September 17th: Justifiction by Faith

Speaker: Duncan Wyncoll
A look at the well-known Bible doctrine and battle cry of the Reformation. What justification does for us.

Readings: Rom 4.1-8, Rev 7.9-17.
Introduction
·     Heart & core/fundamental issue of the Gospel – ‘Battle-cry of the Reformation’
·     Difference between Reformation doctrine & RC (& all other religions)
·     Many have been deceived by poor/erroneous teaching on this
Calvin: ‘the main hinge on which religion turns’; Luther: ‘the doctrine by which a church stands or falls’

Before (& even after) Conversion
·     Each one of us has forfeited the favour of God – each one of us needs to be restored
·     If not, then ruin & hopelessness. But how? this is not just a speculative point…
·     Make a mistake here & the consequences are serious; this is about the Sinner’s acceptance with God

But it’s vital,
·     We need to need to understand God’s majesty, holiness, justice & authority
·     Our departure from God, our depravity, the power & vileness of sin, & the strictness of the law – the natural man would only pollute Heaven
Hymn 369 “Eternal Light, Eternal Light, how pure the soul must be, When placed within thy searching sight”
Job 25.4 “How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?”
·     We need to see our corruption & failure – our failure to meet God’s standards
·     The Devil “the accuser of the brethren” charges us with hypocrisy before God
·     Affects our conscience, tries to persuade us that Faith is nothing

Like Paul
Rom 7.24 “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?”
Rom 8.1 “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…”
Rom 8.33-35 “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right and of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of God?

MARTIN LUTHER
·     500 years ago, brilliant mind, but struggling with inner corruption - a seeker
·     Overwhelmed, terrible sense of alienation, distress; God was “a consuming fire”.
“Who can love such a God?”
·     OT spoke much of the burning righteousness & holiness of God
·     Nobody could help him - Acutely aware of his sin
·     Appointed him Professor of Bible, at University of Wittenberg at 24
·     Began lecturing on Psalms. Two years later Romans, then Galatians
·     The Psalms presented hope – David found solace in God - But he thought God was always angry with him
Now Romans presented startling things
Rom 1.17 “The righteousness of God is revealed” by the Gospel
·     He thought ‘the righteousness of God’ = God’s burning holiness, justice
·     Only “the just [righteous] shall live by faith”, & I'm not righteous
Rom 1.18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness.” That’s me. But…
Rom 1.16 says “the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth”
·     But how can God’s burning holiness/justice be my salvation?
·     Then he grasped it: Rom 1.17 means “the righteousness FROM God.”
·     A righteousness given by God as a gift
‘It is necessary we should have a righteousness wherein to appear before God’ (M Henry)

How do I obtain it? By Faith
·     Dungeon flamed with light, chains fell off; “Happiest day of his life”
·     Discovered nothing new:
Rom 1.17 “As it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Hab 2.4)  
·     It was everywhere:
Rom 3.25 God has sent His son “to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins.”
·     Then he went on to Galatians
Gal 3.8 “& the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith...”
·     For Luther the Bible – OT & NT – flooded with light

Justification – It’s a LEGAL DECLARATION 
A term borrowed from law courts
Deut 25.1 “They shall justify the righteous, & condemn the wicked.”
·     Judge didn't make person righteous; declared/pronounced just/righteous
·     Life not changed – but status in eyes of law changed. External, not internal
Rom 8.33 “It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?”
·     Opposite of condemning guilty
·     Heaven's courtroom – God declares “not guilty”. Instantly accomplished
BCF 11.1 “Those whom God effectually calls he also freely justifies, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, & by accounting them righteous, not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone.”

How is it possible for God to say “NOT GUILTY”?
·     I am guilty. Is it possible for God to say that to me, a sinner?
Rom 4.3-5 Yes, Abraham believed God can “justify the ungodly” (v5)
Rom 4.6-7 David believed the same. But how can He do that? God ‘covers’ his sins
Rom 4.8 “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute [reckon] sin.”
·     “Impute” an accounting term. Bank transfer, or legal transfer
Gal 3.6“Abraham believed God, & it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness”
Rom 4.22 Abraham: “Therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” 
·     The righteousness FROM God
·     But isn't God just closing his eyes? He knows we are sinful
·     He chooses to transfer my guilt to Christ’s account, & to cover me in Christ's righteousness. Hence, we’re simultaneously righteous & sinful
Isaiah 61.10 “he clothed me with the garments of salvation, he covered me with the robe of righteousness.”
Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15) – the robe of righteousness
Revelation 7 – Picture of Heaven, & Hymn 575 – verse 1

Won’t it lead to Ungodly Living?
·     Justification by faith appealed to many in Luther's day because they thought they could ‘do as they wanted’
·     But the New Birth always accompanies justification
Awakening & Conviction - Repentance & Faith - Justification & New Birth - Assurance
·     Internal work. A “new creature”, who will Love God, desire to please Him
Rom 6.1-2 “Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound. God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?”
Eph 2.10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works.”

1.    It’s different from Regeneration
Romans 8.30 “Whom he (effectually) called, them he also Justified”
- Inseparably connected, but also quite distinct
- Regeneratn is internal, Justificatn is external – Christ’s obedience imputed to my account
2.    It’s different from Sanctification
- Sanctification is moral/experimental, justification is legal/judicial
- Sanctification results from the operation of the Spirit
- Justification is based of what Christ has done for me
- One is gradual & progressive, the other is instantaneous & immutable (unchangeable)
3.    It’s different from Forgiveness/Pardon
- Similar in some ways: only God can forgive, only God can justify, BUT
- The blood of Christ was sufficient for forgiveness (Eph 1.7), but His righteousness is needed for justification (Rom 5.19)
- Pardon takes away the filthy garments, but Justification provides new robes (Zech 3.4)

Two Queries
A.    So, why do I need to go on asking for forgiveness?
-       Record wiped clean by Christ; But we’re simultaneously righteous & sinful
-       Justification – record wiped clean; God means to take you to Heaven (External)
-       New Birth – become God's children; & sanctification starts (Internal)
-       Lord's Prayer, daily confession
BCF “God continues to forgive the sins of those who are justified…they may, because of their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure.”

B.    So, is it Justification by Faith OR by Grace?
-       Justified by grace through faith
Ephesians 2.8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God”
-       Not justified ‘on account of my faith’ like a good work – it is a gift
-       Faith says, “Nothing I do can save me; all I can do is trust in Calvary”

JUSTIFICATION – SUMMARY
1.  Free, undeserved
2.  Instant, “not guilty”
3.  In Heaven, external to me, unheard
4.  Obtained by faith, not works 
5.  Once for all sin, never repeated; Rom 5.1 “[Having been] justified by faith, we have peace with God.”
6.  Leads to peace with God
7.  Same for OT & NT; Unique to the Bible. All other religions are works based

STEVE CHALKE
Steve Chalke, noted evangelical senior pastor of Oasis Church Waterloo, co-authored a book in 2004, The Lost Message of Jesus. He described penal substitution as a violent doctrine, “a form of cosmic child abuse – a vengeful Father, punishing his Son for an offence he has not even committed.”
He speaks of “the violent, pre-Christian thinking behind such a theology”. Calls it “primitive”.

1 Christ not a child 
2 Voluntarily took “the form of a servant…humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” (Phil 2.7-9)
3 What kindness the Father and Son showed us!

Not evangelical. 17 years on and Steve Chalke conducts same-sex marriage blessing services. Now Canon of Southwark Cathedral.