GOD IS JUST TO PRESERVE THE SAINTS FROM WRATH

The greatest mystery is not that some will be sentenced to hell, but that any are saved into heaven.  God would be just to condemn all sinners and that is what we all are.  The saints, however, will be saved.  Notice what Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-7:

“which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,”

These sinners who are saved have become “saints,” as the Apostle designates them in verse ten. The word means “set apart,” and suggests that those who are saved are different from others.  But, “saints” does not mean a special class of Christian, as some false teaching, especially Romanism states.  The New Testament is clear that all the saved are saints.  We are sinners set apart from other sinners.  God has set us apart in election—calling us in sovereign grace unto Himself.  We are set apart from the world and unto the Lord.

The issue is, “How can a just God justify unjust sinners without compromising His justice?  How can those deserving wrath be delivered from wrath and God maintain His righteousness?  How can those fit for hell be fitted for heaven without God sullying His holiness?”

There is only one answer. God has poured out His righteous judgment that we deserve on His Son, Who freely took upon Himself that condemnation I deserve, “to demonstrate...His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”  As John Newton penned, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

THE FUNDAMENTAL DEMAND OF RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:” (Heb.12:14).

Here God sets the fundamental demand for a relationship with Him.  Yet, we recognize that we fall far short of that standard—unless we try to deceive ourselves and make ourselves better than we are.

Heaven is the holy habitation of God and none can dwell there without holiness.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God.” (Matt.5:8). Yet, I find my heart is desperately wicked!  Jesus demands, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt.5:20). How hard it would be to measure up to the religious standard of the Pharisees, and yet Christ says we must exceed it!

How good do you have to be to get to heaven?  You must be as good as God and as perfect as Jesus Christ!  There is only one way that can be—the righteousness of Christ being imputed to us.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.... For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when 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. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (Rom.5:1-2, 6-11).

A holy God hates sin and it must be punished.  God visited His wrath upon His Son so that we sinners might be forgiven—and Christ’s righteousness given to those who place their faith in Him!  We can never measure up to God’s absolute standard by our own religious zeal.  We don’t have to.  For this I have Christ!

JUSTIFIED!

Read Romans 5.

What does it mean to be, “justified”?  Someone has said, “It is JUST AS IF I’D never sinned.”

Of course, we are sinners—Scripture makes that clear.  In this chapter, we are referred to as, “ungodly” (v.6), “sinners” (v.8), and “enemies” of God (v.10). Yet, by God’s grace and through faith in the work of Christ, we can be declared, “justified,” and “have peace with God” (v.1).  Our sins are blotted out.  The record of our crimes against God’s law has been expunged.  We were guilty, but now pardoned by the Judge!

The Triune God has undertaken to bring salvation to us.  By God the Father’s initiative, He has sent His Son to be our Savior (v.1). God the Son paid the price for our sins and reconciled us to the Father (v.6, 8-11, 15-21). The Son of God became the Son of Man, that the sons of men might become the sons of God.  Further, God the Spirit, has been given to us (v.5), binding our hearts to God with love outpoured within us (v.5). His presence assures us of the unfailing hope of heaven.  It is not only the death of Jesus, but His life within us that assures us, “For if when 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.” (v.10, emphasis added).

What a reason to rejoice!  We “rejoice in hope of the glory of God.  And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance character; and character, hope.” (v.2b-4). “And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.” (v.11).

Christ on the cross, suspended between eternity and earth, has connected the two.  His arms outstretched, with one reaching to Holy God, and the other reaching to sinful humanity—that cross becomes the great “plus sign,” that equals reconciliation in God’s equation of salvation.

RIGHTEOUS BY FAITH

Read Romans 4.

No sinner has ever or will ever enter heaven except by the grace of God. That grace is available through faith rather than works.  It is based on what Christ has done in His work of redemption through His crucifixion and resurrection. By faith in Christ alone we have His righteousness imputed to us—that is, credited to our account. Our sins were placed on Him—the debit side of our life ledger being cancelled—and His righteousness deposited in our spiritual bank account—an inexhaustible righteousness to draw upon.

Paul illustrates this in Romans 4 by pointing to Abraham.  “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’” (v.3‬). Long before the law was given on Mt. Sinai, the way of righteousness had been established. Before Abraham was marked by the covenant sign of circumcision, he had already been declared justified by faith.  The blessedness of David in being forgiven of sin, apart from his works, is mentioned also (read v.5-8).

Those of the circumcision—the Jews—wanted to think they were righteous because of a biological connection to Abraham, and their physical indication of circumcision, where Paul tells us that it is the spiritual connection with Abraham—our faith in the promise of God that saves us, as Jews or Gentiles (v.9-22).

Our part in salvation is that we do the sinning.  God’s part is that He does the saving. “Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but also for us. It shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.” (v.23-25‬).

A GOOD NEWS WORD FOR A BAD NEWS WORLD

Read Romans 1.

We are going to get a bird’s eye view of the book of Romans by reading and reflecting on a chapter each day. Today’s devotional will set the stage for the study as we are introduced to the Gospel as a good news word for a bad news world.  Here’s the key text:

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’” (1:16-17‬)

Four times in the course of this chapter, Paul uses the word, “Gospel,” (v.1, 9, 15, 16). The term means, “good news.”  The good news is that God loves us and sent His Son to die for us, so that by faith in the crucified and risen Christ we can be saved.

What makes the good news so good is that there is incredibly bad news.  It is like a jeweler who displays a diamond on a piece of dark velvet, which brings out the luster and beauty of each facet.  Paul will shine the light on the radiance of redemption by first laying out the dark contrast of our sin, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them.” (v.18-19‬)

As a prosecuting attorney, Paul will make his case, presenting the evidence before the Judge of the guilt of humanity.  In this chapter, he establishes the crimes of the heathen against God.  The pagan populace knew there was a Creator.  Creation bore testimony. But instead of glorifying God, they began to worship the creation, because of the depravity of their minds.  This depravity of belief became marked by increasing degeneracy in behavior.

What hope is there for such people?  The only hope for us all—the Gospel.  Jesus has provided a way for the heathen to get to heaven—the royal road of redemption.  It is the only way, and the Way is a person, Jesus. The sad news is a word of guilt and judgment, but the glad news is a word of grace and justification!

THE ONLY WAY TO PLEASE GOD

For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”  (Romans 4:3)

Do you want to please God?  “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)  Now, let that sink in for a moment.  It doesn’t say that without faith it is unlikely that you can please God.  It doesn’t say that it is difficult or improbable, but the Holy Spirit inspired author says, “It is impossible!”  Faith is the only way to please God.  This is Paul’s theme in Romans 4.

God provides a righteous standing through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ (v.1-8).  This is the one and only way anyone has ever been saved and the only way anyone ever will be saved.  Paul appeals to the authority of the Old Testament as the basis for this belief.  It is the clear teaching of the Word of God.  He will illustrate this doctrine by a man who was a great saint—Abraham—to show that everyone needs to be saved by faith and from a great sinner—David—to show that everyone can be saved by faith.  The word, “accounted” is found 11 times in this chapter.  It is a bookkeeping term that means our debt of sin has been transferred to Christ’s account and His righteousness has been credited to ours!

Most people in our world profess some kind of faith.  There is only one genuine faith. You can profess faith without possessing faith, but you cannot possess faith without professing it (v.9-12).  We are not saved by works, not by faith plus works, but by a faith that works!  There came a time when God commanded Abraham to be circumcised as a symbol of the covenant.  Abraham was already justified by faith.  Circumcision was the outer testimony of the inner transformation.  There are those who insist faith in Christ alone is not enough.  You must believe and be baptized according to the Church of Christ.  You must believe and keep the Sabbath according to the Seventh Day Adventists.  You must have faith in Christ and keep the sacraments according to Roman Catholicism.  It is the great dividing line between the Gospel and a false gospel; between truth and error.  By no means are we suggesting that a person’s lifestyle is unimportant.  Abraham was a faithful servant of the Lord.  It was, however, a walk of faith!  Faith was the root of his righteousness; his good works were the fruit of his faith.

Faith rests in the promise of God.  We aren’t saved by our faithfulness, but by God’s (v.13-25).  The law wasn’t given to Moses until five centuries later, so how could Abraham have known it?  Even had he known it, he couldn’t have kept it.  All the law can do is show us that we are lost (v.15), but that is vital for we won’t be saved until we see that.  God didn’t intend for Abraham to be a reservoir of blessing, but a river of blessing.  He would be the father of all who place their faith in Christ.

In the high court of heaven, you can plead not guilty and go to trial.  The evidence against you will bring the death sentence.  Or, you can plead guilty and throw yourself on the mercy of the court and be pardoned.  Jesus has paid our penalty.  We don’t have to do so!

HOW CAN A MAN BE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD?

But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”  (Galatians 3:11)

Job asked the question, “How then can man be righteous before God?”  (25:4a)  Since the fall of man into sin with its attendant curse of death, people have sought the answer through works: making garments of fig leaves to cover shame as did Adam and Eve; offering the best produce as Cain did, rather than a blood sacrifice like his brother Abel; building the tower of Babel to try to reach heaven—and similar acts.  Every religious system proposes a “works” salvation:  Buddhism and Hinduism promote reincarnation—you do life until you get it right; Islam has its five pillars; Romanism sets forth the sacraments.  The cults—Mormonism, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and such—have systems that require self-effort to please their deity.  Christianity differs from all religions.  The Word of God teaches that man is put right with God—not on the basis of what we do, but what Christ has done.  It is not through meeting a standard, but solely by faith in the standard met perfectly by Christ.

Paul speaks of this EXPERIENCE OF FAITH (Gal.3:1-5)  The key word is “suffered” in verse four.  It can be translated, “experienced.”  False teachers among the Galatian churches were saying that salvation was in believing in Jesus, PLUS keeping the law of Moses.  The Apostle reminds them of the experience they had in receiving Christ by faith.  He is shocked that they have turned from the Gospel of grace—as though someone had cast a spell on them.  The message was clearly presented and eagerly embraced at the first.  Now, error had settled like a cloud of confusion over their minds.

The Apostle then presents an EXAMPLE OF FAITH (Gal.3:6-9).  Since the legalists considered the writings of Moses paramount, Paul reaches into those texts and presents one of their heroes—Abraham—as an example of righteousness by faith.  It is clear that Abraham was justified before God by faith—God’s righteousness credited to his account.  Even his capacity to believe was an act of grace.  Read the account and you will see sovereign grace seeking a pagan man and calling him to salvation.  He was a lost sheep until the Shepherd took the initiative to seek Abraham.  Paul states that those who are children of Abraham are not those who are related genetically, but spiritually as well.

Paul drives the message home with an EXPOSITION OF FAITH (Gal.3:10-14).  Anticipating an argument from the false teachers that God’s dealings with Abraham were before the giving of the law, the Apostle appeals to the law itself.  He points out the law can curse us, but not cure us.  To break only one command is to be branded a law-breaker.  Salvation has ever been the way of faith.  Paul appeals not only to the law, but the prophets—as he quotes Habakkuk 2:4.  Since Jesus was not in debt—being sinless—He had the resources—perfect righteousness—to pay our debt in full.  He obeyed every law in His life and paid the penalty for every law-breaker in His death.

How can a man be righteous before God?  It is the gift of God by faith alone in Christ alone.  It is folly to try to meet an impossible standard.  Christ has done that for us!

DAZED AND CONFUSED

 

For He crushes me with a tempest,

And multiplies my wounds without cause. 

He will not allow me to catch my breath,

But fills me with bitterness.  (Job 9:17-18)

Have you ever had a concussion?  I have—playing football in High School.  I was knocked out making a tackle.  I tried to tell the coaches something was wrong, but they didn’t believe me.  Finally, they put me on the sideline.  I was dazed and confused.

Job was that way.  He had been blindsided.  Blow after blow had driven him to the ground, so that he didn’t know which way was up.  His friends who came to comfort him, did anything but that—indeed, they condemned him!  They offered religious clichés and pious phrases—simplistic soliloquies that were nothing but so much hot air.  We hear a lot of that today.  Their basic premise was, “Job, you are suffering because you are a sinner, and if you would get right with God, then your problems would go away.”

We want life wrapped up in a nice little box of propositions and tied together with a ribbon of reason into a neat bow of certainty.  More often, life looks like the aftermath of Christmas morning carnage—the wrapping paper torn and scattered, the box ripped apart and the contents gone.  Meanwhile, we sit in the corner—shell-shocked.

Job had more questions than answers.  He goes through a series of them in the ninth chapter.  His “friends” have accused him of being a sinner, so he says, “But how can a man be righteous before God?” (Job 9:2b).  They have told Job to turn to God and he says, “If He goes by me, I do not see Him; If He moves past, I do not perceive Him; If He takes away, who can hinder Him? Who can say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’”  (v.11-12).  Job’s comforters have challenged him to understand God’s ways—as they certainly claim to do—and the sufferer responds, “How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him?”  (v.14)  The three men, who function like prosecuting attorneys as they indict Job, tell him to come before the Judge and plead for mercy.  Job is dismayed and says, “If it is a matter of strength, indeed He is strong; And if of justice, who will appoint my day in court?”  What Job wants in the day he stands before the Judge of the Universe is a defense attorney, but he doesn’t know where to find one, and in despair cries, “For He is not a man, as I am, That I may answer Him, And that we should go to court together.   Nor is there any mediator between us, Who may lay his hand on us both.”  (v.32-33).

Thankfully, the New Testament responds to these questions with one word—Jesus!  We can be just before God by faith in Christ; though we cannot find Him, He seeks us; though we may not understand why we suffer, Christ knows what we suffer for He has also; He is the Mediator who has come to take God’s hand and our hand and reconcile us!  In our confusion, let us look to Him.  We may not have all the answers to our heartaches in this life, but we will have every tear wiped from our eyes then!  Jesus is all we need!