Justified by the Returning King

Sin, that is a touchy subject. No one likes to be called a sinner or reminded that they are sinners. Along those lines I have heard it said many times that a sinner doesn't know that they are a sinner. I have even said it a time or two myself, but as I sit here typing this I think that is not necessarily true. Most folks have a since of right and wrong and thereby they know when they are sinning, they just don't call it sin. Tonight I am going to call it what it is sin.

Sin, it is anything that brakes God's laws and we are all guilty of that. Romans 3:10, “as it is written, "THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE;” So there you have it, but you do not have to let sin rule and ruin you. Christ Jesus came to take care of sin once and for all.

Romans 3:21-26

21 But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished- 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

I do not come because my soul is free from sin and pure and whole and worthy of Thy grace;

I do not speak to Thee because I've ever justly kept Thy laws and dare to meet Thy face.

I know that sin and guilt combine to reign o'er every thought of mine and turn from good to ill;

I know that when I try to be upright and just and true to Thee, I am a sinner still.

I know that often when I strive to keep a spark of love alive for Thee, the powers within

Leap up in unsubmissive might and oft benumb my sense of right and pull me back to sin.

I know that though in doing good I spend my life, I never could atone for all I've done;
But though my sins are black as night, I dare to come before Thy sight because I trust Thy Son.

In Him alone my trust I place, come boldly to Thy throne of grace, and there commune with Thee.
Salvation sure, O Lord, is mine, and, all unworthy, I am Thine, for Jesus died for me.

- Martin Luther.

We are born with a radical disease that results in death. Our rebellion has left us guilty before God and deserving of His wrath. In the gospel, Christ Jesus provides our justification, the radical remedy we need. Because we stand accepted by God through Christ Jesus who will one day return for us, we can live each day for Him joyfully until then.

"What the world needs now is love, sweet love." So wrote Burt Bacharach in 1965. Is he correct? Is love what the world really needs? If you were tasked with writing a song about what the world truly needs, what would you put in the place of "love"? Perhaps your answer would be a change of circumstances, sweet circumstances. Or maybe it would be behavior, better behavior. Or, more theological knowledge. Or, as many in our culture suggest, self-esteem. Maybe what the world needs now is for everyone to feel better about themselves.

While good suggestions, none of these "solutions" reach the cause of our problem. If we don't understand the depth of our problem we can't offer correct solutions. Reactions to the Newtown tragedy illustrate this point well. Minutes after the deadly shooting, professionals offered their opinions about what would prevent such tragedies in the future. Seldom did anyone mention the real problem: the woeful condition of our hearts.

The Bible proclaims we are spiritually dead and our hearts are terminally diseased. Superficial remedies will not work. As John Stott has said, "A radical disease requires a radical remedy." Solutions such as improved behavior or better circumstances might help for a season, but will eventually fail because they don't go deep enough. If we really want change, we need to admit the radical nature of our problem.

Romans 3 is the climax of Paul's argument that both Jews and Gentiles alike are guilty before God. All have the same radical disease that requires a radical remedy.

1. Our Sin Requires A Radical Remedy – (vs. 21-23)

One superficial response to change is to believe right observance of the Law will do the trick.

The problem with this response is its failure to address how radical our disease is. This is why Paul says, "but now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the Law."

The Law is like the "check engine" light on the dashboard of your car. It can tell you there is a problem, it can even diagnose the problem, but it is helpless to fix it. The light's function is to prod you into taking your car to the mechanic. Yet the Law does tell us how horribly we fall short. Paul summed it up by saying, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

God lovingly created us in His image to display His glory through our enjoyment of Him. Yet, as the Law accuses, we all rebel against God's loving rule and choose instead to pursue our own enjoyment and glory. As a result of our rebellion we are now spiritually dead, enslaved, and under the wrath of God: And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. (Ephesians 2:1-3).

What superficial remedies are you be trusting in? Is the Law prodding you to change? Are you allowing God's Law to make you aware of your sin? Maybe you are using the Law to try earn your own righteousness?

Try as you may using the law will not earn you your righteousness, you need a radical remedy.

2. Christ Jesus Is Our Radical Remedy – (vs. 24-26)

Why would someone ignore a "check engine" light? It could be laziness. One might ignore it because they have little knowledge of cars and don't take it seriously. The most likely reason may be a lack of resources to fix the problem. Romans 8:3 says that "God had done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do."

What has God done? He has justified you. He has lovingly acted to rescue and restore humanity through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ Jesus. In Christ God is the reversing the curse of Genesis 3: 14-17.

14 The LORD God said to the serpent,
"Because you have done this,
Cursed are you more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you will go,
And dust you will eat
All the days of your life; 
 
15 And I will put enmity
    Between you and the woman,
    And between your seed and her seed;
    He shall bruise you on the head, 
    And you shall bruise him on the heel."

16 To the woman He said,
     "I will greatly multiply
      Your pain in childbirth,
      In pain you will bring forth children;
      Yet your desire will be for your husband,
       And he will rule over you." 
 
17 Then to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have  
      eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, "You shall not eat from it';
     Cursed is the ground because of you;
      In toil you will eat of it
      All the days of your life.

Romans 3:24-26 shows that this rescue and restoration comes to us "by grace as a gift." Justification is a declaration that, in faith, we are acceptable to God and our sins are pardoned. God has credited the righteousness of Christ Jesus to your account. Everything has been accomplished for you in Christ Jesus. In Him you have the resources necessary to cure your radical disease – sin.

Have you come to Christ Jesus to receive His pardon? If you are a believer, are you still trusting in Christ Jesus to cover your "after-conversion" sins?

Conclusion: You can ignore a "check engine" light, crank up the radio to drown out an engine noise, apply duct-tape to a cracked dashboard, or even disconnect a warning buzzer. We often treat sin that way. Rather than acknowledge our problem we try to silence the Law's condemnation. When this fails we attempt foolish, half-hearted solutions rather than doing the one thing needed; heartfelt repentance toward Christ Jesus. When the Law condemns us we should agree with its accusation and flee to Christ Jesus.

It has been said that you are either wholly justified or wholly condemned. That is true because you are either "in Christ" or "in Adam". All who are “in Christ” are totally justified - there are not degrees of justification. Your position before God has been changed forever. But the benefits of justification do not stop there. Christ Jesus' work has radically transformed you, giving you freedom and power to obey the Law. The Law drives you to Christ Jesus, where your rebellious hearts find healing.