Our text for today is taken from
2 Corinthians chapters 10 and 11. While you turn there, I want
to begin with just an illustration from my past. As many of you
know, I began my career here in Albany as an engineer with
one of our larger manufacturing plants. Subsequent to that, I
decided to start my own engineering firm along with what would become
my business partner of about 26 years. And over those years,
we enjoyed a measure of success, a success that I attribute first
and foremost to God, who we attribute to all things. Every breath we
take comes from Him. But in applying our God-given
abilities, I believe that one of the company's greatest strengths
came from our insistence on a customer focus rather than a more typical
product focus. By that I simply mean we made
it a priority to align ourselves with the objectives of our clients
with a determination to execute our work with an excellence,
but an excellence that was consistent with their needs. An example
of that kind of a customer focus mindset and action would be reflected
in how we responded to client requests for proposals in hopes
of being selected to execute a given project for a customer. My partner and I would spend
considerable time coaching our leadership on this, explaining
how if they would just listen closely, the customers themselves
would telegraph that which was most important in their pre-bid
presentations or reviews. In essence, they would give you
the critical answers that needed to be addressed in a winning
proposal. Instead of just merely rehashing our company's history
and our various strengths and successful experiences as is
typically done in such proposals, we would also insist on tailoring
ours in alignment with that which really mattered. Now, what really
mattered was not necessarily that which we thought really
mattered or we thought to be most important, but that which
was most important in the eyes of the one making the judgment
as to Who would get the job? And that mindset definitely contributed
to the success our company enjoyed over those years. But today we're
going to talk about a much more important judgment than that
which was made by our customers. It affected our temporal welfare,
but I'm speaking of the judgment of God, the judgment concerning
our eternal welfare. And it's really very straightforward. You know, in our business, we
often had to deal with a team of multiple client representatives
who would be judging with sometimes different criteria as to what
mattered. And so we also had to discern
which one among that teams carried the most weight in making the
decision. Well, we don't have that problem when it comes to
the judgment concerning our eternal destiny. There is only one judge
of all the earth. The last part of Genesis 18.25
declares, shall not the judge of the earth, that's what God
is called, shall not the judge of the earth do right. We only
have one judge, see, to deal with and as we see in this rhetorical
question of scripture here, he shall do right. So let's begin
our consideration from God's word in 2 Corinthians chapter
10 where Paul here is warning of measuring by the wrong standard. using the wrong measuring stick. I actually skipped a bit here
in my notes, so let me back up before we get into that scripture. As we talked about the comparison
with the judgments made in our business, you know, if our discernment, our judging of what
they were going to judge us by was flawed in a proposal where
we'd fail to get the job. But I want to take a few minutes
and just stress the importance of our subject this morning,
because an error in our discernment of God's standard of judgment
It has eternal consequences. There's a lot more at stake than
just being awarded a project that's here today and gone tomorrow. So let's not take for granted
our understanding of the standard by which God shall judge us all.
You see, it has a bearing on our eternal destiny. And I often
emphasize this, We're talking about an eternity to spend somewhere. An eternity in heaven's glory
or an eternity, an eternal damnation in hell's misery. That's what's
at stake. So let's be diligent as we examine
ourselves and let's do so while keeping in mind God's declaration
concerning all of us by nature. That is, in that lost state of
spiritual darkness into which we're all born, As it says in
Romans 311, he declares of us all that there is none that understandeth,
but there are those who are blessed. And what a blessing it is to
be given an understanding that we might comprehend and embrace
God's standard of judgment. And that's the subject we're
considering this morning. You know, we all make judgments.
We measure things by some standards. We'll get a tape measure or yardstick
and use that as our standard to measure the length of something.
You might, like me, you may have heard of an older carpenter tell
his helper, you know, hand me that measuring stick. Well, today
we're going to consider God's measuring stick, as I've titled
today's message. And the good news is we have
at our disposal the plain and precise declaration of God's
measuring stick. of his standard of eternal judgment. And we're going to examine that
today from God's word. And this is important too because
you see, it really doesn't matter what I say the standard is or
some other preacher says the standard. And for that matter,
it doesn't even matter what you might think or feels right or
seems right to you concerning how you think God will judge
you. We have to be brought to see what God says. and by God-given
faith, then humbly submit to and adopt that as standard as
our own. And, you know, unlike the illustration
I gave from my engineering business, your discernment and your willingness
to embrace how God will judge you, it really cannot be influenced
by my coaching. It can't be influenced by any
man's persuasion, even by man's preaching the truth, unless it's
attended by the grace of God and the miraculous gift of spiritual
life whereby you're able to gain an understanding. As Christ proclaimed
in 1 Corinthians 2.14, the natural man receiveth not the things
of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him, neither
can he know them. It's not a matter of intelligence.
This is speaking of the smartest of the smartest and the dumbest
of the dumbest. They cannot know him because
they are spiritually discerned. So I pray that God, the Holy
Spirit, will so bless all who hear this message that they might
spiritually discern the things of God so as to embrace God's
measuring stick. And as I said, we're going to
look at it as it's set forth in God's Word. Knowing this,
see, not only does The preaching of the gospel from God's word,
it provides us information. We'll see today we have the open
book answer as to how God judges. But it's by that same preached
gospel from His word, you see, that the Holy Spirit quickens
sinners. This is the word of regeneration. The scripture refers to God's
word as the word of life. just as the psalmist expressed
in Psalm 119.50, saying, for thy word hath quickened me. So let's begin that consideration
from God's word in 2 Corinthians 10. And as I said earlier, Paul
is warning there of measuring by the wrong standard, using
the wrong measuring stick. Let me give you a little background
on this context. One of the apparent reasons that
Paul wrote this letter to the Corinthians was that false apostles,
who sought to undermine Paul's authority and discredit the gospel,
had made charges against him and his ministry. So Paul thought
it necessary to vindicate both his message and his authority
before he visited Corinth. And this is the context from
which our passage today is taken. And as we get to chapter 10,
he's refuting the faults and the malicious accusations that
these false teachers had made against him and his ministry.
And in the process of addressing those accusations, he gives a
detailed description concerning the nature of a true gospel ministry
in contrast to that which is false. And as we get to our text,
verse 12, he specifically and clearly is contrasting the different
standards by which these false preachers judged. Beginning there
in verse 12 of 2 Corinthians 10, we read, for we dare not
make ourselves of the number or compare ourselves with some
that commend themselves, but they measuring themselves by
themselves and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise. So the apostle here declares
of these false preachers and false ministries that they commend
themselves as they measure themselves by themselves. And he says that
in so doing they're not wise. That phrase there, are not wise,
it's really more than a mere suggestion that they could maybe
be a little smarter or just not being quite as wise as others
in how they judged. It's translated that way here. If you look at the literal translation
of that phrase, it would be this, that they are without understanding. So that's just as Paul described
us, isn't it? All of us by nature in that state
of spiritual darkness and blindness into which we're born, there's
none that understandeth. So those who are not wise, who
are without an understanding, as I say, as it describes all
of us prior to the revelation of God-given faith and belief
of God's gospel. They're said to measure themselves
by themselves, to compare themselves among themselves, exposing that
they understand not. So they're judging in ignorance
of God's standard of judgment. And as such, they're unable to
form a right judgment of themselves because, see, the only judgment
that matters is the one judge of the earth. John Gill, he described
the foolishness of so judging and he likened it to a dwarf
or a midget who would measure himself by himself, who would
only survey his own dimensions or those of other dwarves so
as to fancy himself a giant. And when it comes to the gospel,
the subject Paul is addressing, to be not wise but foolish and
ignorant of that. To die without the understanding
of God's standard of judgment, it describes an eternal tragedy
for them. I also want to point this out. Some of you, we're going to skip
over verses 13 through 16. If you read that in the context,
you may say, well, I'm not sure that's what measuring is referring
to in verse 12. So I want you to know that the
word that's translated measuring in verse 12 is an altogether
different word, and it's not derived from the same word measure
that's used in those verses that follow. There in those verses,
it has reference to lines or boundaries, and that makes sense
if you'll remember the context where Paul's, describing the
false preachers. And there he's talking about
how they would cross, they would go, he describes it as going
beyond their own measure, see, they would cross lines or boundaries
as they took credit for some of the results achieved by true
gospel ministries such as Paul and that of the other apostles.
But not so here in verse 12, that word measuring. It is more
consistent with our common usage of the word. It means to ascertain
in extent or degree or size to make a measurement, as we commonly
think of it, and that according to a standard. And that's what
all religion does, isn't it? If you think about it, all religion
is looking toward some sort of afterlife, and they're judging
what it will take for them to be so blessed. But false religion
invariably prompts men to measure themselves by themselves, to
compare themselves among themselves, and so thereby to commend themselves. And Paul tells them this is not
wise. It's foolish. It's to lack the
vital understanding of how God judges things. So we see here
from verse 12, we see the flawed measuring stick of those who
remain in spiritual ignorance. So what is God's measuring stick? By what standard does he judge?
Well, in the very context of 2 Corinthians, we see something
of this. As Paul was making this stark contrast of true gospel
ministries with those which were false, he said this back in verse
3, that for though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after
the flesh. In other words, we don't war
as those whose judgments are of the flesh. And comparing one
sinner with another sinner. For the weapons, he says, of
our warfare are not carnal, but they're mighty through God, to
the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God. And bringing into captivity every
thought, look at this, to the obedience of Christ. When we
bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, we
thereby make our judgments accordingly. Standard, God's standard. It's not my obedience, although
I should obey. It's not my sincerity about my
faith, although I should be sincere. It's not my faithfulness to serve
others or my church. It's not my involvement in religion.
No, the standard is the obedience of Christ. That to which every
thought is to be brought captive. That's how I should judge because
that's the standard by which The only one that matters, judges,
God. The obedience of Christ. You
know, I can stand up pretty good in comparison to some of the
rascals I'm acquainted with, but I would not want to be judged
based on my own personal character and conduct if it's going to
be measured against the standard of the obedience of Christ as
if my conduct could measure up to that of the sinless Lord of
glory. Yet we see here that is the standard
by which God judges. And I'm going to show you this
more definitively as we go forward. We can also see that Christ is
really the issue if we look further down in 2 Corinthians 10. As
I said, Paul was continuing his defense in those verses 13 through
16, but he summarizes much of what he's taught in the last
couple of verses of this chapter. So skip down there with me to
verse 17, where we read, but he that glorieth, let him glory
in the Lord. For not he that commendeth himself
is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth. Now, to glory refers
to that of which we would have room to boast. In this sense,
it's the basis of our confidence. So clearly those who measure
themselves by themselves must be finding glory or placing their
confidence in themselves based upon that flawed standard by
which they measure. But Paul writes here, but he
that glorieth let him glory in the Lord. If we measure ourselves
by ourselves or by other centers like us, then to the extent we
measure up, We have a reason then to commend ourselves. And
we can all find someone to compare ourselves with so as to imagine
that, you know, compared to him, I deserve some commendation.
But Paul writes here that God will not approve of such self-commendation,
but rather he approves of those whom he commends. Now, who are
they? Well, for God's answer to that,
read with me what Paul had written to The true believers in Rome,
beginning in Romans 5, 8, we wrote, but God commendeth His
love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died
for us, much more than being now justified. Here's a sinner
being justified. That means declared not guilty,
how? Justified by His blood. We shall be saved from wrath
through Him." So who are the ones whom God commends? It's
all those for whom Christ died who are justified, judged not
guilty by His blood. So these are saved not based
upon anything found to be true of them, anything proceeding
from them, but they're saved from His wrath through Him. Further commentary on God's measuring
stick as Paul continues his discourse into chapter 11. He's expressing
his fear there that some of the Corinthians might be corrupted
by those promoting a false standard of judgment. Beginning in verse
1 he writes, Would to God you could bear with me a little in
my folly. He's speaking of the folly of having to take the time
to defend himself. And indeed bear with me for I
am jealous over you with godly jealousy for a high have espoused
you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin
to him, to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means
as the serpent beguiled or deceived Eve through his subtlety, so
your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in
Christ." And as those of you who have heard that passage taught
before, you know that that word translated simplicity means the
singleness or the singularity of Christ. He, his person, and
his work of obedience. That's the one and only standard. That's God's measuring stick.
Remember Paul had just written of how we're to bring into captivity
every thought to what? To the obedience of Christ. to
that alone, single, the singularity of that. I think perhaps the
clearest declaration of God's standard of judgment is found
in Acts 17 where at the end of verse 30 Paul writes how God
now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. Why? Because he hath
appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness. by that man whom he hath ordained,
whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, and that he hath
raised him from the dead." Here God tells us that his standard
of judgment is righteousness. Whose righteousness? That man
whom God has ordained, meaning the one God the Father appointed
and predestinated to this person, to this purpose, excuse me. Who
is he? It's the one he raised from the
dead, his only begotten son, the God-man, the Lord Jesus Christ. And we're told that by that resurrection,
assurance is proclaimed to all men, assurance that this is precisely
how the world will be judged, that you must measure up to his
perfect righteousness. that which he established by
his perfect obedience unto death. And only that, his perfect righteousness,
can and did satisfy the requirements of a holy God, so as to demand
life. Sin demands death, righteousness
demands life, so he came out of that grave. And his resurrection
ensures a resurrection from the dead, both a spiritual one, a
new birth, and an eternal one. a resurrection unto heaven's
glory for every one of those for whom he lived and died. Now many remain ignorant of or
they refuse to acknowledge and or embrace this righteousness
as God's strict standard of judgment. But I hope you can see today,
if you're among that number, your argument's not with me,
but it's with God. These passages really could not
be any clearer. Look at Isaiah 28 verse 17 where
God speaking through His prophet says, judgment also will I lay
to the line and righteousness to the plummet. That word plummet
there is akin to a carpenter's plumb line. And most of you may
know what that is. If you don't, it's a string with
a weight attached on the end of it so that it can be hung
and the weight dangled and due to gravity it provides a a standard
to measure, to ensure that something is what is said to be plumb,
perfectly vertical. And God is saying here that righteousness
is His measuring stick. It's His plumb line. And any
deviation from that line, from the perfect righteousness of
Christ, it misses the mark. That's what sin is, is to come
short. It does not measure up. Let's
be sure we're correctly understanding what this righteousness, God's
measuring stick means, and for that let's go back again to Romans
3 and pick up in verse 20 where we read, therefore by the deeds
of the law shall no flesh be justified. By your obedience,
by your character, by your conduct, your deeds of the law, you cannot
be declared not guilty and righteous before God, not in his sight,
for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness
of God without the law, without your obedience to it, it's manifested
being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness
of God, which is by faith or the faithfulness of Jesus Christ
unto all. Just as His resurrection declares
to all that His righteousness is the standard by which He's
going to judge, the truth of the righteousness of God is preached
unto all. And look, and it's upon all them
that believe. That means it's put upon, imputed
or credited to their account. To whose accounts? Upon all them
that believe. Did He give them righteousness
because they believe, or do they believe because He gave them
righteousness? Oh, they believe because He gave
them righteousness, you see. Because, as it says, there's
no difference. There's no difference among them.
They've all sinned. They've all missed that mark
of the plumb line. They've come short of the glory
of God. So do you see the foolishness of one sinner judging themselves
by another sinner? Imagining themselves to be saved
perhaps because they believed something that someone else would
not believe. No, they do believe, but they're
believing. Their faith is not in their faith.
There's no difference in these to whom God commends by imputing
his righteousness to them. Paul continues his descriptions
of these to whom he commends his love, adding, being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption, the redemption. The
redemption is a payment made in full. It's a buying back. It's the blood payment that was
made in full due unto their sins. He's speaking of a people who
are bought. Elsewhere the scripture speaks
of the church being purchased. They're bought. The redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth, he ordained,
he determined, he appointed or predestinated to be a propitiation. Now, that word just simply refers
to that which would appease the just wrath of God against sin. by making satisfaction to justice
by that sin-bearing sacrifice of himself. That's his propitiation,
his propitiatory work. Through faith in his blood to
declare his righteousness, that perfect satisfaction to the Father's
law and justice for the remission of sins. Here he says that are
past, meaning even the sins of those Old Testament believers
who came before him. through the forbearance of God,
to declare, I say at this time, his righteousness, that he might
be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."
You see, there's no other way whereby someone could be saved
other than by the imputed righteousness of God in Christ and God still
be just and justify them, declare that sinner not guilty. He actually
dealt with their sins. He didn't pretend, he didn't
say, I'll pretend, I'm going to bless you and pretend like
you're not a sinner because you decided to say some prayer to
me. No, he sent his son to die for those sins. A payment was
made, a real redemption took place. He says to declare, I say at
this time, his righteousness that he might be just and the
of him which believeth in Jesus." So where's boasting then? Not
in ourselves. It's excluded. This righteousness
is the merit of Christ's finished work of obedience unto death
on the cross. It's that perfect satisfaction
he made to God's law and justice. Listen, he didn't come to obey
for himself. He's God. He did that on behalf
of, as a substitute for, otherwise guilty held deserving sinners
such as you and me." And this was a satisfaction that was made
to completely, fully satisfy God's law, both its precepts
and the penalties of the law. He perfectly obeyed four sinners. And because they were sinners,
He also bore the just penalty due unto those sins that were
imputed or charged to Him. all the sins of all those for
whom he lived and died. And to see how important this
righteousness of God in Christ is, I want you to hear God's
Word in Romans 10, a passage we often look at, beginning in
verse 1, where Paul writes, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer
to God for Israel is that they might be saved. In other words,
Paul is saying that his fellow Israelites are lost. Why? He says, for I bear them record
that they have a zeal of God. They're religious, but not according
to knowledge. They are not wise. They are without
understanding. And what is the understanding
they lack? They lack the understanding of
God's measure and stick. For they being ignorant of God's
righteousness, the very standard by which he's going to judge
the world. And so, by default, they're left with nothing to
measure except to measure themselves among themselves. And he's saying
that essentially as he continues here saying, and going about
to establish their own righteousness, trying to meet some presumed
condition or requirement that will make the difference in their
salvation, a self-righteousness He says, as such, they have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. He's describing
those who've not submitted or embraced His righteousness. God's
measuring stick is their measuring stick. It's their only hope of
salvation. But notice what he says of the
true believer as he continues in verse 4, saying, for Christ
is the end. He's the finishing or the fulfillment
of the law for righteousness. to everyone that believeth. Like all of us who we start out
ignorant of God's standard, ignorant or not submitted to the righteousness
of God in Christ, in that spiritual ignorance, in that lack of an
understanding, we too then were among these that Paul described
as unwise. We measured ourselves by ourselves,
not by God's measuring stick, his righteousness. And if you
reflect back on that, those of you who have been delivered from
that darkness and in our ignorance and in that spiritual blindness,
before God gives us the eyes of faith, we don't recognize
how tragically flawed we are in making our judgments concerning
eternal life, saved and lost, heaven and hell. And so I thought
it would be helpful if we take just a few minutes to review
how certain widely held perspectives or doctrinal views actually expose
someone to be continuing to measure by the wrong standard in hopes
that God might use that to open their eyes. First, consider those
who are just indifferent, who don't take the time to seriously
consider their spiritual state and eternal destiny. I know many
in that category, they just figure everything's going to probably
work out all right for me, and so they kind of put it out of
their mind. They might look at some who call themselves Christians,
and in some cases, I've heard this, and I'm sure you have too,
they'll know this fellow over here, they'll know something
about this guy that goes to church and everybody thinks is a real
saint over here. And they'll say, well, he's not
all that he's cracked up to be in your eyes, because I know
some things you don't know. And he says, you know, everybody
thinks he's going to heaven. If he is, I'm sure I'm going
to be okay too. You know, compared to some, I
stack up pretty well. I'm not really a bad guy. I try to do right. Well, look,
no doubt that is one sinner comparing himself with another sinner,
even in what appears to be a total indifference. But sadly, listen,
that's not how God will judge you and me. And as long as we
continue in that indifference, we'll see no need to flee to
Christ for mercy. as a mercy beggar, in need of
the perfect righteousness we can't produce, that very righteousness
by which he says he's going to judge us all. Well, secondly,
what about some religious folks? What about the more popular version
of today's so-called Christianity in which millions are taught
and believe that God loves all and that Jesus Christ died for
all without exception? Look, given their agreement With
a biblical truth that multitudes will perish in hell, it should
be obvious that any of that persuasion are not judging how God judges.
If one presumes, as I once did, that Christ died to pay the sin
debt for even one person, who God then will say, I'm gonna
sentence you on to hell anyway, then clearly something else Something
other than Christ and his blood sacrifice had to be making the
real difference by their way of thinking. Now many of these
would deny, I would have, that they're among those who measure
themselves by them one another, yet it's their doctrine that
exposes them, that tells on them. When you're thinking that way,
you have to judge based upon something about yourself, whether
it's something that you've done that others will not do, or what
you've refrained from doing that others do. Perhaps it might be
your so-called decision for Jesus, your acceptance of him, that
others will not or would not make. Perhaps it's a life of
dedication to their faith and to their church. They live their
best to do and live according to God's commands, as we should.
It's doing that which others have not pursued, as you might
have. Or it might be, just as I would
have put it, oh, but you've got to believe. I believe, and they
won't. Regardless of what it is. I want
you to see that by the process of elimination, if the ultimate
determining factor in your salvation, if it's judged to be anything
other than Christ and His perfect righteousness, then it's got
to be something you find true of yourself that you're presuming
to make the real difference. And so these two are included
among those who Paul declares are not wise, who lack understanding,
who commend themselves as they measure themselves by themselves
and not according to God's measuring stick, the perfect righteousness
of God in Christ. Well, is that the whole issue
here is just having a right view of Christ's redemptive work?
What about those who concur with that clear irrefutable truth
of Scripture that Christ did not die for all, but rather He
died for a particular people? those referred to in the Bible
as God's elect, said to be chosen from all eternity by God in Christ
unto salvation according to his own purpose and will. Well, here's
sadly what I fear is the truth, that many, maybe even most, who
acknowledge the truth of particular redemption expose their lack
of understanding as they still fail to adopt and judge according
to God's standard of judgment, His righteousness. And it's exposed
by what I guess outwardly it would appear to be a kinder and
more compassionate assessment of those that I just described
before, those who still believe that Christ died for all. And
I hope you all can see that any who hold to a universal view
of Christ's death, as many of us once did, they actually thereby
are denying the effectual, justifying redemption by the shed blood
of Christ, whether we recognized it as so or not at the time.
But many who have learned better on this point of doctrine about
the scope of Christ's redemption. Really, it's not a very important
doctrine apparently to some because they readily can just agree to
disagree on this point of doctrine. It's just some theology, higher
knowledge because, and here's how that shows up, they actually
count themselves as having been regenerated, some of them, Born-again
believers at a time in their past when they likewise denied
that Christ's blood effectually redeemed all for whom it was
shed." They don't see apparently the evil of that, of calling
God in their very doctrine an unjust God who would punish his
son for sins and then still send a bunch of those folks for whom
he died on to hell. But I hope you see this is vital
to the doctrine of the gospel, the gospel that the scripture
said is believed on unto salvation. It's a life and death thing and
to so judge, as I've described here, would expose that these,
for the lack of a better term, compromising Calvinists, I'll
call them, they're not submitted to the righteousness of God because,
clearly, they're judging, or if they are judging, that something
other than Christ's finished work of righteousness on the
cross must make the real difference. It has to be their judgment if
they're counting themselves or others among the saved while
in their ignorance of, while refusing to submit to and embrace
His righteousness as the only basis upon which our just and
holy God can and does save any sinner. So likewise, these are
not measuring by God's measuring stick, by the same process of
elimination and judging that anyone could be saved based on
something other than Christ and His imputed righteousness alone.
They expose themselves to be among those without an understanding
who commend themselves as they too continue to measure themselves
by themselves. Well, how does His righteousness
become mine? Before we close, I'd be remiss
if I failed to clearly set forth how God could bestow His eternal
blessing on a sinner if, as we've seen clearly from God's Word,
He's going to judge by the strict, perfect standard of His own righteousness,
that which Christ rendered in complete and full satisfaction
to the justice of God. By His perfect obedience unto
death, He rendered it. I didn't. I'm a sinner. And I fall way short of that
mark. So how can God save any sinner? Well, for the answer, again,
let's look to God's Word. First, in Romans 4, we're beginning
in verse 6, we read of David's description of the blessedness
of the man. And to whom God imputeth righteousness
without works. This simply refers to those to
whose account God has reckoned or credited, imputed, his perfect
righteousness. without any contributing work
whatsoever of theirs being involved. And that's what grace is. It's
the unmerited favor of God. It's the antithesis of works.
He puts to their account the very merit of the perfect satisfaction
of God's justice, which Christ accomplished for them by His
obedience unto death. His quote continues in verse
7 saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose
sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord will not impute sin. You are blessed if God will not
charge you with your sins. How can a holy and a just God
forgive me and not charge me with my sins if I don't do anything
to deserve that blessing? Well, in 2 Corinthians 5, 21,
we have that answers. Paul writes to the believers
there and he says, For he, God the Father, hath made him, God
the Son, to be sin for us. He who knew no sin, that we might
be made the righteousness of God, look, in him, in Christ. God the Father made Christ, who
was himself perfectly sinless. He made him to be sin for all
of those for whom he died. He does not impute, see, then,
or charge his adopted children with their sins, because they
were all charged or imputed to their substitute, their representative,
the Lord Jesus Christ. The entire merit of all their
sins, past, present, and future, it was all put to his account
so that he, by his infinitely precious blood, might pay the
penalty due unto them. See, only He, only His sacrifice
was valuable enough to pay the penalty due unto an infinite,
holy, just God. And in turn, God the Father,
He imputed His righteousness. The very merit of Christ's perfect
satisfaction to that justice, He imputed it to their account. As I often say, that's a glorious
exchange. He died for sins he had no part
in producing that those for whom he died might have a righteousness
they had no part in producing. I know often when someone first
hears of righteousness, God's strict standard of judgment,
they'll reply like I probably did upon first hearing. They'll
say, but you got to believe. And in spite of all the scripture,
the clear scripture we've seen this morning, They'll go, I don't
know about all that. I can't refute all that. But
all I know is, is I know what I've experienced. And I know
the Bible, doesn't the Bible say that if I believe, then I'm
saved? Does it not say that those who
believe the gospel shall be saved? And I believe the gospel. Well,
in answer to that, I agree that those who believe God's gospel
are saved. But consider as we close what
it means to truly believe God's gospel. As we often quote in
Romans 1 verse 16, we're told there, it's a fact, the gospel
is the power of God unto salvation, but in verse 17 it tells us why
it is. Saying, for therein is a righteousness
of God revealed. So unless one's eyes have been
opened to God's measuring stick, to have His righteousness revealed
unto them in such a way that they see they must have it. They
are desperately in need of a righteousness they can't produce. They need
His righteousness imputed to their accounts. If they don't
see that yet, they're just fooling themselves in presuming that
they believe the gospel. For clearly that would not be
God's gospel. It's not the gospel that is the
power of God unto salvation because therein the righteousness of
God is revealed. So any who profess to believe
on Christ or to believe God's gospel while ignorant of or not
submitted to his righteousness imputed to the sinner as the
only ground or basis upon which any can be They're just fooling
themselves, and we saw that clearly in the opening verses of Romans
10. So, sadly, that does describe
most who profess to be of the Christian faith. They'll often
quote Romans 10, 9, which reads, 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.
And they stop right there, and they say, Then in spite of all
the scripture we looked at this morning, they know they're saved.
And they're simply because they think they've confessed Christ,
and they think they've believed on him from the heart, believing
that God raised him from the dead. But to these, I say, just
read one more verse. For there in verse 10 it tells
us what it is to believe with the heart for or because with
the heart man believeth unto righteousness. Righteousness. That's God's measuring stick.