Introduction
How can a person be put right with God? By the cross of Christ! Already we have seen that by the death of Jesus we have been reconciled to God. We were helpless, ungodly, undeserving sinners whom God regarded as his enemies because of our rebellion. We know that God loves us because Jesus died for us (Rom 5:8). His death removed the cause of the enmity between God and us - namely, our sin - so we are no longer God's enemies but have become his friends. The cross effects reconciliation. We have also seen that the cross is a ransom - the price paid to secure our release from bondage - to sin, to death, and to the devil. Because Jesus died we are saved from sin, our death sentence has been cancelled and we have been transferred from the dominion of the evil one to the kingdom of God's dear son (Col. 1:13). Reconciliation. Ransom. Today we learn a third word: justification. To be justified is to be put right with God. The Good News Bible says in Romans 5:1 -- Now that we have been put right with God (justified), we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. This morning we will understand justification a little more thoroughly.

In Romans 1 and 2, Paul describes the hopeless situation of the Gentile and Jewish world. He condemns the Gentiles or pagans in Romans 1 for their idolatry. He also condemns the nation of Israel in Romans 2 for their disobedience to God's law. He concludes in Romans 3: Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin…no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law…(vs. 9,20).

"But now…" he declares in Romans 3:21, and he changes the whole atmosphere of his letter, from the mood of dark despair, to the brightness of sunshine coming through the windows, "But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known…".

"But now…"
But now God's way of putting men right with himself has been revealed, and it has nothing to do with law (GNB). Nothing to do with obeying God's law. This is a fresh revelation, although the Old Testament testifies to it. The Law and the Prophets witness to it but only as a promise, as a shadow; fulfillment and reality came in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-3).

The righteousness of God refers to his nature as righteous, just, and holy. It also refers to his initiative in saving us. Thirdly, the righteousness of God refers to his gift of righteousness, which he graciously gives to us. To underline the divine initiative, and the graciousness of the gift, the NIV translates the phrase as, "righteousness from God." (also in Romans 1:17).

To be justified is to be put right with God (GNB). To be put right with God includes both the pronouncement of "Not Guilty!" as well as the declaration of being righteous. The verdict of acquittal as well as being given the gift of righteousness. We have a beautiful illustration from the Magandang Balita Biblia, in Galatians 2:16 and Galatians 3:24. Galatians 2:16 says - pinawalang-sala for justified; while Galatians 3:24 says - ibinilang na matuwid. Acquitted, and reckoned as righteous. Justification includes both!

Justification is more than pardon. Pardon is negative, the remission of sins, saying to the sinner: "You may go…". Justification is positive, the bestowal of a righteous status, the reinstatement in the favor and fellowship of God. It says to the sinner: "You may come…into my loving and holy presence." Justification is acquittal and the gift of righteousness!

Justification is not sanctification. To justify is to declare or pronounce righteous, not to make righteous. It is a legal term, belonging to the law courts. If ransom has to do with slave markets and reconciliation with warring factions, justification is forensic. The Judge of all the earth declares the sinner "Not Guilty!" and acquits him. This verdict is given when a person trusts Christ, but it is the same verdict that will be pronounced on Final Judgment Day.

When a person turns from sin and puts his faith in Jesus - in other words he is converted - he is also born again and is given a new heart. This new birth - or regeneration - happens at the same time as his justification but the two are not synonymous. At conversion the sinner receives not only forgiveness of his sins but also the gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). The Holy Spirit now works from within to produce progressive holiness. This is sanctification, but it is only a start. To say that justification infuses a new supernatural righteousness and makes a person righteous is to confuse justification and sanctification. This was the heart of the 16th century debate between the Roman Catholic Church and the Protestant Reformers. We learn from Martin Luther. For years Luther followed Augustine in his understanding of justification. Augustine said that the verdict of justification was the physician's pronouncement of recovery, a bill of health attesting to the patient's transformed nature. One was declared righteous, to some extent at least, by the infusion of supernatural quality. Luther eventually abandoned Augustine because in his judgment Augustine did not reach Paul. Luther persistently knocked on Paul until he began to understand "the justice of God." The justice of God is that by which the just man lives through God's gift, namely by faith (Hab 2:4). Luther abandoned Augustine's medical analogy in favor of the legal one. Righteousness is not imparted or infused but imputed. It is credited to our account, and God looks at the believer and sees the righteousness of Jesus!

Is the debate over? We are told that Roman Catholics and Lutherans no longer have a dispute over the doctrine of justification. Some years ago, they issued together a document called JDDJ - Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification. If the two sides now agree, this is wonderful! Let us study the document carefully and build bridges to our Roman Catholic friends and family.

Meanwhile, let us elucidate what Paul says in Romans 3:21-26.

The Source, the Ground, and the Means of Justification
The source of our justification is God and his grace. "We are justified freely by his grace." Grace is unmerited favor and therefore is free, but Paul does not mind being redundant - freely by God's grace. It is God the Father who has taken initiative in putting us right with himself. He is the aggrieved party, we have rebelled against him, we have chosen to go our own way, but the loving, gracious Father is the one who sent his Son into the world so that we may be justified - acquitted and declared righteous!

The ground of our justification is Christ and his cross. Paul describes in three ways what God has done for us in the cross of Christ.

First, God justifies us through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ (24b). Second, God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood (25a). Third, God did this to demonstrate his justice (25b) so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (26).

We already understand redemption. Sacrifice of atonement is better translated as "Propitiation," meaning turning away wrath by the offering of a sacrifice. The word is so important we will deal with it in another sermon.

The death of Christ is also a demonstration or public revelation. A demonstration of what? Of the justice, or righteousness of God. Justice and righteousness are two words in the Hebrew Old Testament but they are often used together, and sometimes interchangeably (tsedeq and mishpat). A good example is Amos 5:24. In the LXX - the Greek Old Testament - as well as in the New Testament there is only one word for both justice and righteousness: dikaiosune.

The cross is a demonstration not only of God's love for us (Romans 5:8) but also of his righteous and just nature. In the past, God overlooked or passed over the sins people committed. He withheld punishment. This was not because he was unjust but because he was forbearing and postponed the divine judgment that such sins provoked. The postponement waited until the coming of Christ, at which time these sins were punished in the death of his Son. This was the only way he could be just (or righteous) and simultaneously justify those who have faith in Jesus (26b). Both justice and justification would be impossible without the cross.

In the cross God takes sin seriously by punishing it. In the cross, through the sin-bearing substitutionary death of his Son, God turned away his wrath from us in such a way as to redeem and justify us, and at the same time demonstrate his justice. We stand in awe and amazement at the wisdom, love and mercy of God. We bow before him in worship.

The means of our justification is faith.

Paul stresses the necessity of faith three times: through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe (v.22); through faith in his blood (v.25); God justifies those who have faith in Jesus (v. 26). No wonder the Reformers declared, "justification by faith alone!" sola fide. The three "alones" belong together. Justification is by grace alone, Christ alone, through faith alone.

Faith is not meritorious. We cannot say to God: Because of my faith, you must save me! That would make faith a "work," which Paul is at pains to show is not the case (Ephesians 2:8,9). The value of faith lies entirely in its object: Christ. Justification by faith is another way of saying justification by Christ alone.

The good news is that God's grace has turned away his wrath, that God's Son died our death and bore our judgment, that God has mercy on the undeserving, and that there is nothing left for us to do, or even contribute. Faith's only function is to receive what grace offers.

Conclusion
Is there anyone here this morning who has no assurance of a right relationship with God? You may have no peace in your heart when you consider your relationship to God. Perhaps you do the best you can, and you consider yourself a moral person who is quite better than other people you know. You don't really know if your best is good enough to gain you acceptance with God. You know nothing or little of a conscience that has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus. You face the prospect of the Final Judgment with fear and uncertainty. My friend, this morning you can open your heart to Jesus by turning away from your self-centered life. By faith in Jesus, God will not only acquit you of guilt, but will give you the gift of righteousness. Because Jesus died for you, and you put your trust in him, God will justify you!

And for the rest of us who already know the wonderful gospel and have said yes to Jesus, thank God once more for his wonderful salvation, so full, so rich, so free! Worship him as the only one worthy of our life and devotion. To him be glory forever and ever!