Look back at Romans chapter 5. The last few verses of this passage
is what I'm going to deal with this morning concerning the subject
justification of life. Justification of life. Since the Lord many years ago
taught me and revealed to me the gospel of His sovereign free
grace in Christ Jesus. Romans 521 has been one of my
favorite verses. That as sin hath reigned, that
speaks of the rule of sin, the domination of sin unto death,
even so might grace reign. That's sovereign grace, the reign
of grace. That's where we get our title
for our media ministry, the reign of grace, media ministries. Even so might grace reign through
righteousness. However grace comes, however
grace is applied, however grace works, and however grace reigns,
it does it through righteousness. I always think about when I come
to passages like that when the Lord was talking to the Pharisees
about how they were so meticulous in their traditions that they
had raised up in the law, but they had forgotten and ignored
the vital issues of faith and mercy. And he said, go learn
what that means. And when I read that passage,
grace reigns through righteousness, I would tell you And I'm going
to tell you this this morning, but I would tell you, go learn
what that means. You young people, with your whole
life ahead of you, go learn what that means. Am I right? Grace reigns through righteousness. But it goes on, it says, unto
eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now the term justification
of life comes from verse 18. But look at verse 17. The apostle
writes, for if by one man's offense, one man offended, that's what
he's talking about, when did that happen? That's Adam in the
garden. Adam was created by God and he
was appointed by God to be the representative of the whole human
family, his whole posterity. And it says he offended. And
he says, for if by one man, Adam's offense, death reigned by one,
the reign of death, now you see down there in verse 20, he said,
sin hath reigned unto death. The reason Death reigns is because
of sin. The wages of sin is death. But
go back to that verse 12 of Romans chapter 5. He says here in verse 12, Wherefore
as by one man sin entered into the world. Now most people, when
they think about it, they think about Adam. And what they think
of is this, Adam brought in the possibility or the potential
of sin. But that's not what this teaches.
Adam did not bring in a possibility or a potential for me and you
to sin. Adam brought sin and death upon
the whole human race so that we, when Adam fell, the scripture
teaches this now, when Adam fell, we fell. Read on, verse 12. Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon
all men, now why does death come? Because of sin. Here's one way
to put it. When Adam sinned, we sinned.
How do you know that? Look at that verse. For that
all have sinned, literally in the original, it would be that
all sinned. When Adam sinned, you say, well,
now, that doesn't seem fair. I wasn't there. Yes, you were
in your representative. He represented you. Now, you
may say, you may be so bold as to say, well, I don't want Adam
to represent me. I didn't choose him. You didn't have any choice
in that matter. You see, God is the sovereign
of the universe. You're not that. It's like that
old false preacher said, in his frustration, he got up in his
80s, he got so frustrated in religion, and he told a young
man, he said, well, out of all this religious stuff, he said,
I've come to know two things for sure, and he said, number
one, there is a God, and number two, I ain't him. Well, there
is a God, and we ain't him. Pardon my French. You say, well, I would choose
somebody else. Well, you didn't have that choice.
You're not God. God is the creator. And I want
you to think about something when you think about a right
relationship with God or how you relate to God. Take a breath
right now. Take a breath. That's a gift
from God to you. And he can take it away just
like that. Isn't that right? The very next
breath you breathe, You didn't earn it and you don't deserve
it. Neither did I. God set it up this way. And let
me tell you something about God. He is all wise, all knowing,
and all powerful. This is His way. You say, well,
I don't like His way. Well, all you're doing there
is just evidencing your depravity, your rebellion. as we all do
in some form or fashion. Even in false religion, God appointed
Adam to be the representative of the whole human race. Adam
fell. Some preacher told a fellow one
time, he said, no, that's not the way it is. We're not, we
didn't fall on Adam. We potentially fell on Adam.
We're born innocent and we're not made sinners until we make
the first choice to sin. And I asked him, it wasn't me,
but the other preacher asked him, he said, well let me ask
you this, has there been anybody in the history of the whole human
race who didn't make the choice to sin? And the answer's no. Why is that? Because we fell
in Adam. And we're born dead in trespasses
and sin. Ephesians 2.1 speaks of those
whom God saved And here's how he addresses them. He says, and
you hath he quickened, regenerated, given life, who were dead in
trespasses and sins. And that applies to man at his
best now. Man at his best state is altogether
vanity. That applies to the religious
man and the irreligious man. That applies to the moralist
and the immoralist. That applies to the to the one
who's sitting in a church pew under a false gospel just as
much as it applies to an atheist. We're sinners. And if you don't
believe that, don't ever quote Romans 3.23 again. It says, for
all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. We all come
short. And there's no possibility of
being saved from sin and death by our best works, our best efforts
to save ourselves. For by grace are you saved, through
faith, and that not of yourselves. It's the gift of God, not of
works, lest any man should boast. By deeds of law shall no flesh,
nobody, the best, the worst, and everybody in between, no
one will be justified in God's sight. What is it to be justified? Now look back at verse 17. For
if by one man's offense death reign by one, much more They
which receive abundance of what? Of grace. So whatever they're
receiving here, they didn't earn it and didn't deserve it. Because
it's grace. And the gift of what? Righteousness. Righteousness is a gift. That means it's given freely,
unconditionally and without any qualification in the one who
receives it. What is righteousness? It's perfect
satisfaction to the justice of God. If I have righteousness,
I'm fine. But here's the state of man falling
in Adam. Look over at Romans chapter 3.
And look at verse 10. Here's the state of man falling
in Adam. Verse 10. And as I always tell
you when we read this now, do not read it with the accept me
interpretation. It says, as it is written, there
is none righteous, no, not one. Don't put in there except me. You don't qualify. I don't either.
This is man by nature. This is our natural state. This
is as we're born. None righteous, no, not one.
All right? He says in verse 11, there's
none that understandeth, there's none that seeketh after God.
That's man in his natural state left to himself, fallen in Adam,
born dead in trespasses and sin, ruined by the fall, the old theologians
used to say. Verse 12, they are all gone out
of the way. What is the way? Christ said, I am the way, the
truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father
but by me. We don't know that way by nature. If we know that
way now, it's because God has revealed it to us by His Spirit
in His Word. Isn't that right? They all together
become unprofitable. There's none that doeth good.
No, not one. That's good according to God's
measure of goodness, not man's now. You say, well, I know some
good people. Not in God's sight you don't.
Maybe in your sight. Maybe in society's view. but
not in God's sight. Remember the rich young man?
What good thing must I do that I may inherit eternally? Christ
said, hey, there's none good but God. And then jump down to
verse 19 of Romans 3. He says, Now we know that what
thing soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the
law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may
become guilty, that's legally guilty, before God. Therefore
by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified.
What is it to be justified? It means to be not guilty. It
means to be righteous in God's sight. By deeds of law there
shall no flesh be justified in God's sight, for by the law is
the knowledge of sin. Now go back to Romans 5. For if by one man's offense,
verse 17, death reign by one, much more they which receive
abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign
in life by one, Jesus Christ. Now there's grace. How does grace
come? Well let's read on, verse 18.
Therefore, as by the offense of one, judgment came upon all
men to condemnation." Who are the all men there? All whom Adam
represented. And he says, even so by the righteousness
of one, that's Jesus Christ. The free gift, the free gift,
you see it? Came upon all men unto justification
of life." Now who are the all men there? All whom Christ represented
on the cross when he died and qualified evidence by what? Justification of life. For whom did Christ die? All who are justified in God's
sight and who come to life by the Spirit of God. Last week, I dealt with this
verse out of Proverbs chapter 17, verse 15, which says, He
that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just,
even they both are an abomination to the Lord. Anybody who justifies
a wicked person, anybody who condemns a just person, they're
an abomination unto God. But doesn't it say in Romans
chapter 4 and verse 5, that those who are saved by the grace of
God are those who believe on Him that justifies the ungodly? Now, if God says He that justifies
the wicked or the ungodly is an abomination to Him, how can
God justify me, a sinner, who by nature is ungodly, and not
be an abomination to Himself? How can God do that? Here's your
answer. Look at verse 18 again of Romans
5. Therefore, as by the offense
of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so
by the righteousness of one. It's by the righteousness of
one person that God justifies sinners like me and like you. Read on. Verse 19, for as by
one man's disobedience many... Now, in the original, there could
be a definite article there. In other words, it would read
like this, for as by one man's disobedience the many were made
sinners. That's Adam. For in Adam all
die. So by the obedience of one shall
the many be made righteous. That's all whom Christ represented.
And so he says, moreover, the law entered that the offense
might abound. If we cannot be saved by our obedience, our efforts
to keep the law, then why was the law given? Well, here's why.
The law entered that the offense might abound. The law was given
to show us that we are in need of a righteousness we cannot
produce and provide. That's right. That's what we're
in need of. Somebody says, well, we need
to be saved. Yes. Saved from what? Saved how? Saved from sin, saved from death.
What's the only thing that can save a sinner from sin and death?
Righteousness. Where are you going to find righteousness? What's the only thing that can
bring a dead sinner, spiritually dead sinner, to spiritual life? Justification of life. There's
only one thing, righteousness. Look over Romans chapter 8 with
me. Romans 8. Just a few pages over. Verse 10. If Christ be in you, Christ residing
in his people. How does he do that? by His Spirit
and by His Word. If Christ resides in you, the
body is dead because of sin. Now what is the body? Well, that's
this human body. This body is headed for the grave. But he says, if Christ be in
you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life. The Holy Spirit gives life, spiritual
life. Because of what? Well, because
you walked an aisle and gave your heart to Jesus. Doesn't
say that, does it? Because you got into the baptistry
and let some preacher dunk you in water. No. Because you turned
over a new leaf. You stopped doing this and started
doing that and joined the church. No. The Spirit is life because
of what? Read it there. Righteousness. What is it that makes a sinner
righteous? What is it that gives the sinner life? Go back to Romans
5 and verse 20. Moreover the law entered that
the offense might abound, but where sin abounded, grace did
much more abound. The picture of that language
there is like this. It's like a person who's out
in the ocean drowning in that water. And it's saying this. Where sin abounded, where sin
overflowed me like a flood, drowning in a sea of sin, grace did much
more abound. In other words, there's no sinner
who's so sinful that God cannot save that sinner by grace. But
how does He do it? Verse 21, that is, sin hath reigned
unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness.
unto eternal life by Jesus Christ. That's how. The Bible teaches
that the Lord Jesus Christ, in His death, burial, and resurrection,
for the sins of His people, given Him by God before the foundation
of the world in divine, sovereign, electing grace, And he came to
this earth as their surety." What does that mean? That means
all of the debt of their sins that they owed to God's justice
was charged, accounted, imputed to Christ. Christ said, put it
on my account, I will repay the debt. What's the debt of sin? Debt. The wages of sin is debt.
In other words, if we come before God on our own, what do we owe
God? Death. Eternal death. We can't pay that. But Christ,
as the surety of His people, said, put it on my account. I'll
repay it. And what was that payment? Well,
He as God the Son, the second person of the Trinity, had to
come into this world and take into union with Himself a perfect
sinless human nature, God in human flesh. His name shall be
called Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins. His
name shall be called Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God
with us. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And He did
that for what reason? Turn to Hebrews chapter 2. This
is one of the best explanations of it you'll find in the Bible.
Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14. God gave Christ a people of His
choice. He said in John 6 verse 37, All
that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh
to me I will in no wise cast out. Look at verse 14 of Hebrews
2. For as much then as the children, who are the children there? That's
God's elect, that's God's people, are partakers of flesh and blood,
that's what we are. He, Christ, also himself, likewise,
took part of the same. He became flesh and blood without
sin. That threw death. Why did he
have to become flesh and blood? He had to die. He had to pay
the debt. He had to get the wages of sin. The debt was put on his account.
That's the doctrine of imputation. Sin was imputed to Christ. He
was made sin. Why? God can't die, but this
person who is God did die. That's attributed to his humanity. that through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death that is the devil." Now, the
power of death that the devil has is not power to kill you
or to make you alive. Understand that. Job said it
this way, he said, the Lord giveth, the Lord taketh away. Blessed
be the name of the Lord. The devil's power of death lies
in accusation. I'll give you an illustration
of it. If you go out and commit a crime
and somebody is an eyewitness to your crime and they call the
police and say, I saw so-and-so commit this crime, I accuse them
of this crime, if the accusation sticks before a court of law,
then you're to receive the punishment for the crime. But what if somebody
accuses you of a crime and the accusation does not stick? then
you go free. Now the devil is called in the
Bible, Revelation chapter 12 I believe, and in other places,
he's called the accuser of the brethren. The brethren there
being God's elect, sinners saved by grace. He'll accuse you, look! Look at that preacher, look at
Bill Parker, he's a sinner! That's right. But what if the
accusations don't stick? The devil says, he's a sinner,
he deserves damnation and death. What if somebody stands up in
my place and says, oh no, I took that accusation, I paid for that
sin. That's what Christ does for his
people. That's why they can't be condemned. There is therefore
now no what? Condemnation to them who are
in Christ. Who shall lay anything to the
charge of God's elect? Romans chapter 8. It's God that
justifies. Who can condemn us? It's Christ
that does. Now look back at Hebrews 2.14 or 15. He says that what
Christ did, He delivered them who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily He took not
on Him the nature of angels. Christ didn't come to save angels.
He came to save sinners. but he took on him the seed of
Abraham." Now, who are the seed of Abraham? You say, well, that's
the Jewish people. No, that's believers. That's
who the seed of Abraham is. You can read about it in Galatians
3 and other passages. Every sinner saved by the grace
of God is what the Bible calls a child of promise and a spiritual
seed of Abraham who was a believer. So he says in verse 17, Wherefore
for this reason in all things it behooved, that's the Greek
word for debt. In other words, he was indebted to be made like
unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful high
priest in all things pertaining to God to make reconciliation
or propitiation for the sins of the people. He satisfied the
justice of God for his people. Now go back to verse 18 of chapter
5 now. That's what justification of
life is all about. That those whom God has justified,
declared not guilty, declared righteous in Christ based upon
His doing and His dying, not yours, not mine, not based upon
anything we've done, will do, try to do, plan to do, promise
to do. but based solely upon righteousness brought in by Christ,
imputed, charged, accounted to his people, that those whom God
has justified will, without fail, live spiritually, eternally,
forever and ever. Justification by the righteousness
of Christ, imputed, is the guarantee that every sinner for whom he
died will be born again. They will be given spiritual
life. They will be resurrected from the dead. Grace reigns through
righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
That's how it happens. And all of this to the praise
of the glory of God's grace. And the Bible says they live
unto God. Look at Galatians chapter 2. Turn over there. Galatians
chapter 2. And look at verse 19. Paul writes in Galatians 2, 19.
For I, through the law, am dead to the law. What is he talking about? Well,
to be dead to the law means that the law cannot condemn me. Its penalty has been satisfied
in full. Its debt has been paid in full. So I, through the law, am dead
to the law. Now, how did that happen? Well, he says it in verse
20. I'm crucified with Christ. When
Christ died on that cross, He died for me. When he was buried,
I was buried. When he arose again, he's my
representative, he's my surety, he's my substitute. He didn't
do it for himself, he did it for his people, his sheep. He
said the good shepherd gives his life for the sheep, isn't
that right? So I through the law, through
the law being satisfied, through the law being honored, magnified
by the obedience unto death of the Lord Jesus Christ. Romans
10 verse 4 says Christ is the end, the fulfillment, the finishing,
the perfection of the law for righteousness to everyone that
believe it. So I through the law am dead to the law, but it
doesn't stop there, that I might live unto God, that I might live
a life unto the praise of the glory of God's grace. By faith
in Jesus Christ, being brought to faith, which is the gift of
God, the fruit of His death and His resurrection, in repentance
In the obedience of love and grace and gratitude, he says
in verse 20, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live.
I died when Christ died, but I live. Yet not I. Figure that one. Is Paul talking
out of both sides of his mouth? No. What he's saying when he
says, yet not I, he says, I'm not the source or the cause of
that life. That life is not natural to me.
It's a gift from God. But Christ liveth in me, He says.
It's the power, it's the power and the gift of Christ. Who died, was buried and rose
again the third day. And the life which I now live
in the flesh, in this physical body, I live by the faith of
the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. You
see, it's not even my faith that makes me alive. It's His faith. Christ's faithfulness to do what
He came to do. Christ's faithfulness to obey
the law. Christ's faithfulness to die
the death that I earned and deserved. Christ's faithfulness to pay
the debt. Christ's faithfulness to establish a righteousness
whereby God could be God and still justify an ungodly sinner
like me. Christ's faithfulness to give
life to His people. How do you know it's his faithfulness? Because it says, who loved me
and gave himself for me. Verse 21, I do not frustrate
the grace of God. For if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Now if this is not so,
this justification of life, if that's not so, then Christ died
in vain and righteousness has not been established. But what
does the Bible tell us? Back in Romans 5.21, just as sin reigned unto death,
even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life
by Jesus Christ our Lord. Now, do you want this life, this
spiritual life that comes to sinners as a gift from God? And if you really want it, God's
way, your desire, you're wanting it. Do you know something? That's a gift from God. Somebody says, well, I don't
really care one way or another about it. I may think about it
later, may not. That's the natural man. That's the issue. There's no
life anywhere else. There's no justification. There's
no righteousness. There's no hope anywhere else.
But in him, all right.