Wednesday, March 03, 2010

HOW CAN SINNERS BE ACCEPTED BY A HOLY GOD? A Trinity of Truths!

If we stood on the shores of the Pacific Ocean and told you that to get to heaven, you would need to jump all the way to Japan in one leap, you would answer that is impossible—and it would be. Yet, it is more difficult than that. Stand on the earth, look up to the moon, and jump up there and you still could not reach heaven—the holy throne of God where not one sinner can stand. He dwells in unapproachable light in a spotless atmosphere unsullied by one stain of sin—not even the slightest hint of evil—not a sniff.

So if we cannot reach Him, what can we do? Nothing! But there’s the good news—Jesus has already done all that is required! When we could not go to Him, He came to us. When we could suffer all eternity and never atone for our sins, He suffered as the eternal One and paid the price for all our sin. Look to the cross in faith, repenting of your sin, and you will be saved. It is the promise of God.

This great Gospel message is framed as a trinity of truths from the Triune God, as Paul writes these words in Romans 3:21-31:

REDEMPTION

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
(emphasis added)

PROPITIATION

25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, (emphasis added)


JUSTIFICATION

26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith.
28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also,
30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.
31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
(emphasis added)

Here is a diagram found in James Montgomery Boice’s commentary on Romans that gives us a visual picture of the verbal portrait I have attempted to share in my feeble way:

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