JUSTIFIED!
(Romans 5:1 - 11)
Introduction:
Who among you has gone through typing lessons while in either high school or in college? I was born at a time when people still used the typewriter and we had to undergo typing class. I learned to type correctly when I was in college where we were required to attend typing class. In fact, I barely passed typing class, averaging at a slow pace of 20 to 25 words per minute while everyone was doing a blistering 30 to 40 words! However, I will admit that I learned a lot from typing class. In fact, I can type a letter or a message without looking at the keyboard, as if it were second nature to me. I guess most of you can do the same thing, so its nothing unique nowadays. However, I realized that there is one thing the manual typewriter cannot do on its own – it cannot align what I am typing on the right side, unlike on the left side. Now, it just so happened that while I was still in college, the personal computer was the newest thing in town. I had bought one and I discovered that the personal computer had word processing programs that were capable of doing what the ordinary typewriter could not do and that was the function called “Justify”. Now, the old computers were not easy to use, not like today's computers. You had to type in certain commands that would be inserted into the document. You had no idea what the output would be like until you printed your document; but it was a vast improvement as you could easily justify your document so that it is aligned on both the left and the right side. Today, with just a click of a button you could easily justify or align your documents straight on both sides. But what is the point of justifying or aligning one's document? Well, according to some, a document looks more presentable when it is aligned on both sides. This is especially true if you're using a word processing program in order to write a book where alignment seems to be the standard. Whether you agree or not, the justify button or command makes a difference in the appearance of one's document.
On my own, I cannot align my document perfectly on both sides. I needed a function in the word processing program to do it for me. I can attempt to do it on my own, but I would be utterly frustrated and I would probably just quit after a paragraph or two.
You may be wondering, why am I talking about word processing and the function of justifying or aligning lines of texts in a document at a time like this? The reason why I am beginning today's message with this is because of the word “justify”. It's a word that is actually rich in meaning but when we hear the word, many here would first think be of word processing since they are often in front of a computer writing something.
In the dictionary, there are three ways in which the word is understood. The first definition listed is “to show or prove to be right or reasonable”. The word is also used to refer to the act of word processing wherein an adjustment takes place in a line or a block of text such that one or both sides form a straight edge. However, the dictionary contains a third usage of the word which is theological: To justify is “to declare or make righteous in the sight of God”. We're going to dwell on this final use of the word in today's study on Romans 5. It is a beautiful word that merits careful examination; not only that, the concept of justification in Scripture gives rise to numerous implications as found in today's passage.
In our study of the Book of Romans, thus far we have learned that all humanity, whether Jew or Gentile, are under the penalty of sin because we have fallen short of God's standard, which is none other than holiness. We also learned that none of us are righteous in God's sight; try as we might to get into heaven as well as to attain peace with God using our own efforts, we will always fall short and will never be seen as righteous by the Lord. Thankfully, it is the Lord God himself who provides salvation for us through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus. This salvation is attained not by what we do, but by having faith in what Christ did for us. It is when we trust the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior and Master that we are justified or viewed by God as being righteous. Paul then used Abraham as an example of how he was reckoned by God as being righteous although Abraham had done nothing to merit God's favor except that he responded to God in faith.
Since we have already been justified or we have been deemed righteous by God through Christ Jesus, what then do we stand to benefit from this? Is God's declaration of our being righteous or our being justified just mere words or do they bring so much more to us? We will spend the rest of our time looking at what justification brings to us and I pray that, after our study, we will better appreciate the salvation that we have in Christ Jesus.
Today's passage begins with the word “therefore”. This word is a signal, telling us that there is a connection between today's passage and last week's passage. The connection is the word justification itself. Last week, we've learned from Rev. Go's message that since the beginning, (1) it has always been God who declares a person righteous and worthy of salvation; (2) no one has ever been declared righteous because of human intervention or action; (3) man has always been declared righteous by receiving God's grace through faith. Now, if Paul had stopped his discussion about justification at that very point, we would simply know for a fact that justification is an act of God wherein we are made righteous; but we would be left hanging and we would surely want to know if anything happens to us as a result of our being declared righteous.
Benefit # 1: Peace with God (v. 1)
The first benefit of justification listed in the passage is the benefit of having peace with God. So often, when people hear the word “peace”, their definition is “the absence of war”. However, the idea of peace with God is not just the absence of war but it means way much more. So often, when we define peace as being the absence of war, then it simply means that there is no outward conflict but people may simply be civil towards each other and no warmth is expressed, like what we do to some people who've offended us and whom we made peace with. We don't fight, but we don't talk to each other either. That is not the kind of peace that Paul is talking of.
Prior to our justification, we were all God's enemies (v. 10), having rebelled against him and choosing to sin rather than doing the right thing. As a result of our rebellion and sin, we became the objects of God's wrath, of his righteous anger. It doesn't matter what kind of sin you've committed, even if you think it is trivial compared to someone who has murdered or stolen or committed adultery; in God's eyes, sin is sin, and God hates sin. Thus, we made ourselves to become his enemy when we chose to sin. Because of sin, we do not have any peace whatsoever with God. What this means is that, our relationship with God is strained. As long as God sees us as his enemies, there is no peace between Him and us. There will always be a barrier that separates Him from us. No matter what we do in order to correct the situation, we will always fall short because God is totally holy and righteous.
However, when we came to faith in Christ through repentance from our sins and the acceptance of Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the relationship between God and us changed. When God reckoned us as righteous, or when he justifies us, there is the change in status from enemy to friend, from estranged to beloved. Having been justified, the once estranged relationship has been restored. There is no more tension between God and us. We are no longer the object of God's wrath but the objects of his love. God's declaration of peace between Him and us doesn't mean that it is simply the absence of anger but it is also the showing of his love and favor towards us. All people need to be at peace with God and this can be attained only if we accept God's offer of peace through his Son Jesus Christ who is our peace who has broken down the walls of hostility between God and us.
Benefit # 2: Access to God's Grace
The second benefit that we gain because of our being made righteous is that we have access to God's grace. The word which was translated as to gain access is the Greek word, prosagoge. According to a Bible scholar, the word has two beautiful imagery. The first is that of a person introducing or ushering someone into the presence of royalty. The apostle Paul here was saying that Jesus ushers us into the presence of God, that Jesus is the one who opens the door for us into the presence of God the Father; when that door is opened and we enter in, we will find grace and not condemnation awaiting us. We will find God's favor. The second picture is that of a harbor or a haven where a ship can dock and find safety from the tempest or the storm. The harbor is none other than grace, where we can find rest from the ceaseless yet futile striving to win God's approval that we so often try to do.
What does this access to God's grace mean for us as believers of Jesus Christ? It means we can easily approach God through Jesus Christ and we will surely find favor when we do so. When we pray in our time of need, we can be assured that God hears us and that he will bestow grace to provide for that need. In Hebrews 4:16 we are all encouraged to draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
The access to God's grace also means that we need not work in order to gain God's approval, but that we trust the grace God has given us through Christ, that he has accepted us and he now keeps us safe from the storms of life.
Benefit # 3: Hope
The third benefit of justification is hope. Because of our change in status from enemies of God to becoming his children, we are no longer hopeless people but instead, we can be filled with hope. The hope that we have is a sure thing. It is not like some of the things that we long for or aspire for; they don't always come to pass. I'm sure some of you here have experienced being rejected when you were applying for your U.S. Visa. Prior to the rejection, I'm sure you hoped for a favorable response. Some of us hope for a high grade in a test but when the results come back, we are disappointed because we didn't score as high as we wanted. We hope to get that high paying, prestigious job but we end up working elsewhere where the pay is low. There are many things that we hope for that never comes to pass, however, when we have faith in Jesus Christ, the things that really matter are guaranteed. Eternal life – guaranteed. The promise of a future resurrection – guaranteed. The promise of reward in heaven – guaranteed. The promise of Christ's second return – guaranteed.
Because our hope is sure, we are to live life with a different perspective. One of the issues brought to our attention is the issue of suffering. For a non-Christian, suffering is meaningless; in fact, it should be avoided at all cost. But for us as Christians, in light of the sure hope that we have in Christ, the sufferings we have in this world can become something beautiful. If we are properly focused on Christ and on what he has promised to us, then we will be able to endure sufferings, and this leads to development of our character, and ultimately this strengthens our hope in God even more.
Benefit # 4: Salvation
The fourth benefit we stand to receive once we are justified is salvation. Look carefully at verses 9 and 10. Once we have been reconciled to God through Christ, we shall be saved from God's wrath by his life. According to a Bible scholar, what this phrase means is that we shall be saved from any future outpouring of God's wrath. We shall no longer be the object of God's wrath for whatever sins we commit after being justified. In other words, our justification ensures that our past, present and future sins cannot and will not subject us anymore to God's wrath. It is because God sees us as righteous, again not because of what we have done, but because of what Christ has done for us. As long as the Lord Jesus is there as our advocate, as our intercessor, we need not fear about being under God's wrath in the future. We may be under the discipline of God when we do wrong, but under his wrath? Never!
What is the implication of this particular benefit for us? What it means is that our salvation is a complete act. We are not saved sometime in the past but having to work our way to being saved in the future. When God saves us, he saves us completely. True, we still sin against God but if we have truly repented of our sins and sincerely accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior at some point in our life, and there is evidence of real transformation in your life, then you are truly saved.
Benefit # 5: God's Love
The final benefit that we find in the passage is God's love for us. In our passage, verse 8 in particular, we find that God loved us even when we were still sinners, and he expressed that love by sending his Son to die for us. Now, we may think that God's love in this passage is just something manifested in the past when he sent Jesus Christ, but no, God's love continues to be expressed to us. If we read Romans 8, we will find that once we belong to God through our faith in Christ, his love will always be poured out upon us such that nothing can ever separate us from that love. Our being made righteous by God means that his love is also lavished on us.
So often, Satan will try to plant doubts in our minds, telling us that God doesn't love us. That is nothing more than a big, fat lie. God loved you in the past which explains why he sent Jesus to die for us, he now loves us, he will forever love us. If you are truly saved by God's grace, then you are also greatly blessed with the love of God. This is one thing we need to constantly remind ourselves – that we are loved by God. Don't let Satan tell you otherwise.
Conclusion:
This morning, we've learned about the benefits that come from our being justified or being made righteous by God. We've learned that we are at peace with God. We are no longer his enemies but we are his children and friends. Second, we have access to God's grace. We can come before the Lord with confidence because of Christ. We can also be at rest from having to win God's approval because we already have it in Christ. Third, we have hope because our salvation is certain. It also means that the sufferings we go through here in life can become meaningful and beautiful because of our sure hope. Fourth, our salvation is sure not only in the past but also now and in the future. God's wrath is and will no longer be upon us. Finally, God continually loves us and we will never be separated from that love.
If you have already accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and have repented of your sins, then all these benefits of justification are already yours. You may say, “but I don't feel like I have these things”, but we need to remember that these things are real even if you don't feel like it right now. Don't let your feelings determine what is true, but let what is true determine how you feel.
Maybe you haven't accepted Jesus yet as your Lord and Savior. I pray that you will not hold yourself back, but that you will make the decision to believe. All the benefits we've talked about can be yours, if you are willing to repent and believe Jesus Christ. In closing, I would like to show a 2-minute video that best illustrates what justification is all about. The video is somewhat amusing but I think it will drive the point home.
