God's Relationship to Us and Ours to Him

Driving home: The answer to this question is to be found in the provision of God's redemptive grace called justification.

Martin compares the doctrine of justification to a comfortable pew resting on a complex foundation (concrete, steel, footings, earth, God's power). He explains that subtle erosion of the foundational truths (like a chemical disintegrating concrete) can cause the entire structure (the doctrine) to collapse, even if direct attacks are resisted.

And so we come today to our third study in this wonderful doctrine, having sought to highlight the importance of the doctrine in our first message, last week I began to address what I'm calling the context of the doctrine of justification, underscoring the fact that God's truth hangs together in relationship to all the other truths that God has revealed. And if we are to understand and experience the wonder of justifying grace, there are other related truths which we must understand, without which the doctrine of justification will have little meaning to any one of us. You are all sitting comf...

5:41 - 6:59 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The tragedy is that for a hundred and fifty years evolutionary humbug posing as scientific fact has well nigh swept away this essential element which is vital for people to relate to the doctrine of justification.

Martin uses the image of a 'primeval pool of slime' to represent the evolutionary origin of humanity. He argues that if humans emerged from such a source, they would have no inherent identity, purpose, or responsibilities, thus shattering the ability to understand who they are and why they need God.

And so the uniform testimony of the word of God is that you and I have come into existence by God's creative will, wisdom and power. Now if God is your creator and mine, then man as a creature is one whose identity, purpose, responsibilities and destiny are not for the creature to determine, but for the creator to reveal to him in terms of the creator's mind and will. You see, if you and I are only the product of eons of time plus chance operating on some bit of matter that appeared out of nowhere by some unnamed power back tens and thousands of millions of years ago, then you see the ability ...

20:34 - 22:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: The tragedy is that for a hundred and fifty years evolutionary humbug posing as scientific fact has well nigh swept away this essential element which is vital for people to relate to the doctrine of justification.

A friend's unconverted acquaintance sees 'Christ is the Answer' on a rock and asks, 'What's the question?' This illustrates that without understanding God as Creator, Lawgiver, and Judge, people don't grasp the fundamental question of how to be right with God, making the gospel seem irrelevant.

Therefore, when we preach God in Christ is made a way that you can be right with God, people say, what's the big deal? As a friend of mine said, he was driving somewhere with an unconverted person who saw written on a rock somewhere, Christ is the answer. And this unconverted man turned to my friend and said, what's the question? What's the question?

23:39 - 24:04 Read in full sermon

The point: Come to grips with the fact that God is your Lawgiver and you owe implicit obedience to Him, and that God is your Judge and you will give an account to Him.

Martin quotes J.I. Packer's perceptive words about modern man's preference for God as a benign father over a lawgiver and judge. This quotation highlights how the denial of God's legal relationship with humanity undermines the biblical doctrine of justification.

I want you to listen to some very perceptive words written by Dr. Packer close to 50 years ago. Modern man like many pre-Christian pagans likes to think of himself as a son of God by creation born into the divine family and an object of God's endless paternal care. The thought appeals for its both flattering and comforting.

35:21 - 35:53 Read in full sermon

Driving home: I tell you, you begin to take that seriously. And how can you do anything other than tremble and cry out with the Philippian jailer, Sirs, what must I do?

Martin compares God's judgment to police 'booking' a man for a misdemeanor, where every charge is written down. This illustrates the meticulous and infallible record God keeps of every sin, emphasizing the comprehensive nature of divine accountability.

And the heaven fled away, and the books were opened, and the dead were judged out of the books according to their deeds. The local police pull a man over. He's guilty of some misdemeanor. They say, we'll take him down to the headquarters and we'll book him.

44:58 - 45:18 Read in full sermon