Justification, Part 3

Driving home: It is a legal term. It has nothing to do with what is done in someone. It has solely to do with what is pronounced concerning someone. It is the opposite of condemnation.

Martin uses the Westminster Confession and Catechisms (and their Baptist adaptations) as a guide to expound the doctrine of justification, arguing for the benefit of confessions in understanding and protecting doctrine.

Then, last week, we began to open up the doctrine in a formal way, and I suggested that the best way to do so was to use the Westminster standards, that is, the Westminster Confession, the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, as a guide in opening up the doctrine. And apparently a number of you were convinced of my little polemic on the benefit of confessions and catechisms, and we shall be ordering a number of the ones we recommend. We have a Baptist Catechism, which is the Westminster Shorter Catechism, just altered in the area of how much water and on whom and on church government. An...

4:46 - 5:55 Read in full sermon

The point: Remember that because God is the author of justification, it is before His tribunal that we must all appear, and only He can pass this sentence upon us.

The Westminster divines are likened to those who put fences around a beautiful property (the doctrine of justification) to protect it from those who would rob God's people of their heritage.

It is imputed to them, and then the means, in the means of receiving the blessing, it is received by faith alone. Now I say, as I did last week, that those six lines of thought comprise all the essential biblical elements of this doctrine, and they carefully hedge up the doctrine from all the historic heresies which have departed from that doctrine. And so it is of particular help to us, both in its positive instructive value and in its protestant, protective value. It's one thing to have a beautiful piece of property and look upon it and enjoy it.

8:10 - 8:50 Read in full sermon

Driving home: What is there in God that would ever dispose him to send that man down to his house declared perfectly righteous? Well, the answer of the catechism and the answer of the word of God is free grace and free grace alone.

Illustrates that God's free grace is 'unbounded' and 'unstettered,' not confined by human-made channels or conduits, emphasizing His sovereignty in showing mercy.

They meant free grace in the sense that it was unbounded. It was unstettered grace as it flowed out of the heart of God. Nobody telling God, now look God, we've cut a channel here, your grace must run through that channel. Or Lord, we've made a conduit here, your grace must flow down this conduit.

12:21 - 12:39 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Expounding Romans 3:21-25, Martin defines 'freely' as 'without a cause in us' and 'grace' as 'undeserved mercy.' He argues that this combination emphasizes the completely…

Uses John 15:25, 'they hated Him without a cause,' to define 'freely' in Romans 3:24, showing it means the cause of hatred (or justification) does not lie in the object but elsewhere.

Being justified freely, by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The moment Paul brings his first formal statement of the method by which guilty sinners will find acceptable with God, he puts, as it were, this capstone over the very introduction, being justified freely by His grace, so that, free grace, becomes the great capstone of this grand biblical doctrine. Now let's define those two biblical words. When Paul said, being justified freely by His grace, what did he mean? Well, this is exactly the same word that is used in John 15, 25 when speaking of our Lord Jesus Chri...

14:45 - 15:50 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Introducing the third point, Martin states that justification is 'unto sinners,' as exemplified by the publican's plea. He expounds Romans 4:5, asserting that God justifies 'the…

Compares receiving a paycheck for 40 hours of work (debt) with receiving double pay due to the boss's generosity (grace), illustrating that justification is not earned but freely given.

When you get your paycheck on Thursday or Friday and the time clock shows that you put in your 40 hours, you don't run up to the boss or to the head of the company and say, oh, how gracious you've been to me. I can't understand such grace. Why, look at that. There's 40 hours for 40 hours.

27:33 - 27:52 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not look for some genuine sorrow for sin or deep conviction in yourself as a suitable preparation or ground for acceptance before God; this is a deadly heresy.

Quotes the hymn 'Rock of Ages' to illustrate the sinner's posture of bringing nothing but sin to God, flying to Christ's blood for cleansing.

What it's saying is as far as the sinner in his own mind finding anything himself that can be the ground of his acceptance before God, he finds nothing, he pleads nothing, he stands before God saying, nothing in my hands I bring to the fountain fly. Waiting not to rid my soul of one dark to thee whose blood can cleanse each spot, O Lamb of God, I come. That's what the Scripture is teaching and it is that facet to which we must cling with every fiber of our being. By way of application let me say that it is the teaching of the Word of God at this point that underscores the fact that when God ju...

30:03 - 31:32 Read in full sermon

The point: Recognize the subtlety of the enemy who would keep you from Christ by substituting your conviction for Jesus, and be satisfied with nothing less than resting upon Christ alone.

Martin shares seeing people laboring for years under the delusion that their conviction wasn't deep enough to trust Christ, leading to despair or subtle self-righteousness.

is the indication of his repentance and his brokenness hence to cause the sinner to look inward upon himself is to produce on the one hand hopeless and terrible bondage and I've seen this you think this is not a very needful warning it is dear ones I've seen people laboring for years under the delusion that they were awakened sinners who yet were not warranted to cast themselves upon Christ because their conviction wasn't deep enough yet and in some cases it leads to despair and to skepticism but something worse than that in many cases it leads to the most subtle form of self-righteousness bec...

33:02 - 34:31 Read in full sermon

The point: As young men with aspirations to ministry, be known as free grace preachers, inviting sinners to Christ without qualification.

Quotes Dr. Packer, who states that every true spiritual revival is a work of God bringing home with fresh power the doctrine of justification by faith alone, encouraging young ministers to be 'free grace preachers'.

if you repent of your sin and cast yourself upon the Savior there is promised mercy you say how much conviction must I feel how deep my repentance be you must feel enough of your sinfulness to know there's no hope in yourself there must be enough repentance to know you can't come to Christ while you're deliberately willingly clinging to your darling lust beyond that I dare not pronounce because God doesn't second thing Plummer says is God's glory is bound up in keeping this card of the gospel free grace to sinners heaven's honor is more completely staked on the maintenance propagation and rece...

37:30 - 38:59 Read in full sermon

The point: As young men with aspirations to ministry, be known as free grace preachers, inviting sinners to Christ without qualification.

Quotes the hymn 'Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Wretched' to illustrate the unqualified invitation to sinners to come to Christ, emphasizing that the only fitness required is seeing one's need.

sick and sore Jesus ready stands to save you full of pity joined with power he is able he is willing doubt no more let not conscience make you linger nor all the fitness he requireth is to see your need of him this he gives you this he gives you tis the spirit's rising beam lo the incarnate God ascended pleads the merits of his blood venture on him venture holy no other trust intrude none but Jesus none but Jesus can do helpless sinners oh young men what a gospel to preach and let men sit on the sidelines and carp and pick about these people that are fatalists and don't believe in evangelism l...

40:27 - 41:56 Read in full sermon

The point: Cling to the doctrine that the recipients of justification are sinners contemplated as nothing but sinners in themselves, for this produces genuine holiness and maintains God's glory.

Uses Roman Catholicism, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Mormonism as examples of heresies that hold salvation in jeopardy based on performance, contrasting this with the biblical doctrine that love for Christ, born of free grace, produces true good works.

is bound up in it and thirdly and follow closely holiness of heart and life are bound up in it I quote Mr. Plummer this is the only doctrine which produces genuine holiness of heart and life and that's why the gospel is a mystery people say you mean if I believe that I'm saved on the basis of the merits of another I'll serve God more fervently and purely something that what I the answer of the Bible is an emphatic yes and the Roman Catholic says oh no that's a dangerous doctrine if we told our people that they're saved by the merits of another they'd go out and live like the devil we've got to...

41:56 - 43:25 Read in full sermon

Driving home: A man is either wholly justified or wholly condemned in the sight of God and there's no neutral ground every one of you here tonight is as justified as the apostle Paul after the road to Damascus after the road to Damasc…

Quotes the hymn 'It Is Well With My Soul' to express the joy and completeness of justification, where sins are nailed to the cross and borne no more.

it's going to improve on my justification hallelujah it's going to improve a lot on my sanctification and I'm sure it's going to improve on yours but it can't improve on your justification not one iota will Christ become any more perfect in the world to come? will his righteousness be any more spotless or acceptable in the world to come? of course not! and if my justification is bound up in my union with Christ and being partaker of his righteousness just as eternity can last it cannot improve his it cannot improve mine for mine is in him and he has made unto me righteousness thank God for the...

51:15 - 52:42 Read in full sermon

Driving home: A man is either wholly justified or wholly condemned in the sight of God and there's no neutral ground every one of you here tonight is as justified as the apostle Paul after the road to Damascus after the road to Damasc…

Quotes the hymn 'Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness' to celebrate Christ's perfect righteousness as the believer's glorious dress, enabling boldness before God.

it's going to improve on my justification hallelujah it's going to improve a lot on my sanctification and I'm sure it's going to improve on yours but it can't improve on your justification not one iota will Christ become any more perfect in the world to come? will his righteousness be any more spotless or acceptable in the world to come? of course not! and if my justification is bound up in my union with Christ and being partaker of his righteousness just as eternity can last it cannot improve his it cannot improve mine for mine is in him and he has made unto me righteousness thank God for the...

51:15 - 52:42 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not mix the questions 'How may I be saved?' and 'How may I know that I'm saved?' The answer to the first is 'Repent and believe the gospel,' and to the second is 'Examine yourself.'

Describes the transition from condemnation to justification as coming out from under the 'awful canopy of divine judgment' into the 'smile and the warmth of the favor of God,' from 'billows of divine wrath' into 'sunshine of favor'.

my sin not in part but the whole is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more praise God praise the Lord praise the Lord oh my soul Jesus thy blood and righteousness my beauty are my glorious dress midst flaming worlds in these arrayed with joy shall I lift up my head bold shall I stand in thy great day for who ought to my charge shall lay fully absolved that's it fully absolved in death and shame there is a moment when a man comes out from under the awful canopy of divine judgment and into the smile and the warmth of the favor of God he comes out from under the billows of divine wrath into th...

52:42 - 54:10 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not mix the questions 'How may I be saved?' and 'How may I know that I'm saved?' The answer to the first is 'Repent and believe the gospel,' and to the second is 'Examine yourself.'

Recounts Charles Spurgeon's conversion, where he was looking inward for years until a Methodist preacher directed him to 'Look unto me, all the ends of the earth, and be ye saved,' illustrating the danger of self-examination for salvation.

He was looking in himself, looking in himself, under conviction for those years until that Methodist preacher on that snowy night looked up in the gallery, as they say in England. We say the balcony and said, young man, you're sad. And the sadness is upon your face. And it'll be upon your face until you look to Christ.

57:35 - 57:52 Read in full sermon