How Can Man be Just with God?

Well, good morning, everyone. This morning for our Sunday school lesson, I want to look at a question that is asked over and over by Job and his friends in various ways. And that question is, how can a man be just with God? Just a few scriptures from Job. Job 9, verse 2 says, I know it is so of a truth, but how should man be just with God? Then in Job 15, 14, we read, what is man that he should be clean, and he which is born of a woman that he should be righteous? And then finally in Job 25, 4, we read, how then can man be justified with God, or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? And you know, a lot of man's religion today They hear that question, how can a man be just with God? And they say, well, that's easy, right? Do good works, feed the poor, house the homeless, confess your sins, maybe recite the sinner's prayer as a confession of your sin, and accept Jesus as your personal savior. And try to emulate Christ. Try to be like him. Strive to be like Jesus.

And none of those answers are correct. And Job and his friends knew that those weren't correct. And the reason they asked those questions was because they understood three things that the religion of man generally doesn't understand, and that is the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and what it means to be justified. I'd like to look at some scriptures today to look at those three things, and I pray that the Lord would give us an understanding of those and give us spiritual knowledge. And with that in mind, let's seek the Lord in prayer.

Our Heavenly Father, we come before you this morning seeking to know Christ. Lord, we pray that you would not just give us doctrinal knowledge, not give us head knowledge, Lord, but cause us to get a glimpse of your holiness and our sinfulness and to know what it is to be justified before thee. Lord, we seek a spiritual knowledge. Lord, speak to our hearts. Lord, we also ask that for this congregation, Lord, that you would continue to guide us, bless us, give us direction. Lord, we pray for our young adults, our young children, Lord, that you would hedge them about, that you would protect them, that you would guide them.

And Lord, most of all, that you would have mercy on their souls. that you would reveal their need for Christ, cause them, cause all of us to run to Christ and cling to him. We ask all these things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, for our good and for his sake, amen.

So, like I said, you know, the religion of the world, they'll say it's a given, it's a given that God's holy and men are sinful and God, Christ came to this world to justify or to save sinners. But I wanna really look at what that is. I don't want this to be just a doctrinal thing for us. And I pray that God would reveal himself to us and give us that new birth. Cause us to not just know it, not just feel it, but to know it spiritually, and to run to Christ, because he's the only answer.

So the first thing is God's holiness. We talked about this last week, right? God's chief attribute is his holiness. If you were to pick one word out of all the words in the Bible to describe God, it would be holy. And you know, what did the seraphim cry? Holy, holy, holy. All three persons of the Trinity are holy. The holy God, the Father, holy God, the Son, the Holy Spirit. And his name is holy. His very name is holy. In Psalm 111, verse nine says, he sent redemption unto his people. He hath commanded his covenant forever. Holy and reverend is his name. His name is holy.

And Samuel 2.2 says, there is none holy as the Lord, for there is none beside thee, neither is there any rock like our God. Everything about God, everything having to do with God is said to be holy. We read of his holy angels, his Holy Spirit, his presence, in the tabernacle was manifest where? In the holy of holies. The miter that the high priest wore, it said holiness unto the Lord.

In Habakkuk 2.20 it says, but the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him. And then Psalm 99 verse 9 says, exalt the Lord our God and worship in his holy hill. Why? For the Lord our God is holy.

When we think of holy, we think of perfection. And that's true. God is perfect. And holiness is perfection. But like we talked about last week, it's more than that. It means other. And when you think about God's attributes, his other attributes, they're all holy. You know, it's something that is completely foreign to us, that we cannot understand. We can't comprehend in these puny minds of ours.

But when God manifests all his attributes, they're holy, they're other, his grace to give us something that we don't deserve, just to do it, not because we're going to give anything back to him. His mercy, his providence, his power, his will, and his love, a perfect love that will save the objects of that love, right? We love so selfishly, you know, half the time most of the love we have is for ourselves and we love somebody else because they kind of show affection towards us and they love us. But God, holy God, loves us, loves a people perfectly and has worked out salvation for them. It's just incomprehensible to our human minds. It's boundless, perfection, other. God is so holy that we can't even look upon him. were separated from him. What did those seraphim say in Isaiah? What did they do? With two wings, they covered their eyes because they couldn't look at him. And when Isaiah had that vision, what did he say?

Woe is me, for I'm undone. I'm separated. I'm cut off from God. Fallen Adam, when Adam fell, he had to be separated from God. He couldn't be in God's presence anymore. But Moses couldn't look on him and live. Uzzah touched the tabernacle representing Christ and God killed him. God is so holy that when his beloved son was made sin, he abandoned him. He deserted him. Christ cried on the cross, my God, my God. Why hast thou forsaken me?

Him and the Father were one, but when he became sin for his people, the holiness of God separated him. And I can't explain that. Christ, he became sin, but he didn't sin, but our sin was his, and I can't comprehend God the Father and God the Son being separated from each other. But I know that it's true because I read it in the Bible. Christ said, why hast thou forsaken me? And that's the holiness of God. God is so holy that when his son became sin, something happened that I can't explain. They were separated.

And then the sinfulness of man. As holy as the word that chiefly describes God, the word that most accurately describes man is sinner. And sin's not something that I, you know, I think bad of you or something. Sin is rebellion against God. That's what It's a rebellion against God's holy throne.

That's what Adam did, right? He wanted to be like God. He wanted to have the knowledge of good and evil. Well, he found out, I'm evil. Adam wasn't created a sinner. He was created holy and upright, but he became a sinner through the fall. through trying to be like God.

Romans 5.12 says, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passeth upon all men for that all have sinned. In Adam we have all sinned.

Romans 5.19, for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Every son of Adam is born in sin. In Psalms, we read, behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and sin did my mother conceive me. We also read, the wicked are estranged from the womb. They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. You know, we've heard they come out from the womb speaking lies. We do that because of that sinful nature, and we're incapable of changing ourselves. Can an Ethiopian change his skin? Can a leopard change his spots? No. Then may we also do good that are accustomed to do evil? No, we can't. All we can do is evil.

Romans 8.8, so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

How sinful is man? Well, Every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. Every imagination is evil continually. That's how sinful we are. Psalm 14, one through three says, the fool has said in his heart there is no God. That's us trying to make ourselves gods. They are corrupt. They have done abominable works. There is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside. They are all together become filth. There is none that doeth good. No, not one.

Will you turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter three? And kind of, let's save that spot because I want to come back to Romans three later. But Romans chapter 3, speaking of the sinfulness of men, let's read verses 10 through 19. Follow along here. This is our sinfulness. As it is written, there is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way. They are all together become unprofitable. There's none that do it good. No, not one.

Their throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of asps is under their lips. You know, your heart proceeds out of your mouth, right? Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace they have not known. There's no fear of God before their eyes.

Now we know that whatsoever the law saith, and saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and that all the world may become guilty before God. That's our sinfulness. We're all guilty before God. And God's holiness demands perfection, perfect obedience to God's holy law. And we're guilty, guilty, guilty. And ever since Adam, what we've done is try to replace or fulfill God's law in ourselves. And it's just not possible. It just reveals our sin. It just reveals our sin. And let's get personal here. This is, we see this in the scripture, but let's look at ourselves. You know, I look at you all and I hope you look at me. I got my suit on, I'm dressed up. I pray that I don't sin outwardly for you all to see, because I don't want to bring reproach to the gospel.

But I know my thoughts, and I know the things that go through my mind. Which one of us would want to have all our thoughts broadcast up behind us, even the thoughts that I have while I'm trying to bring this lesson? It would embarrass us. It would downright embarrass us to be seen, to have my thoughts seen by you.

Men, God sees the heart. That's what he told Samuel, don't look on the outward, I see the heart. All those things that we're hiding from each other, God sees our hearts. And even if we could compare, when we compare ourselves to each other, we're using the wrong standard. We're using the wrong standard. God requires perfection.

Luke 16, 15 says, and he saith unto them, ye are they which justify yourselves before men, but God knoweth your hearts for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God. The best things that we do, the things that would make us esteemed among men are an abomination to God. Back in Romans chapter three, what's it say in verse 20? What's the conclusion? If we have a right understanding of God's law, we know I'm the sinner. We can examine ourselves, look at this fleshly heart and know God's holy law and know that I'm a sinner.

I remember when I was younger, and this is kind of embarrassing, but it was something that we would say flippantly. If you made a mistake, somebody would say, well, nobody's perfect except for God, right? Did you ever say that when you were little? And it's embarrassing that I would say that, but it's true. God is perfect. And his perfect holiness demands perfection, and we can't do it. I've been around my great niece a lot, and she's three years old, and one of her things that she always says is, I do it. She wants to do everything herself.

And that just reveals that sin. That reveals our sin. Us wanting to save ourselves. is a revelation of our sin to think that we could please a holy God. I can't do it myself. I need another. You know, Ephesians 2.12 declares all of us outside of Christ, without Christ we are all what? Aliens from the commonwealth of Israel. And strangers from the covenants of promise. Having no hope, and without God in the world. We have no hope outside of Christ because of our sin. God's holy and all we ever do is sin against that holiness. I hope we understand that, that we get a glimpse of that.

And then, what is it to be justified? To be justified. Well, it's to be without sin, be without guilt, without blame. It's more than the old saying, just as if I'd never sinned. You know, justified, just as if I'd never. No, it's not just as if I'd never sinned. It's, my sin is gone. It does not exist.

God doesn't see things as if, God sees things as they truly are. And it's to be completely sinless before a holy God who sees things as they are. It's to be holy, unblameable, unreprovable, where? In his sight, in God's sight. It's to have perfect peace with God. Romans says, therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Perfect peace with God. It's to be free from the curse of the law and to be free from all charges.

Romans 8.33, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. And it means to be completely righteous before God. To be made the righteousness of God in him. it means to be totally reconciled. And that's confusing, right? We're sinners, God's holy, how can those two things be reconciled? Especially since our sin is warring against God. Well, it's through Christ.

And we'll look at that here in a little bit. But we can't be justified by our words. Job 9.20 says, if I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me. If I say I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse. We can't be justified by the law. Galatians 3 verses 10 and 11 says, for as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them, but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for the just shall live by faith. and we can't be justified by our works. Not by works of righteousness, which I have done. We can't be justified by works.

How then can we be reconciled to God? How can this sin, our sin, be reconciled with God's holiness? Well, let's do our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5 verse 10 says, for if, when we were enemies, and we were, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And that's being justified as being perfectly righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's being perfectly righteous before God.

And like I said, we don't have that hope of reconciliation but it's through Christ that we're reconciled. So let's go back to Romans 3, and I wanna go through, we saw how sinful we are, and now we're gonna see how can man be just with God? We're gonna see the answer. So let's pick up in verse 21.

But now is the righteousness of God without the law, but now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets. The righteousness of God here refers to the righteousness that God made his elect in the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's the righteousness that God by his grace provided and imputed to guilty sinners through his son. Romans 10 verses one through four says, brethren, my heart's desire, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have zeal for God, zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto what?

Unto the righteousness of God. For Christ, is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. That righteousness of God is the righteousness of Christ. And it signifies the completion of every precept and penalty of the law. Christ honored every precept with his perfect life. And he satisfied every debt with his death. And when it says without the law, it doesn't mean that the law was eliminated. No, it simply means it's without sinners obeying that law through their own actions. It's only in Christ that those precepts have been satisfied and the penalty of the law has been satisfied.

And it says this was manifested in the gospel. The Old Testament, which is the gospel that they had at this time, right? We think of the gospel being the New Testament, because that's where the good news is. It seems like the Old Testament is full of bad news, but that's all pictures of Christ. And it told them throughout, someone's coming. Now we know that someone's here, and we know that he's coming back. But all that Old Testament showed one thing.

I need a substitute. I need a sacrifice. I need a perfect sacrifice. or else I can't approach God. And therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, that just shall live by faith, the faith of Christ. And it's unto salvation, because all we need is accomplished and set forth in Christ, in the gospel. All right, let's read on. Verses 22 and 23.

Even the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus, of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all that believe, for there is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The righteousness of God is accomplished by the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ. and it's given to all who are made to partake in that faith in Christ. Christ is the second Adam. Christ is the representative man. And everyone he represented is made perfect and given a perfect holiness and righteous standing before God.

Some scriptures to back that up, Romans 5, 19. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made sinners, So, by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous. It's the faith of Christ, the faithful life of Christ, it's faith in Christ's blood that we're made righteous. 1 Corinthians, for since by one man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. That's the only hope of salvation for anyone. And all have sinned and come short. It doesn't matter whether you're a Jew or a Gentile, a man or a woman, an old man or a young child. Salvation is in Christ. That's the only hope. And that's the only hope for salvation for anyone because we've all sinned and come short.

But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law. Why? That we might receive the adoption of sons. We're made sons of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. He's the beloved son and we're one with him.

That's justification, being one with Christ, being made righteous in Christ. That's reconciliation with God the Father. Verses 24 and 25, being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness remission of sins that are passed through the forbearance of God, everyone that believes has been made righteous in Christ. And we're not made righteous in Christ because we believe. Our belief reveals that we've been made righteous in Christ. And it's the same in Old Testament times as it is today. Christ is the propitiation. Christ is a sacrifice. Christ provides that double cure. We sing that all the time.

Saved from wrath, he died for my sin and made me pure. He made me righteous and holy before God. And then finally, verse 26, to declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. We declare the eternal covenant between God the Father and God the Son. Christ became flesh. as a surety of God's eternal covenant.

He obeyed the law to provide us with the perfect righteousness that God requires. And in doing so, God can be just and the justifier of sinners. I want to read Isaiah 45, 21 through 22. And this is what I hope I've done this morning. Tell ye and bring them near. Yea, let them take counsel together. Who hath declared this from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time?

Have not I the Lord, and there is no God else beside me, a just God and a Savior? There is none beside me. Look unto me. and be ye saved all the ends of the earth for I am God and there's none else. Look to Christ and be ye saved all the ends of the earth. That's us, from all the ends of the earth.

It's only through Christ our substitute that God's holiness can be reconciled with our sin. Psalm 8510 tells us of Christ. Mercy and truth are met together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other. The truth of our sin is met with God's mercy in our Lord Jesus Christ. The truth of God's righteousness in Christ is reconciled in peace for his people were one, kissed each other. That's that picture of marriage, right? Christ in the church being one. And I know I've fumbled around here, stumbled around here, because I'm just a clay vessel. But I hope that God has given us a glimpse of his holiness and of our sin and of the justification found in our Lord Jesus Christ. All right, thank you.

How Can Man be Just with God?

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