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Salvation
through Justification
Lesson 28
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Therefore, since we have been
justified through faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have gained access by faith into this grace in
which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of
the glory of God. Romans 5:1,2
The Way to Eternal Life
is Through Jesus
Consider these five
statements:
1.
The only way a sinner can receive eternal life is
through justification.
2.
Justification is a legal standing in the court of
Heaven in which a sinner is viewed as though he
has not broken the law (is without sin).
3.
Justification occurs when a person becomes
willing to obey the authority of the Holy Spirit
and live a life of faith.
4.
Justification can be illustrated in the following
way: Angels record the words, actions and motives
of every person. Within the books of records is a
faithful record of each persons life. When
a sinner becomes willing to obediently submit to
the authority of the Holy Spirit and live by
faith, Jesus justifies that sinner by placing His
perfect life over the record of the sinner. As
long as the covering of Jesus remains intact,
that sinner is not under the penalty of sin. He
is free of the condemnation which Gods law
demands.
5.
An absolute knowledge of God is not required for
justification. However, a sinners ongoing
obedient submission to the Holy Spirit is
required for the continuation of justification.
Blessed Assurance
Any sinner can receive
the assurance of eternal life right now, this
very minute, if he or she agrees to obediently
submit to the demands of the Holy Spirit. If you
are willing at this very moment to go, to be, and
to do all that the Holy Spirit asks of you,
rejoice! The assurance of eternal life is yours
through a heavenly process called justification.
Whenever this transforming moment occurs, a new
life of faith begins. Of course, a sinner can
return to his sinful ways at any time because the
power of choice still remains.
(Ezekiel 18) Just because
we are willing to submit to the demands of the
Holy Spirit today does not mean that we have to
submit to His sanctifying demands tomorrow. To a
large extent, the internal authority of the Holy
Spirit is limited by our desire and cooperation.
If a person so desires, He can be permanently
turned away. (Matthew 12:31,32)
How can we tell if the
Holy Spirit is pressing us for submission? How
can we distinguish between the guilt produced by
the Holy Spirit or some kind of false guilt? The
urging of the Holy Spirit always conforms to
Heavens constitution of love. We are to
love the Lord with all our hearts, mind and soul,
and we are to love our neighbor as we love
ourselves. The difference between false guilt and
guilt imposed by the Holy Spirit becomes easier
to differentiate as we learn more about Jesus.
Jesus is the Author and Finisher of our faith.
His example helps us understand many things about
the properties of life. A growing knowledge of
Jesus Christ sets us free of unnecessary guilt
and burdens that God has not imposed.
The process of entering
into the assurance of eternal life happens in a
rather predictable way, although it is not
limited to this process. Heres my
experience: The Holy Spirit produced a strong
feeling and relentless conviction that I was
guilty of sin before God. My guilt and
condemnation weighted often on my mind, because
unbeknown to me at the time, the Holy Spirit was
trying to motivate me to get right
with God. Eventually, I recognized my
condemnation as a sinner and I wanted pardon from
my sins. I desired to know God. I had heard
enough to know that people who do wicked things
have no hope of a future life and I did not want
to miss out on Heaven. I did not know much about
God in those days, but I believed God would be
pleased with me if I stopped doing things that I
knew were wrong. I also knew that it was
impossible for me to stop sinning and I wondered
how God dealt with human beings like me. The
problem was simple: He wanted me to stop sinning,
but I could not stop sinning. How could I be
saved and go on sinning? In those days, I did not
understand the wonderful offer of justification.
Over time as my spiritual
maturity developed, I became willing to go, to
be, and to do as God directed in my life
no holds barred. I did not become a Christian by
invitation. That is, I did not decide to become a
Christian by walking down the isle of the front
of a Church. One day I made a commitment to God
and became a Christian. I was at work when I
resolved that from now on, I would be a follower
of Jesus Christ, no matter what the cost. It I
remember correctly, one of my first decisions
involved restitution. I understand that
Gods grace and forgiveness were not a
whitewash for wrongdoing. From my personal Bible
study, I concluded that God required me to make
restitution to those whom I had defrauded in the
past. So, I began to make restitution from past
wrongs as best I knew how. This was expensive,
and it required several hundred dollars. After
reviewing my past and making every wrong right as
far as possible, I confessed my sins to God and
have had perfect peace about them ever since.
I was happy and truly free of guilt, which made
me feel much closer to God. I resolved, by
Gods grace, not to do those things again.
Do not be fooled! Sin is always expensive! Sin
will take you farther than you want to go and
cost you more than you want to pay. During this
transforming process in my life, some of my
friends fled. They thought I had become a
religious fanatic.
By faith, I accepted
Gods assurance that He was pleased with my
actions. I was happier and felt closer to god,
although my understanding of God and His will was
very limited. Thirty years later, my peace and
joy remain. As long as I continue to obey the
demands of the indwelling Holy Spirit, I know
that Jesus justifies me before the Father as
though I am without sin, even though I am a
sinner. Because of this, I am at peace with God
and have the joyful assurance of salvation. Yes,
I still sin, but now I understand a few things
about dealing with sin. First, accidental or
unintentional sin does not bring eternal death.
John says, All wrongdoing is sin, and there
is sin that does not lead to death. (1 John
5:17) Second, I am prone to sin and rebellion
because I am under the curse of sin. Paul noticed
the same thing after being a Christian for about
25 years. He wrote, But I see another law
at work in the members of my body, waging war
against the law of my mind and making me a
prisoner of the law of sin at work within my
members. (Romans 7:23)
Last, when I do sin there
is a process that I must obediently follow.
First, I have to acknowledge to the Holy Spirit
that I understand the guilt He is imposing in my
heart because I have sinned. Next, I have to
confess to my neighbor that I have sinned against
him and I must provide restitution as far as
possible. Last, I turn to Jesus. John says,
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) This
order of events is well stated in Scripture.
(Matthew 5:23-26) If I am faithful in dealing
with the sin problem, my willingness to go, to be
and to do Gods will is affirmed. Jesus sees
the evidence of my faith and He, my Savior and
Lord, grants me the covering of His
righteousness.
Justification is possible
for three reasons. First, Gods offer of
justification is based on nothing but Gods
love for man. For God so loved the world
that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever
believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life. For God did not send his Son into the world
to condemn the world, but to save the world
through him. (John 3:16,17) second, Jesus
came to Earth and He lived a perfect life so that
He might cover us with His righteous life!
For if, when we were Gods enemies, we
were reconciled to him through the death of his
Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall
we be saved through his life! (Romans 5:10)
Last, Jesus is qualified to justify repentant
sinners because He paid our penalty for sin. In
other words, sinners cannot be justified as
sinless people if the penalty upon sinners has
not been removed. Jesus provided the necessary
restitution for every sinner. The merits of this
restitution are transferred to sinners when they
submit to the demands of the Holy Spirit. When I
became willing to submit to Gods will,
Jesus covered my sinful life with His perfect
life. (Romans 5:17) Notice, I emphasized the word
willing. Works does not justify us. Works are a
reflection of the motives and desires of our
heart. We can do right for the wrong reason
(legalism) and we can attempt to justify wrong
doing (rebellion). Making restitution in order to
be saved is a corrupt motive. An honest
motivation that prompts appropriate restitution
comes from a deeper understanding of what loving
our neighbor is all about.
A parallel between all
sinners and Adam and Eves Garden of Eden
experience provides an excellent illustration.
When Adam and Eve sinned, they lost the covering
of light that covered their bodies. Realizing
their shame, they ran and hid from God. They
tried to cover their nakedness with some large
itchy fig leaves, but Jesus used this opportunity
to present a wonderful object lesson. Jesus
killed a flawless sacrificial lamb and I presume
He covered the naked pair with its skin. (Genesis
3:7-21) The parallel for every sinner is that we
too, stand naked before God. He knows whom we
are, where we are, and He knows all of our sins.
Any attempt to cover up (or justify) sin is
foolish. Jesus offers His perfect
skin as the Lamb of God, the spotless
wedding garment of His righteousness, to all of
us. If we surrender our will to God and daily
submit to the Holy Spirit, Jesus covers our
nakedness with His perfect righteous life.
Therefore, when the Father sees us wearing the
robe of Jesus righteousness, we stand
before God fully clothed as though we never
sinned! (Ephesians 2:8,9) Justification is
available to every person who has lived,
regardless of religious background.
Just as Though I Have
Never Sinned
My joy and peace is full
because I know that when the Father looks at me,
He see me as though I am without sin.
Christs perfect life of righteousness can
cover the worst sinner. Justification does not
require works, deeds or proof that I am a changed
man. The thief on the cross did not prove that he
was a changed man, but he was granted the
righteousness of Jesus that very day. (Ephesians
2:8,9; Luke 23:43) I am sure the thief would have
become a different man if he could have lived
longer. The profound beauty of justification is
that it begins in Heaven the moment we become
willing to submit to the authority of the
indwelling Spirit. As long as we continue in a
submissive attitude (to be, to go, to do) toward
Gods authority over our lives, we have the
assurance of eternal life.
This, in a nutshell, is
how my justification and yours begin before God
through Christ. Even though the process is
simple, it is a miracle! How the Holy Spirit
transforms a rebellious heart into a submissive
heart is a mystery that God alone knows, but it
does happen! (John 3; Romans 8) So, if you are
missing the joy and peace that comes from
letting go and letting God, if you
have not experienced the full assurance of
Gods salvation through the justification
that Jesus offers, if you have not grasped
something about Gods great love for you,
review the process and implement those portions
that remain unfinished in your life. If the Holy
Spirit is not beating you up with that strong and
relentless conviction that you need salvation,
perhaps you need to slow down and ask God to
speak to your heart! The Spirit will reveal your
true condition before God if you open your heart.
I have been there, and my testimony is not
unusual. Submit to the Holy Spirits
prompting, confess your sins, and provide
restitution where possible and joy and peace will
surely follow.
Thats Not All
Now comes the scary part!
When a person receives the assurance of salvation
through justification, he or she begins a
faith-journey. The journey may seem frightening
at times, because you do not know where the
journey may lead, but you know who is leading.
You may not know which road you will take, but
you know where you will end up. You dont
know how you will get there, but a way will be
made. In short, walking with Jesus is a scary
experience at times, because The Good Shepherd
leads His sheep over dangerous mountain trails
and through the deepest ravines to take them
home. The scary part should not be the travail of
travel, but the possibility of losing sight of
The Good Shepherd. When two people stand at the
marriage alter and unite their lives by agreeing
to vows of fidelity, they begin a journey of a
lifetime that will take them through uncharted
waters. So it is when we join ourselves to Jesus.
People who join themselves to Jesus begin a
journey that is uncharted to the human eye.
Marriage requires fidelity, loyalty, faith and
love and so does the journey with Jesus.
Basic Law
By definition,
basic law is an instinct or inherent
ability to rationally determine right from wrong.
Most young people exhibit this phenomenon at an
early age. When a child has achieved enough
maturity to determine right from wrong on his or
her own, that age is often called the age of
accountability. Thomas Jefferson eloquently noted
the presence of basic law in the
introduction of the Bill of Rights
for the U.S. Constitution. He wrote, We
hold certain truths to be self
evident
In other words, intelligent
people can determine right from wrong because
basic law is operating and this
feature is self evident within all humanity. Yet,
the opposite is just as true. If someone does not
want to understand or agree with the truth, no
one can show him or her the truth! In fact,
people who want to justify evil are the first to
deny what is right. (John 3:20)
God created human beings
with reasoning powers. Even before Eve tasted the
forbidden fruit, God wanted man to distinguish
between good and evil. If people strive to live
right and be honorable no matter what
religion they belong to they are doing all
that God asks of them.
God does not hold a
person guilty who does not know His will, but God
will condemn a person who refuses to accept the
truth! This is a critical point in understanding
how salvation operates. Knowing does not save man
or agreeing with absolute truth, instead man is
saved by faithfully living up to all he believes
to be righteous and true. Closely study
Pauls comment: Indeed, when Gentiles,
who do not have the law {the knowledge of God
penned by Moses, but they}, do by nature things
required by the law, they are a law for
themselves, even though they do not have the law,
since they show the requirements of the law are
written on their hearts, their consciences also
bearing witness {when they do wrong}, and their
thought now accusing {them of their wrong deeds},
{this confirms they know from right and wrong and
their conscience is} now even defending them.
This {is how the judgment} will take place on the
day when God will judge mens secrets
through Jesus Christ, as my gospel
declares. (Romans 2:14-16, insertion mine.)
The word law as used by
Paul in this context is a reference to Moses
writings. The point Paul is making is that God
judges the heart and takes into consideration the
knowledge base that is in the heart. Therefore,
Gentiles who know nothing about the true God and
His ways will be judged by the same process as
Jews and Christians who have had every
opportunity to know God and His ways. God
righteously judges each person on the basis of
his or her knowledge base and the resulting
actions. (Ecclesiastes 12:13,14) People who live
up to the high ideals of what they honestly
believe God wants of them demonstrates the kind
of faith that pleases God! James also supports
the concept of basic law. He says, Anyone,
then who knows the good he ought to do and
doesnt do it, sins. (James 4:17)
I do not want to leave
you with the impression that God is not concerned
with absolute right and wrong. He is very
concerned about absolute right and wrong. The Ten
Commandments are ten absolutes. Period. They are
not Ten Suggestions or a place to
negotiation. Jesus himself wrote the Ten
Commandments on tables of stone and His eternal
law is more enduring than stone. Still, God
understands that everyone on Earth does not know
about His absolutes or the terms and conditions
within the Plan of Salvation. Therefore, He
righteously judges each person on their knowledge
base, actions and willingness to search for and
submit to higher truths as the Holy Spirit leads.
God does not require that we know or understand
all His marvelous truths in order to receive
salvation, for no one on Earth understands
everything there is to know about God! However,
God does require that we submit, by faith, to a
growing spiritual process so that we might know
His will. (1 Thessalonians 4:1-8) If we honestly
submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit, as we
understand it, to go, to be and to do His will,
God is pleased. If we endeavor to grow in
knowledge and understanding, Jesus will bless us
with a deeper understanding of truth!
Nothing on Earth compares
to walking with God. He is anxious to reveal the
issues and ways of life! God knows our knowledge
base and the motives that prompt our actions and
still loves us in spite of our great ignorance.
But, and this is an emphatic but, God
is not pleased when we compromise our beliefs or
shrink back from the demands of faith. Jesus
said, If anyone is ashamed of me and my
words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when
he comes in his glory and in the glory of the
Father and of the holy angels. (Luke 9:26)
While we are on the topic
of ignorance and law, consider the practical side
of ignorance of the law. Since man cannot read
the heart or determine the motives of another
man, man has to take an opposite approach to the
issue of ignorance and law. Mans laws take
the perspective: Ignorance is no excuse for
breaking the law. So when a person gives
the excuse, But officer, I did not know the
speed limit was 35
we should not be
surprised when the officer writes a traffic
citation.
Salvation Includes Full
Restoration
The Plan of Salvation
begins with basic law. Realization
that we need a Savior comes after we sense guilt
and become aware of sins penalty. Without
the presence and operation of basic law, there
would be no guilt and salvation would not be
deemed necessary or desirable, because an infant
cannot reason. The Bible does not support infant
baptism. The notion of infant baptism originally
began from a distortion of Christs
teaching. Jesus answered {Nicodemus}, I tell you
the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God
unless he is born of water and the
Spirit. (John 3:5, insertion mine.) S
superficial reading of this text can result in
this twisted meaning: Unless a person is
baptized by water, he or she cannot receive
eternal life. In ancient times, the
Christian Church abused this text and
unfortunately, the tradition continues today.
History reveals that the early church used
baptism and other rituals to control the access
to salvation. If people were cut off (or
excommunicated) from the rituals offered by the
Church, they were considered eligible for eternal
life. Since adherents believed the rituals were
mandatory for salvation, this gave a great deal
of control to the Church. The Church implemented
infant baptism because infant mortality rates
were very high. To ensure that every infant would
enter Heaven, the Church taught that children had
to be baptized as soon as possible. Of course, an
appropriate gift to the Church was
also expected. Obviously, an infant does not know
one thing about basic law, guilt or salvation,
and the Bible clearly teaches that salvation does
not come through rituals or works of the flesh.
(Ephesians 2:8,9)
Let us examine the
meaning of John 3:5. No one can enter the kingdom
of God unless (a) his or her heart is made alive
to spiritual matters by the Holy Spirit, and (b)
he or she is washed clean of rebellion. During
the time of Nicodemus, it was customary to
immerse Gentiles converts who wished to become
citizens of Israel in the Jordan River. The Jews
regarded baptism by immersion as a symbolic act
indicating death (burial) to the past and
resurrection to a new life. In other words, a
Gentile went down into the water and a Jew came
out! Jesus used the symbol of baptism to make a
point with Nicodemus that if a person wants to
become a member of Gods kingdom, he or she
too, must be born of water to become
a member of a new kingdom. (Romans 6:1-7)
The Bible reveals that
children are born with the assurance of salvation
until they choose otherwise. In other words, God
does not hold children accountable for sin until
they know better (accountability begins when
basic law states working within a young person
James 4:17) Since Jesus paid the price for
every sinner and children are not held
accountable for sin, what prevents them from
having the assurance of salvation? Some
Christians believe just the opposite, believing
that a child is born condemned to eternal death.
This was the reasoning used in ancient times when
infant baptism began. But consider this: If God
considers an adult sinner a saint because of his
or her faith in Jesus Christs atonement,
why not a mere child, who is simply too young to
know right from wrong? God is much more generous
than man and God loves every child for
such is the kingdom of Heaven! (Matthew 19:14)
How Man Became Unsaved
Why is justification
necessary in the Plan of Salvation? What makes
salvation necessary in the first place? Why did
Jesus have to die on the cross? What issues are
involved between God and man? These are very
important questions and we will examine them.
According to the book of
Genesis, God created man in His image, forming
him out of dirt. God placed man in the Garden of
Eden, where he had unrestricted access to the
Tree of Life. As long as man had access to the
fruit on the Tree of Life, mans life was
sustained indefinitely. The point must be made
that Jesus created man (and even the angels) as
mortal beings. The word mortal means
subject to death, having a beginning and the
possibility of an end. The word
immortal means to have no beginning
or end and is the term that applies only to God.
(1 Timothy 6:15,16; Hebrews 7:3; Revelation 1:18)
Many people are surprised to learn the Bible
teaches that human beings are mortal because they
have a beginning and the possibility of an end.
Genesis 2:7 says, The Lord God formed the
man from the dust of the ground and breathed into
his nostrils the breath of life, and the man
became a living being. (Italics mine.) Adam
did not exist as some intelligent entity prior to
his creation. The soul of Adam came into
existence on the sixth day of Creation when God
put the breath of life into a body made of dirt.
In a similar manner, the soul of Adam ceased to
exist when the breath of life was taken from his
body of dirt. After his death, Adam does not
exist as some intelligent entity. The soul of man
is mortal. The soul who sins is the one who
will die. The son will not share the guilt of the
father, nor will the father share the guilt of
the son. The righteousness of the righteous man
will be credit to him, and the wickedness of the
wicked will be charged against him.
(Ezekiel 18:20) Jesus told Adam, You are
free to eat any tree in the garden; but you must
not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and
evil, for when you eat of it you will surely
die. (Genesis 2:16,17) For me, the Bible is
clear. Adam and Eve were to be executed the very
day they sinned. The penalty of is death by
execution. Most Christians overlook this
important point. There are two types of death.
Death caused by disease, accident or
natural causes is the consequence of
sin, but the penalty for sin is death by
execution. This is why it was necessary for Jesus
to be executed at Calvary and this also explains
why the wicked will be executed by fire at the
end of the 1,000 years. Many Bible students have
difficulty interpreting Genesis 2:16,17 because
Adam and Eve did not die the day they sinned. The
reason they were not slain that very day is this:
Jesus immediately went before the Father and
offered to die in mans place. The Father
accepted the offer of Jesus and their execution
was stayed. Ever since that fateful day, Jesus
has fulfilled two roles in Heaven. He is our
intercessor and He is the Lamb of God. Later in
this book, we will consider how these two roles
reflect two unique processes that are necessary
for man to be fully reconciled with God.
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