Christ Our Hope PCA blog - Tony Phelps, pastor

Remembering Reformation Day: God justifies the wicked - like Abraham, David, and us!

An Exposition of Romans 4:1-8

Romans 4:1-8
1What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” 4Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: 7“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered; 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

Time magazine, a few years ago, featured an extended article on the patriarch Abraham. The reason they did so was to show that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam all give prominence to this same "old man," in their respective faiths. He’s a kind of common denominator between us all. And at the Time website, this archived article is summarized with these words: “He is beloved by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Can this bond stop them from hating one another?” But like most comparative religious efforts, the unity turns out to be merely superficial. While the name “Abraham” might be shared in common, while he might be cited as the historical father of Isaac and Ishmael – the question is: who is the true Abraham? Will the real Abraham please stand up? According to Islam, Abraham is the father of the Muslims, and their confession: “There is only one God – Allah!” According to Judaism, Abraham is the paradigm of law-keeping righteousness. It is Abraham’s faithful obedience – with the accent on “obedience” – that makes him the ultimate exemplar for Jews; not his sole trust in God’s gracious promise. In fact, one Rabbinic tradition relates that Abraham perfectly kept the commandments of God, even before Torah had been given to Moses. And so he merited God’s favor. In radical contrast, according to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Abraham is the paradigm of faith – even of justification by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone. And the OT Scripture testifies to this very thing.

God displays His gracious justification of believing sinners, even in the cases of Abraham & David. Let’s consider Exhibit A: Abraham (vv 1-4)

Paul is expanding on one of the central themes of our previous section – justification by faith alone. The Gospel is not a brand new thing; the apostles are not innovators. This doctrine of justification by faith alone is not an invention of the apostle Paul. The Scripture says, in Romans 1:2, that this Gospel of God was promised by Him “before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures.” And in just the last chapter, verse 21: “But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and Prophets,” that is, the Old Testament.

Yes, there is an indispensable NOW aspect to the Gospel – the Christ who has come is the NOW aspect of the Gospel. Christ is the Yes & Amen of all the expectations & promises of the Old Testament. But the promised Christ is the object of Abraham’s faith, and of David’s faith. The good news that God justifies believing sinners only by faith, is the same good news that Abraham himself heard & believed. That’s why Paul introduces this section with these words:  “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?” Obviously, Jews called Abraham “father.” But his fatherhood is not merely a matter of genealogy, even for the Jews. Because as I mentioned, he is also the great exemplar of Torah-obedience for many Jews. He is the father of the circumcised. Later in this chapter, Paul will make the radical claim that he is also the father of the uncircumcised, Gentiles, who believe the Gospel – and that radical claim will be based on what he begins to argue here.

To appeal to what Abraham has found “according to the flesh,” that is, according to his own human experience – is to appeal to the highest human authority, from the perspective of the covenant: this is the patriarch of the patriarchs. Abraham is the defining paradigm – and if these Jewish opponents of the Gospel that Paul encounters have it wrong about Abraham, he can destroy the very foundation of their self-righteousness. The goal of course – for Paul and for us as the church – is not simply to win an argument, but to win people to the true faith of Abraham, the Gospel of Christ.

So Paul grants for the sake of argument: “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about…” Paul is saying, “If Abraham is the exemplar of Torah-obedience, then what I just said in chapter 3, verse 27 – that boasting is excluded, is proven false. My Gospel is a sham – if Abraham was justified by works.” But Paul rejects that possibility with the words: “but not before God.” Abraham, in fact, had no ground for boasting.

Now there’s something in logical argument called an “enthymeme.” That’s when a premise in an argument is omitted, because it is understood. Paul’s argument here is very abrupt, but his point is clear & logical. We might amplify his argument in this way: If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about. Abraham was not justified by works (that’s the omitted premise). Therefore, Abraham has nothing to boast about.

And then he establishes his argument beyond doubt, by asking: “What does the Scripture say?” All our logical premises and conclusions must agree with the Scriptures. Christians reason not to the Word of God, but from the Word of God. We seek not to understand in order to believe, but to believe in order to understand. And the Scripture settles it: “‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

Now the word translated here “accounted” is used 5 times in verses 1-8. It’s translated in the New King James as “accounted” here in verse 3; “counted” in verse 4; “accounted” again in verse 5; “imputes” in verse 6; and “impute” in verse 8. The Greek word is used in the context of mathematical calculation; of thinking logically; as well as in the context of “regarding as,” or reckoning something to be, or imputing to. It is in this last sense that the word is used here. Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for – or imputed to him for – righteousness.

Now some have understood this to mean that Abraham’s faith itself was regarded by God as righteousness. That faith itself is the basis of Abraham’s righteousness. But an indispensable point has already been established back in chapter 3: that the righteousness which is from God is through faith in Jesus Christ, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood. In other words, Paul has already established that Christ crucified is the ground, the basis, of our justification. It is because Christ has removed the guilt of our sins, that God is just when He justifies us by faith alone.

So faith is not some “lesser work than the perfect obedience that God required under the law.” Notice also how verse 4 establishes this: “Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.” If Abraham’s faith was a lesser work which God rewarded with righteousness, then we would have the same problem as those who seek to be justified by works. Whether by the works of the law, or the lesser work of faith, God would be made our debtor.

But in the economy of the Gospel, God is not our debtor; instead, the Gospel is the economy of His abounding grace to sinners, who have an eternal debt of guilt. That’s what hell is all about. It is God who graciously cancels our debt of guilt, through His crucified Son. And faith is simply the means by which we are connected to this Christ and His righteousness: His doing and His dying. Christ did God’s Law perfectly; Christ died for our disobedience to God’s Law. Christ alone is our righteousness.

And even that very righteousness was credited to Abraham – who believed God’s Word of Promise, that through Abraham’s Seed, all the nations would be blessed with God’s gracious salvation. Christ is that Promised Seed, and was the object of Abraham’s faith. Now it is true, the Gospel was in the form of promise & symbol for Abraham, and throughout the Old Testament. But there is only one Savior – of Abraham, and of all of us who would believe this Word of the Gospel: and that Savior is Christ.

God displays His gracious justification of believing sinners, even in the case of Abraham. And it is Christ, not works, who establishes your righteousness before God.

Now let’s be clear. Good works are essential to our Christian lives. And it is true that Abraham showed the reality of his faith by his works. This is the point that James is making in chapter 2 of his letter. Abraham is justified to be a believing man by his works. He is not justified before God by his works; but his justifying faith is publicly vindicated – or justified – by his works.

As those justified by faith alone, the Scriptures make clear, we must pursue holiness. The Ten Commandments remain a continuing moral standard for our sanctification. But here’s the question: Why are you doing what you’re doing? In all your doing, as a Christian, are you doing for the approval of God? Or, are you doing from the approval of God? Is it guilt or gratitude that drives your doing?

This is a night and day difference: between legalism, and Gospel liberty. And I will continue to remind you of it, as your pastor, over and over and over again. Christ has freed you from the curse & condemnation of the Law. Christ has established your righteousness before the Father. Christ’s doing, Christ’s dying is the only basis of your justification. When you bring your doing into that equation, you’re obscuring the Gospel. Your doing – if it is done to win or to keep the Father’s favor – is an insult to the Father, because it despises the work of His Son: His doing, and His dying, which is your only basis of acceptance before your Holy and Righteous heavenly Father.

God displays His gracious justification of believing sinners in the cases of Abraham & David. Let’s now consider Exhibit B: David (vv 5-8)

Listen to these radical words in verse 5: “But to him who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.” As Yosemite Sam would often say: “Them’s fightin’ words.” They were fighting words in the first century; they were fighting words in the 16th century Protestant Reformation; and they are fighting words still today. Who does God justify? The one who doesn’t work, and believes in the God who justifies the ungodly, the God who justifies the wicked. This strips away every pretension to righteousness a religious Jew – or any other moralist – might have. This runs counter to every other human religion on the planet. The basis for justification is not a person’s religious works, or their godly character – or even their godly potential. It is Christ alone. God justifies those who are inwardly ungodly, who only by faith are connected to an external righteousness – that of Jesus Christ.

The official Roman Catholic position on justification is this (in part): “Justification includes the remission of sins, sanctification, and the renewal of the inner man.” That is paragraph 2019, in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, published in 1995. And this statement is simply a summary of what the Church of Rome said in the counter-Reformation council of Trent – in response to the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone.

Rome declares that justification is a process – not a declaration – which includes sanctification & the renewal of the inner man. It is not about imputed righteousness, but infused righteousness – in other words, not a righteousness outside of you, but a righteousness inside of you. In the end, according to this view, God justifies the godly. Now God’s grace is involved; faith is involved; Christ is involved – but human merit is also involved; your godliness is also involved, as the basis of justification.

The apostolic Gospel – in absolute contrast – boldly declares: “God justifies the ungodly.” Now God does so justly, as we saw in the last chapter. It is through His justice being satisfied in Christ crucified – who fulfilled the Law, in all its precepts, and in all its penalties – on behalf of those who would trust only in Him. God remains just, as well as the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Yet it is the radical implication of this reality - God justifying the wicked - that led Martin Luther to describe the believing Christian as simul iustus et peccator: at the same time, righteous & sinner. This is not a contradiction; this is the heart of the Gospel. At the same time, I am perfectly righteous in Christ, though a sinner in myself.

 

And this reality is confirmed as we consider Exhibit B, David. Abraham & David – two covenant men associated especially with the covenant promises of God. Paul couldn’t have picked two stronger witnesses to establish the truth of the Gospel. Verses 6-8: “Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: (then quoting from the first two verses of Psalm 32:) ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

David, like Abraham, knew the good news that God justifies the ungodly by faith alone. And that justification includes the imputation of righteousness. This is that same word I mentioned earlier, used 5 times in this passage, and rightly translated as “imputes” here in v 6, and “impute” in v 8. God credits righteousness to us – the righteousness of His own Son. That is why it’s called the “gift of righteousness” in Romans 5:17.

And, notice the dual way in which “imputation” is used here. There is an imputed righteousness; and in the quotation from Psalm 32, there is a non­-imputation of sin. Justification is the forgiveness of our sins, and the crediting of the righteousness of Christ to us.

The 16th century Heidelberg Catechism does a fine job of summing up the significance of this: “…God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner, as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was for me…” How does God look upon you? How does God treat you, when you rely only on His Son? As if you had never sinned, nor been a sinner; as if you had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was for you. God the Father’s verdict, pronounced upon Jesus – “This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased” – is now His verdict of you.

So what is the condition of the person to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works? To whom the LORD shall not impute sin? Upon whom God’s verdict is “well-pleased”? Blessedness. It means the truly good life is yours, because you have received God’s eternal favor through the Gospel. So whatever anybody else says; whatever your immediate circumstances – all is well with your soul, because God the Father has spoken through His Son, and is well-pleased with you. And who is it again who knows this blessedness? The one who does not work for God’s favor; but believes on the God who justifies the ungodly.

God displays His gracious justification of believing sinners, even in the case of David. Because Christ saves the ungodly: He takes your sin and gives you His righteousness. 

Simul iustus et peccator. At the same time sinner and righteous. Do you believe that, Christian? It is this statement that keeps us awed, and keeps us humble. We are absolutely ungodly when the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us, by faith alone. And friends, we are still ungodly after that. Now, by God’s grace, we are becoming more godly; we are working out our salvation with fear & trembling, as we pursue a growing holiness, as we become conformed more and more to the image of Christ.

But never forget, for a single moment: there’s still enough ungodliness in your life – and the lives of any of the greatest saints who have ever lived (even Paul!) – to damn you to hell forever. Do you realize that? Apart from the righteousness of Christ, apart from His doing and dying for you, if you were to stand before the Father in the highest level of your attained personal holiness, apart from Christ – you would be damned eternally. And I remind you of that, and I remind myself of that, because I want us to know, and to rest in, the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works; the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.

This is the true faith of the Gospel: the faith of Abraham, the faith of David. The only faith to live by, and to die by.  Because Christ saves – not the godly, not even the partially godly, or the potentially godly – but the ungodly. He takes your sin, and gives you His righteousness – and that is your blessedness. Blessed are you in Christ, you believing, but ungodly, sinner! Blessed are you in Christ, you righteous sinner! Amen.

 

 

 

Remembering Reformation Day: A problem only God could solve

An Exposition of Romans 3:24-25a

Romans 3:21-26
21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25whom 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, 26to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

When you see a play or a movie that could be described as a “tragedy,” it obviously involves a less than happy ending. The reason plays & movies like this are so powerful is because we can identify with the characters, and what they suffer in the course of the story. A Roman poet, named Horace, once criticized those who wrote tragedies in his day, for a kind of “cop-out” technique some of them would use. The playwrights would solve the tragic problems created in the story, by bringing in some god to fix everything. He wrote, “Do not bring a god onto the stage, unless the problem is one that deserves a god to solve it.”

Well, the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther cited these very words to say that the tragic problem created by human rebellion, as we find in Romans chapters 1-3, is just that: a problem that only God can solve. But this is no fictional tragedy; it is a true story, our story, which makes it all the more personally tragic; and if we understand that, then we long for God to enter stage right, & solve this problem. So in this passage of Scripture, we have perhaps the most important paragraph ever written – even in all the sacred, inspired words of the Old & New Testaments. How can the just and holy God resolve the problem of our rebellion & guilt – without compromising His own justice and holiness?

(This passage deserves even more than three sermons [!], but this is the second of three; as we focus on verse 24, and the first part of verse 25.)

God has now graciously revealed His righteousness – freely justifying all who believe; on the basis of the Cross of Christ.   First, freely justifying all who believe (v 24).

In verses 21-23, we saw that God’s revealed righteousness in the Gospel is apart from the Law; through faith in Christ; and available to all without distinction. The good news is that this perfect righteousness that God demands in His Law, He now freely provides to anyone who has faith in Jesus – without any human distinction.

Now in verse 24, it says, “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Who is this speaking of? The “all who have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” verse 23.  And this is further qualified by the “all who believe” in verse 22. This is not a universal salvation – not everyone will be saved from the condemnation their sins deserve. But the Gospel is universal in one sense: it is available to anybody who believes. This is not salvation for everyone without exception; but salvation for anyone who believes, without distinction – whatever nation, tribe, or tongue. This is the good news that we are to proclaim to every nation of man, every class of man – Christ is the only Son of God, and the only Name given under heaven by which we must be saved.   

Paul has used the word “righteous” or “righteousness” multiple times so far in Romans. But now he uses the verb form of this word for the very first time, which is translated “justified.” What does it mean? It doesn’t mean, to make righteous. That’s not the action God takes to save us from condemnation. To justify means to declare righteous. “Being justified” is about a legal judgment that God pronounces. It’s His verdict: “justified!” Before the holy bar of His Law, all who believe in His Son are declared righteous. Because the righteousness of Christ is given to them; and their guilt before the Law is taken away.

You’ve heard the expression, “Familiarity breeds contempt.” That can be true in our human relationships; it’s also true in our theology, our study of the Scriptures. We can assume that we understand what justification means, and shrug it off as some very basic Bible teaching – “how we get saved.” But then we want to move on to the “deep stuff of God’s Word.”

It seems that Paul, the Spirit-inspired apostle, thinks that this doctrine of justification is the “deep stuff of God’s Word.” He’s spent all that time in the previous section to prepare us to see our need for it. He says the entire Old Testament bears witness to it. And then he spends the rest of chapter 3 through chapter 5, to declare the riches of it. And then after that, in chapters 6 through 16, what happens? The Holy Spirit moves Paul to explore the many implications of this righteousness of God, now revealed in the Gospel.

Listen, here’s one aspect of justification that we can easily miss. Many times, we might focus on the present benefits of justification, which are so many & so wonderful. As your pastor, I want you to focus on these benefits that you can enjoy right now! One of them is peace of conscience. Luther rightly made much of this. When you’re reminded of your sin, of the fact that you deserve God’s eternal judgment – repent, confess your sin, and preach Christ crucified to your conscience. But with all the wonderful present benefits, we don’t want to forget the ultimate benefit.

You are a creature, and you will stand to answer to your Creator in the Last Day. You are commanded by your Creator to reflect His moral, righteous image in this world; to live joyfully under His rule; to represent His goodness and righteousness in the world. And you are a miserable failure in all these things; you fall far short of the glory of God; worse, you are a recalcitrant rebel against your Creator.  So what is the apparently inevitable sentence of your Maker? Eternally condemned. And apart from God's grace, every sinner spends every waking moment trying to suppress the reality of that truth.

But the wonder of justification is that by faith in Christ, God’s Last Day verdict is brought forward in time. If you rely only on Him, then you can be assured: Christ lived for you the righteous life you fail to live, and died for you the condemned death of the Cross – and on the basis of that, God will declare you righteous. You don’t have to wonder what the outcome might be on Judgment Day. God has mercifully brought forward that verdict of the Last Day judgment; so that there is NOW no condemnation for you who are in Christ Jesus.

So that we can know that we have a right standing before God; that we are accepted by God for the sake of Christ. As we work through this extended section, to understand the glorious heart of the Gospel, I hope you’ll see that this doctrine of justification by faith alone is a wonderfully deep & rich thing. That it would feed your soul. That you would meditate on it and revel in it – for the rest of your life and for all eternity for that matter!

But if you want a single word, which might sum up the glorious result of our justification, it is “acceptance.” Your holy God, your righteous Creator, against whom you have rebelled – accepts you now, and forever, in His beloved Son. Ephesians 1, verse 6 “to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

That’s why it’s such a tragedy to see Christians crippled by guilt; trying desperately by their religious performance to win the approval of their heavenly Father – when He would say to us: “Isn’t My Son and His Cross enough for you? It’s enough for Me! And because I gave Him for you in love, you are accepted in My sight.”

How does God justify us? “Freely by His grace.” What a beautiful adverb, “freely.” Justification is a gift. If you attempt to pay for the gift, you insult the giver. Imagine that a husband brings home a beautiful, expensive piece of jewelry for his wife. He secretly worked a side job for months so he could afford it. And the wife says, “Honey, you shouldn’t have. Here, take some money for it.” When we think we can add some of our works, some of our self-effort, some of our merit to the gift of justification – we deeply insult the Giver, and destroy the Gospel in the process.

How does God justify us? How does God deal with the apparently hopeless tragedy of our rebellion & guilt? “Freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”  The manner of God’s justification is “freely by His grace”; the means of God’s justification is “through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Now what does “redemption” mean? Redemption speaks of liberation, through the payment of a price. Now, Satan is not part of the equation here – that was a serious error in church history. This redemption price is paid not to Satan, but to God. So when we speak of free justification – that means from the human side. The cost on the divine side is the Cross. We pay nothing; Christ paid it all.

God is the just judge, who must execute perfect justice. We have a debt of guilt before Him; but the Judge has graciously provided a way of liberation from that debt of guilt. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. How is that redemption secured? The redemption price paid?

Ephesians 1:7: In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Hebrews 9:15: And for this reason [Christ] is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of eternal inheritance. 1 Timothy 2:6: [Christ] who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Matthew 20:28:  just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. 1 Peter 1:18-19: knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, … but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. 

Of course, there are many today who are far too sophisticated for a blood-bought redemption. And yet they want to retain Jesus as a kind of moral guru, who shows us how to be nice to others. How to live socially-conscious lives. That is another religion; a fabricated religion; and it has nothing to do with the God-revealed, redemptive religion of the Bible. If you will have nothing to do with God’s redemption in Christ by way of the Cross, then God will have nothing to do with you.

Do you realize that your sin indebts you personally to God? The debt is made up of your guilt, for all your countless acts of rebellion against God; transgressions against Him, in thought, word & deed. Imagine receiving your Visa bill this month, and the amount owed is a number you can’t even say never mind repay. The digits for the dollar amount you owe fill line upon line, page upon page. Your debt of guilt before God is even greater.

Now why is that? Because the way the debt of our sin is calculated, is by the standard of the majesty and worth of the One against whom we’ve sinned. God is infinitely majestic and worthy. And our sin is a violation of His infinite majesty & worth; and that results in an immeasurable debt of guilt. When Ezra confesses the sins of God’s people, he says: “O my God, I am too ashamed and humiliated to lift up my face to You, my God; for our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has grown up to the heavens” (9:6). Ezra understands this very thing.

Do you see how impossibly desperate your situation is? What could possibly cancel this kind of debt of guilt before God? Only by way of the blood-bought redemption that is in Christ Jesus – who is God the Son, Himself infinite in majesty and worth!

To be released – liberated! – from that crushing debt of guilt before God, by God the Father’s loving provision of His own Son – how can we not be melted by that? How can our hearts possibly remain cold before the wonder of that grace? How can the Cross NOT be the center of our Christian lives? The center of our ministry as a church? How can we imagine making Christianity about anything other than the Cross? How can we not join with the apostle Paul to say, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ…” (Gal 6:14)

God has now graciously revealed His righteousness – freely justifying all who believe; on the basis of the Cross of Christ (25a). 

“whom God set forth as a propitiation…” On what basis can God freely justify us? We’ve seen the means of our justification is through the redemption that is in Christ. But the basis of our justification is the Christ whom God set forth as a propitiation. We’ll consider this even more fully in the next sermon. But this is the only basis on which God can justly justify us, in light of our just guilt before His holy Law: Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation. 

We need to begin with the last word in this phrase, which is obviously a technical religious word: propitiation. What does it mean? The best place to look is within the Bible, how the word is used elsewhere. In Hebrews 9, verse 5, this word is used for the so-called “mercy seat,” which is the cover for the Ark of the Covenant. In the OT, the Ark of the Covenant was kept in the Most Holy Place – the Holy of Holies – in the Tabernacle; and later the Temple. And the glory-cloud of God’s holy presence was enthroned over the mercy seat.

We also see the word used for this mercy seat in the Greek translation of the Old Testament, especially in Leviticus, chapter 16. And this is where God gives Moses directions for the Day of Atonement. Once a year, the High Priest is to enter behind the veil, into the Most Holy Place – the very throne room of the living God.  And the priest will sprinkle the blood of a bull and a goat on this mercy seat, to make atonement for his sins and the sins of God’s people.

The Day of Atonement would also include a ritual with a scapegoat. This ritual fills out the theological meaning of this word, propitiation. The high priest would symbolically transfer the guilt of the sins of the people to the goat, by laying his hands on the animal’s head. And then the goat would then be driven into the wilderness, away from the people – bearing their guilt, taking their guilt away.

So what would be the result of all this? God’s anger against His people would be satisfied, by the blood sprinkled on the mercy seat; and the guilt of their sins would be taken away, by the scapegoat driven into the wilderness.

It seems that Paul is very intentionally using this word, propitiation; to allude to the Day of Atonement; and to point us to the Cross of Christ, as the ultimate fulfillment of the mercy seat – where ultimate atonement is made for the sins of God’s people. Christ has poured out His blood, to forever turn away God’s wrath; to forever take away our guilt. And His Cross is the place of that atonement.

Also notice that God has set forth Christ as a propitiation. It’s not behind the veil of the

Temple

; it’s public – Christ crucified outside of the city; before the eyes of the world. This is the Cross that we are to continue to make public, through the Gospel. For it is there that the righteousness of God is most clearly displayed.

God is fully satisfied in the sacrifice of His Son for our sins. This is how God justly justifies us who would believe. This is the ground, the basis, of our justification.

God has now graciously revealed His righteousness – freely justifying all who believe; on the basis of the Cross of Christ. 

I said earlier that one word might summarize the glorious result of justification; it is the word acceptance. Now we see that Christ crucified is the only basis on which God accepts you. Christ has given Himself to turn away the wrath of God, to take away your guilt before God. God gave Christ, and Christ gave Himself, to that end. And that work is once & done. You can’t add to this redemption price, to His propitiatory work – God is completely satisfied in the finished work of His Son. And so He is completely satisfied in you, if you are united to His Son by faith. So walk joyfully in that freedom!

God isn’t angry at you anymore. Christ has forever satisfied that just anger. God doesn’t view you in the guilt of your sin anymore. Christ has taken away that guilt. So why live like a Mormon, or a Jew, or a Muslim, laboring in absolute futility to pay off a debt of guilt you can never possibly repay? Only the Cross can take that guilt away. Rest in it, rely on it – and nothing else.

The tragic problem of human guilt that only God could solve – has been solved. Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation. Rest in that finished work; delight in that finished work; and live joyfully free – free to delight in God, free to live for Him, free to worship Him, free to serve Him, as you were meant to:  without any fear, knowing that you are accepted in His Beloved Son.

 

 

Remembering Reformation Day: A Gospel righteousness

An Exposition of Romans 3:21-23

Romans 3:21-23
21But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

If you’ve ever watched the show “Cops,” you’ve heard the catchy, reggae tune that opens the show: “Bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do? Watcha gonna do when they come for you?” And against that backdrop, you see this montage of cops taking down the bad guys. The lyrics imply the inevitable reality that the bad guys are going to get caught. It’s not, “Whatcha gonna do IF they come for you,” but “WHEN they come for you.” In Romans 1, verse 18, through chapter 3, verse 20 – we’ve been taken down by the Law of God – we are criminals on a cosmic scale – and our condemnation is inevitable.  Not only are we arrested, but we're convicted, and judged worthy by the living God of eternal condemnation. So what are you going to do, now that God, through His Law, has come for you?

Over the past multiple weeks that we’ve spent on this section, we’ve heard a lot of bad news. Now, it’s time for some really good news – the best possible news condemned criminals like us could ever hear.  You see, without all this bad news, the good news of what Christ has done for us would be reduced to nothing more than “nice news.”

God has now revealed His righteousness – a righteousness which is apart from the Law (v 21). 

God’s glorious grace shines through in just these first two words of verse 21 – “But now.”  The original word behind “now” is not the usual one found in the Greek New Testament. In this case, it’s an emphatic NOW. And it is the most fitting word for this transition. The revelation of God’s Law has dominated human history. Jews had the condemning revelation of God’s Law in Scripture; and the rest of us, through creation and conscience. But ever since human rebellion dawned with Adam & Eve, God has held forth a Word of grace promised – to those who would believe it.

The promise began in seed form, literally: God, in the hearing of Adam & Eve, declares a Word of judgment to the evil one who enticed human rebellion. But to Adam & Eve, and the following generations, it was the Word of promise: that a future Seed of the woman would eventually crush Satan’s head – Genesis 3:15. And that Seed would reverse the consequences of the rebellion that he enticed. This Seed promise develops and grows in the OT – especially with Abraham and David, as God elaborates on this promise. And under the covenant with Moses, God further illustrates – through types and shadows – how this promise would be fulfilled, especially with the emphasis of tabernacle, sacrifice and priesthood. And over the centuries, this expectation of the coming Seed is amplified through the prophets. But NOW, this slowly developing Word of grace promised for many thousands of years – has become the Word of grace fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

But what has predominated human history? That’s been Paul’s point so far: Not the Word of promise, but the revelation of the Law of God – condemning all of us – whether by conscience, or through the Scriptures. In all of human history, until the coming of Christ, only a very small group of people had exposure to this Word of promise. And among them, many didn’t believe it! But all of us have been exposed to the Word of condemnation in the Law.

“But NOW [these are two precious gospel words!] the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed.” This echoes the theme of this letter, found in chapter 1, verses 16-17: 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.”  The Son of God, sent by His Father, has brought good news into the world – good news for all the nations, for all people who are under the condemnation of God’s Law.

Now when Paul says, “apart from the law,” this is in light of the immediately previous verse: Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in [God’s] sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin. If God demands a perfect righteousness in His Law, and yet we can’t produce that righteousness by that Law – whatcha gonna do? Well, the problem is, we can’t do anything to make it right. Under the Law, we only rack up more & more guilt, with each passing moment. We are helpless, hopeless sinners – and in desperate need of some good news. We are literally at the mercy of our Maker and Judge.

And here’s the good news! There IS another righteousness, from God, apart from the Law. This is God’s method of justification for helpless rebels like us: not by the Law, which is impossible in light of our sinful condition; but apart from the Law. A righteousness which God Himself provides – it is of Him; it is from Him.

What’s more, this righteousness from God has been and continues to be witnessed by the Law and the Prophets – the entirety of the Old Testament.  Paul will prove this later in chapter four when he calls two vital witnesses from the OT – two key covenant men:  Abraham, and David. They themselves knew & believed this Word of promise, about the righteousness which is from God, through faith alone.

God has now revealed His righteousness – which is apart from the Law.

Christian, those two little words – but now – are precious words, words that you can cling to. Have you ever had those dark moments, when you even despair of whether you are really a Christian or not? Maybe you’ve done something which you just know is entirely contrary to the Law of God – and yet you did it willfully.

Or maybe you struggle with some habitual sin – whether it be lust, or bitterness, or envy, or anger. You look inside yourself – and you’re driven to despair. You see desires & thoughts which are definitely not fitting for a “Christian.” Or you realize the ugly things that you’ve said prove that your tongue is still a restless evil, full of deadly poison – as it says in James 3.

And so your conscience is flashing that red warning light: guilty, guilty, guilty. Your conscience accuses you; and sometimes – that wicked accuser of God’s people, the devil – joins the chorus of accusation: “Amen! Thus says God’s Law: guilty, guilty, guilty. Anyone who does the things you’ve done; thought the things you’ve thought; said the things you’ve said – deserves the eternal judgment of God.” Christian, can you deny that? You can’t. You must agree with that – of course it’s true: you deserve eternal judgment. So you repent of your sin, confess it to God, and claim the Cross of Christ. But you need to do a little bit more than that, and deal directly with your conscience.

You need to tell your conscience, and the devil while you’re at it – “True, anyone with thoughts, words, or deeds like mine deserves God’s eternal judgment. And I was once under the condemnation of God’s holy Law… BUT NOW, a righteousness from God is revealed apart from the Law; and I no longer stand before my heavenly Father in the guilt of my sin, but now in the righteousness of His Son. But now Christ is my righteousness; But now Christ is all my hope – but now this same Christ declares, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for this one – he belongs to Me; and My righteousness covers him.’” Christian, let Christ speak the peace of His righteousness to your conscience:  whenever you are reminded of the guilt of your sin – cling to those two little, precious Gospel words, “but now.”

God has now revealed His righteousness – a righteousness which is apart from the Law, through faith in Christ (v 22a).

So how is this righteousness from God obtained? “Through faith in Jesus Christ.” This shows us the nature of true saving faith. Notice the preposition here, “through.” This indicates that faith is an instrument, or the means by which, we receive that righteousness from God. Faith is an empty hand, which reaches out, and receives from God.

When the Bible says we’re saved by faith, or justified by faith we need to understand what that means. If a person is in a bad car accident, and presses the “On-Star” button in their car, they might later say, “That On-Star button saved my life.” But of course, the On-Star button didn’t pull the man out of the car, and administer the medical attention that saved his life. Instead, that button connected him to the people who did save his life. The same is true when we say we’re saved by faith, or justified by faith. Technically, Christ saves us; Christ is our righteousness. But the means by which we are connected to this Christ is faith.

Clearly, faith has an object – and that object is Jesus Christ. Not Jesus Christ as we imagine Him, but Jesus Christ as He is proclaimed to us in the Gospel, as revealed in the Scriptures: Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, the only Savior of sinners.

Not the Jesus of the liberals – the socially conscious political activist, whose radical teachings led to the unexpected tragedy of the Cross; not the Jesus of the moralist – who looks to Him as the supreme example of “niceness” that we should emulate. Not the Jesus of any false religions, or the cults – who distort who He truly is, and what He’s truly done; but only the Jesus of the apostolic Word – declared to us now from the entirety of God’s Word.

There is a content to our faith about a person and His work – who is the object of our faith. You must believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the only Savior of sinners; if you are to truly believe in Him, for salvation.

I remember a conversation with someone years ago; I was sharing the Gospel with him, and he wanted to let me know he had already come to faith in Christ. He was in a terrible financial crisis, didn’t see any way out of it, and so he said, “I just gave it all over to Jesus, and had a real peace in my heart.” Was that true faith? I don’t think it was – at least not the way it was described. It sounds like the person was trusting in Christ as the stress-reliever, and not necessarily Christ the only Son of God, and Savior of sinners.

God has now revealed His righteousness which we receive through faith in Christ.

Well, how much faith do you need? Do you have enough faith to save you? After all, Oprah Winfrey talks about faith. Everyone talks about the power of believing. Many people talk about faith, as though it were a kind of psychological substance, which enhances your sense of well-being. The news will often feature “human interest” stories about people overcoming obstacles – perhaps some tragic accident that left them severely injured. But through their hard work, they make a significant recovery. And many times a key feature of the story is the power of the person’s belief, or that they have “great faith” – but not in any kind of Christian sense. Now please don’t misunderstand. A good attitude in a tragic situation is vitally important. A resolve to overcome is a good thing. But that is not faith – in the biblical sense of the word.

Now we know that the Scripture teaches that faith is the gift of God; that the Holy Spirit enables us to believe; that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of the Gospel. But when do you have enough of that faith to save you?

I think often about the story in the Gospel of Mark, chapter 9. A boy is continually seized by an evil spirit; and the father in desperation brings the boy to the disciples, but they fail to cast it out. Then the father comes to Jesus. Jesus is distressed by His disciples’ utter unbelief. Yet there’s Jesus, full of grace and truth. Full of God’s power to save.

Jesus says to this father, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Do you think Jesus is looking for some kind of substance of faith in this man, to measure the quantity of it? “Sorry, you only have two ounces of faith, but you need six ounces. Can’t help you here – Next!” How does the father respond? With tears, he cries out and says: “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief.” Can you sometimes identify with this man, and his weak faith, mixed with unbelief? I know I can. But what’s the rest of the story? Here is this father with this wavering, trembling faith – but Jesus commands the spirit, and it comes out of the boy, and the boy is healed.

A weak, wavering faith: “Lord I believe; help my unbelief.” But because that faith is genuine; and looks to Jesus – who is full of grace and truth, full of God’s power to save – that weak faith is just enough to connect you to every spiritual blessing, in the heavenly places in Christ. Christ is able to save you, weak as your faith may be. Your wavering faith connects you to the almighty Son of God, and Savior of sinners – it’s not about a strong faith, but a real faith, connected to an all-powerful, merciful Savior.

God has now revealed His righteousness – a righteousness which is apart from the Law, through faith in Christ, and available to all without distinction (vv 22b-23).

This righteousness received through faith is “to all and on all who believe.” Now is Paul being redundant here? He mentions faith, and then he mentions those who believe. The Scripture is not redundant here. Two different things are emphasized. In the first case, that faith is the means by which the righteousness of God is received. In the second case, it speaks of the applied benefit of the Gospel to those who believe. The first has to do with the means, the second with the result.

That righteousness which the Law demands, and we cannot produce – God freely gives to us, and places upon us who are believing. God’s Law exposes us; God’s Word lays everything naked and bare before our holy Judge. You want a righteous covering before God now – and – when you stand before Him in the Last Day. Christ provides that very covering, to everyone who believes in Him. “Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress…” The result? “Bold shall I stand in Thy great day.” 

We see the universality of the gospel here in v 22 – to all who believe. Now I’m convinced that God’s Word teaches His sovereign, eternal choice of those He would save; I’m convinced that the design and intent of the Cross is not merely to make salvation possible, but to save a particular people – the elect.

But here God’s Word emphasizes the “everyone who believes,” like the “whosoever will” passages. And that’s how you’re to present the Gospel: Christ saves everyone who believes. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved. That’s not a disingenuous statement, nor a contradiction with God’s sovereignty in salvation. I’m telling you honestly, as a witness to this Gospel, if you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, you will be saved from the condemnation of your sins.

Paul then summarizes his entire argument from 1:18-3:20 in this brief sentence: “For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Guilt is a universal condition. And there is no “special standing for any group, in light of this reality. One commentator, Douglas Moo, put it this way: “Jews may have the law and circumcision; Americans may lay claim to a great religious heritage; ‘good’ people may point to their works of charity; but all this makes no essential difference to one’s standing before the righteous and holy God.”

But what does it mean, that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God? The result of the fact that all have sinned – is that we all fall short of God’s glory. But in what sense? Well, if we get an idea of what we’re being restored to, through the Gospel, we’ll get an idea of how it is we fall short of God’s glory as sinners. Romans 8:29-30 says, “For whom God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.” What are we predestined to? Conformity to the image of God’s Son. “Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” The unbreakable chain of our salvation, beginning with God’s eternal foreknowledge of us, and predestination of us; and culminating in eternal glorification. And that glorification will be accomplished when we are fully conformed to the holy and righteous image of God’s Son.

2 Corinthians 3:17-18 says that the process of our sanctification, of Christian growth, is one of from glory to glory: “Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

So working backwards from these verses, it appears that falling short of the glory of God, is to fall short of reflecting His righteousness in this world – as we were created to do. God’s glory was to be seen not only in His general creation – in the birds and the bees, and the flowers and the trees: but in the highest apex of His creation: men and women, bearing His holy likeness in this world, reflecting His glory.

The bad news is – you fall way short of God’s glory. The good news is – that qualifies you for His glorious grace! For the free righteousness of God, obtained by Jesus Christ, and given to all who believe in Him. Christ is the beginning and the end of your salvation. If you have faith in Christ, then you can rejoice to know that you were chosen in Him from before the foundation of the world; that the Father predestined you to be conformed to the image of His own Beloved Son; that you are justified because of His righteousness; that you are being conformed more and more to His image, as you grow in His grace. And you can look forward to the Day when you will be fully conformed to His glorious image.

 

Remembering Reformation Day: Sinners made speechless by God's Holy Law

An Exposition of Romans 3:19-20

Romans 3:19-20
19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

As a child, do you ever remember being made speechless? You were caught red-handed, doing exactly the thing you were told not to do – and any attempt to defend or justify yourself would be completely pointless. The classic situation – “Johnny, no cookies before supper.” And then Mom catches Johnny with his hand in the cookie jar. Little Johnny is defenseless, and speechless. But as adults, we become far more sophisticated in our disobedience. We would dare to defend our hand in the cookie jar. To say that mother is to blame, because she didn’t put the cookie jar on a higher shelf. That her prohibition didn’t make clear exactly which supper she meant. “I didn’t have any cookies before supper yesterday – how was I to know she meant no cookies before supper tonight? She’s at fault for her ambiguity.” We are masters of self-justification. And we demonstrate it every single day of our lives, in many different ways. But there is coming a Day when all of our defenses, all of our self-justifying sophistication, will be stripped away. When we stand before our Creator, we will be speechless, and defenseless – unless we rely on Another to be our defense, and to speak for us out of His own righteousness. 

God’s holy Law has found us out, and shut us up! (v 19)

God’s Word in vv 9-18 has established two things: first, the whole world is corrupt before God – there is none righteous, no, not one. Secondly, as God looks at us – and through us – He sees us as radically corrupt beings, with rebel hearts which produce poisonous words, and destructive deeds. So now we arrive at the summary of God’s indictment of the whole world, in verses 19-20. And this concludes this entire section of Romans, which began in chapter 1, verse 18. We have heard the exacting judgment of God’s holy Law, and now we all stand condemned.

The first part of verse 19 says: “Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law,…” The Law is a living, speaking thing, because is the Law of the living and true God. “…it says to those under the law.” And that raises the question: Who, exactly, is under the Law?  Is this a reference only to the Jews, who had the written revelation of God’s Law in the Old Testament? Well, both the immediate and the larger context make clear every human being is “under the law” – all of us. In chapter 2, verses 11-15, Paul has already established that the Gentiles, though not having the written Scriptures, nonetheless have the law written upon their hearts. Their consciences bear witness against them. 

You are a creature. You owe your existence to a good and loving Creator. You are not a product of chance processes. You were made for the pleasure and the glory of God. What’s more, you were made to reflect His holy image:  to represent, serve, and enjoy Him in His creation. But the fact is, you are a rebel. You reject the rule of your Creator. You owe Him your obedience – you are “under the law” – but you completely disobey that Law: by your contrary desires; your contrary thoughts, words, and deeds. Therefore, to be under the law is to be under its condemnation.

In historic Reformed theology, we talk about something called the covenant of works, or the covenant of life. This covenant defines the relationship Adam & Eve had with God, before their rebellion, according to the Scriptures. In this original relationship, there were blessings and obligations. This “covenant of life” is summed up in the 17th century Westminster Larger Catechism in these words (some of which I paraphrase).

“[When God created man, He placed] him in paradise, appointing him to [cultivate] it, giving him liberty to eat of the fruit of the earth; putting the creatures under his dominion, and ordaining marriage for his help; [granting] him communion with himself; instituting the Sabbath; entering into a covenant of life with him, upon condition of personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience, of which the tree of life was a pledge; and forbidding to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death.”

Well, you know the rest of the story. Adam & Eve rebelled, and as a result, we’ve inherited this mess of our own corrupt, rebellious hearts; and a fallen world to boot – characterized by sin, misery, and death. (Have a nice day!) But we need to recognize that this basic obligation to our Creator has never changed. Yes, we are born into a broken relationship with our Maker; but nonetheless, we still owe Him a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. That is what we, as creatures, owe to God. And the Law of God – written clearly enough on our hearts, and written in greater detail in the Scriptures – spells out that continuing obligation.

You remember what Paul said in Romans 2, verse 6 – that God will “render to each one according to his deeds.” And as we saw, that is not good news. We still owe our Creator complete obedience, as expressed in our deeds. But of course, that’s bad news, because we are rebels at heart. And we can’t do it. By nature, we do deeds of rebellion, not deeds of personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience. Even in our “sincere religious efforts” – everything is stained with our sin. 

So “…whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law” – for what purpose? – “that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.” Now this immediate context also proves beyond doubt, that every human being is under the law of God.  In a fallen world, in a world of rebels who reject the rule of our loving Creator, what purpose and what result does the Law serve? First and foremost, to stop all of our mouths. This is clearly courtroom imagery. The Law shows us that we are without a defense for our rebellion. Our mouths are stopped. Guilty as charged.

And this purpose – and result – of the Law has a world-wide application. That the whole world would become guilty before God, Jew and Gentile. Please notice, our collective guilt is before God, that is, in the presence of God. We need to see that our rebellion against God’s rule is not simply rule-breaking. In the confirmation hearings for Judge Alito, there was a lot of talk about what makes a good judge – that ideally, he is to be a neutral interpreter of the constitution (or at least that’s the more conservative view).

But it’s not quite like that with God as our Judge. He is not some neutral, indifferent interpreter of the Law – as though the Law were just a set of rules, outside of Himself. We have offended Him. And He’s not “neutral” about that.

This is not simply about rule-breaking. We have sinned against God as a person. His Law is a reflection of His own character; and as His image-bearers, we are supposed to reflect His character. Our sin distorts the essence of our humanity, because it violates the image of God Himself, that we were intended to display.

God’s holy Law has found us out – and shut us up. 

Christian, does God’s Law continue to have that effect with you? Do you continue to see yourself, in light of God’s holy Law, as completely without excuse in His presence?  In our worship service, every Lord’s Day, I read a summary of the Ten Commandments. I give a brief explanation of one of the commandments – to show us how we all fall short of God’s glory revealed in it; how we need Christ to take away our guilt; and to cover our shame, with His own perfect obedience to that commandment.

You see, even as Christians, this function of the Law – to show us our defenselessness before God apart from Christ, is a wonderful gift from our heavenly Father. Because it brings into clearer focus your continuing need for Christ – His Cross, and His perfect obedience. Otherwise, what begins to creep into our hearts? Inevitably, some sinister form of self-righteousness. There’s a little Pharisee in every one of our hearts. 

Church, we need to make it a regular discipline to meditate on the Ten Commandments – and how they are summed up by Jesus as a total love for God and neighbor, in Matthew 22. We need to understand how each commandment reflects the beauty and glory of God’s holiness. And we need to then let it stop our mouths, to strip us of any self-righteousness; that we would truly rely – and only rely – on Christ alone, who fulfilled all righteousness; who lived a life of perfect and beautiful obedience to God’s holy Law, on our behalf.

But while that’s a priority function of the Law in our lives – to drive us to Christ – that is not the only use God intends for His Law. We go from Law, to Gospel, yet back to the Law again. Through believing the Gospel, our hearts are filled with joyful gratitude, as Christ takes away the shame of our sin, and covers us with His righteousness. But Christ also shows us the beauty of the image of God in human form, as He walked perfectly in the commandments of God; so we desire to reflect His holy image, more and more, by His grace and the power of His Spirit, as we seek to walk in the path of these same commands. That’s what 1 John 2:6 is about, “He who says he abides in [Christ] ought himself to walk just as He walked.” As Martin Luther put it, God doesn’t expect us to walk on water; but He calls us to follow His crucified Son in the path of obedience.

So let the Law stop your mouth, that your mouth might then be filled with praise to Christ – who has taken away its curse from you; fulfilled its demands for you; shows you the beauty of its righteousness in His own life; and enables you by His Spirit, more and more, to walk in it.

God’s holy Law has found us out, and shut us up! No one will be justified by works of the Law. (v 20)

This transition word in verse 20, that the New King James has translated “therefore,” might be better translated “for.” Paul supports what he has just said about the result of the Law, that every mouth is stopped, and all the world is guilty before God – “for by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” In other words, among rebels like us, the Law will never declare us righteous; it will only declare: “Condemned! Guilty! Worthy of eternal judgment!” 

Of course, the Christian moralist has a fatal misunderstanding of God’s Law. When you ask him on what basis he expects to be accepted by God, he’ll say, “I try to keep the Ten Commandments, the Golden Rule,” or the “ethics of niceness, tolerance” – whatever. But the Law is never a cheerleader for our best efforts, our sincerity, our feigned niceness; the Law is first our accuser, showing us how far short we fall, from the glory of God’s perfect righteousness. It doesn’t cheer us on, “You’re our man – if you can’t do it, no one can!” Instead it says, “You’re a condemned man; you can’t do it, and no one can.” There is none righteous, no, not one. To seek to be justified by the Law is a futile and eternally fatal effort.

A little side note here: there are some NT commentators, who are part of a movement that has been called “the new perspective on Paul.”  They argue that the historic and reformation understanding of this expression “deeds of the law” has been misguided. They say it’s not about people trying to merit justification. Instead, the phrase relates to whether a Gentile needs to become Jewish to be part of the new people of God.

They say that when Paul says “deeds of the law,” he means the Jewish identity markers of the Mosaic covenant: that is, circumcision, Sabbath observance, dietary laws, holy days, etc. But that view, in the context of Paul’s argument here, is simply untenable. The Law here is far more than the ceremonial aspects of the Mosaic covenant.

This is the Law speaking to us as God’s morally obligated creatures. And finding us wanting in that category. The Law says, “There is none righteous, no not one.” The Law declares, “Jew and Gentile alike have no defense; the whole world is guilty before God.”   To try to insert this erroneous new perspective interpretation, would make nonsense of Paul’s line of argument. I make this side point in the interest of a little pastoral inoculation. Because you will see advocates of this perspective on the History channel and PBS programs. NT Wright is one popular advocate of this erroneous view, and even some reformed people have given him far too much of a voice in the church. Because this view ultimately destroys the heart of the gospel – justification by faith alone. So please be warned. And please let me know if you have any questions about it.

“For by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, since by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  We’ve seen the result of the Law – every mouth is silenced, all the world is guilty before God. And now we see more specifically why that is: the law relates to us as sinners, and exposes our sin – “since by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  So what does this mean?

Well it relates to the prior phrase in this way: “For by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” – and why not? – “since by the law is the knowledge of sin.” If there were such a thing as a doer of the law, he would be justified – as Romans 2:13 makes clear. But that’s just the problem: among sinners like us the law only serves to expose our sin; to enable us to see that by the works of the law absolutely no one will be justified; and so we are silenced by the law, and stand condemned before God.

God’s holy Law has found us out, and shut us up! So hear the good news of God’s gift of righteousness, through faith alone in Christ alone. 

 

Martin Luther once said, “He who knows how to distinguish Gospel from Law should thank God and know that he is a theologian.” Historic Protestant theology has always confessed that Law and Gospel, on the one hand, must always be distinguished. The most basic distinction is seen in these two things: God commanding and judging is Law; but God promising and blessing in Christ is Gospel. In Romans 1:18-3:20, Paul has been preaching Law. And he’s about to transition to preaching Gospel.

But on the other hand, we also recognize that Law & Gospel must never be separated. When we declare the Gospel, we should never declare it apart from the Law of God. And sadly today, much evangelism is characterized by a distorted gospel – because people try to declare the good news without the convicting & condemning power of God’s Law. The good news without the bad news becomes merely “isn’t-that-nice!” news.

The unbending, exacting demands of God’s Law – and its threatened eternal curse – are essential to understand your need for the Gospel. But when the Law of God is ignored in the witness of the church to the world, the Gospel is obscured. It is presented as a kind of “value-added” product. “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. You can have purpose or peace – Jesus can really enhance your life, and help you reach your full potential.” I think this explains why some have described American evangelicalism as 3,000 miles wide, and half an inch deep. We have mega-churches, we have political clout, we have a form of godliness – all without the power of the Gospel.

There was a question asked by many Puritan pastors, when they would examine someone for membership in the church: “Have you been to Sinai?” In other words, do you know something of the convicting & condemning power of God’s Law? Let’s put that question before our own consciences this morning.

Have you been to Sinai? Do you understand that your holy Creator demands of you, the creature – a personal, perfect, and perpetual obedience? That you are obligated to love the Lord your God with the entirety of your being; and you are obligated to love your neighbor as completely as you love yourself? And failing that standard, you stand condemned before your Creator, without excuse, and facing His eternal judgment? Do you know something of that reality?

 

If you don’t, then it is very likely that you do not yet understand or believe the true Gospel. The Law is holy, good, and righteous. And it serves God’s good purpose to show us our sin; to drive us to despair; to find us out and shut us up – that we would be silenced, so that we might then hear the good news of God’s gift of forgiveness & righteousness, through faith alone in Christ alone.

Christ is never so beautiful to us, then when He shines His light of grace into the darkness of our sin & guilt; when He points us to His Cross, where He has forever taken away our condemnation; when He wraps the spotless, white robe of His righteousness around us, and forever covers our shame. That is the Christ we are called to believe in, to rely on, now and always.

Hear the Law in all its condemning power; that it would silence you; that you might hear the unexpected and sweet song of the Savior, calling You to His Cross – again and again.  That He might speak for you in the Last Day, when all the world is silenced, before the face of a holy God.

 

 

Remembering Reformation Day: Sinner, how can you ever hope to stand before your holy God and Judge on the Last Day?

An Exposition of Romans 2:6-11

Romans 2:5-11 (NKJV)
⁵But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, ⁶who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: ⁷eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, ⁹tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; ¹⁰but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. ¹¹For there is no partiality with God.

“Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil.” These are the concluding words of the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. You may remember the opening words that ring as a refrain throughout the book – “Vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” So the resolution to the vanity of a practical atheism – of living as if there is no God – is to understand this ultimate truth: that we are to fear God and keep His commandments, for He will bring every work – everything we do – into judgment. The truth that God is our Judge – and will call us to account for our every deed – is foundational to reality itself. The apostle Paul appeals to this foundational reality in Romans 2:6-11. So how are we supposed to deal with this foundational reality – that we will stand before the living God, to give an account of everything we’ve ever done?

God is the impartial Judge, and will pay each of us back, exactly what we deserve, according to our works – and that’s not good news! 

First, God is the impartial Judge, vv 6 & 11. We need to notice the structure of this passage. There are parallel phrases, arranged in an inverse way. The technical term for this is called a chiasm. You’ll find it frequently in the OT, and sometimes in the NT. And so we find it here. The phrases are put in a parallel arrangement for emphasis. In this passage, verses 6 & 11 are parallel; verses 7 & 10; and verse 8 & 9. But the special emphasis here is on verses 6 & 11 – God is the impartial Judge.

Notice verse 6: God “will render to each one according to his deeds.” Paul is quoting here Psalm 62. And this phrase summarizes countless verses about God as the perfectly just Judge. He literally “pays back” exactly what is due to each person. His judgments are perfectly righteous and perfectly fitting. And when God judges us, and evaluates our works, He does so with complete knowledge – not only of every circumstance, but of the very thoughts & intentions of our hearts, which are behind everything we do.

Hebrews 4, verses 12-13, paints this less than comforting picture: “For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” So God will repay us in a perfectly just way. And that’s not good news.

Notice verse 11: “For there is no partiality with God.” We cannot claim any special status that exempts us from God’s perfect judgment. Jews can’t do so. Not even Presbyterians can do so. God judges each individual human being on his or her merits – or lack thereof. We cannot appeal to our nationality, our baptism, our circumcision, our reputation in the community, whatever we might be tempted to lean on. There are no pretensions before our Maker.

Paul will use the phrase “of the Jew first, and also of the Greek” in verse 8 and “to the Jew first and also to the Greek” in verse 9. Now this echoes the language of chapter 1, verse 16, where Paul speaks of the power of the gospel of Christ for the salvation of everyone who believes – “for the Jew first, and also for the Greek.” Just as the Jew had the Word of God which held forth the hope of the Messiah – they had the Gospel in the form of promise in the OT; so of course they also had the full revelation of God’s justice as revealed in His Law. God’s impartiality should not be news to them. But here, Paul’s point is this: God is the impartial Judge – Jew and Gentile will both be judged according to their deeds – and that’s not good news.

Second, God will pay us each back exactly what we deserve. To those who do good, eternal life – verses 7 & 10.

Notice in verse 7, eternal life is merited. By works! God pays back with eternal life, “those who by patient continuance in doing good [literally, 'in good work'] seek for glory, honor, and immortality.” To the one who has his heart set completely on doing good in the sight of God; who longs for eternal life – eternal life, which is characterized by that excellent future condition of heavenly splendor – glory!; who desires to receive the honor which is due to any who are completely obedient to God; and who seek this blessedness which is indestructible – immortality. But this eternal life – and all of its benefits – is given only to those who deserve it, according to this verse.

Notice in verse 10 – it is glory, honor, and peace that God gives to everyone who works what is good. God’s standards have never changed. In the Garden, Adam is required to obey the Lord by not eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil. And he would have been rewarded with eternal life, had he obeyed. “Blessings for obedience; curses for disobedience” is the covenant standard – and it hasn’t been set aside for some other standard. If you want eternal life, if you want heaven, if you want the blessedness of God’s eternal presence – you must produce for Him a perfect obedience. And that’s not good news.

Third, God will pay us each back exactly what we deserve. To those who do evil, rage & wrath – verses 8 & 9.

Verse 8 – to those who instead of seeking for the blessings of eternal life, are self-seeking; who refuse to obey the truth, and instead give their allegiance to unrighteousness – God will repay them with indignation and wrath. Now, wrath is God’s settled disposition against evil. When we considered this word back in chapter 1, verse 18, I emphasized that God does not fly off the handle. He doesn’t “lose it.” God’s wrath is the disclosure of His just anger against human unrighteousness and self-seeking.

But the word “indignation” is a very strong word. It can be translated “rage.” God is obviously not subject to sinful human passions. But He is just as obviously a personal being. So He is not dispassionate in the face of human evil. He is enraged by it. His anger is hot against sinners, those who rebel against Him, and despise His Law. And He will repay human rebels with exactly what we deserve.

How will God’s rage and wrath be expressed? Verse 9 – “tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil…” God will justly bring eternal tribulation upon the wicked; and their experience of it will be one of eternal anguish.

God is the impartial Judge, and will pay us each back exactly what we deserve, according to our works – and that is not good news! 

In the Gospel of Matthew 19, vv 16-22, we have Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler. This is a nice, concrete application of the theology of God’s judgment we’ve just walked through in Romans 2:6-11.

16 Now behold, one came and said to [Jesus], “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ 19 ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” 20 The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus proceeds this way with this young man? Here comes an apparently sincere seeker of eternal life. He comes, and speaks flattering words to Jesus: “Good Teacher.” Jesus rebuffs that. “Now unless you’re attributing to Me deity, unless you understand & believe that I am God in the flesh, why do you call Me good?” The way Jesus handles the young man’s question, “What good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?”, is surprising.

Jesus answers him according to his question: “…if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” What is Jesus preaching here?  Where’s the good news?  Why doesn’t He say, “Eternal life is a free gift, that you can receive by faith in Me!” Jesus is preaching the truth – the unmitigated truth of the Law of God. Do this, and you will live. “You think you’ve done it, do you? You think you’ve kept all these other commandments? Well, how about this one? Because you really don’t understand what the Law requires of you. But I know your heart, and I know that you know at least this one thing – that you are a covetous man. Go, then, and sell all that you possess…”

Jesus is preaching pure Law to this young man. This is the standard of God; if you want the blessing of eternal life, you must obey the Law of God, purely & perfectly. And Paul, in Romans 2:6-11, is doing the exact same thing. This is not good news. This is bad news. This is the standard of God’s Holy Law. He repays each of us with exactly what we deserve. If you want to enter into eternal life, you must keep the commandments of God, pure & entire.

Paul is developing an extended argument that will end up with these conclusions in chapter 3 of Romans: “There is none righteous, no not one; there is none who understands; there is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside… there is none who does good, no, not one…. Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”  The Law commands us to do, and shows us that we are undone for our failure to do.

So how’s it going for you, in your endeavor to inherit & earn eternal life? You need a record of perfect obedience to God’s revealed will in order to qualify. And God will never compromise on this requirement. His Law cannot be ignored. So what hope do you have? Absolutely none, if you only have the revelation of God’s Law. The Law has found you out. You’re not righteous; you don’t understand; you don’t seek God; you don’t do what is good. You have no excuse, no defense – you are guilty before God.

Let’s go back to the encounter Jesus has with the rich young ruler. The young man has walked away now, and Jesus turns to His disciples:

23 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God."  25 When His disciples heard it, they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who then can be saved?"  26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Finally, some good news! With us, impossible; with God – all things are possible. This is a problem that only God Himself can solve. Now, Jesus leaves it there – in this passage, He doesn’t explain exactly how God will resolve this human impossibility. He simply assures us that God is able to do so.

So we need the Gospel, don’t we? But what does the Gospel do? Does the Gospel come and set up a different standard? Is God inconsistent with Himself? Does He lower His standard of justice? Some seem to think that the Law has the standard of perfect obedience; but the Gospel is where God lowers the bar. “Look, I know you can’t live up to the standard of pure and entire obedience. So here’s the new standard: just believe. I’ll take your lesser work of faith, and reward it with eternal life.” Maybe you’ve heard the Gospel presented that way. That’s not the biblical Gospel. God will never lower His standard – we need a record of perfect obedience to enter eternal life. But there is still good news – only God can resolve the apparent impossibility of our situation.

God is the impartial Judge. He promises to give us exactly what we deserve, according to our works. So what is the resolution? Since God judges & pays back according to works, we need to rest in the good works of another – Jesus Christ. 

Do you believe in the full gospel? By that, I don’t mean the charismatic version of the so-called “full gospel,” when bodily healing or prosperity are made part of the good news – which ends up distorting the Gospel. No, do you believe the full biblical Gospel?

The Gospel is not only about the forgiveness of your sins. Now, of course that’s an indispensable & wonderful part of it. But that’s only half of the story. The forgiveness of your sins will keep you out of hell. But it won’t get you into heaven. Because heaven isn’t for the merely innocent; heaven is for the righteous.

Have you ever heard justification summarized in this way: that when I believe in Christ, God treats me “just as if I never sinned.” Again, true – but only half of the truth of justification.

The Heidelberg Catechism summarizes justification in this way: “How are you right with God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ. . . without my deserving it at all, out of sheer grace, God grants and credits to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never sinned nor been a sinner – [but listen, there’s more!] – as if I had been as perfectly obedient as Christ was obedient for me. . .”

Jesus’ record of perfect obedience merits heaven, eternal life, and every spiritual blessing for you.  And that record is credited to you, when you believe the Gospel. Jesus not only died the death that you deserved to deliver you from hell; He lived the righteous life you fail to live to bring you to heaven.  To bring through the Last Day judgment, and into the presence of God. That’s why Paul says what he does in Philippians chapter 3, verse 9. Paul wants to be found “in [Christ], not having my own righteousness which is from the law, but that which through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.” Paul wants to be found by Whom in Christ? By our holy God and Judge.

Did you ever wonder why books on living the Christian life sell so well? And did you ever wonder why last month’s bestsellers end up in the bargain section of the catalog? And the newest titles on living the Christian life take their place on the bestseller page? Why this endless, money-making cycle? I think the reason is simple: many Christians are guilt-driven folks, who are looking for some way to get better at living the Christian life – so they can really please God, and win His favor. So they can really be a “good Christian,” and not ashamed of their weak devotional lives, their credit card debt, or their difficult marriage – or whatever their particular hang up might be.

What’s the underlying cause for this? I think it’s because many Christians hear & believe only half the Gospel. You are forgiven of your sins – but the Gospel is more than that. It’s not like God wipes the slate clean – and then you fill in that blank slate with your own righteousness to win God’s favor. You are accepted in the Beloved. You are holy and blameless in His sight because of Christ. Eternal life is yours, the favor of God is yours, because of the obedience of Another – Jesus Christ. He lived the perfect Christian life for you. Heaven is smiling on you, because of the works of Another. The Father is not frowning at you, with arms crossed. His arms are open towards you, because of Christ. What are you fearing? Why are you fearing?

Listen to the words of the apostle John, in 1 John 4:15-19: “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; . . . There is no fear in love, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” 

What will sustain you in the Last Day, when you stand before your Maker & Judge? Only the love which that same God has displayed for you in the Gospel – the love with which He first loved you, in giving His Son for you – to die for you and to live for you: that you may have boldness in the Day of Judgment.

Only the promise of John 5:24, will sustain you in the Last Day, where Jesus says: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment.” Only the promise of Romans 5:8-9 will sustain you: “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.”  Justification isn’t only about your standing now before God; it’s just as much about your standing before Him in the Last Day – in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.

The foundational reality is that God is a just and impartial Judge; that He will give each person exactly what he deserves, according to his works. And Christ alone has done the works which please the Father; Christ alone has merited eternal life; and so let us be found in the Last Day, in Christ alone. As the hymn declares: “When He shall come with trumpet sound, O may I then in Him be found; dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.”  AMEN.

 

Hello!?! The Reformation still matters!

Let's play a little "free association" with an average American evangelical.  Interviewer:  "When I say 'October 31st,' what's the first thing that comes to mind?"  Bobby-the-born-again:  "Oooooooh, a wicked and dark day, a Satanic day - Halloween!  That's when I hand out gospel-tracts instead of candy to all the neighborhood kids.  And for some reason, the next day I notice my trees are full of toilet paper and my cars have been egged... which proves it's a dark and devilish day!"

Kidding aside, October 31st is known among Protestants as "Reformation Day" - because on that date in 1517, on the eve of All Saints' Day, Martin Luther nailed the "Ninety-Five Theses" to the door of the church in Wittenberg, essentially igniting the Protestant Reformation.  Of course, Pope Leo X wasn't exactly "open" to discussing the issues Luther initially raised (mainly, regarding the church's abuse of selling "indulgences" to fund the construction of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome) - and before long, Luther was excommunicated.

But the main issues that would come to the fore in the Protestant Reformation were, to simplify, two:  1) the authority question - Where do we hear God's authoritative voice today? and, 2) the salvation question - How are we, as sinful creatures, made right before our Holy Creator?  To the first question, the Protestant Reformers confessed Sola Scriptura! - the Scripture alone is where God, by the Holy Spirit, authoritatively speaks today.  To the second question, the Reformers confessed Sola Fide!  - faith alone!  That is, we are made right with God only by trusting in Jesus Christ - His Cross and the gift of His perfect righteousness - for the forgiveness of sins and for the righteousness we need to stand before God our holy judge.  Both issues are inter-related, as the matter of how we are made right with God depends ultimately on the authoritative testimony of God in His Word. 

Yet the question today seems to be, in the words of an issue of  Modern Reformation magazine, "Shall We Still Protest?"  With developments in recent years of things like Evangelicals and Catholics Together, the New Perspective on Paul, some aspects of the Federal Vision Theology, the road back to Rome that some Theonomists and evangelicals have trod, etc., it appears that either the Protestant Reformation was much ado about nothing, or else its lessons have been lost upon this generation of Protestant evangelicals. 

My conviction is, THE REFORMATION STILL MATTERS!  - not only for the well-being of today's church, but for our eternal well-being.  Because this is all about the Gospel of Jesus Christ - and whether we embrace the true apostolic Gospel leading to eternal life, or another gospel leading to our eternal condemnation. 

So, in light of the upcoming 489th anniversary of Reformation Day, I'll be posting some expositions from Paul's Epistle to the Romans - one of the principle weapons in the arsenal of Luther, Calvin, et al.  These are from sermons I've been preaching through Romans at Christ Our Hope Presbyterian Church.