Justification

Q: What does the Bible say about justification?

The Bible teaches that justification is being rendered just or innocent before God, primarily through the faith of Jesus Christ. Justification is a central doctrine in Christianity that refers to God's act of declaring a sinner righteous based on faith. Romans 3:28 states, 'Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.' This means that it is not by our works or adherence to law that we are justified, but through faith in Christ. Furthermore, Romans 5:9 emphasizes that 'being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him,' highlighting the sacrificial aspect of justification.

Q: How do we know justification by faith is true?

Justification by faith is affirmed in Scripture, where faith in Christ is counted for righteousness, not works. The truth of justification by faith is rooted in biblical revelation. Romans 4:3 states, 'For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.' This passage illustrates the principle that God counts faith as righteousness. Implicitly, this means that it is not through our efforts but through our reliance on Christ that we are justified. The faith of Jesus Christ, when imputed to believers, ensures that they stand justified before God. Therefore, the doctrine is not just a theological concept but a promise grounded in the character of God as revealed in Scripture.

Q: Why is forensic justification important for Christians?

Forensic justification assures Christians that they are declared righteous in God's sight, giving them peace and assurance of salvation. Forensic justification is crucial for Christians as it speaks to their legal standing before God. The term 'forensic' implies a legal declaration; thus, when God justifies a sinner, He declares them righteous based on the completed work of Christ. Romans 5:1 states, 'Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.' This peace is vital as it establishes the believer's relationship with God, enabling them to approach Him without fear. Justification is not based on human merit but on Christ's merit, which reassures believers of their position in God's family and their eternal security.

Q: How does faith and works relate to justification?

Faith and works are intimately connected; true faith produces good works as a manifestation of justification. In the context of justification, faith and works have a significant relationship. James 2:24 states, 'Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.' This does not contradict the doctrine of justification by faith alone; rather, it highlights that genuine faith naturally results in works that glorify God. If faith does not produce works, it is dead (James 2:20). A believer's works serve as evidence of their faith and justification. While justification is through faith alone, the fruit of that faith is demonstrated in a life of obedience and good works that God has prepared for believers.

Sovereign Grace Chapel, located at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. I'm gonna turn to three passages that I want you to read with me. And my title today is Justification. So first turn with me to Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five. Romans chapter five and verse nine. much more than being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. Now turn back over to Romans 3 verse 28. Romans 3 and verse 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.

And one more, James 2.24.

James 2.24. James 2 24, ye see then how that by works a man is justified and not by faith only. I did a message with the title, The Law of Faith, if you remember. And after I did that message, I got to thinking about what I had said or more of what I had read from the scripture.

Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. And I just got to thinking about justification. So, and we just went through several verses where it speaks of being justified. All those verses that we have just read speak of sinners being justified by blood, by faith, and by works. The word for justified in all those verses is the same word. That word means to render just or innocent. Works justify me.

I just read it from scripture. What we see here is cause and effect. Horse and cart. One brings about the others. I will not exhaust this subject this morning, but I want to talk about justification as it is given to us in scripture as we've already read. Justified by blood, justified by faith, and justified by works. And I will say from the start that this is the order of it how I just read it. That's the order of it. That's how we should look at it. We are in word justified by the death of Jesus Christ on that tree.

It is his faith which secured my salvation and rendered me innocent. It is his faith given to me that God says he counts that for righteousness. God sees the faith of Jesus Christ given to me by God and he counts that for righteousness. he renders me innocent. Works wrought with faith justifies me, they render me innocent, because his works bring forth my works, which show me to be innocent. This order is fixed, but I'm going to go into them backwards, if you will. So let's start with works. So let's go back to James, I think you were there last. And let's read verses 21 through 25. James 2 verses 21 through 25.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God.

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. We've said it here before, believing is obeying and obeying is believing. We are told here that faith worked with his works, that is Abraham's works.

But I do want to point out that they were specific works spoken of here. There are works that are dead works. Hebrews 9 14 says, how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? This flesh knows all about dead works. This flesh likes to point out those dead works too.

But works that are wrought with faith are works that serve the living God. A child of God, a believer, a sinner saved by grace will have works. If they have no works, then the faith they have is dead. That's what James says in verse 20. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead. If you have no works, as is spoken of here, then the faith that you have is a dead faith and it is of no value. A living faith actively cooperates with works to serve the living God.

But let us also be clear, we do not brag on our works. We do not point out our works or point to our works. For one, we don't even know what those works really are. It's been said before, James did not talk about his works. What does he say in verse 18? Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. But you know, he never did show his works. He showed others' works, and that from Scripture.

So he first mentions Abraham offering up his son Isaac. So let's turn over to Genesis and read that. So turn with me to Genesis 22. Genesis 22. Genesis 22 verse one. We're gonna read just verse one and two. And the Lord visited Sarah as he had 22. verse 1 and verse chapter 22.

And it came to pass after these things that God did tempt Abraham and said unto him, Abraham, and he said, behold, here I am. And he said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains, which I will tell thee of. It says here that God was testing. The English word there is tempt, but it means to test or to prove. God, as he does with all of his people, will prove or test the faith which he has given.

Here we see it as God telling Abraham to offer up his son Isaac. He was told by God to kill his son. What do we read next in verse three? And Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass and took two of his young men with him. And Isaac, his son, enclaved the wood for the burnt offering and rose up and went into the place of which God had told him." He rose up. And just me just thinking about it, it's almost like Abraham just got up like it was just any other day.

This was several days journey to get to the place they were going. What does that tell me? When we are tested, when our faith is tested by God, it's not a flash in the pan. It will be something we go through for a while. I cannot give a number to it, but it will take you through some things.

But in verse five, we can see faith cooperating with Abraham's words. Read verse five. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. God had already told Abraham that the nations would come from his seed, Genesis 17, 19.

And God said, Sarah thy wife will bear thee a son indeed. and thou shalt call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. Abraham knew his son would live. He did not exactly know how it would happen, but he believed God, and so he knew no matter what that his son would live. So he did what God commanded him to do.

Let's read verses seven, eight of Genesis 22. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father and said, my father, and he said, here am I, my son. And he said, behold the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering.

So they went both of them together. That work which Abraham did was a work that manifest that he believed God. He trusted God, he feared God, and he loved God. God tried his faith, and that faith given by God wrought works that serve God. God talked with Abraham here. He speaks to us as well, Hal, through this book.

What is it that we see here that Abraham believed? That God was going to send a Savior and that it was going to come through his seed. Abraham by faith was looking for that blessing to come. Hebrews 11, 17-19 we read, By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac, and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called, accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure. So we can see confirmed in scripture that Abraham believed what God said in that the Messiah would come and it would come through Isaac. Remember the lineage that we looked through in Matthew? Abraham did what God told him to do because he believed God.

Let's look at the other one mentioned in James Rahab. So turn with me to Joshua. Joshua. Joshua 2. Joshua 2 is just after Deuteronomy. Joshua 2. And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho.

And they went and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold, there came men in hither tonight of the children of Israel to search out the country. And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine house, for they be come to search out all the country.

And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were. And it came to pass about the time of shutting of a gate, when it was dark, that the men went out. Whither the men went, I will not. Pursue after them quickly, for ye shall overtake them."

But she had brought them up to the roof of the house and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order upon the roof. Rahab had men come into the city, and they came to her house. They did not come to her telling her of their business. Rahab knew why they were there without them uttering a word. They came in secretly, it says. So they were not telling their business.

But they heard, she says, we have heard. She did not hear it from these men, but this we she spoke of certainly did hear. Verses nine through 13. And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.

For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, and were on the other side of Jordan, Sihon and Og, when ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt. Neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you. For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and in earth beneath.

Now therefore I pray you, swear unto me by the Lord since I have showed you kindness, that you will also show kindness unto my father's house and give me a true token. and that ye will save alive my father and my mother and my brethren and my sisters and all that they have and deliver our lives from death.

She already heard. She already had faith. James tells us that faith wrought or cooperates with works. And then he tells us of her works. It says her works were to receive the messengers. And she sent them out another way. What do we read in verses 14 through 20?

And the man answered her, Our life for yours, if ye utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the Lord hath given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. Then she let them down by cord through the window, for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. And she said unto them, get you to the mountain, lest the pursuers meet you, and hide yourself there three days, until the pursuers be returned, and afterward may ye go your way. And the men said unto her, we will be blameless of this thine oath, which thou hast made us swear.

Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind this line of scarlet thread in the window, which thou didst let us down by. And thou shalt bring thy father and thy mother, and thy brethren and all thy father's household home unto thee. And it shall be that whosoever shall go out of the doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head, and we will be guiltless. And whosoever shall be with thee in the house, his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. And if thou utter this our business, then we will be quit of thine oath, which thou hast made us to swear.

There was one common thing that we see here in type that bound them together. She sent them out another way by binding this scarlet cord in her window to let these men down, which saved them from being destroyed by the enemy. And it was this same scarlet cord that would be the token that would save her and her family. Her works were done, and it was done in view of salvation and life. She wanted to preserve those who brought a message of life to her, and the same work of letting them out another way by this cord would be the very same token which would save her and her family.

Her faith wrought works that manifested that she believed God. We know she did this by faith because we're also told in Hebrews that she received these men by faith. Hebrews 11 31. By faith, the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she had received the spies in peace.

Living works wrought with faith are works that manifest forth that we believe God. Works can be mimicked. So just doing some specific work does not prove you are a child of God. There is a reason why we're not told in scripture that if we do this or if we do that, that it shows we believe God.

Because this flesh will take that and run with it. We are given an example in James of a work that is dead, if you will. And that is if you see a brother in need and you tell him, to paraphrase, everything will be okay. don't worry about it, it'll be okay. That's a dead work.

Faith wrought works looks to and gives honor to the God that gave them faith. If you do something for a brother who is in need, you do it because you know God has shown me the grace that he's shown me. Their works were done looking to that one who died for them. and serve the living God by their works. Abraham and what he did looked forward to the coming Messiah. What are we told in Galatians? Galatians 3, 16. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of many, but as of one, and unto thy seed, which is Christ.

Just as we said a couple of weeks ago about this, it's said in scripture to be a good work. And Jesus Christ is the one that called her to good work, so it was. But that good work was anointing Christ for what he did and what he does. Shedding tears for who you are and what you have caused in him having to die for you. And kissing and washing the feet of the king. Faith works, bows down to the king of glory and obeys him.

They manifest that we have been given the living faith, that faith that is not dead. Works alone do not justify us, but it is for certain that if you have no works, as those we have read about, it is certain that if you have no works and you do say you have faith, then it is a dead faith. Because James tells us, faith without works is dead. Now this faith, which cooperates with our works, produces works. These works are the result of faith. We've said it before that the object of faith is Jesus Christ, and he is also the source of that faith. So any kind of work done will be a work that honors and praises the God of heaven. because that faith that justifies is the faith of Jesus Christ given to us by God. So next, we have justified by faith. Turn back to Romans 3. Romans 3, 28. Romans 3, 28. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. I won't spend as much time here, because I did go through this a couple of weeks ago. But this faith, we are told, we are justified or we are rendered innocent by faith. The scripture tells us that when by this faith we believe God, he counts that to us for righteousness.

Think about it though. This faith is the faith of Jesus Christ. That's what we're told. When God sees this belief, when you believe God, God counts that for righteousness. It is counted to us as one who is right before God. He says, this is my beloved son, hear ye him.

By faith, we do. But God Almighty seeing this faith, sees his son, who by that faith that he had, was just and the justifier of them that believe. His works truly did justify us before God. It is certainly true that faith, when it is given to us, lets us know that we are justified before God. Our works manifest forth that we believe God, that God has justified us by the faith of Jesus Christ. But it's not just that. It says God counts that for righteousness. God takes inventory of us and when he sees the believing faith, he counts that as righteousness being there, innocence being there.

Just as Todd Niver pointed out one time, it is not just as if I have never sinned, but that I am right before God. God says that I am right before him. I have done no wrong before him because he sees the faith of Jesus Christ in me. He imputes that righteousness to me when I believe, therefore I am justified before God. Blessed is the man to whom God will not impute sin. And it is also true, blessed is the man who God accounts his belief as righteousness. That one by the working of God is absolutely righteous in God's eyes.

I cannot boast in this because it is his faith, although it is also mine because he gives it to me. But both this faith and the works which are wrought by that faith, both are because Jesus Christ has already justified me before God by his blood. So next we have justified by blood. Turn right over to Romans 5 again. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. There are other scriptures that says all that I'm talking about too, but these are the ones I picked out. But we are justified, that is we are rendered to be right before God. I just keep saying that because it's just amazing to me. Me. a sinner rendered by Jesus Christ to be right before God by His blood.

This was not just something that circumstances brought to pass. It was the whole purpose for all things. God purposed all things to come to pass so that He might glorify Himself. He wanted to be praised for His graciousness, and He purposed all of this to happen to get it.

God's promises are as good as done. It says that Jesus Christ is the lamb slain from the foundation of the world. I have been eternally justified by Christ. We are said to receive eternal life. We receive that in time, but eternal means perpetual. No beginning and no end. I can't explain that. Jesus Christ, who is eternal, is our life. We have always been his, even when we were enemies, as it says in Romans 5.

Do I believe in eternal justification? I do, because the God who justified me is eternal. Do I believe in justification in time? I do, because the eternal God came down to be born of a woman. Blood is what it took to make me right before God. But not just any blood. It had to be the blood of God, and it was.

Justification

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about justification?

How do we know justification by faith is true?

Why is forensic justification important for Christians?

How does faith and works relate to justification?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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Justification

Key Quotes

What does the Bible say about justification?

How do we know justification by faith is true?

Why is forensic justification important for Christians?

How does faith and works relate to justification?

Sermon Transcript

Comments

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