31. Justification
31. Justification "Whom he did predestine, those he also called: and whom he called, those he also justified" Romans 8:30
All the doctrines of the gospel are important, and should be held fast by all the Lord’s people. But every doctrine is not alike important. Sweet, precious, and important as the doctrine of our election is, it is not to be compared with the doctrine of our gratuitous justification by simple faith in Christ. To this doctrine the apostle now calls our attention, and shows its connection with our election and effectual calling on the one hand, and our glorification on the other. For "whom he did predestine, those he also called: and whom he called, those he also justified" (Romans 8:30).
Calling and justification differ from each other. Calling is a work wrought by the Holy Spirit within us; justification is a sentence pronounced by the Father respecting us. Calling is inward, in the heart; justification is outward, in the high court of heaven. Calling makes us holy; justification pronounces us righteous. Calling gives us a fitness for heaven; justification gives us a title to it. Calling, therefore, changes our nature; justification changes our state. We will now consider— The Natural Condition of the Persons Justified. They are designated "ungodly," as we read, "To him who works not—but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." The man is a sinner—he may be a great, a notorious sinner—but not less than a sinner. His nature is desperately depraved, his heart is enmity against God, and his life is in direct opposition to God. Every imagination of his thoughts may be evil, only evil, and that continually. To those who killed the prophets, murdered the Son of God, and filled up the measure of their iniquities as a nation—was free justification preached. To such, the apostles proclaimed Jesus a Savior, and said, "Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by him all that believe are justified from all things." Nothing that a man has done, or thought, or said—nothing that a man is in himself—can hinder his justification, if he believes in Jesus. The character justified, therefore, is designated "ungodly"—one in antagonism with God, careless about God, a rebel against the government of God. The desert of the sinner whom God justifies is punishment, only punishment, eternal punishment. He has merited the wrath of God, and deserves to have that wrath, without any mixture of mercy, poured out upon his guilty soul forever. Hell, with all its horrors—hell, with its fire, brimstone, darkness, and never-dying worm—is the portion, and the only portion, he has merited at the hands of God. The wages of sin is death, eternal death, and only death. The state of the man—is a state of condemnation. The law has condemned him; it has cursed him with all its terrible curses, and has doomed him to suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. As an unbeliever, he is condemned already, because he has not believed on the name of the only-begotten Son of God. As a law-breaker, his condemnation is just. As one who has trifled with mercy, despised the Son of God, and neglected the great salvation—his condemnation is most fearful. As one living without God and without hope in the world, his condemnation is registered in heaven, and recorded in God’s book on earth. An ungodly sinner, deserving only punishment, and condemned already by a just and holy God—is addressed in the gospel, is invited to Jesus, is called by the Holy Spirit, and is justified from all charges by simple faith in Christ. This brings me to— The Privilege. "Those he also justified" WHO justified them? God, the judge of all: God, whose law condemned them, and who had been grossly injured by them! God, whose judgment is just, and who has said, "You shall not justify the wicked;" and who has declared that he will "never clear the guilty:" God, whose judgment is just, and from whose judgment there is no appeal. If justified in a lower court, the man may be condemned in a higher; but if he is justified in the highest court, condemned he cannot be. And so Jesus speaks: "He who hears my word, and believes on him who sent me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
WHAT does God do? He justifies them. What! declare them righteous? Yes! How does he do this? First, he makes them righteous, and then pronounces them so. He transferred all their sins to Jesus, as their representative, substitute, and surety; he laid all their iniquities on him; he exacted and received full satisfaction from him: "He made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." He made atonement for all our guilt; he suffered all the shame, pain, and agony our sins deserved: "Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, might live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed." Our sin, therefore, was expiated, put away, cast into the depths of the sea!
But, if we are rid of sin, where is our righteousness? This Jesus wrought for us, when he magnified the law, by obeying it as the incarnate God; and made it honorable, by rendering to it an obedience that was divine—when it only asked for one that was human. The perfect, the finished work of Christ, in all its worth, value, and infinite merit—is placed to our account, is imputed to our souls, is put upon our persons as some costly robe; so that we may sing, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness."
Thus, though sinners in ourselves, and nothing but sinners, we receiving "abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness," are made righteous. Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, to every one that believes. All that the law threatened, he endured; all that the law required, he produced; and all he endured and produced was done—in our nature, in our stead, in order that we might be saved by him. In ourselves, we are sinners; in Jesus, we are righteous. As part of the world, we are condemned; as not of the world—but part of the mystical body of Christ, we are justified. We are righteous, righteousness, the righteousness of God in him.
Having made us righteous, God pronounces us just; and, pronouncing us just, he treats us accordingly. He evermore treats us as his children, dear and tenderly beloved. Chastise us—he may, he will; but condemn us—he will not. Put us to pain he may; but put us to death he will not, he cannot. What a mystery of mercy! What a merciful mystery! Well may we exclaim, "Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!"
HOW does God justify?
1. By grace—as opposed to desert; for desert is not taken into account at all in our justification before God. It is wholly of grace, as Paul asserted: "Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." By grace we are saved.
2. By righteousness—as opposed to injustice. God does not pretend that we are righteous, when we have no righteousness; for there are no make-believes in the gospel. He makes over the righteousness of his Son to the sinner, and declares the same in the glad tidings, as we read: "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus."
God is justified in justifying us, because his Son paid our debts, atoned for our guilt, and did all that law and justice could require at our hands. So that, while our justification is wholly of grace, it is at the same time strictly righteous.
3. It is by faith—as opposed to works. Our best works are sinful. They flow from people who are in rebellion against God. For the sake of our works, therefore, God cannot justify us. Nothing that we do, or can do, can be well-pleasing in the sight of God, until we believe in Jesus. But the moment we believe in Jesus, our sins are forgiven us, and our persons are justified: our works, therefore, can have no influence in our justification. In believing, we renounce self—and trust in Christ. We renounce self entirely—and trust in Christ wholly and only. Thus trusting in Jesus—we are justified from every charge, we are freed from the guilt and are safe from all the penal consequences of sin. It is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end that it may be sure to all the chosen seed. "A man is not justified by the works of the law—but by the faith of Jesus Christ." "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." Our very best works in our unregenerate state deserve death, and are therefore called "dead works,"—works deserving death, and works polluting all who touch them. With the heart—man believes unto righteousness; or, the faith of the heart—puts us in possession of God’s righteousness, and so we are justified. We are therefore justified by faith, not as if faith were our righteousness, or were accepted instead of righteousness—but because faith brings us to Christ, identifies us with Christ, and so we are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus.
4. We are justified by works—as opposed to opinions. By faith some mean simply a cold credence, or a certain opinion in the head. Can such faith save? Never! True faith brings us into union with Christ, and while it entitles us to his perfect work wrought for us, it also derives from his fullness grace—which invariably brings forth good works. Or, by faith, the faith that confides in Jesus, we receive the Spirit; and, as the result, we bring forth the fruits of the Spirit, to the praise and glory of God.
Therefore, though works have no influence in our justification before God—yet without good works we are not justified; because without good works we have no faith, and without faith we cannot be justified. While, therefore, the perfect work of Christ justifies us before God, and faith as receiving, resting in, and pleading that work; works justify us before men, and justify our profession of faith, and prove it to be true.
If, therefore, I look for the origin of justification—I find it in the free, sovereign, and distinguishing grace of God.
If I look for that on the ground of which God pronounces me just—I find it in the perfect work of Christ, called "the righteousness of God."
If I look for the instrument by which I receive this righteousness, and so come into a justified state—I find it in simple faith. And if I look for the external proof and evidence of my justification before men—I find it in good works, "which God has before ordained that we should walk in them."
Blessed, therefore, be God the Father for his marvelous grace, from which my justification flows. Blessed be God the Son, who wrought out and brought in the everlasting righteousness, for the sake of which I am justified. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, for working faith in my heart, revealing Christ to my soul, and enabling me to appropriate him, and so justifying me by faith in Christ. Not only so—but for enabling me to bring forth the fruits of righteousness, by which faith is justified and God is glorified. Thus God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, the one all-glorious Triune God of salvation—is revealed, honored, and glorified—in the justification of every sinner. WHOM does God justify? "Whom he called, those he also justified." All who are called by his grace—are justified in his righteousness; and all are alike justified. In sanctification there are degrees, for all do not receive the Spirit in the same measure, therefore all are not alike holy; but in justification there are no degrees, for each one receives the whole work of Christ on believing, and therefore all are alike justified.
There is no intermediate state between guilty and not guilty—between being righteous and unrighteous—one or the other we must be; if guilty, we cannot be innocent—if unrighteous, we cannot be just. Here, then, lies the glorious mystery: believing on Jesus, his obedience is accepted as ours—his dying for sin, as if we died. His person goes for our person; his work for our work; and his life for our lives.
All believers, therefore, are alike justified, however weak their faith; for it is not the strength of their faith which justifies them: only let faith be true, and then, however weak it may be—it justifies them. The weakest faith brings us to Christ, enables us to cast ourselves on Christ, and leads us to commit ourselves to Christ; and the moment we do so—we are justified.
All believers are alike justified—the timid and fearful as much so as the courageous and confident. It is not our courage or confidence that justifies us—but Jesus, on whom the timid and fearful depend. Strong faith is a great blessing, as it brings us great comfort, and enables us to give great glory to God. Boldness and courage are to be highly valued, as they adorn the Christian character, and are very useful in the world and in the Church; but it is faith, which cleaves to Christ, like the ivy to the oak—which acquits us before God, and brings peace into our souls.
If God justifies us—who can condemn us? Many may be willing, yes, wishful to do so—but there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. Neither men nor devils can substantiate one charge against the believer in Jesus; all has been met, answered, and satisfactorily adjusted! Therefore Jesus said, "He shall not come into condemnation."
If we are effectually called—we are fully justified. Do we realize this? It is our privilege to do so. But if we do, we must simply receive into our minds—the plain statements of God’s most holy word. We must keep the eye fixed on Jesus, and not be too often looking into ourselves. Indeed, in the matter of our justification, we must not look into ourselves at all, nor at anything connected with ourselves—but at Jesus alone; and at Jesus as delivered to death for our offences, and as rising again for our justification.
If we are justified—we ought to know it; if we know it, we ought to realize it, and daily live, walk, and work under a sense of it. If we are fully justified, ought we not to rejoice, love, and labor? If the justified are not happy, who should be—who can be? If we stand acquitted of all charges before God; if we are invested with God’s righteousness; if Jesus is to us "the Lord Our Righteousness," —then we ought to joy in God, we ought to rejoice in Christ Jesus, renouncing all confidence in the flesh.
If we rejoice, we ought to love God—because he first loved us; we ought to love Jesus—because he laid down his life for us; and we ought to love the Holy Spirit—because he has revealed these things unto us, wrought faith in us, filling us with all joy and peace in believing. If we love God—we ought to labor for him. Every talent should be employed. Every opportunity to serve him should be seized. Body, soul, and spirit, should be consecrated to his service; and everything we can do to serve his cause, benefit his people, and bring others around us to enjoy the same blessedness with ourselves, we should do.
O You who justifies the ungodly, and who has justified us—pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and let all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God! O may the whole earth be filled with your glory, and may heaven and earth praise you forever and ever!