The Gospel – The Message of Jesus Christ

Justification by Faith – The Heart of the Gospel

Romans 8:33

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; NASB

 

However there is still yet more to the basis of justification than propitiation and expiation. Having our guilt removed and God’s wrath because of our sins satisfied, we still lack the positive righteousness required of us by God’s Law. You may recall that there are two kinds of sin. There is the transgression of the negative aspects of the Law we call penal sanctions. These transgressions or violations have been fully paid for by Christ’s sacrifice. But the Law also has preceptive requirements whereby God expects us to fulfill certain precepts such as “love your neighbor as yourself.” We have sinned by failing to do this again and again. Therefore it is necessary for God to provide for us a righteousness of fulfilled preceptive requirements because we have failed to fulfill them in order to have this positive righteousness before God. We have need of a foreign righteousness that is not our own, but is rather being afforded to us by other means because we do not posses it in and of ourselves. In justification, God provides this righteousness to us by “imputation.” In this imputation God credits the righteousness of Christ to us. Jesus’ perfect righteousness has become ours through faith in Him. It is the merits of Christ perfectly fulfilling the preceptive requirements of the Law that becomes ours in justification through imputation. This gives us positive righteousness in the sight of God. We can stand in God’s presence therefore, with the imputed righteousness and holiness of Christ.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31 – 30 But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, 31 that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” NASB

Romans 5:18-19 – 18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. 19 For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. NASB

2 Corinthians 5:21 – 21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. NASB

Therefore when we say that the sinner is “declared righteous” by God it is because the sinner is not actually righteous in himself but in Christ has received a foreign righteousness which is not his own, but is from God in Christ. Since Jesus life was one of sinless perfection, this righteousness which is received is also therefore perfect.

Philippians 3:9-10 – 9 and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,  NASB

Romans 3:21-24 – 21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; NASB

Christ’s righteousness is now ours and this has then fully met all the requirements of God’s Law for us so that before His seat as our righteous Judge, we can be declared righteous on this basis of propitiation, expiation and imputation. And all of this has brought about Justification before God.

Romans 5:9- 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. NASB

Now because the requirements of divine justice have been fully met and we are now declared righteous in the sight of God, this has restored the relationship with God that was damaged because of sin. In the Bible, this is called “reconciliation.” We have been reconciled to God through Christ! God took the initiative, and sent His Son Jesus to reconcile us to Himself.

2 Corinthians 5:18 – 18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, NASB

In this reconciliation we now exult in God. This means we are overwhelmed with joy because the most fundamental problem that mankind faces (estrangement from God because of sin), has been corrected and we can now rejoice that we have been brought back into right-standing with Him through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:10-11 – 10 For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. NASB

On this basis then we can now fellowship with God once again. We are free to love Him because He has freely loved us, even when we were at enmity with Him.

1 Peter 1:8-9 – and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, 9 obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls. NASB

The below diagram by James Boice is helpful in understanding reconciliation.