question
as to how can God be just and justify the guilty? Well, the
answer to that question is found, isn't it, in verse 26, through
Jesus Christ, that God may be just and the justifier of him
which believeth in Jesus Christ, Jesus our Lord. It's through
His person, His work, His person and His redemptive work that
we're justified, that God can be just and justify the guilty. Christ obeyed the law perfectly
for us. He was our surety, our substitute He obeyed God's
laws perfectly on our behalf. He went to the cross, Calvary, and on that cross, he whom you know sinned was made
sin for us. The Lord laid on him the iniquity
of us all. Our sins, our transgressions
were placed upon Him. He, the just, died for the unjust.
Even, you know, sin was made sin for us. And He assumed—now
watch this—He assumed our guilt. Now, that's remarkable. Think
about it. Not only did He take and bear
our punishment for our sins, He was punished in our place,
in our stead, as our substitute, but he actually took our guilt,
the guilt of our sins and transgressions. He took that. He assumed our
guilt. You know, I can take somebody
else's punishment, but there's no way I can take somebody else's
guilt. Think about that. We can't do
that. I can stand in their place and be punished in their place,
but I cannot—no way possible. Their guilt can be transferred
to me, but Jesus Christ on that cross not only bore our punishment
and our penalty for our sins, but our guilt was placed upon
Him. And He bore that. He assumed
that. It became His. And He paid the penalty in full
for our sins, our transgressions, our iniquities, and we receive
His obedience, His righteousness. Our sin debt has been paid in
full. We're no longer under condemnation
because somebody, the God-man, Jesus Christ our Lord paid for
our sins, paid the penalty in full, paid the debt in full,
assumed our punishment, our guilt, when He assumed our sins, was actually made sin for us.
Even you know sin, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in Him, and we are in Christ. He has made unto us righteousness, and we're justified in Him, in
Christ. And God is just. He's still just
as holy and just and righteous. He hasn't fallen from that in
declaring us who are guilty, because our guilt, our sins have
been paid for. he can declare us righteous and
just through Christ, which believeth in Jesus." Now, we're justified
by faith. We have peace with God, therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God. But you
see, in verse 27, Paul then immediately asks, where is boasting then? We can't boast, oh, I had faith
and you didn't. I boasted. No, you can't do that.
Why? Because it's a God-given faith.
It's a God-given faith. You see, justification, and this
leads me to my fifth question, my final question. and that is
who are justified. Not everyone is justified. Paul
says here, "...which believeth in Jesus," in verse 26, "...which
believeth in Jesus." You see, the Spirit of God enables us
to believe in Jesus. The Spirit of God applies redemption
and justification to us. and gives us faith to lay hold
of Christ and His righteousness. We have nothing to boast in.
Where is boasting then? Paul says it is excluded. There is no room whatsoever in
us boasting, because faith itself is a gift of God. Faith is like
the trembling hand that reaches out and receives the perfect
gift. And even faith itself is a God-wrought
faith in our hearts. God gives us faith. He doesn't
believe for us. He enables us to believe. I can't
explain that mystery, but I know it's true. We're responsible
to believe, yes, but we have to be enabled to believe before
we can ever lay hold of Christ and His perfect righteousness
and be justified. You see, the Spirit of God applies
justification to us and redemption and all of the work of Christ.
He applies it to us. We can no more help the Spirit
of God to apply justification and redemption than we could
help the Son of God to go to the cross and work out our redemption. Did we help Him in that? He did
it Himself. We didn't help him. Then we can
no more help the Spirit of God to apply redemption than we help
the Son of God to accomplish our redemption. It's all of grace. That's why I said that the grace
of God shines gloriously in the justification of a sinner. The sinner doesn't have a hand
in it. It's all of God. It's applied, accomplished by
the Son of God in redemption. Justification is a declaration
of God the Father, and God the Spirit takes the redemption and
justification and applies it to the believing sinner. That's
how God justifies sinners. Well, I trust that these questions
that I've tried to confront us with this morning have helped
us to have a better understanding of this, to emphasize this again
in our hearing this morning, and that we might glory in our
God, in Christ our Lord, and praise Him and thank Him that
He's justified us, and therefore we have peace with God, peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So would you come lead us in
closing him. Number 125. First and the second, please
stand. Number 125, Jesus paid it all, the first and the second.
You. I hear the Savior say, Thy strength
indeed is small. Child of weakness, watch and
pray. Find in me thy all in all. Jesus made it all, all to Him
I owe. When I left the crimson stains,
He washed it white as snow. Lord, now indeed I've learned,
By fire and mine alone, Him change that left the spot, And melt
the heart of stone. I'll do him my own. Still it left a crimson stain. He washed it white as snow.