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Romans 3:21-26
Message No. 07465 | Twitter @GodandUs | www.wisdom-speaks.ca
It’s our third week looking at Paul’s writing to the Hebrews, in chapter 6 verses 1 – 9, where the apostle indicated that he would like to see a move away from the discussions of the elementary principles of Christ, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and others, but focusing on better things concerning them, especially things that accompanied salvation. We decided to spend some time to see the things that accompany our salvation through Christ. Last week, we looked at Adoption.
This week we will look at Justification. In Romans chapter 3 verses 21 – 26, the Bible says:
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Justification and Freedom from Guilt (our first subject) are similar, but they are not exactly the same. With Freedom from Guilt, as we discussed two weeks ago, you are pardoned, similar to when a head of state or state governor pardons an offender, so your guilt is removed, and people cannot legally hold your offence against you anymore. With Justification, however, it’s not just that you are pardoned, you are acquitted. This is far more powerful than a pardon. An acquittal means that your case is dismissed, sometime with prejudice. When a case is dismissed with prejudice, it means that the accused person is free forever, unless there is a successful appeal to a higher court (which will mostly be futile), the case cannot be retried.
When Christ justifies the sinner, it means that the record of sin is erased. As far as God’s books are concerned, this person never committed the offence. In Ezekiel 18:21-22, the Bible says:
"But if a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all My statutes, and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him; because of the righteousness which he has done, he shall live.
The moment you surrender your life to Christ, the Bible says not only are you free, but in fact, you never sinned, because when God looks at you, He does not see a sinner. Now, this does not mean that you can never sin again, or that your future sins are automatically erased. We need to clarify this so we can avoid the errors of some teachings which suggests that once you are saved, you can never be lost again. If a saved child of God goes back to his or her sins, then Ezekiel 18:24 is triggered:
"But when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and does according to all the abominations that the wicked man does, shall he live? All the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; because of the unfaithfulness of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, because of them he shall die.
Are you a child of God? The Bible says that your salvation is secured with a life warranty. However, as the saying goes, conditions apply. If you decide to go back to your sins, the warranty is voided. I used the word ‘decide’ here, because people are very quick to blame the devil when they are caught in sin. No, it’s not the devil who made you sin. He may have tempted you, but one power he does not have is to make you commit the sin; this is entirely your decision. The earlier we stopped blaming the devil for our deeds, the faster we would receive God’s forgiveness, because it would show that we have accepted responsibility for our actions and are truly sorry.
Have you repented and surrendered your life to Christ? Congratulations, because you are not only forgiven and pardoned and free from guilt, and adopted as God’s child, you are indeed justified! You never committed the offence for which the devil accused you. You are acquitted, and your case is dismissed. Now, please do not go back to your sins, because this will un-justify you and put you right back into a state of unrighteousness and a risk of perdition. Trust me, you don’t wanna go back there.
PLEASE ACT NOW:
If you are yet to give your life to Christ, you do not have a covenant with God and His promises do not apply to you. To come under these promises, please surrender your life to Christ today, by praying this prayer:
Lord I know that I am a sinner and I am unable to save myself. I am sorry for my sins and I pray that you please forgive me. I am aware that Your Son Jesus died for my sins and I accept Him as my Lord and savior. I surrender my life unto you from this moment. Please take control of my entire being and help me to be obedient to your Word, going forward. Thank you, Lord, for hearing me. I have prayed in Jesus’ name. Amen.
If you prayed the foregoing prayer, you have just been born again. Please find a Bible believing church in your area and ask to see the pastor. Let him or her know that you have just given your life to Christ and s/he will guide you on next steps in your journey as a child of God. The Lord bless you!
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