The Gospel of Grace and Justification
Book of Romans Chapter 4 through Chapter 5
Here are a few especially important things we need to know in our relationship with our Heavenly Father.
1) We can never be "Justified" by our works!
Without the Holy Spirit abiding within us, we are still lost!
Gal 3:2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
What does the Holy Spirit do for us?
The Holy Spirit does His work through a twofold ministry in our lives.
A) He will work on Christ’s behalf, through our witness, to bring conviction to those not yet in Christ (John 16:7-11).
B) He will also minister to us as the teacher of our spirits to guide us into all truth (John 16:13; 14:17, 26; 15:26).
2) Faith is the key to our relationship with the Almighty God!
Gal 3:6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
3) Those who try to keep the Law must keep all of those Old Laws, which are impossible!
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
Gal 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
4) It is the same for all races and all cultures of people!
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
5) The promises of the Lord Jesus Christ come only by "Faith"!
Gal 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
6) Those old laws were given to all the world to teach us how to live!
Gal 3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
It is by "faith" in the Works of Jesus Christ for our salvation that we receive the Holy Spirit.
7) Once the Holy Spirit moves in, He will never move back out!
There are so many who believe we have to work our way into Heaven.
In a sense work gets us to Heaven, but it is not any work that we have to do! Jesus Christ has done all the work that was required for us!
What does Jesus say? What work does our Heavenly Father accept?
Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, "that ye believe on him whom he hath sent".
Joh 6:38 "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me".
Joh 6:39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.
*****Rom 4:18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.
Rom 4:19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara's womb:
Rom 4:20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Rom 4:21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
Rom 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Rom 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;
Rom 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Rom 4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
God has given us the fitting example of Abraham to teach us about "faith".
Against all probability, Abraham believed in the promises of God!
Our "faith" must be in the things that the God has spoken!
Our "hope" lies in the promises of God!
Abraham had nothing to give to God but these two things and this is why it is called "Grace".
You see, we must be fully persuaded that what God promises, He is also able to deliver.
No one can stand before our Holy God who is not righteous, and it is these things that bring to us righteousness enough to stand before God and not perish!
Our "faith" must be in the work that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for our own righteousness. Why?
We must believe that God sent His only Son who was delivered for our offences (our sin) and raised by God for our "justification".
Therefore peace with our Holy God comes by "faith" in the things He sent His Son to do for us!
Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
All God ask from us, is to believe in what He has done for us!
Now God has done all these things it is time for all humans to show "faith" or to reject these things in a lack of "faith"!
A notable example given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ from the New Testament:
Luk 18:10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
Luk 18:11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
Luk 18:12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
Luk 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
Luk 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The truth is, most all the world has turned their back on God and seek a path to salvation that will never be true, because we cannot choose our own path to Heaven!
It is by "Faith" that we are "Justified"!
It is by "Faith" that we can be at peace with God!
It is by "Faith" that we have access to God's "Grace", God's favor, and welcomed into the presence of God!
It is by "Faith" whereas we find hope for the Glory of God!
We can have peace with God because He has nothing to be held against us throughout the remainder of our lifetime on earth and we will spend eternity with Him in His house.
The Lord Jesus Christ was our "Substitute" in making payment for our sin.
God our Father was satisfied with the sacrifice (payment) of His dear Son.
God the Father is forever satisfied that our sin debt was paid, and He will never bring it up again, nor will He ever judge us again.
We will never be a part of God's "wrath"!
We will one day be a part of God's Glory!
These are all things we can know in this lifetime!
We should also know that this world will now hate us!
*****Rom 5:3 And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;
Rom 5:4 And patience, experience; and experience, hope:
Rom 5:5 And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
We cannot allow the trials and tribulations of this world to destroy us. We now have a renewed strength because we are at peace with God!
We do not have to live in despair and hopelessness.
We can in fact, learn from all these things and become stronger because our strength is now in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
You see the Holy Spirit who lives within each child of God will stand up to all trials and temptations and all we need do is listen to Him!
You see, we are now able to defeat all things that come against us!
Rom_8:37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
Because of this we can have patience in the trials of this life and there will be no trials in our glorious life.
When we endure the trials of this life, and there will be many, we come out stronger and better able to stand against any future trials in this life.
This is where we stand in these last days!
Luk 21:17 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake.
Luk 21:18 But there shall not an hair of your head perish.
Luk 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls.
It is in these things that we will be able to see these last days approaching, which, we are now in!
The Lord says we are on the winning side, and we can in our "Faith" know that this is true!
When we lean on the Holy Spirit who lives within us, He will hold us up!
As long as we have this "hope" in the truth of God, we will never be ashamed of our Savior who will never disappoint us.
It is in our strength in Jesus that the world will see, and it is this strength, His Strength, that we are better able to cope in this wicked and hopeless world!
1Jn 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
1Jn 2:29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him.
It is by the Holy Spirit, who lives within us, that we can feel the "Love" of God!
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
There is great peace that comes by the awesome love of God!
*****Rom 5:6 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
Rom 5:7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.
God knew that there would never be a human capable of being pure enough to be sacrificed for sin and God hated the fact that so many of false worship would attempt to sacrifice humans and most all of them were babies.
The false gods Chemosh and Moloch, sometime called Baal-Peor or Baal-Zebub, required human sacrifice and God hated these things done to the innocent, but even babies are not pure enough to be a payment for sin.
Every nation on earth is still sacrificing babies today calling it women's rights.
The only sacrifice that God would ever accept was His own, the sacrifice of Himself!
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, My son, "God will provide himself a lamb" for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.
We were an ungodly people, yet a Holy God left the portals of Heaven, came, and lived as a human, but a sin free human, and sacrificed Himself so that we can be saved.
God is perfect, all humans carry the sin nature of Adam, it was the only choice that could be made, and it was made.
There are a few fathers who would die for their children but few, especially in today's world, but because of His great love for us the living God gave Himself so that we might live.
As farfetched as this sounds it is still the truth!
The Lord Jesus Christ died for our benefit.
He died for our sake!
He died in our behalf!
Since God cannot die or He would not be God, then He poured Himself into a body of flesh that could die, and we call Him Lord Jesus!
2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
2Co 5:16 Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
What is a ransom? The price that is paid to recover a person from someone who is detaining them.
It was Satan who required a perfect human for sacrifice and since there are none, we each became our own sacrifice, but this brought eternal death!
God knew this and therefore sacrificed Himself.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
What is a propitiation? Propitiation is to restore or to reconcile our friendship once again to our Heavenly Father!
Jesus Christ is represented as the propitiatory sacrifice for the sin of the world!
His blood alone atones for and covers our guilt!
This is the thing we could never do for ourselves and why no one is ever good enough to be a sacrifice for our sin.
1Jn 2:1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
1Jn 2:2 And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.
I pity those who reject these things because these things are the real truth!
Jesus Christ died for me because there was no man who would die for me.
I had no value.
I had no goodness.
I was opposed to God.
But God loved me enough to save me!
*****Rom 5:8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
Rom 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
How did God prove He loves us? God did not wait till we made a commitment to provide our means of salvation!
The sovereign Creator of all we see and all we cannot see came to this earth and took the form of a human and died in our place!
This is unbelievable love that you cannot find on this earth.
How many of us would willingly give up our sons to save somebody we do not even know? I dare say not any.
God gave His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ to save worthless, useless, rebellious, sinners who could not save themselves at any cost!
The God of all creation died in a humiliating manner that we might have the opportunity to live forever with Him!
The wrath of God was reserved for all those who had rejected Him, yet He still chose to offer eternal life!
This is something God will never forget and all those who have rejected the truth of the Lord Jesus Christ will certainly see His wrath even more so for not believing the truth of Jesus Christ.
We have already read that even though so many know these truths, they have still intentionally chosen to rebel against our Almighty God.
It is no wonder they are said to be fools!
God has proven His love yet most of this world has shown no respect for that love.
Joh 15:12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
Joh 15:13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Joh 15:14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.
Joh 15:15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
We see truly little love left in this world!
We see very few who really want to hear the truth!
2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
1Ti 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
People ask, just what are we saved from?
1) We are saved from the destruction that we cause ourselves, yes.
2) We are saved from a place called Hell, yes.
3) We are saved from a dying world, yes.
4) Greatest of all, we are saved from the wrath of an angry God, who did not want to show His angry side!
It is the work that the Lord Jesus Christ did willingly to save us that has allowed us to miss seeing the wrath of God!
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
We who were once enemies are now in the family of God!
*****Rom 5:10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
That word reconciled means becoming friends after a state of disagreement and enemies of our Creator.
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
There is great peace that comes when you know you are no longer an enemy of God!
When we live for ourselves, we become enemies of God!
When we oppose our God, we become His enemy!
As long as we reject our Savior, we are promoting evil in this ungodly world!
If you are not on the Lord's side, you are certainly on Satan's side!
Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.
Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.
Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.
How are we reconciled to God?
God has accepted the death of His Son in our place.
God has accepted that His Son Jesus has borne all our sin from the time of Adam until the end of the Church Age.
God has accepted the condemnation of His Son as the condemnation of all humanity.
Sin we are made free from sin by the work of the Lord we are also made free from the punishment of sin.
It is God who has provided this reconciliation!
It is God who reached out to us!
All we need do is receive these free gifts of a Holy God who cannot become unholy.
What is the atonement?
*****Rom 5:11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
It is by the Lord Jesus Christ that we now have hope that there is something more than this short span we call life.
How can we look at our world and all the life that is in it and think that there is not something more even after our death?
You see, we can have that joy in this life knowing that there is much more to life than what we see in this life.
There is so much more that comes by a life in Christ Jesus.
We can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God!
We can rejoice in the midst of the tribulations of this world knowing that there are greater things to come after this life.
We can rejoice knowing that we are loved by our Sovereign God who watches over us as His own dear children.
We had no strength in ourselves to provide these things, but God does!
We can now be at peace with God knowing we have been forgiven!
Rom 11:15 For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Our sentence was death, but God has given us new life and life eternal.
He has also given us a work to do ourselves with His help because we are not remade, but made a new person (Born Again).
2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
The truth of God will awaken a new life within us that should show on our outer being.
What is real love? It is Jesus Christ!
Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.
Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Amen
