Justification, Part 5

Driving home: The word justify means basically to declare or to pronounce righteous. It is a legal term. It has nothing to do with what God does in me. It has solely to do with what God declares about me.

The Pharisee is an example of those seeking acceptance through character or religious performance, while the publican is a specimen of one despairing of self and looking wholly to God for provision, illustrating the two paths to justification.

But the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote his breast, saying, God, be thou merciful to me, the sinner. I say unto you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for every one that is, exalteth himself shall be humbled. But he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. In our previous studies of this passage, we have worked through very carefully, phrase by phrase through the entire parable, focusing upon the essential principles which are set before us by our Lord concerning these two specimen men and the prayers that ...

1:13 - 2:39 Read in full sermon

Driving home: You can always judge whether or not a man's view of justification is biblical by asking the question, what place does Christ have in his scheme of justifying grace?

The analogy of a room is used to show that the Pharisee fills it with his own virtue, leaving no room for Christ, whereas the publican acknowledges an empty room, looking wholly to Christ for mercy, illustrating the centrality of Christ in biblical justification.

closed our study last week, with the general statement that if the ground is not in us, anything wrought in us, even by God himself, or anything done by us, that ground is found whole. That ground is found whole. That ground is found whole. In another, and that other is the Lord Jesus Christ. And we emphasized that note, and I trust something of it still rings in our hearts. You can always judge whether or not a man's view of justification is biblical by asking the question, what place does Christ have in his scheme of justifying grace? As you consider the Pharisee, it's obvious there was no r...

7:51 - 8:42 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: This section introduces the two distinct but inseparable aspects of Christ's work that form the ground of justification: His perfect obedience (active obedience) and His full…

Martin critiques the terms 'active' and 'passive' obedience, arguing they inaccurately suggest Christ was passive in His death, when Scripture teaches His death was the pinnacle of His active obedience, clarifying the nature of Christ's work.

anyway. Now, what people mean by those terms is simply this, that the ground of our righteousness is Christ's obedience during his life. This is considered his active obedience. His volitional choice of doing the will of God so that his perfect life becomes part of that righteousness which is put to our account. His passive obedience is the description given of his work distinctly as sin-bearer upon the cross. So that when he was giving himself up to death, in that sense, they say, he was the recipient of divine wrath. There was a passive, passive obedience. Now, I have no quarrel with the con...

10:23 - 11:22 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin turns to Scripture to demonstrate Christ's perfect obedience, citing His baptism as fulfilling all righteousness and His declaration in Matthew 5:17. Romans 5:19 is…

Jesus submitting to John's baptism, a 'sinner's ordinance,' is presented as a concrete example of His perfect obedience, fulfilling all righteousness in identification with His people.

You'll remember the setting, beginning with verse 13. The Lord Jesus comes to be baptized of John. Now remember, baptism is a sinner's ordinance.

14:46 - 15:00 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Him who knew no sin, he made to be sin on our behalf. There is peculiar reference to what he accomplished, particularly upon the cross, that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

Isaiah 53 is described as if God gave the prophet a vision of the cross and then an interpretation of its significance, vividly portraying the depth of Christ's suffering and satisfaction for sin.

Being made a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree. And then, back to the Old Testament, Isaiah 53. That graphic description of the evangelical prophethood Isaiah, in which one would almost think that God gave him a vision of the cross of Christ and sat him down in front of it as a witness to write what he had seen.

22:28 - 23:00 Read in full sermon

In this part of the sermon: Martin quotes Professor Murray to emphasize that Christ's perfect obedience and full satisfaction necessarily constrain God to justify those invested with it. He highlights the…

A quotation from Professor Murray explains that Christ's perfect obedience 'necessarily elicits and constrains' God's justification, emphasizing that God's character compels Him to declare pleasure in His Son and, by extension, in those united to Him.

a righteousness which not only warrants the justification of the ungodly, but one that necessarily elicits and constrains such justification. When the Father saw the perfect obedience of His Son, what was He led to explain? This is my Son in whom I'm well pleased. His perfect obedience, may I say it reverently, forced the confession of His Father.

25:06 - 25:36 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If the understanding be muddled here... It is impossible that such should be sound in the faith.

John Bunyan's statement that 'if the understanding be muddled here... It is impossible that such should be sound in the faith' highlights the critical importance of understanding imputation for sound doctrine.

this concept of the method of justification by imputation, he says, if the understanding be muddled here... It is impossible that such should be sound in the faith. That's the tinker speaking.

33:25 - 33:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If the understanding be muddled here... It is impossible that such should be sound in the faith.

The common experience of someone 'imputing motives' to you (crediting motives you don't have) is used to explain that imputation means crediting something to someone's account, not infusing it into them.

imputed unto him, but for our sake also to whom it shall be imputed, reckoned, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. The second Corinthians 5, 19 passage, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, same word in the original, not imputing unto them their trespasses. Now what does that word mean? It means to credit something to someone. To put something to someone's account. Now I know something that gets all of us very upset. When you do something and your motive is absolutely above board and somebody completely misconstrues it and word gets back to you and you say, well t...

34:49 - 35:40 Read in full sermon

Driving home: If the understanding be muddled here... It is impossible that such should be sound in the faith.

An extended quotation from Plummer meticulously distinguishes imputation from impartation, infusion, or inherent righteousness, clarifying that Christ's righteousness is reckoned to us, not wrought in us.

on the doctrine of justification, who says, The end of his life, that is Christ's. Here on earth was that he might be the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. His righteousness is not imparted in justification, but imputed to us. It does not cure our corruption, but it covers our nakedness. It is not infused into us, but it is reckoned to us. It is not inherent in us, but it is set down to our account. We do not imbibe it, but we are invested with it. We are not imbued, but endued with it. It does not give us a fitness for heaven, but a title to heaven. This righteousne...

36:38 - 38:03 Read in full sermon

Driving home: Fully am I justified, free from sin and more than free, guiltless, since for me he died. Righteous. Since he lived for me.

Two stanzas from a hymn quoted in Hodges' Theology beautifully articulate the 'mystery of the great exchange,' where Christ's offense is counted ours, and His righteousness becomes ours through union with Him.

portion mine, ours thine. There's a beautiful hymn quoted in Hodges' Theology of All Places,

43:15 - 43:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Consider if you are a 'new creation' in Christ, as justification is always accompanied by this transformative work.

Martin shares a personal anecdote of crying during a testimony about Christ saving people, illustrating the transformative power of being a 'new creature' in Christ, where former indifference is replaced by deep emotion.

I tell you there are times when it sweeps over me as it did this morning. I sat here on this platform hearing that thrilling report from Irving Millett. It felt like a, some kind of a, I don't know what, sitting here crying my full head off. And I asked myself, what in the world has happened to me that I'd sit here crying, a grown man with all my marbles,

46:49 - 47:11 Read in full sermon