Justification by Faith

facilitated by Dox

Recap:

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

Talked about hearing the Gospel until it becomes louder than the lies of the enemy.

Talked about resting in God’s righteousness, and beholding Jesus, not our failures.

Talked about walking in victory above all failure.

Matthew 7:24-25 NKJV

24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

A truly fulfilling life is only found in the Gospel.

A life beyond existence is only found in the Gospel.

We need to keep being reminded of the Word of God. We need to keep taking in manna from heaven, insights as bread, from the bread of life.

The Doctrine of Justification by Faith is the heart of the Gospel. The righteousness required for our justification is NOT a righteousness we perform. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ imputed to us by God. It is the faith of God authored in us. It is the Spirit of God poured upon us. Poured into us.

What about sanctification? It’s a vital part, but we ought to know that it is the righteousness OF GOD lived out in this reality and this existence. Sure, a lack of holiness is a lack of faith – but, again, we SHOULDN’T be pushing OUR faith, rather receiving HIS faith.

John 17:17 NIV

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

Sanctification is a manifesting process, versus an ongoing process – I believe it’s FROM His finished work.

Aspects of Sanctification:

It is not our work, but a work of God Himself, upon our lives.
The Word of God is the instrument used for our sanctification. We are sanctified by Truth. When we engage in the Word, we are sanctified – and I dare say that as we are sanctified, we are being led more into the Word.
This Truth does not only sanctify us, but it transform us. As we see more and more into who God is, our minds are renewed, and we are continually transformed by the renewing of our minds.
We are empowered by the Holy Spirit. We yield to His leading. The Spirit gives life, and the flesh profits nothing, indeed.
We are rooted in the new identity we have in Christ. It’s an identity eternally established, above anything else we ‘identify‘ as. No longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me.
And if it isn’t obvious by now, sanctification is by no means a way for us to earn salvation, but it is an effect FROM our salvation in Christ.
Sanctification is the Grace of God teaching us to say no to sin. It is a grace-fuelled obedience.

God requires perfect righteousness. And we CANNOT meet this, much less perform it!

We have the righteousness of God, much so guaranteed and purchased by Christ that we ARE the righteousness of God. Everything – faith, righteousness, salvation, LIFE – All is FROM God.

This is something that we in the body of Christ needs to get right: The Gospel reveals righteousness.

Romans 1:16-17 NKJV

16 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.

17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 3:21-22 NKJV

21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference;

Yes. It’s FROM God, it’s APART from the Law. It’s RECEIVED through faith in Christ.

The Imputation (Accounting, Accreditation) of Christ’s righteousness.

Romans 4:2-3

2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was [a]accounted to him for righteousness.”

Is faith righteousness? If so, faith becomes work. Shouldn’t be that way.

The historic and Biblical understanding is way different. Faith is not the righteousness itself but it is the instrument. It is this faith that depends on Christ, and righteousness follows. Abraham’s faith connected him to God, and God gave him the righteousness.

TO THE ONE WHO DOES NOT WORK:

Romans 4:4-5 NKJV

4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

NOW TO THE ONE WHO WORKS

Romans 4:4 NKJV

Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.

Do you want to work for righteousness? Count work as a wage in payment for a debt.

BUT (Romans 6:23) the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

So work for it in vain, but receive it through faith. Trusting God justifies the ungodly.

THE BLESSEDNESS OF IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS

Romans 4:6-8 NKJV

4 just 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;

8 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”

True righteousness is not earned but given. It was a revelation fully revealed to David, so many generations before Christ. God credits us with Christ’s righteousness, and He does not account sin. Christ’s finished work was the other way around. He BECAME our sin, that we would BECOME His righteousness.

RIGHTEOUSNESS IS THROUGH FAITH ALONE

Philippians 3:9 NKJV

9 and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

This is God’s own righteousness, revealed apart from the law.

It is not earned by works but freely given through faith.

It reflects God’s perfect standard, and it is imputed (credited) to us when we believe.

CHRIST’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

Christ is God in the flesh, and His obedience, death, and resurrection fulfilled the law perfectly.

When we believe, we are placed in Christ, and His righteousness becomes ours.

This is why Scripture says we are “made the righteousness of God in Him”

2 Corinthians 5:18-21

18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not [a]imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. 21 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Romans 5:12-19

Death in Adam, Life in Christ

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. 15 But the free gift is not like the [a]offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. 16 And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many [b]offenses resulted in justification. 17 For if by the one man’s [c]offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

18 Therefore, as through [d]one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one[e] Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. 19 For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.

We have the obedience of God.

We have the faith of Christ.

We ARE the righteousness of God.

Amen, and amen. The Lord bless us all.

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