Let's look at Romans chapter
5. Now I want to talk to you about justified by the blood. Justified by the blood. Romans
chapter 5, we'll just read a few verses. As we read these, especially
the first verse, let's look at it. It says, therefore being
justified by faith, and you see a comma there. Now you realize
in the original manuscript of the New Testament there were
no punctuation marks, which means that these punctuation marks
had to be supplied by the translators. Most of the time that's not a
problem, but sometimes where you put a comma or where you
put a semicolon or a colon would be determined by a preconceived
notion. And we've heard this term justified
by faith. Now it was one of the sayings
of the Reformation, justified by faith alone. Given the context
of Romans 5, the way I believe that it should be read is this
way. Look at it again. Therefore being justified, comma,
And the reason I say that is if you translated that literally
it would read like this, having been justified, comma, that's
the tense of the verb. By faith we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ. And what I mean by that is our
justification before God is not based upon our faith or even
by means of our faith. The justification of a... What
is it to be justified? Well, it's to be declared by
God not guilty. That's a legal sentence of Almighty
God. Over in Romans 8, it's... Well, let's just look at it.
Romans chapter 8 and verse 31. What shall we then say to these
things? If God be for us, who can be
against us? And then verse 33, who shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justify. Now God is the prime mover and
agent in the justification of a center. I mean, I could look
at you and I could say, well, you're not guilty, but that doesn't
mean a thing in the court of God's justice. But now justification
means more than being declared not guilty. It means to be actually
declared righteous in the sight of God. Not only are we not guilty
and that declaration of non guilt doesn't put us in some kind of
a neutral state, but we're also in God's sight declared righteous. Now, The book of Romans up to
this point has made it clear that that righteous declaration
of righteousness is not by any works or anything that proceeds
from us. That it's totally by the work
of another. The obedience unto death of Christ,
the merits of his obedience. His work on behalf of his people
is the ground of justification. And it's made it clear how God
does this. He doesn't do this by your believing
or by my believing. He doesn't do it by means of
faith. He does it, he does it by imputation. Now that's clear. That's what
this, this whole book is, is, is about. You see, and, and the
sinner, the justified sinner have no part in that. And that's
what people hate. I have no part in that. I have
no, I can take no credit for that. And that's what people
hate. That's why the natural man receiveth
the things, receiveth not the things of the spirit of God.
That's, that's total. You know, really that's, that's
the, that's the prime evidence of total depravity right there. I've come to see that if you
really want to define total depravity, you got to look at three things.
Number one, that there's none righteous among men, that's no
exceptions. Number two, there's none who
are able to work out a righteousness, no exceptions. And number three,
there's none by nature who want it God's way. That's total depravity. We want righteousness, but we
want it our way, by works, something that gives us room to brag. Something that exalts the flesh
something that I can say well now the difference between me
as a saved person and That person who's not saved is because I
dot dot dot Well this this says this therefore having been justified
By faith we have peace with God now. There's no peace in our
minds in our hearts no true peace until God the Holy Spirit brings
us to faith in Christ and We might have peace, but it's not
a true peace, it's false peace. There are a bunch of people you
know in religion who have peace based upon a lot of things. They'll
say, I've got peace because I accepted Jesus as my savior when I was
12, or I have peace because I was sprinkled as a baby, or I was
baptized as an adult, or I joined the church, or I did this, do
that, stop doing that, start doing this. Well, that can bring
peace, but it's a false peace. We have peace with God, the scripture
says, in Colossians chapter one, by the cross. Now that's the
death of Christ, that's the blood of Christ. So look at it, now
look at verse two. By whom also, now this whom there
is Jesus Christ. by whom also we have access by
faith into this grace where we stand. Our access to God is by
Christ and our belief in him is what causes us to see that
and to have assurance of that. I've got access with God. Now
we'll see that in just a moment, a little bit more. And we rejoice
in hope of the glory of God. That hope is the certain expectation
of all that peace and justification and glory and blessings based
on the righteousness of God in Christ. And then he says, not
only so, but we glory in tribulations also, trouble, that's what that
is. We have a lot of trouble, you know, Job said, a man is
a few days and full of trouble. How do we glory in that? Well,
we don't glory in it because we like it or feel good about
it or act right going through it. We glory in it because we
know that it can't separate us from God. It cannot separate
us from the love of God in Christ. And knowing that tribulations
work with patience, that patience is endurance. That's perseverance
in the faith by the grace of God. Patience, experience. Experience
is growth in grace and knowledge. Somebody said, well, are you
sure you're doing the right thing moving down here? And I said,
I'm never sure about anything like that. But I know this. Whatever happens, God's going
to bless his people. When Christ is exalted, God's
going to bless his people. And it may be to teach us a great
lesson that we need to learn. But patience, endurance, works
experience. And then he says experience hope.
In other words, the more I grow in grace and knowledge and mature
in the faith, the more my hope is going to be bolstered up by
the word of God. And hope maketh not ashamed,
because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy
Ghost, which is given unto us. And we have the presence and
indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Verse 6, for when we
were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the
ungodly. We didn't have any ability. to
save ourselves. We didn't have any ability to
put away our own sins. We didn't have any ability to
create righteousness. It wasn't conditioned on us when
we were yet without strength in due time. That due time is
according to the time, that's God's time. Christ died for the
ungodly. You see, what that's showing
us is that God's not in heaven just waiting on you to do something
for him. That's the way the religious
world sees God. No, when we were yet without strength to do anything
for God, in due time, in God's appointed time, Galatians 4.4
calls it the fullness of the time, God sent forth his son,
made of a woman, made under the law, to do what? To redeem them
that were under the law. So it wasn't that God's up there
just waiting on you to work for him or to believe in him or to
accept him or receive him. The Bible doesn't teach that.
That's not in the Bible. That's a concoction of man in
order to add to his numbers. And so he says in verse seven,
for scarcely for a righteous man will one die. In other words,
if there's somebody in your life that deserves that, Well, that's
a possibility. Yet peradventure for a good man,
some would even dare to die. Now, the Bible has made it clear
back in Romans chapter three that by nature there are no righteous
men or good men. In God's sight, we might be good
in our own sights and compared to one another, but in God's
sight, that's what he's talking about here. There's none good,
there's none righteous, all right? So what's he doing here? Well,
he's showing that if it were, if there were a righteous man
or a good man, certainly people wouldn't be amazed that somebody
would give their life for such a man. But that's not the case
with us in salvation in our relationship with God. Here's the case with
us, verse eight. But God commendeth his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Now what do you know
about sinners from the scripture? They deserve death. The wages
of sin is death. The soul that sinneth, it shall
surely die. That's what we know about sinners
from the scripture. Now you say, well now, I know
I'm a sinner, but I'm not as bad a sinner as this one. Well,
that's not what this is about now. All this is simply saying
is this, sinners deserve death. And here's the issue with God
and his elect people. God commended his love toward
us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
It's all conditioned on Christ, not on us. It cannot, salvation
cannot be conditioned on sinners. If it is, it's a failure. And then he says, verse nine,
much more than being now justified by his blood. Now that's the
issue. Justified, not guilty. Righteous in the sight of God,
how? By his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
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. His life there refers to his
intercessory work. He's our advocate. Now this justified
by blood is the same thing in the scripture as saying being
justified based on his righteousness imputed. It's the same thing. Now look across the page to Romans
chapter three in verse 25. We'll look at verse 24. It's the same thing. Often, and
I do this too, we'll speak of we're saved based on the blood
and righteousness of Christ, and that's okay, but really they're
the same thing. They're the same thing. Now,
some theologians, they'll divide his active obedience in his life
and his passive obedience and his death. Well, that's okay,
too. You know, we're not going to
get out of kilter on that and split churches and split all
of that. But it all boils down to one key phrase that is set
forth in the gospel, and that's the righteousness of God. The
righteousness of God. What is the righteousness of
God? The righteousness of God is the hub and the key of the
good news of the gospel. Well, he tells us what it is
right here. In verse 24, he says, being justified
freely, unconditionally, without a cause, by his grace, don't
earn it, don't deserve it, through what? The redemption that is
in Christ Jesus. Now, how did he redeem his people? by his blood. Remember, you're
not redeemed by the things of man, by silver and gold and traditions. You're redeemed with the precious
blood of Christ. He purchased the church with
his own blood, Acts chapter 20. We can go on and on. So he says in verse 25, whom
God hath set forth, you might see in your concordance in your
Bible, the word foreordained for set forth. God foreordained
this. This was no afterthought. This
was no plan B. This was God's purpose from the
beginning, to be a propitiation, there's that word again, four
or five times. Well, it appears in other forms
too. God be merciful to me, the sinner.
Be merciful there, be propitious. What is that? That's a sin-bearing
sacrifice. This is a sacrifice, a person
who had the sins of his people imputed, charged to him. And
what did he do? Well, he paid the penalty. What was the penalty? His blood,
his death. And so he died and what was the
result? He satisfied the justice of God
for his people to secure and ensure their complete salvation. That's how this whole thing is
wrapped up in Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen. And
that's what propitiation means. Sin-bearing sacrifice who brings
satisfaction. And he says, through faith in
his blood, through faith in his death, his righteousness, to
declare his righteousness, his justice for the remission of
sins. How can God forgive my sin and
still be just? How can God declare me righteous
and still be just? I mean, you know, think about
it now. That's the problem that people
aren't facing in religion today. They don't even care about it,
they haven't even considered it. The moment you say God loves a sinner,
the moment you say God redeems a sinner, God forgives a sinner,
God receives, blesses, justifies a sinner, you have a major problem
that no human religion can figure out. God's just. And He cannot save
you in spite of or in opposition to His justice. He's got to be
a just God and a Savior. That's why that phrase in Isaiah
45 is so full of gospel truth. He's got to be a righteous judge.
who judges according to truth and holiness, as well as a loving
father. People say, I want to talk about
God's love. You can talk all day about God's
love, but if you don't include His justice in it, it's empty
love. It's love that has no power.
It's love that has no substance. It's like a mother who loves
her child, but she has no power to save or to protect. or to
feed that child. She loves him, but she can do
nothing about it. And that's the way people are
portraying God today. God loves you, but he really
can't do anything about it unless you let him. Let me tell you
something. If that's what you believe, then you've got an empty
God with an empty love. There's no power there. That's
not the God of this book. He declares his righteousness
in the blood. And how? For the remission of
sins that are past, I believe that's talking about the Old
Testament believers who were saved by promise, justified by
promise through the forbearance of God. God didn't immediately
bring his wrath down upon them because they were under the blood
before it was even shed in time. And verse 26, to declare, I say
at this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the
justifier. of him that believeth. Let me
just show you this. You know, over in the book of
Hebrews talks about the blood a lot. Talks about the blood
of animals that were shed under the old covenant law. Hebrews chapter 10 says that
the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. Those
things were types and pictures. From the very beginning God established
this picture and this type of animal sacrifices in a way to
worship him through those types pointing to what? The Lord Jesus
Christ. He established that right after
the fall in Genesis chapter 3 and verse 21 when he removed Adam
and Eve's coats, their fig leaf aprons and he slew an animal
and made them coats of skin showing that sin deserves death but out
of that death comes a covering And that covering is the righteousness
of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. Now understand when I say covering,
it's not a literal covering that's put on you like I put on this
coat. That's a metaphor. We do put
Christ on when we believe on him, but God has already imputed
his righteousness to us. So what does this blood speak
of, this blood justified by blood? Well, first of all, it speaks
of the penalty of sin. Why did the blood of Christ have
to be shed? Because the wages of sin is death.
And the wages were imputed to Him. He was made sin. Christ who knew no sin. And then
secondly, the blood speaks of the perfect, sinless humanity
of Christ. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2 with
me. The blood speaks of His sinless, not just His humanity, but His
sinless, perfect humanity. He is God-man. In Roman, or Hebrews
chapter 2 and verse 14, listen to this. For as much then as
the children are partakers of flesh and blood. That word partaker
is a fellowship word. It's like we have something in
common. And what is that? Flesh and blood. He also, Christ
also, himself likewise, or in the same way, took part of the
same. What? Flesh and blood. Now why did
he do that? That through death he might destroy
him that had the power of death, that is the devil. The power
of the devil to have death over death is not the power to kill
you. Job said that. The Lord, the Lord killeth, the
Lord maketh alive. Blessed be the name of the Lord.
The power of the devil over death is the power of accusation. For
example, if you commit a crime and they have a witness against
you in a court of law and he accuses you of the crime and
they prove that and they sentence you to death because it was a
capital crime. So you're guilty. And so it says
in verse 15, and deliver them who through fear of death were
all their lifetime subject to bondage. That's the legal sentence
of death. And so for verily he took not
on him the nature of angels, but took on him the seed of Abraham,
that's his elect. Who did Christ die for? He died
for the seed of Abraham. Who's the seed of Abraham? Galatians
chapter three tells us it's all those who believe in Christ.
It's not all without exception. And so wherefore in all things
it behooved him. That word behooved is the Greek
word for debt, D-E-B-T. He was indebted, the debt was
put upon him. That's imputation. 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 literally propitiation for the sins of the people. Whose
people? God's people. So the blood speaks
of the sinless humanity of Christ. He was made like unto his brethren. He suffered all the infirmities
of flesh and blood with one exception, without sin. He was a lamb without
blemish and without spot. And that's what he was all of
his life, even unto his death. He was never a sinner, never
contaminated. He was the sinless sacrifice. The sins became his by imputation
alone. Thirdly, the blood means the
redemption of all for whom he died. He paid the price. He redeemed us. He paid it. And if he paid it, then we'll
be forgiven. The blood means forgiveness.
Fourthly, the blood means the justice of God satisfied and
righteousness established. We just read that. His blood
equals righteousness. Our blood doesn't. His blood
is obedience unto death, Philippians chapter two. Fifthly, the blood
means spiritual life for all for whom he died. Out of his
blood, out of his death, comes life for his people. He said
in John chapter 12, he said, if I be lifted up, I'll draw
all unto me. The Holy Spirit's gonna give,
the reason that we're born again, the reason that the Holy Spirit
gives us life and faith and repentance, The reason the Holy Spirit sheds
abroad within our hearts the love of God in Christ is because
Christ died, was buried, and rose the third day. It was because
of our justification. Sixthly, the blood means free
access and acceptance into the holiest of all. Turn to Hebrews
10. Look at this. Verse 19 of Hebrews 10. The blood
means free access, unhindered. unbarred, and acceptance into
the holiest of all, the very holy presence of God. Verse 19,
having therefore brethren boldness, liberty, confidence to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. See that? By a new
and living way, not a dead way. which he hath consecrated, which
Christ made for us, worked for us, accomplished for us, through
the veil, that is to say his flesh, that's speaking of his
death. You see, God cannot die, but
this person who is God did die. And having a high priest over
the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart, that's
an honest heart, convicted heart, broken heart, In full assurance
of faith, that's the assurance that we have not because we have
enough faith, it's the assurance we have because we're looking
to Christ. It's what faith is all about. And having our hearts
sprinkled from an evil conscience. It's the blood of Christ that
cleanses the guilty conscience. His blood alone. It's not my
prayers that cleanse my conscience. Should I be a praying man? Yes. I should pray often, more than
I do. It's not my obedience that cleanses
my conscience. Should I be obedient? Yes. But
it's the blood that cleanses my conscience and our hearts
washed with pure water. Our whole persons are cleansed
in Christ. And then, next, the blood is
the means by which we overcome the accuser. How do we overcome
Satan in Revelation 12? By pleading the blood. There's
a movement today called the Word of Faith Movement, and they'll
talk about pleading the blood, but first of all, what they're
talking about is just saying the words, plead the blood. And secondly, the blood really
doesn't mean that much to them because it has no power to save
anybody, really, until they do their part. It's not just saying
the words, the blood. Really, that's not, that means
nothing. What is it? It's a lifetime of looking to
and resting in Christ for my whole salvation. Seeing him as
my advocate, my high priest, my prophet, priest, and king.
Knowing that I have no right, no access, no acceptance before
God, but by his righteousness alone. That's what that is. And then lastly, The blood speaks
of security of salvation for all who are truly saved. Turn
over to Hebrews 13 and I'll close. Hebrews 13. Look at verse 20. He says, Hebrews 13, 20. Now
the God of peace, you see, peace begins with God, not with us.
The God of peace that brought again from the dead our Lord
Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood
of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect. Now that means
complete. Complete. How are we complete? We're complete in Christ. Make
you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you,
God working in you by his spirit and by his word, that which is
well pleasing in his sight through Jesus Christ to whom be glory
forever and ever. Amen.