Romans
3:20-25 #1,193
"GUILTY
OR RIGHTEOUS?"
1. No Difference -- All Sin
/ All are Justified by Jesus' Sacrifice
2. A Life & Death
Difference -- Faith Lives Forever / Unbelief Dies sin's Death
Dear imperfect yet faithful
followers of Christ,
Pride personally
believes & even publicly boasts this Bible study will be very good because
I did it myself. Pride tells me my
preaching is superior, my message more beneficial than my brothers’ words. Selfishness plays favorites among my members,
always apparently agreeing with gift-givers.
Envy, anger, accusations, resentment, slander supposedly hidden in humor,
laziness … not one of these attributes is in our job description, yet this is
what I see when I look in the mirror.
This is what I see when I look at my peers in these pews.
A perfect
pastor? Not I. Nor you.
God’s law inscribed in my heart tells me my actions are too often unacceptable
& my attitude too far from what God wants it to be. Honest, conscience- listening souls confess,
"I do not meet my Creator's expectations … someday I will suffer for my
mistakes."
Studying
Scripture for a living -- the Scriptures where God recorded his law to clarify my
conscience – awareness of my imperfection increases. I am constantly compelled to confess, "I
have sinned against the Lord. I frequently
fail to do what God demands. I repeatedly
do what God prohibits." Our Lord’s
law exacts an honest admission: "My
thoughts, words, actions are imperfect.
I have sinned against the Lord. I
deserve eternal death.”
Paul
rightly writes, "No one will [ever] be declared righteous in God's sight by
observing the law." Paul
correctly declares, "through the Lord’s law we become conscious of sin," sin
I am unable to ignore or believably deny.
Instinctively, silently if not openly, every soul agrees, "If
I claim to be without sin, I deceive myself & the truth is not in me."[1 JN 1]
No doubt
about it: I have sinned! You, whoever you are, have sinned! The question is: "What will I do about my sin?" More accurately -- as Luther learned to ask
after God taught him to stop relying upon human opinion & simply listen as God
speaks in Scripture -- the critical question is: "What has the Lord already done about my
sin?" Fortunately, God has good
news I need to hear whenever I question my guilt or righteousness. God's eternal truth of sin & salvation,
God's fixed fact regarding righteousness required for entering into heaven – reality
rediscovered during Luther’s Reformation – applicable to everyone, is penned by
Paul: "There is no
difference" -- "All
sin; all are justified" by Jesus' sacrifice. What a wonderful truth to tell every soul we
will ever meet in this world: Every
individual’s every sin has already been redeemed! Unfortunately, not every individual will be
saved, we would also understand, as Paul pinpoints a life & death
difference: Faith lives; unbelief dies
-- Faith lives forever; unbelief dies sin's eternal death.
Knowing "there
is no difference…" I know two truths about every relative, friend
or stranger who walks into my life. Young
or old, single or married, male or female, I am certain this person “has
sinned & fallen short of the glory of God;” secondly, I am equally
certain this soul “is justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that came by
Christ Jesus.”
If I meet a
man like Cain who killed his brother Abel -- if I had run into Tyler Peterson
before he recently gunned down six people in
“There is
no differenc, qll have sinned.” If I meet a
business-lady like Lydia who opens her home to house the Lord’s missionaries as
the Holy Spirit opens her heart to Jesus’ gospel promises in Philippi or meet an
unselfish seamstress like Dorcas who busy herself making clothes for the poor…If
I meet a humble lady like Jesus’ mother Mary who trusts the Lord to fulfil apparently
impossible promises or a lady like Mary Magdalene who rejoices that Jesus does
not condemn & avoid her because of her publicly sinful life…If I encounter
an embezzler like Judas or run into a reformed thief like Zaccheus… If I meet a
wise man like Solomon, a faithful individual like Abraham or a righteous soul
like Noah, I know without a doubt I am talking to a sinner.
If a
relative is despised & rejected by people in this world, or if a friend is
adored, envied & imitated by everyone they know, this person is a sinner
who, on his own, will end up outside of heaven.
The fact remains: “All
have sinned & fall short of the glory of God.” If the most perfect person you know in this
world were to try lifting himself into God’s heavenly glory, he or she would be
as successful as if John Glenn had tried climbing an extension ladder all the
way up into outer space.
“All have
sinned…all fall short of the glory of God.” Paul’s news is undeniably bad for me, for
you; for everyone we meet. I have sinned
-- a little or a lot, in attitude & in actions. I deserve to burn with the devil in hell’s
unquenchable fires. Yes, I have actually
earned eternal death.
Conversely,
turning the tables by supplanting my sinful helplessness with his irrepressibly
powerful righteousness, God goes on to reveal good news -- a second truth I
will certainly want to know about myself & every soul I ever encounter: “All are justified freely by God’s grace
through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Who can comprehend such a precious
picture? Complete redemption -- totally
free redemption – is ours as Paul explains:
‘God presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his
blood.’
How would Jesus
redeem all sins when, ‘The wages of sin is death?’ [ROM 6] Jesus pays sin’s price when he willingly
suffers & dies as a Substitute for every sinner on a cross at
Beginning
to end, Scripture stresses this critical truth: “Jesus, the Son of Man came to
give his life as a ransom for many, [for me]."[MK 10] Learning God’s plan, we rejoice: “Our great God & Savior, Jesus Christ,
gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness!”[TT 2] Understanding the unlimited scope of God’s
plan, we tell every relative, friend; every stranger we meet: “Not with perishable things such as silver
or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, you were redeemed from your
sinful way of life.”[1 PT 1]
With Jesus’
redemption in place, God proceeds with our justification. Because Jesus paid sin’s ransom price of
death – on
Every sin
is already redeemed – my salvation is already won! Listen to God’s Word & learn our Lord’s
critical truth: I am a sinner, but God
simply, lovingly declares me righteous in Christ! Learning God’s truth, share God’s unchanging announcement
of righteousness with everyone, for there is no difference -- every sin is
already redeemed – every sinner already justified!
Unfortunately,
while every sin is redeemed, not every sinner will be saved! Referring to the fact “righteousness from God comes
through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe,” recalling the truth “God
presented Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood,” emphasizing “a man is justified by faith,” Paul points out a life-or-death difference: Faith lives, faith will live forever; but
unbelief dies, unbelief will suffer sin’s eternal death.
“Why will
some people suffer sin’s eternal death if Jesus already redeemed their sins?”
logic asks as I realize Jesus’ sacrifice paid the price of every sin. Why might a person starve to death,
apparently too poor to purchase food, if a friend freely deposited thousands of
dollars into his bank account? Why might
this man starve? Maybe no one told him
his friend put money into his account. If
no one tells me Jesus paid for my sins, I will never apply his forgiveness but
will stand before God to be judged & condemned by my own sinful
actions. Maybe, when a friend tells him
money was put into his account, a starving person refuses to believe anyone
would offer such a gift, so he never cashes a check, never makes a withdrawal. If I do not believe God’s Son willingly died
for my sins, I will never ‘cash in’ on his forgiveness.
“Whoever
does not believe [God’s good
news about Jesus our Savior] will be
condemned,”[JN 3 / MK 16] God’s Word warns us again &
again, for “A man is justified by faith -- a man is justified by faith apart from
observing the law.” Please notice, God does not declare me
righteous nor judge me forgiven because of my actions. Our Lord’s law
never saves me, but simply shows me my sin, shows my need for a Savior because
on my own I fall short of God’s glory.
God’s good news about Jesus’ redeeming, atoning sacrifice delivers
forgiveness – “righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ…faith in
his redeeming blood.” God’s gospel shows me my Savior.
Look at
Judas betraying Jesus; look at Peter denying Jesus. Both Judas & Peter sin. Both earn eternal death. But when Peter recognizes his sin, repents
& relies upon Jesus’ forgiveness, he weeps tears of sorrow & trusts his
Savior’s death the very next day will pay the price of Peter’s sin. Judas also admits his sin, but despairs, not
believing anybody could or would be able to remove his guilt. Hanging himself in hopelessness, in unbelief,
Judas will not be there at Peter’s side to welcome us when we forgiven sinners
are ushered into heaven. Look at king
Saul, king David & king Solomon. All
sin, all are justified. Saul rejects
God’s promises, puts himself to death. David
repents, rejoices in Jesus’ promised redemption. Solomon…??
Select any
soul from the Scriptures (Cain, Noah, Abraham, Mary, Paul, Lydia) -- pick any
person from your relatives, friends or strangers we meet in this world --
select yourself & know there is no difference: All sin, all fall short of God’s glory
on our own, yet we all are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that
came by Christ Jesus…through faith in his blood.” Now, noticing this life-or-death difference –
faith lives; unbelief dies – now faithfully believe Jesus has redeemed your
sins. You are saved!
Amen.
Eastern
Conference
Reformation
/ End Times - 1