Sunday,
September 1, 2013
JUSTIFICATION
AND REGENERATION
Most, if not all, of us have been
raised here in the American culture. We
have every opportunity to learn the value of hard work. Out of that background comes the statement: "In our country an individual can do
anything, if he will set his mind to it." That is a well-meaning statement, but it is a
LIE. There are some things that no man
or woman can do -- no one, ever, period.
There is not one human being in this
universe who can get rid of his sin and its consequences. He may work a lifetime attempting it, but it
will never happen. No matter how much he
pursues morality, religion, and good deeds, he will not be able to reduce his
sin debt one iota. As a matter of fact,
the longer he lives the more sins he will have to give account for. Furthermore, there is not a single human
being who can free himself from the rule of Satan, sin, and self. Though he may conquer some specific outward
behaviors, despite all his efforts, he will remain a rebel against God and a
member of Satan's army. There are no
exceptions.
While hard work may not be applauded
as much in our nation as a whole, it is still valued in Otero County. But I must say again that hard work has its
limitations. It is honorable, and in the
right context it is pleasing in the sight of God. Nevertheless, there are some things that hard
work can never accomplish. It will never
wipe out the consequences of sin nor lessen the power of sin.
This morning I want to lift up the
name of One who worked on our behalf to do what none of us could ever do. I long to glorify the One who accomplished
the ultimate work so that we could obtain the ultimate rest. Only when we understand the powerlessness of
our own labor and look to Him will we understand His words, "Come unto me,
all you who labor and are heavyladen, and I will give you rest" (Matt.
11:28). So in this short time
that we have together I want to remind you of two great accomplishments of our
Lord Jesus Christ. He did what we could
never do in a million lifetimes.
I am going to use good biblical
terms for these two great accomplishments of our Lord. If you are not familiar with these terms, I
encourage you to become familiar with them.
When we understand them, they provide us a kind of shorthand by which we
can describe a world of truth in a word.
I.
Justification
First, I want us to consider
justification. I am not going to give
you a definition immediately. Rather, we
are going to build up to what this word means.
So just hold it in the back of your mind for now and pursue the truth of
God's Word with me. Let's read from Rom.
3:10-20...
As it
is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one; 11 There is none who
understands; There is none who seeks after God. 12 They have all turned aside;
They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not
one." 13 "Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have
practiced deceit"; "The poison of asps is under their lips"; 14
"Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." 15 "Their feet
are swift to shed blood; 16 Destruction and misery are in their ways; 17 And
the way of peace they have not known." 18 "There is no fear of God
before their eyes." 19 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. 20 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 dominant theme Romans up through
3:20 is the sinfulness of man. Never has
it been declared more clearly and dramatically than in these three
chapters. Here in chapter 3, verses
10-17 is a string of Old Testament scriptures that Paul has put together to
demonstrate man's sinfulness. Notice
that he introduces it in verse 10 with the words, "As it is
written." Paul demonstrates that
there is not a righteous man on the earth.
No one seeks God. No one is good. And nowhere do we see man's corruption more
clearly than what comes out of his mouth.
Then Paul sums it all up in verse 18 with the last quotation, taken from
Ps. 36:1, "There is no fear of God before their eyes." Though a man may perform better than those
around him, the bottom line is that he lives for himself with little regard for
his Creator.
In verse 19 Paul introduces the law
of God. I want to focus on what he says
about our relation to that law in verse 20, "Therefore by the
deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight..." That is, no human being will be declared
right in God's sight on the basis of keeping God's law. You can't get right with God by keeping the
Ten Commandments. Notice the emphasis --
"no flesh." That means
absolutely no one; there are no exceptions.
Why is that true? First of all, because God is holy, righteous,
and sovereign. He is holy. That is, He stands high above every man, as
high above the most moral as above the worst criminal. That is why such an upstanding young man as
Isaiah, when he caught a glimpse of the Lord high and lifted up, said,
"Woe is me, for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I
dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips, for mine eyes have seen the
King, the Lord of hosts" (Is. 6:5).
God is not like us. He is
in a league all by Himself.
God is righteous. This truth runs throughout the Bible. It is summarized in Ps. 145:17, "The
Lord is righteous in all His ways,
gracious [KJV, "holy"] in all His works." From all eternity past the Lord has never
made one mistake, nor will He do so through all eternity future. What He does is always right, just, and fair.
God is sovereign. If you aren't familiar with that term
"sovereign," it just means that God does whatever He pleases. Ps. 115:3, "Our God is in
heaven; He does whatever He pleases."
He owns everything and everyone in this entire universe. He kills and makes alive (I Sam. 2:6). Listen to Is. 45:5-7, "I am
the LORD, and there is no other; There is no God besides Me. I will gird you,
though you have not known Me, 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun
to its setting That there is none besides Me. I am the LORD, and there is no
other; 7 I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create
calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things." Think of all the powerful nations of the
world. Combine all their great
power. But all the nations are like a
drop in the bucket in comparison with Him.
Yes, "all the nations before Him are as nothing" (Is.
40:15,17). God is over all and
always will be. No one can stand against
Him.
That holy, righteous, and sovereign
God has a law. Ps. 19:137, "Righteous
are You, O Lord, and upright are Your judgments." In other words, not only is the Lord
righteous, but so is the law of the Lord.
Psalm 19 tells us that the law of the Lord is perfect; the testimony of
the Lord is sure; the statutes of the Lord are right; the commandment of the
Lord is pure; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether (Ps.
119:7-9). Paul tells us that "the
law is holy and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom.
7:12).
So why is this so important? Why do I spend so much time emphasizing that
God and His law are holy and good?
Because we will never see ourselves accurately until we see God for who
He is. The reason people, especially
people in this culture, have such a high opinion of themselves is because they
have such a low view of God. We will
never see the sinfulness of sin until we see the holiness of God. God is so holy that He can have absolutely
nothing to do with sin. That is why
Uzzah died when he reached out to steady the ark. That is why the High Priest dared not enter
into the Holy of Holies at any time except the Day of Atonement, and even then
he had to be careful to take in blood for his own sins and the sins of the
people. God is holy and He hates sin. You may not like it, but the Bible says that
He also hates the sinner (Ps. 5:5; 11:5; Lev. 20:23; Prov. 6:16-19; Hos.
9:15). God doesn't punish sin; He
punishes sinners.
Now come back to Rom. 3:20. No person will be justified before God by
keeping the law. Why not? Because God's law is perfect and holy,
reflecting the perfection and righteousness of a holy God. Man has not kept God's holy law. Instead, we have trampled on it. We have rebelled against God's law and
against God. Even when we tried to keep
it, we were not able. Even if we had
done well and failed only one time, we would still be guilty, for James says,
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he
is guilty of all" (James 2:10). No matter how long and hard we strive to keep
God's law, we can never do it perfectly.
Thus Paul says in Gal. 3:10, "For as many as are
of the works of the law are under a curse..." The one who is relying on obedience to the
law as a way to be right with God is cursed.
Why? Paul tells us: "For it is written, 'Cursed is everyone
who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law,
to do them." It's because no one
can keep all the law all the time without fail.
No one will be declared right before God on the basis of his obedience
to the law.
Instead of justifying us, the law
condemns us. In II Cor. 3 Paul refers to
the Ten Commandments "the ministry of death" and "the ministry
of condemnation" (II Cor. 3:7,9). But I thought Paul said the law was
holy and the commandment holy, just, and good.
The law isn't evil, but we are.
That is why the law condemns us and sentences us to death. "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom.
6:23). We came into this world
dead in our trespasses and sins (Eph. 2:1); someday soon we will die
physically; and it no remedy is found we will die eternally, experiencing
eternal torment in the lake of fire. And
no matter how we may cling to the law, it can't do a thing to short circuit the
sentence it pronounces upon us.
Praise God that isn't the end of the
story. Gal. 3:24, "Therefore
the law was our tutor to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith." The law condemns us, but God
turns even that into good news. It isn't
until we understand our condemnation that we will look for a Savior. It is the lack of desperation as a result of
seeing this condemnation that leads so many in our society to profess Christ,
though there is no life within. And
tragically, they will hear Jesus say, "I never knew you; depart from Me,
you who practice lawlessness" (Matt. 7:23). The law leads us to Christ by showing
us that we are filthy sinners, outright rebels against a holy God, pointing out
that we in ourselves have absolutely no hope.
It is in this state of hopelessness that we cry out, "O God, what
can be done? I desperately need a
Savior."
Praise God the Savior is
available! "For He [God] made Him
who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him" (II Cor. 5:21). There is
One and only One who lived up to the law of God. Jesus not only kept the outward commands, but
He filled up the commandments completely.
Not only did He not commit murder, but He didn't hate His brother
without cause. Not only did He not
commit adultery, but He never lusted after a woman in His heart. He deserved nothing but congratulations and
praise from His Father. But listen to I
John 4:10, "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He
loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." "Propitiation" is a big word, but
it has a simple meaning -- a wrath-bearing sacrifice. Jesus took on Himself the wrath of God so
that we might go free.
So how do we get this righteousness
of God? There is only one way -- by
faith. "For by grace you have been
saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of
works, lest anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9). We see that grace in God sending His
Son to bear the wrath for us. Our only
part is faith. All we can do is forsake
all our own labor and trust completely what Jesus did in His death and
resurrection. How much of that grace did
it take to save you in relation to others?
I once had a woman tell me about a specific criminal, "That man has
done such evil that I don't believe God can save him." She has every reason to fear for her own
soul, because if God can't save that man, then He can't save her or me or
anyone else. We have absolutely no
goodness in ourselves. To admit that
from the depth of our heart is the very essence of repentance. And if I have no goodness, then I must trust
the work of the Lord Jesus.
That is justification. It includes forgiveness of sins, but it goes
beyond that. Jesus Christ becomes our
righteousness; His righteousness becomes ours.
And the only way to receive it is through faith. It can never be faith plus anything; it must
be faith alone. And that is far more
than just head belief; it is a total casting of self upon the Lord Jesus. Paul sums up the effect of justification in Rom.
5:1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
We were His enemies, but now through faith we have peace with Him; we
have been reconciled to Him.
II.
Regeneration
Justification is a beautiful
biblical truth. It is something to get
excited about. We might think -- after
considering justification, what else is there?
Doesn't that tell the whole story?
As great as it is to be justified before God, that isn't the end. The work of our Lord Jesus includes far
more. As great as it is to be declared
righteous before God through faith, Jesus' death and resurrection bought
something else just as precious.
Let me put it like this: Is it enough to be declared righteous before
God and no longer have to face the consequences of sin? Too often we are given the impression that
the child of God has nothing more than a free ticket to heaven. Have you ever seen the bumper sticker: "Christians aren't perfect, just
forgiven"? What do you think of
it? It's a lie, because a half-truth is
still a lie. It is true that Christians
aren't perfect in the way they live, but it is not true that they are just forgiven. What that bumper sticker implies is that the
Christian is just like everyone else, except his sins are forgiven. Many people actually believe that; many
others live as if it were true.
Let me just set this truth before
you in a very blunt statement:
"Whenever God justifies a person, He also regenerates that person." That is, when God declares a person to be
right with Him, He also gives that person new life. The two can never be separated.
Though the term
"regeneration" [paliggenesia] is used only
twice in the New Testament (many translations render it in other words in Matt.
19:28), the concept is prominent. It
simply speaks of new life. Most of you
will be most familiar with the concept as found in John 3, where Jesus is
approached by a leading Pharisee named Nicodemus. Let's read it again in John 3:1-8...
There
was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man
came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a
teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is
with him." 3 Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say
to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." 4
Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter
a second time into his mother's womb and be born?" 5 Jesus answered,
"Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit,
he cannot enter the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh,
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Do not marvel that I said to
you, 'You must be born again.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear
the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is
everyone who is born of the Spirit."
Jesus made it absolutely clear that
being born again is a non-negotiable requirement for entering the kingdom of
God. Apart from regeneration, the
obtaining of new life, there can be no hope of eternity in the Lord's
presence. Of course, this truth is
magnified by the character of the man who came to Jesus. Nicodemus was not just any man. If there was ever a man who could make it to
heaven on his own, it was Nicodemus. He
was a very moral man, doing his very best to keep God's commandments. He was a religious man, a ruler of the
Jews. He was a Pharisee. In the eyes of the Jewish nation, the
Pharisees were the cream of the crop. He
knew the scriptures inside and out; he prayed; he kept the sabbath and all the
rest. But Jesus said that unless he was
born of the Spirit, he would never enter the kingdom.
So how is a person born again? How is a person born the first time, of the
flesh? Well, a man and a woman get
together and... Wrong answer -- it is by
a miracle of God. A man and a woman can
do whatever they want, but if God doesn't make it happen, there will be no
child. So it is with being born of the
Spirit. How is a person born again? By a miracle of God. Only God can give new life. Only God can take a person who is dead in
trespasses and sins and bring him to life.
Unless He does, that person will remain dead.
Peter talks about this
regeneration: "Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has
begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead" (I Pet. 1:3). If we
weren't concerned about proper English, we might say, "God born us again
through the resurrection of Jesus Christ."
He gave us the new birth. The
result is what we read in Eph. 2:10, "For we are His
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works..." We have been re-created in Christ. Paul combines these ideas of justification
and regeneration in Tit. 3:4-7...
But
when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved
us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the
Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our
Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should
become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Someone might ask, "So how does
a person become born again? What is
necessary for regeneration? And how does
it relate to justification?" People
disagree on the details. I believe that
God gives this new life, and then as a result we repent and believe and are
declared righteous before God. In other
words, I don't do anything to be born again.
Others believe that it is when you repent and believe that you are born
again. Let me put it simply: Some believe that being born again is a
result of repentance and faith, while I and others believe that repentance and
faith are the result of being born again.
So let's get that difference behind
us. What we must agree upon is that justification
cannot be separated from regeneration.
In other words, when God declares a man right with Himself, He also
changes that person from the inside out by giving him new life. You can't have one without the other. That is wonderful news. Christians are not just forgiven; they are
changed. They are new creations in Jesus
Christ, for "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have
passed away; behold, all things have become new" (II Cor. 5:17). Jesus said being born of the Spirit can be
illustrated by the wind. By the way, in
the Greek language the same word means "wind" and
"spirit." You can't see the
wind. You don't know where it comes from
or where it goes. Nevertheless. you know
it's real, because you hear the sound of it.
You see the evidence of it. So it
is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.
The new birth is mysterious in that you cannot see it happen and you
can't adequately explain it, but you can certainly see the evidence of it. Just as surely as Mom goes to the hospital as
one and comes back as two, so the miraculous new birth results in a changed
life. The newborn baby and little child
may have health issues and struggle at times, but he is certainly alive. So the one who is born again may have issues
and struggles, but praise God, there is spiritual life that cannot be denied.
Let me be blunt: No one becomes a true child of God apart from
this new life. One can say a prayer,
confessing his trust in Christ, but unless God gives him life, he is still lost
and apart from God. You can be baptized
and be a part of a church, but unless you have been born of the Spirit, you are
dead in your sins and have no hope. You
may profess Christ for 40, 50, 70 years, but unless you have been born again,
you will never see the kingdom of God.
Being born again does not equal professing Christ, because there are
millions who claim Him as Lord but have never been born of the Spirit. Jesus didn't say that a few will claim Jesus
as Lord and be turned away in the last day.
No, He said He will have to say "I never knew you, depart from
me" to many.
Conclusion
One writer (Albert N. Martin in
"A Bad Record and a Bad Heart") puts in simple but understandable
terms. Every human being has a bad
record. His sins are recorded and stand
against him in the court of the just and holy God. He needs someone to set the record straight
for him. If not, he will have to serve
his sentence, and that sentence is death, even eternal punishment. The good news is that Jesus came and died in
the sinner's place, so that his record is now clean. That is justification.
Not only does every person have a
bad record, but everyone also has a bad heart.
Jer. 17:9, "The heart is deceitful above all things and
desperately wicked; who can know it?"
It isn't just the record in heaven that plagues him, but it is also his
life on earth. Jesus put it even more
dramatically in Mark 7:21-23, "For from within, out of the heart of men,
proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 "thefts,
covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride,
foolishness. 23 "All these evil things come from within and defile a
man."
So the question is this: Will God forgive a man his sins and then
welcome him into heaven, even though he has wicked and deceitful heart? To put it another way, will God forgive a
woman and not change her? Will the God
who cannot tolerate even the slightest sin in His presence fix the bad record
and not cleanse the evil heart?
Let me put it to you in still
another way. When God justifies us
through faith, forgiving us of our sin and declaring us to be righteous, He
delivers us from penalty of sin. Since
we no longer have a record as a spiritual rebel, God is not obligated to send
us to hell. He sent His Son to pay the
penalty for us. That is why He can
forgive us our sins and remain perfectly righteous and just. So He delivers us from the penalty of
sin. But is that all He does? No.
When God saves us, He also delivers us from the power of sin. Before we receive the new life of Christ, we
are slaves to sin. We may do what we
consider good deeds, but we are like a dog on a leash, and when Satan yanks on
the chain, we must respond. Praise God
that in Christ He sets us free from that power.
The chain of slavery is broken and we are free to walk in newness of
life. We don't have to sin any
more. This process is called
sanctification, and it is possible because we now have the life of Christ. That doesn't mean that the believer never
sins, but it does mean that sin is no longer a way of life. Things are not like they were before. The day will come when God will set everyone
of His children free even from the presence of sin, but that won't happen until
Jesus comes back again. That is
glorification.
Praise God that the one who has been
declared righteous has been born of the Spirit and will one day see Jesus face
to face.
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