Article 28 Justification

Good to be together. Can you hear me? Okay. Good. All right. So as we have been now for the last, well, we look at the Article 28, which is justification tonight. So we've been going at it now 14 weeks or something like that since we decided to go through the confession article by article, and we're coming into some subjects now that are of great weight, to say the least.

Certainly some thoughts on justification tonight, and then also on sanctification by Brother Keith. And before we do that, I want to, again, open up with a word of prayer, and then we'll get to the article, have some discussion.

Brother Keith will come, and then we'll, again, close with prayer. So let's come before our God. Our Father in God, again, we come to you as always and only in Jesus' name, Lord, for there is no other name.

There is no other name which we could approach you because you are the holy, holy, holy one. We pray tonight, Lord, that you, Holy Spirit, would come and do a great work in our hearts and minds, that we would be more than just listeners, but we would be doers of your word.

And even for a few minutes, Lord, let us dip into the well of life and teach us as only you can. We ask in Christ's name. Amen. Come on in. She won't go to the left or the right on that one. Okay. Okay.

Article 28 and the Confession’s Authority

Okay. So as I said, we're going to go through the Confession, Article 28, Justification. It's on page 17. So let's just read this short article. And again, what we have said, and hopefully everyone understands, that we are not saying that this is our sole authority because our sole authority is what?

The Bible, the Word of God, but this is a guide by which we can establish and let others know what we, in many ways, believe and have covenanted together to seek after. So Article 28, Justification. Those that have union with Christ are justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ, which justification is a gracious and full acquittance of a guilty sinner from all sin by God, through the satisfaction that Christ has made by his death for all their sins.

And this is applied in the manifestation of it through faith. Very short statement. Let me read it one more time. Those that have union with Christ are justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ, which justification is a gracious and full acquittance of a guilty sinner from all sin by God, through the satisfaction that Christ has made by his death for all their sins.

And this applied in the manifestation of it through faith. So let me set this forth very quickly because, again, remember how we do this now. I'll take a few minutes and Brother Keith will take a few minutes.

So I want to kind of start off with a disclaimer. And my disclaimer is this. There is no way in 20 minutes, 25 minutes, 25 hours to do real justice to the topic of justification. And if anybody thinks that it's possible, I will just tell you you're deluded and deceived.

So I want to make sure that we all understand this. And I will admit up front, I'm going to leave out large gaps of things that could and should be said versus on justification. But I think it's important for us, whenever we can, to always go back to those things that are most assuredly believed amongst us and certainly justification.

But I did want to say that, again, no way to expose in any way what should be exposed and opened up concerning a topic such as justification. But having said that, I just want to read a little statement that I put together on what justification is and then make a couple comments.

We're really only going to look at two portions of scriptures. And if you have your Bible, it will be easy. Just turn to Romans chapter 3. And we'll look in Romans chapter 3 for a few minutes and a verse in chapter 4.

And then just make some comments about chapter 5. And again, so much could and should be said. But excuse me. Let me just read this to you. And again, if you think I'm off the mark, then that's fine. Then let's have some discussion about it.

But I said it to myself this way. I said, justification is the act of God who is just and righteous in his mercy, putting to the account of sinful and guilty sinners the righteousness of the Lord Jesus.

Hereby declaring them acquitted based on Christ's, and I said to myself, active obedience and passive sufferings in their stead. In other words, what I think is so essential for us to think about in justification is that we are not talking about any sort of infused righteousness that God does within us, but rather it's imputed.

In other words, justification is really based on the fact of God putting to our account the active obedience of Christ and the passive sufferings in Christ. And it's in Christ and in him alone that God is both just and the justifier of those who believe in Jesus.

And I think, again, if we do not understand that, we were going to find ourselves in muddy waters. And I'll make some comments on that as we go. I want you to think about what they say in the article right in the beginning.

Those who have union with Christ are justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ. And if you think about it, justification is an act by which God puts to our account the righteousness of another, that other being the Lord Jesus Christ, and that thereby we can have union with God, which we lost when?

When do we lose our union and fellowship with God? Thank you. Okay. Yeah. I mean, the whole idea of it is that we are now in right standing before God, but it's not because of any what? What did Paul say in Titus?

He says, not by works of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his mercy, he has saved us. Right? And so justification, again, really more in a sense of a legal thought than anything else that God declares us justified because of the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ.

And thereby, because of that righteousness, he acquits us of our guilt. Because again, even as you read the article, it says we are justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ, which justification is a full acquaintance of what?

The guilty sinner from all sin. And I think before we really think of it in the way we should, we got to remember, we have to remember this. And I know I say it a lot and I'll continue to say it. If we do not understand the condition of man apart from God's mercy, God's grace, God's actions to us, if we do not understand that man is not only fallen, but guilty.

And there are so many people have such a wishy washy understanding of what actually took place in the garden. And some will say, well, man was wounded. Some will say man was severely hurt. Some will say, some will say this, and some will say that the reality is in the day you eat thereof, what did God say?

Dying, you shall die. And again, if we, if we can settle that, then all these great truths that God has revealed from, uh, from the very beginning on down in the revelation and his revelation progressively, it begins to make, uh, it begins to dispel darkness in our own minds.

But again, if we do not understand that we were, we were dead in sins, then really, um, justification really wouldn't, uh, really wouldn't be needed. We wouldn't need someone else's righteousness if there was still any glimmer of hope to what?

Having our own righteousness. But if we, if we consider it in the right way, we certainly should understand it. Okay. So just, uh, for a minute or two, Romans chapter three, let me just read, let's read together verse two, verse 21 through 27.

Um, probably one of the, uh, probably one of the pivotal, uh, the pivotal passages on justification. Look at it says verse 21, but now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God, which is through faith in Christ Jesus to all and on whole who believe for there is no difference 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, whom God set forth to be a propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance, uh, had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at this present time, his righteousness, that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

And let me just read verse 27 and 28, whereas boasting then is excluded by what law works no, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

Now there's just important for us to understand how Paul got here, right? In Romans chapter three, Paul has spent nearly three chapters, two and a half at least. I'm doing something that I just mentioned and that is what proven that man is fallen guilty.

No excuse. First he takes the Gentiles, then he takes the Jews and basically he just cuts the, he cuts the feet out from everybody that all have sinned to come short of the glory of God. And then Paul will now begin to address this whole idea.

Uh, this whole reality of justification and the law cannot, as he says, and hopefully we understand, friends, the law just cannot get us to that point where we need to be. No matter, there isn't enough to be put to our account and how many there are that think that, that still, no matter, even people who say they understand it will still say, well, you know, if I just, if the scales just tip even a little in my favor, my good versus my evil, well, um, God will either wink at or he'll accept it or he'll make some sort of arrangements and it never can be, can it?

It has to be that God puts to our account again. And I'll say it that way, because I think it's important to understand Christ's active obedience, that he did all things to please the father. He sinned, what sin not, and his passive sufferings, him taking on what is our do.

And it's because of that. And because of God being just in the justifier of him that believes in Jesus, putting to our account what Christ accomplished for us. Again, if we don't understand that we're going to have a tremendously difficult time understanding what Paul said, look what he says in verse 23, he says all have what sin and fall short of the glory of God.

And, you know, one of the definitions of sin is, is that very thought missing the mark, falling short. Um, it's like you could shoot, you shoot at the target all you want. You're never going to get there.

It's not attainable. And you and I have to understand that we've all sin. We've all come short of the glory of God. And then he says, uh, it leads him to that point. Therefore, uh, verse 24 being justified, what freely freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

See how important it is. If we, um, we don't have the right understanding of not only who Jesus was, but what Jesus accomplished. If redemption only comes through Christ Jesus, then we certainly need to understand who Jesus is and what he accomplished.

And again, many have missed the mark even in that. So justification is given to us freely. And, and it is in that sense bestowed on us by God's grace. Remember what grace is? What is grace? Just anybody you had to define grace.

So when it comes up to you tomorrow morning, says, Hey, what's grace? Um, besides someone's name. Okay. Yeah. It's favor bestowed upon us instead of what, what we rightfully deserve. Right. And so when you think about it in that sense, again, this whole idea of justification is a glorious topic and truth for us.

And we ought to, um, we ought to walk through it slowly. Put it that way. We ought to be able to, uh, think about justification and in some way, take it apart, put it back together to really understand what it is that's taking place.

And again, it is an imputed righteousness. It is that by which God puts to our account the merits of another. And that merit being, uh, nothing less than, uh, the Lord Jesus Christ in his person and work.

And so when, when you think of it that way, and let me just make a remark or two about this in verse 22, it says, um, even the righteousness of God, which is through faith, again, it comes through faith, faith in and of itself is not the justification.

Is it the justification is the look, the person in work with the Lord Jesus Christ and God putting to our account that righteousness. So it's not, not faith again, for we were saved by what grace through faith is not faith in there.

The instrument, if you will, the conduit by which it takes place. But in verse 22, this whole idea is that it comes to us through faith. And then look at verse 24. It says, not only is it through faith in verse 22, it's through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus in verse 24.

It's through faith in verse 22 is through the redemption that's in Christ Jesus. And then if you will look at verse 25, it is, um, it's by his blood. It's, it's, it's through faith. It's through, um, the redemption that comes in crisis and it's by his blood.

And again, justification, my friends is one of the, uh, really was the call of the reformation. Wasn't it? How shall we, how shall a man be right with God? So we think about that. You think about this article and you think about it.

It's so interesting to me that it's just a little bitty paragraph and it's a mountain of truth and we could spend time, uh, on end of looking through it. Let me just end it as, as I come to, uh, the end of my portion and ask us to think about, ask us to think about this.

I want you to just flip over page Romans chapter four, and I'm just going to read, um, I want to read verse 25 and actually verse one of chapter five. Just think about this. The justification is a gracious and full acquaintance of a guilty sinners from all sin.

In verse 25 it says, speaking of Christ, right? Who was delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. There it is again. There's the reality of the reason and the efficiency and the, uh, perfection of the work.

And isn't it interesting how the resurrection is tied into that. And that's an important thought, but we probably don't have time to think about it. But then it says in verse, uh, verse one of chapter five, therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Again, if we, if we don't understand that it is, it is not something that's in, that we have, it's not something that's even infused and put within us. It is put to our account. Okay. Same way. And if, um, I take all your bills and I somehow, and I'm not going to do that.

Um, but I take all your bills and I go to all your creditors and I say, you know what? I want you to put to my account all of their debt. Okay. And again, I'm certainly not advocating, um, that, but if you want to take mine, I'd be interested to talk to you after class.

But just, just think about this. And then one final point, verse 25, who is delivered up because of our offenses and was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

And I want to just mention three fruits or three, um, glorious truths that come out of justification. First one's right there in verse one of chapter five, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.

Isn't that a glorious thought? Isn't that when you go back to the, in your mind, you go back to the garden, go back to the fall, go back to when God moved Adam out of the garden, when God sent flaming cherubims to God, the way that could, they could not get access back into that, if you will, that paradise that God had set up.

Now we have peace with God. Justification yields peace. I want you to look at verse nine in the same chapter because there's a second thing it yields also. Look what it says. Much more than having now been justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Isn't that great? We not only have peace with God, we've been saved from wrath, from the righteous judgment and indignation that my friends will come. It will come and, and you and I have been, um, have had Christ's righteousness put to our account.

We've been acquitted. We are now in right standing with God because we are in Christ. And not only do we have peace, but we have been saved from wrath. And then finally, the third mark in verse 18 is this.

Therefore, as through one man's offenses, judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation, even so through one man's righteous act, the free gift gift came to all men, look at it, resulting in justification of what?

Life. Life. Listen, justification is not just some dry doctrine that that's believed by reformed people. My goodness, it's a truth that yields us peace. It's a truth that that saves us from wrath, and it's a truth that brings life.

And I always remember John 17, this is life eternal to what? To know Thee, the only true God. Isn't it great to know God? I hope it is to you. If it's not, then you don't know the God that I know. Well, you don't know the God of the Bible.

We have peace with God, and I can get up in the morning and have the world could be falling apart. In many ways, there's a lot of things that are going wrong in this world. I mean, I get up in the morning and I read, I don't read the newspaper, but I do read the news online.

And man, it's just one video after another. People getting beat up, killed, robbed, hijacked, carjacked, skyjacked, every other kind of jack. It's nothing but a mess. And I can get up in the morning and say, I have peace with God.

And not only that, I'm saved from the wrath that's to come. And not only that, I have life, not just eternal life. I have life. Life is to know God, whether it's on this side of the veil, on that side of the veil.

I hope you understand that. I hope we're not just holding your breath, waiting for eternal life, because you have life now. And this all comes because of justification. And justification, again, as the brothers say, is to have union with Christ, to be justified from all their sins by the blood of Christ.

And that justification is a gracious and full acquaintance of a guilty sinner from all sin by God through the satisfaction that Christ has made by his death for all their sins. And this is applied in the manifestation of it through faith.

I pray that this will encourage us. I pray it will make you hungry. If you want to read about justification, my friends, there are volumes and volumes of worthy writers who can define it, open it up, and you can just take your time and absorb it.

And, again, I made my disclaimer, and I'm going to stick to it. There's no way for me to try to take 20 minutes and do something that just can't be done in 20 minutes. But anyway, having said that, now Brother Keith is going to come and speak on this little topic, this light topic called sanctification.