Okay. Well, one of the things we didn't get to last week that I, we kind of ran out of time. We had some really great questions at the end. I had a couple of books I wanted to recommend to you. We talked last week, if you work with us about the call, God's call in our life. And I've got a couple of really great books if you want to sort of dive into that a little bit more deeply. The first has to do with the effectual call that we talked about. And it's a little book by J.I. Packer called Evangelism in the Sovereignty of God. It's a very short book, but it will rock your world. I mean, it is an incredible, incredible book. I'll give you this one even just to read the introduction, and it is well worthwhile. And then we have this one called Irresistible Evangelism, which is more of that kind of a how-to if you're sort of saying, well, I think I get the gospel and I get that it's about God using the spirit to call unbelievers, but I'm not exactly sure how to get that conversation started. That is a really, really helpful book. And remember how Tim used to throw these out to people those first weeks? I'm not doing that. These have my writing in them and even stamps so that I can tell which books are mine when I go to heaven. Okay, I'm going to start out with a very simple sentence that I want you to just even take a minute to think about. God justifies the wicked. This simple, beautiful, somewhat counterintuitive truth is a truth that is literally at the heart of the Christian gospel. This sentence that God justifies the wicked really speaks to what it means to be a Christian. That's the heart of the gospel message. That it is not the Pharisee, a religious man who is confident in his own righteousness that goes away, goes home justified according to Jesus, but the tax collector who cries out God be merciful to me, a sinner. At the wedding feast in the kingdom of God it's not the righteous that are invited, but it's the outcasts who the master and king sends to the highways and byways and brings them in so that they can sit down at the wedding feast in the kingdom of God to dine with the king. It is this truth that caused Paul to look back on all his years of zealous, passionate obedience to the law as a Pharisee and to call those years rubbish in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him not having the righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith. While the law reveals the righteousness of God which crushes us under the weight of its glory, that's Isaiah 6. If you remember that famous call of Isaiah in the book of Isaiah, Isaiah stands in the very throne room of God and he sees the holiness of God and he says, whoa is me, I am undone from a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips. He's undone by the righteousness of God, but the doctrine of justification by grace through faith in Christ reveals the righteousness from God that sinners are justified by his grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. You see the distinction, the law is the righteousness of God that crushes us under the weight of its perfection and the righteousness from God is that which causes us to stand and receive our justification in Christ. In a world where many people believe that it is the good or perhaps the sincere who are justified before God, Paul speaks these shocking words and I just want you to hear them as if for the first time and to the one who does not work, but trusts in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness, apart from works. You see how shocking that is. If we were to ask our friends and neighbors who perhaps are good people who maybe don't know the Lord, how is it that you expect to have everlasting life? Do you have a perception of what might happen when you die? Most people would say, well, I've been mostly good and I'm very sincere and I'm kind to people, but the gospel says that our God is a God who justifies the ungodly, shocking. The doctrine of justification that we're going to be talking about tonight, that God justifies the wicked, was celebrated by the Protestant reformers and condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, consider these quotes. Martin Luther said, if the article of justification is lost, all Christian doctrine is lost. At the same time, justification is the article by which the church stands without which it falls. John Calvin said, the doctrine of justification is the primary article of the Christian religion, the main hinge on which religion in terms, the principal article of the whole doctrine of salvation and the foundation of all religion. Sounds pretty important, doesn't it? Important enough for the Roman Catholic Church to convene a council at Trent where they declared in canon 9, if anyone says that the sinner is justified by faith alone, let him be anathema, which means accursed or consigned to damnation. In canon 12, they echoed this and there are others. They say, if anyone says that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy, which remits sins for Christ's sake, or that it is this confidence alone that justifies us, let him be anathema, cut off, condemned, damned for all eternity. The doctrine that God justifies the wicked was celebrated as the spark that lit the first great awakening. Listen to this quote by Jonathan Edwards. He says it recounts in one of the introductions to a book of his sermons, he says, and at that time when I was greatly reproached for defending this doctrine, justification in the pulpit, and just upon my suffering a very open abuse for it, God's work wonderfully broke forth among us and souls began to flock to Christ as the Savior in whose righteousness alone they hoped to be justified so that this was the doctrine on which this work, the Great Awakening, and its beginning was founded as it evidently was in the whole progress of it. It was the spark that Jonathan Edwards lit the first great awakening, but it was also reviled as absurd by leading proponents of the second Great Awakening, with regard to the doctrine that God justifies the wicked as a doctrine that undermines all motivation for personal holiness, consider this quote from Charles Finney. The doctrine of an imputed righteousness to the law, the doctrine of an imputed righteousness, or that Christ's obedience, I'm going to read this, I'm sorry, I'm looking away, the doctrine of an imputed righteousness or that Christ's obedience to the law was accounted as our obedience is founded on a most false and nonsensical assumption for Christ's righteousness could do no more than justify himself. It can never be imputed to us, no one can be justified while sin, any degree of sin remains in him. How important is the doctrine of justification? In recent years, the historic Protestant doctrine of justification has been affirmed and defended by evangelical writers and authors, Dei Carson or C. Sproul, in the face of a new perspective on Paul, and in an attempted rethinking of this historic doctrine, I noted this here, in a notable and extraordinarily rare public exchange, John Piper and NT Wright actually wrote books challenging each other over this very significant doctrine that's not done. Nobody does that. The one sin of evangelicalism, the one sin that will never allow you to hold church meetings in a former basketball stadium, is writing a book where you say, this person specifically is wrong, it's not done. And yet this doctrine is so important that as eminent and gracious of a theologian as John Piper wrote a book called the future of justification, a response to NT Wright who in turn wrote his own response, justification, God's plan and Paul's vision. So do you see that this is an important doctrine? Well, what is the doctrine of justification? Why is it so important that God justifies the wicked? Does this view undermine personal holiness? Were those that are concerned about that? Are they right? If we say that God justifies the wicked, will people know how to behave themselves? How is this view closely related to the biblical doctrine of adoption? We're talking about that tonight. So let's take a closer look. We're going to begin with a definition. And this definition is it's a complicated definition. So we're going to lay it out in parts. So this is sort of part one of the definition. Justification is an act of God's free grace. Okay? Justification is an act of God in the sense that it is a once and for all legal declaration made by God. It is made in time but not over time. Do you get the distinction? Do you see that? There is a moment where in response to the effectual call that we talked about last week with the Holy Spirit works faith in our heart. We talked about that passage in Ezekiel where God takes away our heart of stone, gives us a heart of flesh, and in that moment in time we are justified. But our justification does not take place over time as if it were a process that begins at one point and continues on until some later point or perhaps until we die. When God acts to justify the wicked he acts as a judge declaring the wicked not guilty. And at that moment the wicked person has a change in legal status. When God justifies a sinner that person does not cease to sin. It's not a case where we cease to do anything wrong or think anything wrong or say anything wrong. It is a change in our legal status where God says now you are not guilty. In this act God is declaring that the righteous requirements of the law have been fully satisfied and he graciously applies what Christ did for us to our account. This is Romans 4-22-25. This is why Abraham's faith was counted to him as righteousness but the words it was counted to him were not written for his sake alone but for hours also anytime the scripture says that stand up take notice it's saying this is not just for him it's for you if you hear this it's for you it will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord who has delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Let's expand that definition so justification is an act of God's free grace not a process a declaration. God declares as the judge you are not guilty change in status wherein he partens all of our sins. This aspect of the doctrine of justification is highlighted in the common memory term. Maybe you've heard of justification being defined as just as if I had never sinned. Anyone familiar with that? That's how I think we learned it in Christian school. Justification is just as if I've never sinned and that is one aspect of it. God freely partens all of our sins.
Second Corinthians 5-19 that is in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So you see that justification involves the forgiveness of our sins. Romans 3-22-25 for there is no distinction for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified by his grace remember we talked about that it's by grace as a gift through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood to be received by faith. Now who has been tracking with us can tell me what propitiation is. That's one of my favorite biblical words. I didn't know what it meant for most of my life and now I discovered it and I'm excited about it. Who can tell me what it means? Propitiation is the turning aside of God's wrath. When we sin against God it angers a holy God in the same ways we see something terrible on the news perhaps you have this experience when you first heard of this terrible shooting in Arizona where you heard the details a nine-year-old girl shot and killed that that anger us and it angers God and all of our sins are trespassed against the holiness of God and it angers God and so in justification God puts forth Christ forgiving our sins turning aside God's wrath by pouring it out on his own son remarkable that's the heart of the Christian gospel let's expand it justification is an act of God's grace a declaration where God says to you you are not guilty wherein he pardons all of our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us let's unpack that so not only is justification just as if I had never sinned which it is but it is also just as if I have lived Jesus's life think about that that God would look at you and he would say it is just as if you have lived the life of Jesus Christ there's no distinction welcome home come into my kingdom you have the perfect righteousness of Christ given to your account it's amazing Romans 4.3 for what does the scripture say Abraham believed God and it was counted we looked at this this is from the Greek Elogeese they imputed it Abraham believed God and it was counted or imputed to him as righteous as righteousness that means it is given it's it's credited to our account Romans 5.19 says for as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous this is this is the language of imputation atoms sin and the Garden of Eden was imputed to us in the fall it was credited to our account so that we stood condemned before God conversely Jesus Christ's righteousness Jesus Christ the second atom his righteousness is imputed to us in justification and now we stand forgiven do you see that that parallel that's why Paul makes that parallel in Romans 5 in 1 Corinthians 15 the language of imputation is also the language of inheritance in justification our debt of sin is forgiven and we inherit Christ righteousness maybe familiar with some of these passages Ephesians 1 11 through 14 in him we have that is in Christ we have obtained an inheritance having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will so that we who are the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory Tim you want to finish this you're memorizing it right you know this in him in Jesus you also when you heard about the word heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him who were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory in Galatians 3 18 for if the inheritance comes by the law it is no longer it no longer comes by promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise so do you see that the righteousness of God is imputed to sinners God comes to the wicked those who want nothing to do with him and he changes our hearts takes out our hearts of stone gives us a heart of flesh pronounces that we are not guilty before holy God our sins are forgiven Christ righteousness is credited to our account and this comes not as a result of anything that we do not as an initial grace that sort of gets us on the right path so that we can now earn the rest of the inheritance through our own work it's a gift it's an inheritance what God has done is given to you and because it was this inheritance this will and testimony this is why Jesus calls it the new covenant in my blood it is written in the blood of Jesus Christ and so it is sure it is ours it cannot be lost because the inheritance is not based on your performance it is based on the promise of the one who's giving the inheritance when if when my grandfather died he gave me and our family an inheritance the farmland that he worked his entire life it was a gift we did nothing to earn it except being born having his same last name that was it and so also the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us okay last part of our definition you got it so far so Lafitte who can tell me what this means what's that faith only faith alone justification is an act of God's free grace wherein he pardons all our sins takes the sins away and accepts us as righteous in his sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us remember God gives us the righteousness of Jesus Christ and received by faith alone and that's from Westminster shorter counting is in 13 great great one to memorize if you memorize a handful of them that's a that's a great one glaciers 216 teen says yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ so we also have believed in Christ Jesus in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law because by works of the law no one will be justified how important is that to Paul how important is it how many times is he say the same thing he says it is by grace through faith and not of works because then it would cease to be by faith and not of works when Paul repeats himself when the Bible repeats itself in short order holy holy holy is the Lord God Almighty what's being said is very important and he wants you to remember this note to that that faith is the instrument of our justification not the one work required for justification sometimes people hear this and say ah we're justified through faith in Jesus Christ that's the one work that I need to perform in order to receive the inheritance and yet that would not only contradict the thrust of this passage which says that it is not by works of the law but it also contradicts Galatians 2 8 that insists that salvation is a gift that comes from God through faith and that faith itself is a gift from God so from first to last our justification comes as the free choice of a gracious and merciful God who loves you individually who doesn't say if you simply do this one thing you'll earn my favor he says I love you believe in me respond to me now you may be wondering at this point why are all these elements of justification so important is this just the case of theologians arguing about how many angels can dance on the head of a pin if you look really closely that's an angel dancing on the head of a pin come on come on you have some fun here I know I'm pushing in I'm sorry well let's look at some of the implications of this if we are not saved by an act of God's grace remember we said that justification is an act of God's grace if we're not saved by an act of God's grace well we're saved by a work of God's grace you may be thinking at this point sounds good same thing right oh hold on hold on this is where it gets fun if we are saved by a work of God's grace justification becomes a process of moral improvement our final justification will be determined only at the end of our life when God will judge how well we have cooperated with the initial grace given to us how significant is that I grew I grew up within a tradition where we were taught that I hope this is not not too off color that if you were to be hit by a bus in the last word out of your mind or the thought that you thought in your head was a curse word who knows who knows how well did you cooperate with this work of God's grace how well did you do according to one of the NT right who's one of our people who sort of sought to revisit this doctrine and just in noting this here I didn't note here NT right is great on the resurrection if you want to read about the resurrection read NT right and then put the book down and don't read any more of his books okay and according to NT right our initial justification is by grace but our future justification will be made quote on the basis of the entire life paraphrasing Romans 17 he writes the gospel Paul says reveals or unveils God's own righteousness sounds good his covenant faithfulness sounds good which operates through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ okay oh here's where he kicks the chair out for the benefit of all those who in turn are faithful you see that you gotta have a foundation on that building those are some nice beautiful walls but he kicks it out right at the end doesn't he how faithful are you faithful enough to earn your justification from a holy God prophets who I venture to say lap us in holiness lap us saw the holiness of God and fell down and said things like whoa is me how confident are you and your ability to earn your final justification thanks be to God that we don't have to you thanks be to God that we don't have to you in this reworking on the doctrine of justification our only hope is not in a God who justifies the ungodly by crediting God's righteousness to our account but in our ability our ability to do our part by keeping the law if that if that sounds like a reasonable plan of salvation if I have not convinced you yet that that is a place that you do not want to be standing before a holy God saying Lord this is what I have done then listen to what Paul writes in Galatians 5 this passage knocks me on my rear end and I hope it does you to listen to this look I Paul say to you that if you accept circumcision that is adding works to faith as a condition of your justification if you accept circumcision Christ will be of no advantage to you I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law here it comes you are severed from Christ you who would be justified by the law you have fallen away from grace those are those are the impassioned words of a pastor who loves this church and says I fear for you I fear that you are losing the gospel and it's not a minor thing it's not a triviality it's not one of those things oh well that's doctrine that's not important this is the heartbeat of what Christianity is and who we are as Christians and if we lose this we've lost everything and we are as Paul says those who are most to be pitted for we have believed in nothing and we've believed in vain in a similar vein the Roman Catholic Church teaches that believers receive an initial initial initial justification that's harder to say than it may appear otherwise receive an initial justification through the infusion not imputation of grace at baptism and a final justification contingent upon a person's cooperation with this infused grace now you have to understand that for Roman Catholic theology grace is a substance and as a substance it can be infused in you like getting a shot like having an IV it is a substance that is infused into you initially at your baptism and then you must cooperate with it the medieval formula is to those that do what lies within them God denyeth not grace do you see that if grace has been infused in you and you do what lies within you you live within that grace you live a holy life well God will deny deny you not grace if you are good and cooperate with this grace you will be justified now the problem with this infused grace is that it eventually runs out that's why the sacraments the frequency and the number of sacraments play such a vital role in Catholic theology they're there I hope I'm not being irreverent by saying they're grace refueling stations I think that's a fair characterization what they are see because you have this initial grace that's infused in you like a hyperdermic needle when you're baptized that things kind of starts to wear out they had to go back and get some more sacraments you had to get more grace infused in you cars running out of gas better stop at the BP put some gas in there you're running out of gas and just in case you better get those last rights right at the end because you do not want to go stand before a holy god with your gas tank on three quarters empty not good whereas the Protestant doctrine of justification says God justifies the wicked the Roman Catholic formula says this God said and think about this and listen to it God says what he says because you are what you are so if God says justified righteous he makes that declaration he can only say what he says if you are what you are so the notion that God can come to a wicked person that the notion that God justifies the ungodly that God would say to you a sinner you are justified you are forgiven the blood of Jesus covers you in this instance you need to be actually physically righteous infused with the grace of God cooperating with it in order to be pronounced not guilty in the end God cannot impute righteousness he can only call a spade a spade the only way that you will be declared righteous before God is if you are in fact righteous in and of your own merits in cooperating with this initial grace okay why is there always why is there been such a persistent resistance to this idea that God justifies the wicked we had some resistance even at my table as we sat up and I don't know about this strike you may finally pull the fast one on it this time I don't know if you'll last this one why is it that for two thousand years there's been such a resistance to this idea God justifies the wicked it just it doesn't sound right well the objection to the Protestant doctrine of justification is most commonly an ethical objection the question Paul asks in Romans 6 1 is the question that theologians and churches have been asking for nearly two thousand years and it's this what shall we say then are we to continue and sin that grace may abound it is believed that if one holds to a gospel in which God justifies the wicked through faith in Jesus Christ and that the righteousness of Christ is given to sinners as a gift people will have no reason to behave themselves though they'll have no reason to live a moral life that's that's in everybody that sentiment is in everybody you'll read on this a manual con Charles Finney E.P. Sanders James D.G. Dunn, NT Wright, Mark C. Free, John Milbeng, Brian McLaren, Roman Catholic Church, on and on and on and on all would concur in one form or another with Albert Schweitzer's criticism which he said there's no road from the Protestant doctrine of justification to ethics see if if God comes to wicked people and says you're not guilty well then hey why don't we just turn this place into into a big bar or dance hall well I'll go crazy right why why don't we just sin all the more that grace may abound more sin more grace sounds good sin boldly let's do it but listen how do we answer the subjection well Paul answers it and if Paul answers it let's let him answer Romans 6 1 through 4 the question what shall we say then are we going to continue and sin that grace may abound Paul answers this way by no means how can we who died to sin still live in it do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death we were buried therefore with him in baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might walk in newness of life what does Paul saying what is his argument he's arguing that since we are now dead to sin we have been justified it's inconceivable that we would still live in it we walk in newness of life precisely because we have been justified our moral life our life of holiness our life of good deeds of mercy of love of our neighbor those things are not accidental or gracious inconsistencies as it were those things flow directly out of the new life that comes through the death of Jesus Christ we died with him and so our sinful nature is now dead and we rise with him and so now the Holy Spirit that gives life to Jesus Christ in the resurrection is in us how could we live any other way how could we go on willfully and unrepentantly sinning we still do sin we still make mistakes we still offend the Holy God we still do not live up to the righteousness required by God but how could we do that willfully as if it was nothing how could we not repent of those sins if the Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead lives in us so Paul says it's a non starter we've died with Christ we live by the Holy Spirit we live with him and so we will do good works precisely because God is a God who justifies the wicked the pattern of the Christian life reflected so beautifully in Ephesians again hey memorize it memorize it with Tim is that what we is that what we must do in our sanctification chapters 4 through 6 is grounded in what Christ has done for us our justification chapters 1 through 3 it's perfect it's six chapters the first three chapters of Ephesians are all about what God has done for you in justification and giving us new life justifying the wicked the next three chapters 4 through 6 are all about how then do we live do you see that how one flows naturally from the other in the first question and answer from the Heidelberg Catechism that we read sometimes in church we read these words my only comfort in life and in death is that I am not my own but belong listen to this belong in body and soul in life and in death to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ on this question and answer Michael Horton who's one of my professors observes justification is not only a promise it is a claim upon one's total life we belong now to the Lord Jesus Christ observes Horton only when it no longer only when it no longer can condemn us is the law a friend rather than an enemy only when it can no longer condemn us is the law a friend rather than an enemy only when we can be embraced by the judge as this young boy who has been adopted can we appreciate the beauty of the law of God Psalm 1932 become one of my favorite favorite verses in the Bible because it was one of Cate's favorite verses and she showed it to me and it's amazing the Psalmist writes I run in the path of your commands for you have sent my heart free but that's not all justification is a new status that creates a new relationship and that new relationship as I hinted at earlier is adoption definition adoption is an act of God's free grace similar to justification also an act of God's free grace whereby we are received into the number and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God let's unpack that a little bit whereas justification looks at the removal of legal barriers that were erected by sin our sin creates a legal barrier between us and a holy God adoption looks at the removal of relational barriers erected by sin what do I mean by that let's look at it Adam and Eve were created as children in the image of God when they sinned they found themselves estranged by God and what do they do they hid themselves in shame adoption is a restoration of that broken relationship because the second Adam Jesus Christ reversed the curse of the first Adam we are once again God's children so do you see that it's not merely a legal problem that we have it's a relational problem that we have with God we are ashamed to be in the presence of a holy God when we are not justified when we are standing in the filth of our own clothes that's Zechariah 3 read that passage it's about a vision that Joshua the High Priest has standing before the throne room of a holy God clothed in filthy clothing filthy clothing and he's ashamed that devil is accusing him and what does God do he sends an angel to remove his dirty filthy soiled clothing and gives him a new robe a new turban new head covering and says you can make no accusation against him is he not a stick plucked from the fire a relationship to a holy God is restored a relationship to our father first John 3 1 says it this way see what kind of love the father has given us that we should be called children of God and so we are
and so we are John 1 12 but all who did receive him who believed in his name he gave the right to become children of God as adopted children we have many rights and privileges that's the second half of this we are adopted into the family and now we have certain rights and privileges as children not exhausted but including not exhaustive but including you may be exhausted I don't know we receive a new name and a new identity we are no longer defined by our sin or by sins committed against us we are now children of the most high God perhaps you look back on your life and you have one sin that you feel defines you I am an alcoholic I am an adulterer I am a bad father I am a bad husband I am divorced I am whatever it is that you feel is something that was a sin in your life that was so indelible that it left a mark on you you now have a new name sins that were committed against you abuse neglect being disregarded being always picked last always picked on it's put away because you've been adopted you have a new name you're no longer defined by that you're defined by your relationship as a child of the most high God as adopted children we have access to the throne of grace with boldness I just quoted this I think is a neat quote Robert Shaw who I'll show you his book in a minute he observes God allows his children to draw near to him with freedom to pour out their hearts before him to make all their requests known to him and they may cherish this confidence that if they ask anything according to his will he hear of them isn't that awesome I like how he says it too I think I'm going to walk around using that language in my own house Katie I'm home do you hear with me I think it just sounds cooler spiritual protection this is this is a cool one I didn't even thought about this look at this the writer of Hebrews describes angels as ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation God's angels protect God's adopted children isn't that cool that angels are ministering spirits sent out to serve who those who are to inherit salvation sons and daughters which is not who we were but is who we are because of the grace of God we have angels that watch over us amazing perhaps most significantly heirs of salvation in Romans 8 17 Paul describes us as heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ just as Christ inherited the riches of the kingdom of God so we too will have a glorious inheritance reserved for us in heaven and that is all that is Christ will be ours as well including everlasting life isn't that amazing and if you are in Christ if you have been justified if you have been adopted all that is Christ is yours you are a fellow heir with Christ beneath Christ in a way less than Christ with Christ a fellow heir if that doesn't stir you I don't you're not alive that is incredible that through our adoption we become fellow heirs with Christ let's look at some conclusions as we wrap it up the glory of the gospel is that God is a God who not only justifies the wicked by forgiving our sins and hear me when I say this in spite of perhaps sloppy pronoun usage throughout this I am one of the wicked who has been justified by God that is me I am talking about myself okay so there's no confusion God is a God who justifies not only justifies the wicked by forgiving our sins he also credits to our account the full riches of Christ's righteousness that new status gives us a new relationship we become adopted sons and daughters who can come to our heavenly Father and find the love of one who helps us who hears us and will never let us go
that's a that's a gospel that doesn't simply add a God chapter to our story it invites us into God's story it becomes our life our breath everything that we are that is a gospel that kills us and makes us alive that makes us shine like Moses's face shown when he came down from the mountain brilliant and glorious we become radiant because of the presence of a God who justifies the wicked okay that's that's a period on the end of the sentence for tonight I hope I didn't sort of turn the theological fire hose on you it was not my intent but I apologize any any questions on this anything that you encountered kind of along the way any just reflections I'm inclined to just sing a hymn and go home I think that's what Paul did when he was overwhelmed by the grace of God I'll take questions but I'm serious we'll sing we'll go home anything you want to talk about before we go yes well it is and we're going to get on the question was about sanctification which we're going to talk about next week so we'll get into that a little bit more to but the core of your question is yes sanctification is something that flows from our justification it is a not an act of God's grace but it is a work of God's grace a process through our entire lives where we by the power of the Holy Spirit and our obedience and cooperation with the new will that we have been given we become more like Christ and we mature in the faith so that is a sanctification is a work of God's spirit and and we'll get to that next time as we talk about it now well that essentially is what happens is in order to make sure that people live a moral life and they pursue justice and mercy and goodness and love people tend to collapse sanctification into justification and makes and make both an ongoing work that we do now I I doubt that that anti-rights goal is to make this be a miserable process but I I'll be so bold as to say based on what I have read in his writings I think perhaps sometimes he thinks a bit too highly of his own abilities that's my humble observation and I think that goes over into the area of personal holiness but see what he gives with the left hand he takes away with the right it it doesn't work we we live holy lives because God has loved us this much that's the only way it ever works because that's that's God's plan okay anything else yes
because we are the question is why do we then still sin so much or why is lian
no I'm just kidding I'm just kidding that was just a joke this is recorded I need to make sure that's a joke and because we are as Luther said some loosedess at pecator simultaneous we justified end sinner we are both at the same time and Paul talks about this war that rages inside of him in the book of Romans he says I know I I do that which I don't want to do and what I I do want to do I don't do and that war will be fighting every day until the day that we die and as we mature in the faith my hope is that you will see more and more and more of a victory over sin in your life and and that's that's all of our hope and and I think that that's that's reasonable we've all known immature Christians and mature Christians and there's a difference in how we live we'll be fighting that battle every day but we don't we don't fight it alone it's it is the holy spirit it is God who works in you to will and to work for his good pleasure so we're not on our own keep fighting keep fighting I will too
we are we are called to be holy we are called to sin not not to sin it is God's will that we would live holy lives his direction is be holy as I am holy and yet we are not holy and so justification crosses that chasm between God's perfection and his desire for perfection and his perfect righteousness and our falling short justification is the bridge that connects us sinful people to a holy God yes that that's right Jesus steps in and we are declared holy we are positionally holy before God though in our life we still battle and struggle against sin
the question is does that hold for the six billion people on earth is it six hundred how many six and a half billion people on earth who don't know about about God well we sort of talked about that last week in terms of the effectual call and the proclamation of the gospel it's it's our call as Christians to proclaim the gospel and to go to all nations and proclaim the gospel and the holy spirits at work he will he will do his job the illustration we I thought of last week was I believe in a God who literally I believe took Philip and dropped him down in the path of an Ethiopian unit in the book of Acts nothing's too hard for that God and so I trust him I don't know every detail of his plan but I know him and I trust him and I love him and I know he loves his creatures and so that which is a mystery I can smile in the face of mystery trusting a God who I know justifies the ungodly yeah Paul that is that is a great great observation and addendum what he said was we don't fight this alone we fight this with the holy spirit but we also fight this with one another it's called the church and so we we we hold each other accountable we walk with each other we we help each other mature in the faith and especially some of you who are more mature in the faith boy get after it get after some of these young pups young pups in the faith young pups in life get after us get after me get after people younger than me these high school kids these little ones my kids get after them you know model for them show them help them grow holy spirit will use you to shape their lives well we are out of time by the clock I'm going to hang out for a minute if you have anything you want to think about I'm serious I want to sing somebody start the doxology for me ready I'll turn this off so you don't have to hear me