Welcome, friends, to another
broadcast of Morsels for Zion's Poor. The prophet Jonah learned
a valuable lesson when he was in the belly of the fish for
three days. I'm not sure exactly which day it was that the revelation
of this truth came to him, but whenever he confessed that salvation
is of the Lord, he was shortly delivered from this grave he
was in. When the Spirit of God convinces a man of the lost and
helpless state he is in by nature, and reveals unto him the certainty
of death and judgment that awaits him, that man will confess that
if he is going to be saved, it will have to be the Lord who
does it. As long as a man thinks in his heart that his acceptance
with God is in any way enhanced or entered into by something
he can do or has done, that man is still a stranger to grace
and ignorant of his own deadness in trespasses and sins. Justification
by faith is a biblical truth which is at the heart of true
gospel preaching. But like all true concepts, men
have twisted and turned this truth and misused it until what
some men mean by these terms is actually not what the scriptures
mean by them. It is quite common to hear justification
by faith preached in such a way as to make men think of it as
a work of the flesh, which they may perform in order to gain
eternal redemption. Some teach that faith is the
grounds and basis of a man's justification with God. The only
basis upon which a man can be judged righteous in the courts
of heaven is the shed blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ,
which is imputed to guilty sinners before they ever grew bread.
The only ground of their acceptance in the Father's sight is the
mediatorial work of the Lord Jesus Christ, apart from any
work that can or shall be done by any of the sons of Adam. They
are no more accepted in the Beloved in the courts of heaven after
they have believed than before. The elect sons of God have been
and remain the objects of His perfect love, and they are honorable
in His sight solely because of their standing in Jesus Christ,
their eternal Redeemer. But God commendeth his love toward
us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved
from wrath through him. There can be no equivocation
on the fact that the elect are fully and completely justified
in the courts of heaven by no action of their own. Yet there
is another perspective of justification that does involve the mind of
men. For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in
of a better hope did, by the which we draw nigh unto God.
For the law, having a shadow of good things to come, and not
the very image of the things, can never, with those sacrifices
which they offered year by year, continually make the comers thereto
perfect. For then would they not have
ceased to be offered, because that the worshippers once purged
should have had no more conscience of sins. The continual offerings
under the law, though done in obedience, could never take away
sin in the court of heaven, nor in the conscience of man, because
those continual yearly sacrifices only served to testify that sin
was a continual problem that could not be taken away in this
fashion. But the bringing in of a better
hope did solve this problem. But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of
God. By one offering, He hath perfected forever them that are
sanctified or set apart. The Lord justifies His people
by His knowledge, as Isaiah wrote. They are made by His grace to
comprehend the glorious work which He has done in their behalf.
They are made to rejoice by the work of His Spirit in us, causing
them to be reconciled to God. He has wrought faith in them
that they might believe His precious promises and embrace the glorious
truth of their complete, utter justification in His sight. For
I threw the law and did to the law that I might live unto God.
I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless I live, yet not
I, but Christ liveth in me. And the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved
me and gave himself for me. Those who by the grace of God
have believed the gospel are not only justified in the courts
of heaven, but also in their mind. Paul said, likewise reckon
ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto
God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The gospel message is a
message of reconciliation. Indeed God is reconciled to his
elect, but the preaching of the gospel exhorts the sons of God,
be ye reconciled to God. Paul said, The word is nigh thee,
even in thy mouth and in thy heart. That is the word of faith
which we preach, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth
the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession
is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever
believeth on him shall not be ashamed. Do you believe in him?
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