Justification: A New Standing

Wells we going to suspend our study in first Timothy and this morning were going to look at Romans chapter 8, which turned their Romans chapter 8 why will not be able to unpack this exegetic legal way we would normally do it. I will talk about the doctrine of justification or a new standing justification. A new standing that we look at Romans chapter 8 beginning in verse 28 to go through verse 30 Paul writes to the church at Rome and says, and we know that God causes all things to work together for the good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose hears all the good things, not all of them but the bulk of the good things he's bringing together for our good. Verse 29 for those whom he foreknew he also predestined to become conformed to the image of his son so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren and these whom he predestined he also had these whom he called, he also hears our words justified and these whom he justified he also glorified justification a new standing. If I'm over here. What is to me the right side of the pulpit and then I move and I come over here for my perspective. Again, I'm to the left side of the pulpit.

Let me ask you from over there told the hero what has changed about me I'm the same guy still got the same curly graying hair still got the same wrinkles the same character attributes. I had just a moment before same sins same. Whatever. The only thing that changed was my standing. I was standing over there now.

I'm standing over here that gives us an idea. Maybe not a full idea, but an idea of what's involved in the biblical doctrine of justification that we have here in these verses. What's often called the Golden chain of redemption. Verse 29.

He says God foreknew you doesn't mean he knew about you. It doesn't mean he knew what you might do it meant he knew you in a personal and intimate way, not just mankind in general, but his children. He knew you. Those who would be years I been it says in verse 29 he predestined, that means marked out beforehand of those he knew in an intimate way beforehand.

He also marked out for particular outcome. I did. He goes further in verse 32 of those he predestined he call there was a a moment in time and space history. When God enabled you to hear the gospel, and not even the Holy Spirit, he drove you to himself, whereby you, and you must repented of CNN placed your faith in Jesus Christ, but from the divine perspective it's all considered God's calling and then those who were foreknown he knew you intimately. Those whom he predestined he marked you out for the eventual outcome that could be altered.

Those whom he called, he worked upon you to the gospel in the spirit to come to Jesus, then upon believe he justified verse 36 you are an outstanding being in a new place before God, justified, and then he says of those whom he justified, he glorified a past its first because it's his through as if it was already done. Those not yet happened.

In our experience, the Golden chain of redemption. Now where did this come from will bear simply this is the divine ordinance of God. Verse 28 of our text tells us we are called according to his purpose. You will never ever ever figure this out except God ordained it to be so. And by the way, he's God.

So we just rest and that, in glory and him amen. He designed it he does it. These God. Ephesians 311 reminds us that he works all things after the counsel of his will.

He doesn't wait for the meeting of the Southern Baptist convention decide what Dr. know to be or what truth audibly painted white for the committee meeting of any church or any president or any court anything please God, and he works all things after the counsel of his own will and brothers and sisters. I don't resist that not glory in it, and I wonder over it.

Philippians 213 reminds us he wills and works out of his own good pleasure. He's a pastor. Why did God do it that when you just gave him pleasure to do it. He does what pleases him.

And it's always good for us now. Verse 29 also tells us something that I think sometimes well I think most of the time. We miss in our scholarly, academic or theological studies of these wonderful truths. Look at verse 29. The last phrase so that he would be the firstborn among many brethren. You see, God did all this because he's about creating something new through Jesus Christ. A church, a band, a fellowship of brothers and sisters who believe in Christ, a new creation. It's a new body. It's a new people that truly know God and belong to God to exist in time and then for all eternity future. Here's a here's a way I like to say it. It's a new belonging. The Bible says he's the firstborn among many brethren.

What the set emphasized that's a communal or familiar oral kind of idea to be with him pieces. I'm going to be the first and I don't have a lot of brethren with me.didn't just save you to save youth he saved you to be with you and that you might be with him and all of you who are going to be with him and all of you to whom he is with. We are with one another. Also that's why we have local churches now were getting warmed up for the eternal state. When all of God's glorified children will be together forever. Jesus said in John 14. Three. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

So what he saying is this is about us being together forever. These are not real cold intellectual theological facts though they are true Bible theological facts creates more than that God is this for the personal relationship that he will have with us that last for time and through all of eternity. Down I in my outline justification understanding is a formal declaration, not an internal Reformation. It's a formal declaration, not an internal Reformation.

What I mean is when you are justified.

Use went from standing in this to standing in this nothing changed about you except the formal declaration of God about you. One moment you were unjust at one moment you were condemned at one moment you rejected the next moment you stand asked just use then as forgiven and guiltless you stand now as God's child. That's the biblical doctrine of justification, I mean think about it, were all guilty sinners and the penalty of our sin is eternal judgment. Inhale and to be justified if we were just looking at it from a natural perspective, we would have to perfectly keep the holy law of God and nobody can do that all of us, a failed many many times. So how is it then that we can all of a sudden stand as justified before God. Here's how God declares it so in his power and in his authority. It's a formal declaration, not a change or eight Reformation. Matter fact and in Romans chapter 3 verse 20. The Bible says bow works.

No man is justified in his side. The snow line the world. You can somehow strive hard enough work hard enough, gather a new set of ethics or morals and keep them well enough that God somehow says okay you got it you douse standing before me justified member has happened.

Never will happen.

God declares you justified. It's a formal declaration, but in fact it comes writes a forensic word that comes from the courts of this day in the ancient world. It was common for a person accused of a crime to stand before judges and at the end of the trial, the judges wouldn't say a word. They had a white stone, and the head of Blackstone and they would pass by and earn and they would drop either all white stone in that since there now, just before the court and the law or Blackstone that says they do not stand as just by stand condemned mellow when I judge walked by and dropped in a white stone art, a Blackstone, it changes nothing about the person standing out there.

He may have done everything he was accused of the main and I did not just in change anything about him all at once was a formal declaration. Here's how he now stands before the judge and before the court. Friends, that's exactly what happens when God justifies you.

You have a standing being.

Now I'm justification you still have the old CNC used to have pretty much, you still have the old heart used to have you do have a new nature that comes up that's that's more along the lines of the new birth, one talk about that separately that they are interconnected in such a way that you can't really separate them but in the Bible takes when he uses this phrase. These are justified. He's talking about. Not that you have altered anything, renewed anything, reformed anything or change anything know is that God has declared you now in a new standing before himself and before his holy law, what a glory that is using the justified now stands in a new relationship before the law before he was under guilt in common that condemnation, but now that God has justified you the law of God that used to thunder your guilt has been punished into eternal silence.

So justification is not a change of heart is not a change of behavior is not adding owner religion is not that you did the sacraments down at the church. Justification is a formal declaration that you are now having you now rather have a new standing justified in the eyes of a holy God Roman to this is possible through Jesus and his cross, and other there was a there was a work done for our justification. There was an effort extended there. There was a meritorious notorious act performed, but it was done by someone for us it was done by Jesus Christ in his work for his children on the cross you say will. How can God declare the lawbreaker.

The center just and then he'll reason, may just himself.

I mean 101 since before a judge and the judge knows he's guilty and he declares them not guilty. Then the judges can be impacting God, the judge let all these centers go free and just suddenly declare them formerly innocent or just before what answer he can do this through the cross of Jesus Christ. First Peter 224 he himself bore our sin in his body on the cross.

The Bible tells us that so very clearly in so many ways that Christ assumed our legal responsibilities and was treated as if he had been the center and now because of that we are treated as if we are righteous as he is right. A new standing under formal declaration benefit Romans chapter 3 and we could go to many, many verses but I'm to go to Romans chapter 3 here and were going to look at verses 24 through 26. Notice I worked here, being justified as a gift by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. How you justified. It's a gift it's a gift for him to state that you now are declared just verse 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in his blood through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because in the forbearance of God he passed over the sins previously committed for the demonstration. I say of his righteousness at the present time, so notice here so that he would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So there you go through Jesus Christ and his cross of God remains just, and yet he can justify all of us who deserve wrath and not blessing you deserve condemnation and not vindication. Now we might also say that the biblical doctrine of justification does include forgiveness and pardon these break down a little bit. To me, but they think they do connect to justification. Forgiveness is the releasing one of their debt to you pardon these having the authority and the power to excuse one from the legal consequences of the wrongdoing. All of that is involved here are members many many years ago when Ted Bundy the, the, the horrific, rapist and murderer. He had raped and murdered so many girls on college campuses and he was called and he was in prison and he came out on this documentary that the mom of one of the girls he so brutally raped and murdered had written him a letter and had told him of something of her faith and that she was forgiving him for what he had done to her and her daughter. Now that's only something I think a Christian heart can come up with. Now why she for gave him and released him from a debt she told him she could not pardon him from the consequence he faced under the law, and the face those consequences will but however God can do both, but actually pardon is a little weak because today when we talk about pardoning it implies that one is still guilty just excused from the punishment but no us in God's eyes when we are justified were no longer considered still guilty just pardoned were no longer considered guilty at all. From that moment on, were considered, cleansed, and just in God's sight. What a gift God gives us through justification. You might ask, does the cross cover all aspects of my sin.

What about the depth of my sin.

The Bible talks about the inner core depravity of my very being. What about the death of Mike that depth of my sin, my my interview problem yes the cross covers to the depth of your sin. What about the duration of my sin. This is cover all of my sin of the past all the sin of the present and all bots in the future. Absolutely it does.

Christ was an eternal being only died on the cross he covered your past. He covered your present.

He covered your future.

The duration of your Cinda the depth of your sin.

Thirdly it covers the diversity of your seems like past you don't understand.

I can sit in so many ways and at the longer I live the more understand the more sin that I have, yes, the Bible says look.

He became sin for us all the bars. The depth of it.

The duration of it. The diversity of it. Romans 420 reminds us where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.

Look, you have no capacity to see the weightiness the rottenness and the pollution of the sea and Mark that's in your soul mate affected your child of God.

Part of your sanctification is the longer you live in growing Christ, the more this is unveiled to you, but God sought all God saw every bit of it. The depth of the diversity of the duration of God sought all and God said the weight of all of those centers is great as it is for my son Jesus Christ. I'm going to favor them grace.

I'm going to favor them far greater way than their sin has marred their standing against the calls they understand this just in my side. III. I am justified when I believe on Jesus. Now you're foreknown from the foundation of the world you're predestined from the foundation of the world.

Your call was determined and sit out before the foundation of the world, but your standing of justification hinges on believing in Jesus Christ.

But faith is the hinge on which turns a centers justification John 318 reminds us, he who believes in him very simple and it is not judged just say that don't just read that and all think about it. He who believes in him is not. It hinges on faith in Jesus Christ.

There must be a time and a place where you cast yourself hopeless and bankrupt at the feet of a blood across and you just from your heart of faith say Christ save me out. Bring nothing but ruin I bring nothing but sin I bring nothing but heartache. I bring nothing but pride and selfishness. And oh Christ I take you and he said that's all of looking for that faith that my son paid for your sin's that is the faith which turns a centers justification must be reminded though that it is not our faith that saves us.

I think I made that mistake a lot. Early in my ministry.

I keep examining people's faith and there is some truth to that, but you can you can become more embedded in your introspection on that and be like a dog chasing your tail because as you've matured in Christ will always look back and find things you didn't understand like you understand them today and have to remind yourself that salvation depends on looking at Christ. Sometimes parents will tell me about counseling their children about their faith and there is something to looking at their repentance. Of course there is something to examining their faith. Of course, but far more than either one of those keep showing them Jesus keep opening the text and teaching Jesus what he did.

Who he is, how he died.

Why God why he was buried, he rose how he intercedes for us who he is and this person is the deity as full deity with God the father just keep showing them Christ, Christ, faith comes by hearing, hearing the things about crime because the blessings of salvation flow not from our faith, but they flow from the object of our faith. Faith can do nothing of itself here all this stuff today about the community of faith, I'm not part of the community of faith part of the church has faith in Jesus Christ.

The object of your faith is not only important, it's everything is faith in Christ that saves faith is the instrument of justification just because it receives Christ and for no other reason. Faith does not produce works that saved me faith saves me by bringing me in union with Jesus Christ.

Then he justifies me and he say something and he begins then to do good works through me but that's sanctification. That's another component were talking about justification here today really in a powerful way.

Your justification is like adoption and that's another Bible word for our salvation were adopted. Think about it. When a child is adopted with some precious wonderful children that our families in the church have adopted and when they adopt a child. Think about it the child's nature does not change the child's genetics DNA. All the same. The moment there adopted nothing changes about their personality, their characteristics or attributes.

Those all stay the same.

But what does change their standing in the community there now a part of a different societal unit you would say here they found a new belonging. Now they belong to a different group that they belong to.

Before nothing's changed about than just their standings changed that new parents now loose siblings new relatives and their future is going to change a lot. I may grow up in a new town go to a new school live in the new house where new close future of learning the things this new family wants them to learn and then of course they are an equal heir with everyone else in the household. That's what happens to us justification you find instantly by the Dick by the formal declaration of God new place of belonging with God and with God's people. You didn't reform yourself to get there. God placed you there by grace back in our text again is it not interesting here that as Paul writes these words in Romans 828 through 30. And he gives us this unbreakable golden chain of redemption. God foreknew us intimately. He knew were from the foundation of the world. God predestined us. He marked us out to become one of his own. He called us through the agency of the preached gospel in the power of the spirit in our lives. He justifies us and then one day he will glorify us all theological truths, but again in verse 29. We have this warm communal familial statement.

He did this so that he might be the firstborn among many brethren look God saved us, not that we could study these doctrines and uphold our sterile weigh-in and somehow feel smart are proud of ourselves know God ultimately saved us, that we might be years. He saves us that we might be with him.

He saves us that we might be his children that we might belong to his family that we might commune as brother to brother and son to father forever and ever and ever so when we take the Lord's table here in a few moments with them. Take this table praising God for justification not as a coal theological concept but as necessary to make us part of God's family were his and were one another in communion because were his family.

We have found a new vital eternal place of belonging in God's family