I. What is Justification?
A. The Problem
I was born a sinner - Rom. 3:23, dead in trespasses in sin - Eph. 2:1, at enmity with God - Rom. 8, blinded - II Cor. 4:4, dead to spiritual things - I Cor. 2:14, not seeking God - Rom. 3:8 and on my way to a lake of fire because of the sin that dwelt in me - Rom. 5:12; Rev. 20:15. There was nothing I could do to get out of this mess - Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8, 9; Tit. 3:5. How can a dead man that is dead spiritually, not seeking God, has not understanding, separated from God, and blinded to the true gospel chose God? He cant. Lazarus was dead he could not come back from the dead on his own. The world in Gen. 1:2 was dead and in a darkened state and not capable of coming to life on its own.
B. The Provision
Because of sin God has to judge sin and the penalty for sin. Something or someone has to be the sin payment in order for man to be redeemed from death in hell for eternity. In the OT God provided the sacrifices so their sins could be overlooked for a time. But God is gracious in that He desires to display His love and mercy. Man cannot meet the requirements that God demands -Tit. 3:5; Rom. 3:10-12; Isa. 64:6; Psa. 39:5. The law cannot redeem man - Rom. 8:3; Gal. 2:21; 3:11, 12. God has to provide a blood substitute and it has to be perfect blood to redeem imperfect man - Acts 20:28. The only way to redeem man is to have a perfect man redeem imperfect man and that man is the man Christ Jesus who became our sin substitute on Cavalry - Rom. 5:8; II Cor. 5:21. When Christ hung on the cross he became sin for us. The wrath of God that poured out on Christ should have been for us but Christ took our place - II Cor. 5:21. Andrias Tobias in the 1600s said, All Gods wrath was poured out on Christ so there is none left for the believer.
C. The Deliverance
Then one day I was given the gospel - I Cor. 15:1-5; God took the blinders off - Rom. 10:17; II Cor. 4:5,6; God gave me the faith of Jesus Christ - Eph. 2:8,9; Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16; - Eph. 1:13; regenerated me - Tit. 3:5; enabled me to believe; reconciled me -Rom. 5:10; spiritually circumcised me - Col. 2:10-12; sealed me - Eph. 1:13; put me into the body of Christ - Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:10-12; glorified me - Rom. 8:30; redeemed me - Col. 1:14; Gal. 3:13; made me an adopted son - Rom. 8:15; made me accepted in the beloved - Eph. 1:6; blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ - Eph. 1:3; forgave me - Eph. 1:7; raised me up - Eph. 2:6; made me bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh - Eph. 5:30; gave me an inheritance - Eph. 1:11, came in to me - Col. 1:27, and completed me - Col. 2:10 and a few more that we dont have to go into now.
Lazarus came forth because Christ called him out by name great picture of salvation. Paul was on his way to Damascus when God reached down and quickened him. The world of Gen. 1:2 was dead until God did a work II Cor. 4:3-6.
What God did was take a pile of dung and make it righteous. When God declared the sinner justified what He basically did was to declare the sinner to be perfect as though he never sinned or ever will. God could do that based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
II. My Duty After Justification
Real clear walk worthy - Eph. 4:1; live godly - Tit. 2:12, be not conformed to this world - Rom. 12:2; study - II Tim. 2:15; pray - Phil. 4:6; forgive others - Eph. 4:32; love my wife (Eph. 5); witness - II Cor. 5:20; be thankful - I Thess. 5:18, and the list goes on and on. So I dont just stop at believing for after believing and being saved the real work begins - Phil. 2:12.
If a person fails at the above now and then does not mean he can lose what God did. If the saint does none of the above then there is good evidence the work of regeneration probably never took place. Man cannot undo what God did.
III. Closing Remarks
As you can see salvation is not dependent upon anything man can do. Man is justified by what Christ did at Calvary alone. Because he did nothing to earn salvation he can do nothing to lose what is not his. The work was not the sinners but Christs, the faith the sinner exercised was not his but Christs Rom. 3:22, Eph. 2:8, 9, the sealing was not the sinners but Christs so what was left for man to do? All the sinner could do was to take God at His word that Christ did it all.
May God bless!
A. The Problem
I was born a sinner - Rom. 3:23, dead in trespasses in sin - Eph. 2:1, at enmity with God - Rom. 8, blinded - II Cor. 4:4, dead to spiritual things - I Cor. 2:14, not seeking God - Rom. 3:8 and on my way to a lake of fire because of the sin that dwelt in me - Rom. 5:12; Rev. 20:15. There was nothing I could do to get out of this mess - Rom. 4:5; Eph. 2:8, 9; Tit. 3:5. How can a dead man that is dead spiritually, not seeking God, has not understanding, separated from God, and blinded to the true gospel chose God? He cant. Lazarus was dead he could not come back from the dead on his own. The world in Gen. 1:2 was dead and in a darkened state and not capable of coming to life on its own.
B. The Provision
Because of sin God has to judge sin and the penalty for sin. Something or someone has to be the sin payment in order for man to be redeemed from death in hell for eternity. In the OT God provided the sacrifices so their sins could be overlooked for a time. But God is gracious in that He desires to display His love and mercy. Man cannot meet the requirements that God demands -Tit. 3:5; Rom. 3:10-12; Isa. 64:6; Psa. 39:5. The law cannot redeem man - Rom. 8:3; Gal. 2:21; 3:11, 12. God has to provide a blood substitute and it has to be perfect blood to redeem imperfect man - Acts 20:28. The only way to redeem man is to have a perfect man redeem imperfect man and that man is the man Christ Jesus who became our sin substitute on Cavalry - Rom. 5:8; II Cor. 5:21. When Christ hung on the cross he became sin for us. The wrath of God that poured out on Christ should have been for us but Christ took our place - II Cor. 5:21. Andrias Tobias in the 1600s said, All Gods wrath was poured out on Christ so there is none left for the believer.
C. The Deliverance
Then one day I was given the gospel - I Cor. 15:1-5; God took the blinders off - Rom. 10:17; II Cor. 4:5,6; God gave me the faith of Jesus Christ - Eph. 2:8,9; Rom. 3:22; Gal. 2:16; - Eph. 1:13; regenerated me - Tit. 3:5; enabled me to believe; reconciled me -Rom. 5:10; spiritually circumcised me - Col. 2:10-12; sealed me - Eph. 1:13; put me into the body of Christ - Eph. 4:5; Col. 2:10-12; glorified me - Rom. 8:30; redeemed me - Col. 1:14; Gal. 3:13; made me an adopted son - Rom. 8:15; made me accepted in the beloved - Eph. 1:6; blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ - Eph. 1:3; forgave me - Eph. 1:7; raised me up - Eph. 2:6; made me bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh - Eph. 5:30; gave me an inheritance - Eph. 1:11, came in to me - Col. 1:27, and completed me - Col. 2:10 and a few more that we dont have to go into now.
Lazarus came forth because Christ called him out by name great picture of salvation. Paul was on his way to Damascus when God reached down and quickened him. The world of Gen. 1:2 was dead until God did a work II Cor. 4:3-6.
What God did was take a pile of dung and make it righteous. When God declared the sinner justified what He basically did was to declare the sinner to be perfect as though he never sinned or ever will. God could do that based upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
II. My Duty After Justification
Real clear walk worthy - Eph. 4:1; live godly - Tit. 2:12, be not conformed to this world - Rom. 12:2; study - II Tim. 2:15; pray - Phil. 4:6; forgive others - Eph. 4:32; love my wife (Eph. 5); witness - II Cor. 5:20; be thankful - I Thess. 5:18, and the list goes on and on. So I dont just stop at believing for after believing and being saved the real work begins - Phil. 2:12.
If a person fails at the above now and then does not mean he can lose what God did. If the saint does none of the above then there is good evidence the work of regeneration probably never took place. Man cannot undo what God did.
III. Closing Remarks
As you can see salvation is not dependent upon anything man can do. Man is justified by what Christ did at Calvary alone. Because he did nothing to earn salvation he can do nothing to lose what is not his. The work was not the sinners but Christs, the faith the sinner exercised was not his but Christs Rom. 3:22, Eph. 2:8, 9, the sealing was not the sinners but Christs so what was left for man to do? All the sinner could do was to take God at His word that Christ did it all.
May God bless!