Romans 4:5
Overview of the Doctrine
In this adult Sunday school class, Pastor Martin provides an overview of the biblical doctrine of justification, focusing on its meaning, development, and application to the ungodly. He expounds passages from Luke, Romans, and Galatians to demonstrate that justification is a legal declaration of righteousness, not an infusion of it, and that it is based solely on Christ's imputed obedience, received by faith alone. The sermon aims to clarify this vital doctrine, contrasting it with common perversions and emphasizing its glorious implications for pardon and acceptance with God.
Primary Texts
Topics
Outline 12 sections · 58 min
- Introduction to the Doctrine of Justification 0:01
- The Meaning of 'To Justify' in Scripture 3:45
- Justification in a Legal Context: Antonym and Setting 10:10
- Development of Justification: The Righteous in the Old Testament 13:43
- The Glorious Doctrine: Justification of the Ungodly 23:07
- Setting and Author of Justification of the Ungodly 28:41
- Recipients and Essence of Justification 35:50
- Ground of Justification: Christ's Obedience Alone 40:18
- Method of Justification: Imputation and Solidarity 43:53
- Means, Medium, Source, and Results of Justification 49:32
- Clarifying Questions and Addressing Perversions 51:40
- Concluding Prayer 56:57
Key Quotes
“It means, to vindicate or to declare or to pronounce to be righteous. It does not refer to changing the heart, to the ethical alteration of someone's heart. It never means that or refers to that.”
“But where justification takes us is it takes us to a courtroom with a judge and judgment pronounced and verdict reached and sentence passed. It brings us into that context.”
“But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.”
“It is not made upon the ground of anything that has ever been done in that sinner or anything that has ever been done by that sinner.”
“Christ's life Christ's death is the exclusive sole basis or ground of this pronouncement.”
“When God makes this pronouncement, it is not a legal fiction. But it is an accurate assessment of reality because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed, has been transferred, has been conveyed to their legal account.”
“The pronouncement was made the moment they believed in Christ and not before.”
Applications
All listeners
- Ensure that none of the false teaching regarding justification (e.g., infused righteousness from Rome) infects your mind.
- Understand that Old Testament saints were justified in precisely the same way as New Testament saints, by looking forward in faith to Christ's work.
- Avoid the errors of eternal justification and justification from Calvary, which can make people comfortable in their unbelief. Justification occurs at the moment a person believes, and not before.
A full transcript is available on the tab. 193 paragraphs, roughly 58 minutes.
Introduction to the Doctrine of Justification
This adult Sunday school class was held on October 4th, 1981 at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey.
This, by the way, was given to each of the instructors by the students because of the fact that we broke so many pieces of chalk. Show off my chalk holder this morning. Well, let us pray and seek the face of our God and ask for his blessing upon our study in the Word of God this morning. O Lord, our God and Father, as we come to study your Holy Word once again, we ask that by your grace, according to the riches of your mercy in Christ, you would draw near to us this morning, that you yourself would teach us as we contemplate a very vital aspect of your truth,
Lord, that according to the presence of your Spirit, you might write your Word upon our hearts. Draw near to us then this morning, Lord, and do not leave us to ourselves, and to our own imaginations. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen.
I wish to speak to you this morning concerning the biblical doctrine of justification. Let's see how the chalk holder works.
Now, really, the blackboard should be over there for a lefty, but you'll forgive me if I have to keep turning it out. It was set up for Mr. Garlington, and he wasn't able to be here this morning. Now, the occasion of this study, not only the fact that the doctrine of justification is of such vital importance to the Christian life, but also because of the fact that in the course of the expositions that have been going on here in the Sunday School, we have lit upon the book of Galatians.
And in the book of Galatians, the doctrine of justification by faith plays a central role. Also, it's not possible for someone teaching a survey to...
go into detail with respect to some of the major facets of doctrines which are touched upon. So in the light of the fact that certain aspects of justification were touched upon in the exposition through Galatians last week, I thought it might be helpful, since no doubt certain interest was kindled in some of the things that were said, since it is such a delightful doctrine, it might be helpful just to give an overview of the doctrine of justification, and the biblical usage of the term justifying. Now, it is not possible for me this morning to go into great detail with respect to the doctrine.
Most of you have already been instructed in the doctrine of justification through the labors of Pastor Martin year after year. Again and again, that note is sounded in the pulpit here. And so what my purpose this morning is, is to give you an overview, to touch the highlights of the biblical teaching. And by way of introduction, the first thing that I wish to consider is the meaning of the biblical term to justify, of the biblical terminology.
The Meaning of 'To Justify' in Scripture
What does it mean to justify?
Now, there are several passages in Scripture which show us the basic meaning of the term. Would you turn with me, please, to Luke, chapter 7. And I'll just give you three passages in the Gospel of Luke, which expound the meaning of the biblical term. Luke, chapter 7.
Luke, chapter 7 and verse 29. Now, to pick up the context in verse 28, Jesus says, I say to you, among them that are born of women, there is none greater than John. Yet he that is but little in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And all the people, when they heard and the publicans, justified God being baptized with the baptism of John.
But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected for themselves the counsel of God, not being baptized of him. Now, whatever it means, there's no way on earth that you could get into that passage the idea that the publicans infused righteousness, the idea that the publicans infused righteousness, the idea that the publicans infused righteousness, into God. They didn't do that, did they? Whatever it means, it doesn't mean that.
There's no passage in Scripture which can be brought forward in order to prove that this word to justify ever depicts the ethical alteration of someone's heart. That is the infusing of righteousness into someone. The publicans, the publicans did not make God good or holy. They did not infuse righteousness into God.
And they did not alter the ethical state or condition of God's heart. That's not what it means. But what it does mean is that they made an assessment, a declaration. They vindicated God.
They declared God to be righteous or just. They did not change the ethical state of God's heart or infuse righteousness into God. Another passage in the Gospel of Luke. Luke chapter 10 and verse 29.
Luke chapter 10 and verse 29. And this is the context in which the Lord Jesus is speaking with a certain lawyer. And the Lord tells him, now let me back up. The Lord says to this man what he is supposed to do in order to inherit eternal life.
And the Lord answers his question with a question in verse 26. And he said to him, what is written in the law? How do you read? And the lawyer answering and said, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, et cetera.
And then Lord Jesus said to him in verse 28. And he said to him, you have answered right this do. And thou shalt live. But he, desiring to justify himself.
Answered and said and who is my neighbor. He desired to justify himself, that is, he desired to vindicate himself. He did not desire to infuse righteousness into himself, but he desired to have himself regarded as a righteous person. He desired.
to vindicate himself. That's what he wanted to do. All right, one more passage. Luke chapter 16 and verse 15.
Luke chapter 16 and verse 15.
The Lord Jesus was speaking about covetousness and the Pharisees were listening and they heard what he said.
And picking up in verse 14, we find that context. And the Pharisees, who were all lovers of money, heard all these things and they scoffed at him. And he said to them, you are those that justify yourselves in the sight of men. But God knows your hearts.
For that which is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God. You are those who vindicate yourselves in the sight of men. In other words, justification has to do with the way you are regarded in somebody's, someone else's eyes.
You are the ones who want to be regarded as righteous in men's eyes. You justify yourselves. You pronounce yourselves to be righteous before these people's consideration and before their eyes. You vindicate yourselves in that way.
Now I say that these three examples from the Gospel of Luke indicate the basic meaning of the word. It means, to vindicate or to declare or to pronounce to be righteous. It does not refer to changing the heart, to the ethical alteration of someone's heart. It never means that or refers to that.
Justification in a Legal Context: Antonym and Setting
And because this is the basic meaning of the word, the word is most often used in a legal context. And when it's used in a legal context, it has an antonym. Now what's an antonym? Anybody know what an antonym is?
Henry, what's an antonym? All right, it's a word that means the opposite. And what is the opposite of justification that's found again and again in legal context? Does anybody know what it is?
Way in the back. Jimmy, what is it? Very good.
Anybody think of some passages where justification and condemnation are said to be opposites?
Romans what, Chip? Romans 8. All right, Romans 8.
Romans 8 in verse 33.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns? It is God that justifies.
Who is he that condemns? Justification has an antonym. It has a word that means exactly. It's exactly the opposite.
And the opposite is condemnation. It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns?
And so justification in the context, in a legal context, brings all of these things to mind. It brings to mind a courtroom and a judge and a verdict or judgment and a sentence or pronouncing of a sentence. It brings to mind a sentence or pronouncing of a sentence or pronouncing of a sentence or pronouncing of a sentence. All right, you see, all of the things, well, can't blame it on me.
It's a chalk holder, sure.
So anyway,
it brings to mind all of these ideas, all right? It's a legal context that puts you in a courtroom. And in particular, justification puts you, of course, now the biblical doctrine puts you in God's courtroom in which God is the judge and a verdict is pronounced. A judgment is made.
A sentence is passed. All right, you follow? Now, that's the idea that's associated with justification. It's not an operating room in which God is doing something upon a heart to do open heart surgery.
But where justification takes us is it takes us to a courtroom with a judge and judgment pronounced and verdict reached and sentence passed. It brings us into that context.
Development of Justification: The Righteous in the Old Testament
It is an assessment, a judgment made. About a person. It's a verdict pronounced, et cetera. All right, now, what I need to do then in the second place is to show you something of the development of this idea of justification in the revelation which God has given us.
I've shown you something about the meaning of the term and this has been basically reviewed for most of you. Now, I want to say a little bit about the development.
The development of this idea of vindication, this idea of judgment in the courtroom, the verdict, the sentence pronounced.
Now, the scripture develops both the idea of the justification or the vindication of the righteous and the vindication or the justification of the ungodly.
Now, in the Old Testament,
great emphasis is placed upon the justification of the ungodly. upon the justification upon the justification of the righteous, particularly in a legal setting. Two passages in particular are of interest. Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 1 and Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 5.
Deuteronomy chapter 25 and verse 1. If there be a controversy between men and they come into judgment and the judges judge them, then they shall justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
Now, you see the context.
What's the opposite of justification in that context? Condemnation. And what's the setting? It's a courtroom.
There's a judge. There's a verdict. There's a sentence, etc. You see, all of that is there.
Right now, who's supposed to be justified? The ungodly one or the righteous one?
The righteous one.
Now, the Bible talks about the justification of the righteous one. The righteous one. The righteous one. The righteous one.
The righteous one. The righteous man. Then thou shalt justify the righteous and it's the wicked man that is supposed to be condemned.
The righteous man is not to have righteousness infused into him in the courtroom.
His ethical character is not altered by the judge in the courtroom. What was the judge to do? The judge was not to alter his ethical character. That's not what it means.
It means that the judge in that courtroom is to pronounce the righteous man to be a righteous man. He's to find him righteous. The verdict is to be in favor of the righteous man. And whatever sentence is passed is to be in his favor.
Notice. And it shall be that if the wicked man is worthy to be beaten and the judge shall cause him to lie down, etc. And it talks about the actual pronouncing of the sentence upon the wicked. Thou shalt justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.
But notice, if you would please, also Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 5.
Proverbs chapter 17 and verse 5.
No, boy, you know, I wrote the wrong verse down. It's not 17.5, it's 17.15.
And it's good that I found it because in the book of Proverbs it's kind of hard to find individual statements. But it's 17.15 is the correct verse. He that justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
He that justifies the wicked and condemns the righteous, both of them alike are an abomination to Jehovah.
Furthermore, the Lord himself says in Exodus 23.7, I will not justify the wicked.
And he condemns those who justify the wicked for a reward in Isaiah 5.23.
And so it's clear that there is in the Old Testament a very articulately developed doctrine of the justification of the righteous and the condemnation of the wicked. There's no question about this.
Now, who is a righteous man? Who's the righteous man spoken of in Deuteronomy 25? And who's the righteous man spoken of in Proverbs 17 and verse 15? Well, the righteous man is the one who James describes or whom James describes as a doer of the word and not a hearer only.
One who John describes in 1 John as one who does righteousness. My little children, let nobody deceive you. The one who doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous. He's not an ungodly or a sinful man.
He's contrasted with the ungodly and the sinner. Turn to 1 Peter. 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 18.
And if the righteous scarcely is saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? A distinction is made in Scripture between the righteous man and the ungodly man and the sinner. The righteous man is not a sinner. The righteous man is not, is he?
He's not, right? He's not. Not in the sense that it's used in that text. Now, maybe in another sense, definitely in another sense, he is.
But in the sense that it's used in that text, he isn't. He isn't wicked. He isn't ungodly. And he isn't a sinner.
Quote, unquote.
It's the righteous man whom you are to justify. Or to pronounce to be righteous. And righteousness is opened up in terms of the fact that it's a man who loves God and who loves his people. A man who's fair and walks in the integrity of his conscience.
A righteous man who fears God and departs from evil. Who mortifies his indwelling sin and who hates it and who struggles against it. A righteous man is one who's reliable. The righteous swears to his own hurt and turns not again.
A man who keeps his word. A righteous man is a man who is humble and reverent and has a proper and sober self-assessment.
And God will vindicate such people as well, will he not? Will God vindicate righteous men? Yes or no? Yes, he will.
Not only in this life, but also in that life which is to come. In the life which is to come, the Lord Jesus says, by thy words thou shalt be justified and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. The same context now, the same ideas brought over into the judgment of the last day. And it's the righteous man who will be pronounced to be a righteous man.
And it's the wicked man who will be pronounced to be a wicked man by God Almighty in the day of judgment.
And so, not only the Old Testament teaches the justification of the righteous, but the New Testament teaches it as well. Our Lord teaches it explicitly in the New Testament. In Matthew chapter 12 and verse 36 and 37. And James teaches it in James chapter 2.
The Glorious Doctrine: Justification of the Ungodly
But there's another note with respect to the development of this wonderful doctrine of justification.
And that note is the justification of the ungodly. There's a version in Deuteronomy 25 and 17 that says we quit it. Is that a proper translation? Is that from the Deuteronomy text?
Or what?
Yes, that's a potential synonym. So it doesn't make sense? No. No, but in the Hebrew, the Hebrew word that's used is the background for the Greek word that's used again and again to mean to justify.
And so it's the same basic Hebrew word in Deuteronomy which forms the background for the Greek words of the New Testament concept. So, whatever word in English you may bring in, the Hebrew and the Greek indicate that it's the same idea as justification. Does that answer the question? Yeah.
Okay.
Now, as I was saying,
this doctrine, which is a good and true and biblical doctrine, has of course not been the focus of the formulations of the church. And rightly so. I'm not opposing that idea at all. Of course not.
The reason is that another glorious strand of truth with respect to the doctrine of justification comes to have prominence in the New Testament revelation. And that is not the justification of the righteous, although it's built upon that doctrine, which is found in the Old Testament and corroborated in the New Testament and even expanded and enlarged upon in the New Testament. But that is the doctrine of the justification of the ungodly. Now, can you think of a text in which that doctrine is asserted in plain, almost shocking language?
Yes. Yes, that's right. Romans 4, 5.
And it's this glorious doctrine of the justification of the ungodly which has received full treatment, fuller treatment in the New Testament.
Romans chapter 4 and verse 4. Now, to him that works, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of death. But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Now, where did Paul claim to get this teaching from?
Did he say that this was something which was dropped down de novo upon him? No. Where did he appeal for support for his doctrine?
Where's that found? In the Old Testament. Very good. All right.
So both the justification of the righteous and the justification of the ungodly are taught in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The point is that the full and glorious development of this doctrine of the justification of the ungodly in history has awaited the appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ. It's awaited the appearance of the one who would work out the righteousness which forms the basis of that verdict and pronouncement. When Christ appeared and lived and died, that's when this glorious doctrine receives full exposition
in the biblical record. And it's in particular that it was the Apostle Paul who had the peculiar task given to him of expounding and developing this glorious theme. And it has been this glorious theme which rightly so has awed and preoccupied the mind of the church when it thought about the whole idea of justification. And that's why we find in the Reformed creeds and in our own confession that when the doctrine of justification is stated, this is the great focus of the doctrine.
Not this, but this.
And rightly so.
Both are revealed in the Old Testament. The justification of the righteous is revealed in the Old Testament and even expanded upon in the New Testament by the Lord Jesus. The justification of the ungodly is hinted even in seed forms found in the Old Testament so that the Apostle Paul can appeal to the instance of Abraham and David. But then that glorious doctrine reaches its full exposition after the coming of Christ in the New Testament witness and in particular in the writings of the Apostle Paul, especially in Romans and Galatians, but also in other passages like the passage that will be expounded this morning.
Setting and Author of Justification of the Ungodly
Yes? Yes. Mr. Clark, you're shaking a knowing head.
In the last absolute sense,
a man would be accused of a crime and he would be innocent. He would be a righteous man and he would be justified in respect of the law. He would be a righteous man and he would be justified in respect of the law. Right.
Now, I don't know if it's fundamental or critical. He's a sinner and he's unrighteous. I think that's a distinction. Okay.
Good. Yes? Would you say also that back in the Old Testament in the sacrifice, the ordinance of sacrifice, when the Jews were to take an unblemished lamb and sacrifice on the altar as a sin offering to God to justify themselves for their sins, would you say that was pointed away then that for a righteous person to say that in his mind that there's nothing I can do to justify myself but it's going to take something else, something that's unblemished on the side to be sacrificed in my place in order to justify me. Yes.
So when I go and do this act of taking this unblemished lamb and sacrifice it unto God, I'm saying to God that you then are right. You are the only one that is right and this is in substitution for me which is again pointing the way to the sacrificial lamb of God in Christ. Yes. Yes.
That the Jewish sacrificial system was pointing the way to the fact that righteousness, acceptance with God was not in ourself. That's true. Absolutely. Now, I'm saying this by way of background.
We haven't got to the issue yet, have we?
And I can see that certain people and the certain questions have been provoked and rightly so.
And I'm glad they've been provoked. The whole point of it was to provoke certain questions and to get the matter clearly laid out. Now, that brings us then to deal with these two issues. And I think that I should be able to sort out certain questions that have been asked once these issues have been dealt with in the New Testament from the biblical materials.
Now, we're going to start with this one.
The justification of the ungodly. Now, because most of you are familiar with this, what I wish to do is to give a lightning overview of the subject. If you want to hear this matter preached in great detail, I would suggest to you Pastor Martin's sermons on justification in the Here We Stand series. And in that series, this doctrine is opened up in great detail.
And Pastor Martin is going to be preaching upon this very doctrine this morning. All right. Now, I have ten things I want to say to you about it. And I'm not going to...
Not eight, not nine, not six, but ten.
And you knew it would be ten or seven. So I'm going to go over these things relatively quickly because I'm giving you an overview of the concept. First of all, the setting.
What is the setting of this justification of the ungodly? Which is, the biblical doctrine of justification as it has been stated and propounded in the creeds and the confessions and as it has been the glorious focus of the church specifically since the time of the Reformation. Well, the setting is condemnation in Adam. This glorious doctrine is set against the backdrop of the truth that has been propounded both by Mrs. Pagela
and Mr. Clark that there is none righteous, no, not one. That we're all condemned in Adam. It's set against a backdrop of condemnation.
So it is not, it's not a matter of either justification or condemnation, but it's a matter of first condemnation, then justification. Condemnation in Adam. Condemnation in Adam. And Paul labors at great length in Romans 1.18,
the 3.20, in order to prove that point. There is none righteous, no, not one. We conclude that all are under sin.
Both Jew and Greek have it laid to their charge. All have been found guilty. All have had the sentence of death pronounced upon them. All in the courtroom of God are condemned in Adam.
All are condemned and that's the backdrop and the setting of this glorious doctrine of justification. The just wrath of God is revealed toward all who are in Adam. And Romans 1.18 to 3.20
has one purpose, one great major purpose, and that is to prove that point, to assert it and to demonstrate that every single human being is condemned in the courtroom of God. In Adam, all are condemned. All right, that's the backdrop or the setting. The second thing I want to say to you about it is I want to talk to you about the author of this justification.
Who is it that justifies? Well, Romans 8.33 and 34. It is God that justifies.
Who is he that condemns? He that spared not his own son but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? God the Father in particular is the one who is in view. It's the God who spared not his own son.
That is, God the Father is the author of justification. Now, who are the recipients of justification? Who are judged righteous? Who have this verdict assessment made and this sentence passed?
Recipients and Essence of Justification
Well, its recipients are described in the broadest category as sinners. 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. Those who are justified are sinners.
All have sinned being justified freely by his grace.
But not all sinners, only human beings, no angel sinners are ever justified by God. God did not do that. God did not spare the angels who sinned. But not all human sinners, but only elect human sinners are justified.
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies.
But not all human elect sinners are justified, but only believing sinners.
And ungodly sinners, to him, that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly. Believers are those who are justified and they are justified while they are in a condition described as ungodliness.
That justifies the ungodly. Now it doesn't say it justifies the unregenerate, but it does say that it justifies the ungodly. So the recipients of this verse are sinners, are sinners, are sinners, Jew and Gentile alike, Jew and Gentile alike, human beings who have been elected and who have been brought to faith and who have believed, but who are yet described as ungodly. Now what is the essence of this pronouncement?
What is the essence? What is it that God does when he justifies? Well, it has a two-fold essence.
Negatively, negatively, they are part, for their sins. It is a judicial pronouncement which involves pardon negatively and positively acceptance as righteous. Acts chapter 13 speaks about us being justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the law of Moses. That is acquitted or vindicated or absolved of guilt and blame because of sin. Justification involves the pronouncement of pardon, a judicial
pronouncement of pardon, and also a pronouncement of acceptance as righteous. God assesses regards and pronounces them to be righteous. And so the great issues in view with the justification of the ungodly, the great issues in view with the ungodly, the great issues in view with the ungodly, view are pardon for sin and acceptance with God. That's the great issue. When God sits upon the
bench, the case which he's trying is the case of pardon for sin and acceptance with God. That is the issue that is before the bench. No other issue but that issue. You see that? It's the issue of
pardon and acceptance. And the judge asks when he wants to know about pardon, he says, has this sinner been fully punished for all of his sins? And the answer comes back, yes, he has. Has this sinner ever done anything forbidden? Has he done all that is required? The answer is no, he's never
done anything forbidden. Yes, he's done everything required. You say, wait a minute, where did God ever come up with a pronouncement and a verdict like that? Well, that's the great heart of Paul's doctrine of justification. And that is upon what ground
Ground of Justification: Christ's Obedience Alone
or upon what basis is this great pronouncement of pardon and acceptance made? It is not made upon the ground of anything that has ever been done in that sinner or anything that has ever been done by that sinner.
The whole life, right here, we're talking about the ground. And we're looking at the sinner's life. See if I can draw a Pastor Martin type stick figure. He's got three legs, that's not true.
There you go. Now, here's when, here's his life, okay? It began at his conception.
Began at his conception. This is his life history from his conception to the present. And when God looks over the whole thing, there's not a single thing in it. Not a single thing that ever happened in that sinner's life history, that elect believing ungodly sinner's life history whom God is pronouncing righteous. There's not a single thing, not a
shred of anything which has to do with the ground or the basis of that pronouncement. That's the point. Not a single thing. But it is made upon the basis of Christ's obedience alone. Christ's life
Christ's death is the exclusive sole basis or ground of this pronouncement. In other words, when God makes this pronouncement, he does not look at the life history of the sinner, but he looks at the life history of the Lord Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago. He was conceived, was he not? And he went to the cross and he was raised from the grave. He was conceived.
In the womb of the Virgin Mary. And he lived a perfect life. And he died upon the cross. Here is obedience. A life of obedience. And it is this obedience which is the ground of God's pronouncement
about this sinner. It has nothing to do whatsoever with this sinner's life history. It has to do exclusively and totally with the life history of Jesus 2,000 years ago upon the earth. Now that's clear.
Is it not from the scripture? By the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous. That's the ground. The life history of Christ and Christ alone. And that's what those Old Testament sacrifices
were pointing to. And you see why it awaited the actual living of that life in history before the judgment, before the doctrine received its full-blown expression in the writings of the apostles. It was there in the Old Testament. Yes. Abraham believed God and it was reckoned to him for righteousness, but it didn't come to full-orbed expression until that life history was actually lived out on earth. Then the doctrine in all of its glory was revealed. And because of that, the church then has focused upon that glorious doctrine throughout its history. And it's been that which has been formulated in historic reform confessions.
Method of Justification: Imputation and Solidarity
Now. What in the world does the life history of Christ have to do with the pronouncement which God makes about this sinner. Did you ever wonder that? What in the world does what Jesus did 2,000 years ago have to do with God's pronouncement that he makes about a sinner in his life history? How are the two things connected? That's a good question. Well, if you ask it, it's a good question. You have an answer?
All right. That's right. That brings us to the method by imputation. The method of imputation. And who wants to give me a synonym for imputation in this context? What does it mean to impute? Ronnie?
All right. To lay to someone else's account. That's right. Here's what God does. God imputes. God imputes the obedience of the one, the Lord Jesus Christ, to the account of the sinner.
Of the ungodly believing sinner, God transfers Christ's righteousness to his account. And then when God has transferred that righteousness to his account, then God pronounces him to be what indeed he is because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to him. It has been regarded by God as his, and it has been transferred.
It has been transferred into his account so that the justification of the ungodly is not a bare declaration or a pronouncement which is void of a real constitution as righteous. By the obedience of the one shall the many be constituted righteous. That is, righteousness is imputed to them. When God makes this pronouncement, it is not a legal fiction.
But it is an accurate assessment of reality because the righteousness of Christ has been imputed, has been transferred, has been conveyed to their legal account. Now, God does this because of solidarity. Because of solidarity. Because of representative union.
Because of solidarity. Because of representative union. Which God himself instituted between Christ and all of those who are in him.
Now, where did God come up with the idea of solidarity? Well, that is something which has been created into the human race. And you can't go back any further than that. This concept of solidarity has existed and operated in the human race from the very beginning.
And that's Paul's point in Romans 5. And it all comes down to this. There's a parallel between the relationship that Adam had to all of his posterity and the parallel which Christ has to all of God's and the relationship that Christ has to all of God's elect.
All of humanity is condemned because all of humanity was in solidarity with Adam.
Why? Because God in his absolute sovereignty determined. He determined that it would be so.
And there was no other answer.
The Bible reveals to us that that is the way God works. And that that is the way that God created us. The Bible makes that very plain.
He created the human race in such a way that Adam was the representative head. And what Adam did was imputed, conveyed. Transferred to every single human being who's ever conceived and born into the human race. And in a similar and parallel way, what Christ did is imputed, conveyed, transferred to every single human being who believes in Jesus.
Now that's the bottom line. It's because of the biblical idea of representative solidarity. Solidarity and union, either in Adam or in Christ.
Romans chapter 5. Romans chapter 5 verses 12 to 21. If you have any difficulty with this idea, you read Romans chapter 5 verses 12 to 21. But I must carry on.
Means, Medium, Source, and Results of Justification
That brings us next to the exclusive means. And the exclusive means by which this occurs and this pronouncement.
Is laid out very clearly as faith.
The instrumental means. The exclusive instrumental means of justification is faith. And faith alone.
Now I could spend the rest of the time just simply dealing with that. I won't do that though. What I will do is I will simply give to you several passages in which this is clearly and explicitly.
Taught Galatians chapter 2 verse 16 Galatians 3 verses 8 and 11 and then of course in the book of Romans in the passages we've been considering Romans 3 22 26 28 and 30 Romans 4 1 to 4 5 now this justification comes to us through a certain medium it comes to us through the medium of the Redemption that is in Christ. Jesus Romans chapter 3 verse 24. And in the ninth place this justification.
Has a source and it flows out of the source of God's free unmerited favor and grace. And finally this justification results in privileges and in holy living. Romans chapter 5 verses 1 to 11 indicates that it results in privilege. And Romans.
Chapter 6 verse 1 through chapter 7 verse 25 indicates that it results in holy living now that as an overview is the doctrine of the justification of the ungodly.
Clarifying Questions and Addressing Perversions
Now do we have any questions about anything that we've seen so far this morning.
Yes sir Henry. Yes I know I did that but I'm not sure if anyone else did that. Well perhaps you should tell them.
Yes. Yes. Henry being a student of church history knows very well why I did that. I did that because perhaps the thank you Henry perhaps because the greatest perversion of this doctrine which has ever occurred in the history of well let's say of the history of the world.
Is that very idea which is propounded by Rome namely that justification means infused righteousness and it wasn't my purpose to take direct pot shots at specific groups that hold false teaching but it was certainly my purpose to make sure that none of that false teaching ever infected anybody's mind who sat under a study of the word. And so the reason that that was said is because that has been one of the major perversions of the doctrine which has existed throughout the last 500 years at least goes back further.
Yes sir. You have your example to there about 2000 years ago that this happened. And I look back to that time believing that God had done what he had promised that he was going to do. My faith comes into being.
2000 years or so or more. Prior to Christ coming when he had made those promises to his servant of old. And they too look forward to the time that the event would happen. We're all on the same level that we look back in faith and they look ahead in faith.
True. That's it. Yes. And that that very point is stressed by the confession and the confession stresses that this has been the only method of justification which has ever existed.
The Old Testament saints were justified were accepted and pardoned in precisely the same way that New Testament saints are accepted and pardoned. Yes. Yes. Jack.
I just like your stupid question that I sort of want to clear it up in my mind. You said the elect who believe. Will there be elect who do not believe? No.
Okay. But here's. Here's. Okay.
But all right. That's a good question. But you caught the fact that I and I was going to take the time to make that point. So now I'll make it.
Does anybody know why I said that? Like Henry knew why I did this. Anybody know why I said the elect who believe? There's another perversion of the doctrine around which requires that statement.
Somebody think they know Jerry. You know what?
Yes. All right. That's the point. And there's a perversion around which teaches what's been called either justification from eternity or justification.
From Calvary, which states that the elect are always throughout the entirety of their life history, pardoned and accepted because the pronouncement was made either in eternity past when they were elected or it was made upon the cross of Christ when the basis was provided. But both of those things are false. The pronouncement was not made in eternity past when they were elected. And the pronouncement was not made when Christ died and the basis was provided.
The pronouncement was made the moment they believed in Christ and not before.
Not before.
You see now why the point was made. I'm glad you raised that, Jesse, because that they gave opportunity to drive that home. But that's the reason for saying that. The reason for saying that is to avoid the error of eternal justification and the error of justification.
The reason for saying that is to avoid the error of eternal justification and the error of justification from Calvary, because those two things will make people comfortable in their unbelief and there ought not to be anyone who's comfortable in his unbelief that he can that he's right with God and accepted and pardoned while he doesn't believe in Christ. No justification occurs at the moment a person believes and not before. Lord, our God, we give you thanks for your holy word. We give you thanks.
Concluding Prayer
Oh, God, that you have revealed. In your word, the truth about the way that we are accepted with you about acceptance by the blood of Jesus and the righteousness of Jesus. And we pray, oh, Lord, God, that our minds may ever be clear about the way in which we are accepted and pardoned and about the way, oh, God, in which we can stand before you with our consciences cleansed. We thank you for the glorious truth about the righteousness of Christ and about the redemption that is in him and the forgiveness.
And the pardon and acceptance which comes in union with him. We praise your great and blessed name and may it ever be so. Seal the truth unto our hearts. Write it upon them for the sake of the Lord Jesus.
Amen.
This transcript was generated by automated speech recognition and may contain errors. It is provided for study and reference only; the audio recording is the authoritative source.
Passages Expounded
This verse is central to the sermon's focus on the justification of the ungodly, serving as the primary text for this glorious doctrine.
These three passages from Luke's Gospel are expounded to establish the basic, legal meaning of the term 'justify' as to declare or pronounce righteous.
This passage is crucial for explaining the method of imputation and representative solidarity between Adam and Christ, which undergirds the doctrine of justification.
Texts Expounded
Also Referenced
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