Message 5 - By Jerry D. Green
The
Justice of God
Introduction
The righteousness
of God as revealed in the gospel (Romans 1:17) may be more readily
understood if we substitute the word justice
for the word righteousness. It’s very true that in the gospel, the
righteousness of God is revealed. But for some, and for this message, the
word righteousness may not quite
convey to today’s English speakers, what is actually meant in this verse of
scripture. The word justice, as used in a court of law, more accurately portrays the
intent of the writer than does the word righteousness. Hopefully this little note will help the
reader to better understand the message.
(The Greek word that was translated righteousness
in Romans 1:17 is Strong’s #1343, of which Thayer’s Lexicon says
this:
1343 dikaiosune-
1) in a broad
sense: state of him who is as he ought to be, righteousness, the condition
acceptable to God
a) the doctrine
concerning the way in which man may attain a state approved of God
b) integrity,
virtue, purity of life, rightness, correctness of thinking feeling, and acting
2) in a narrower sense, justice or the virtue which gives each
his due
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(This message was formerly titled, “It’s Not Your Fault.”)
The Justice of God
Romans1:16-17
“For I am not ashamed of THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST: for IT is
the POWER of God unto SALVATION to EVERYONE that believeth (IT); to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (the Gentiles). For
therein (in the true gospel
of Christ) is the righteousness (the JUSTICE) of God revealed… .”
Children, when asked about some happening which was not supposed to
have happened, will usually answer, it wasn’t me, or it wasn’t my fault.
Whether it is his fault or not, man does not like to be responsible for his
actions. Even when he is caught red
handed, as the saying goes, man will usually try to excuse himself one way or
another. It is just in the nature of man to be that way.
Well, I have some good news for you. It’s not your fault that you are a sinner. You were born that way. You inherited that
nature from your fallen father Adam. It’s his fault that ALL of us were born
that way, and that way is called sin,
or the sin nature, and is the root
cause we either are, or were, all sinners.
We are NOT sinners because we commit
sin; rather, we commit, or have committed sin, or sins because we were all born
sinners; born in sin,
born of an old, fallen, Adamic sin nature (Psalm 51:5; Ephesians 2:3).
Now the bad news: God cannot, does not, and will not tolerate sin; no matter whose fault it is. Sin can never fellowship with God. Sin
was what caused Adam and Eve to lose fellowship with Him. Man, throughout the centuries
of time since Adam has tried to restore fellowship with God, through every
possible means of religion he could contrive; all to no avail. God will never accept that which is OF that old fallen, fleshly, sin nature; because it is cursed of
God. (We are NOT speaking of the
physical body.).
For many years I read the account of Cain, Abel, and their
sacrifices and wondered why Cain’s sacrifice was not accepted (Genesis 4:2-5). Then one day as I was
studying those scriptures I discovered something I had not noticed before. Just a few verses back (in the preceding
chapter; Genesis 3:17) God had
cursed the ground because of Adam’s transgression. I don’t know how much instruction God had
given Adam and his family concerning offerings, or if He had given them any at
all, but I do know Cain’s sacrifice was coming forth from that which had been
cursed. No wonder it was not acceptable
to God.
I see the same thing taking place in the church today. The church
has adopted the world’s way of doing things. They use worldly entertainment to
draw people (instead of the Holy Ghost; John
6:44). They play upon the emotion to get people to an altar where they
repeat a prayer which is supposed to assure their salvation. The blood of Jesus, the Christ and his cross
are never mentioned. There is only a message that God loves you so much He will
forgive you and accept you into heaven just as you are (sin and all). They use the
tactics of Las Vegas to get people to bring their money to them. For every
dollar you give you will receive ten fold or a hundred fold. All fleshly means
are used to allegedly promote and build the kingdom of God. But Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh;
and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6). Flesh begets flesh,
therefore, everything that flesh produces is flesh; and God has said, “…no flesh shall glory in my presence” (I Corinthians 1:29). All of this brings up the question, what
spirit is operating the signs, wonders, and miracles which are so promoted
today? Could it possibly be “…another spirit…,” which the apostle Paul speaks of, that comes with the preaching of “…another Jesus…” and “…another gospel…” (II Corinthians 11:4)? I must conclude
that it is. Even though we may be what
one would call good people, religious or not, if it is of the flesh (the old sinful nature) it is altogether
unacceptable to God.
To be saved, one has to have heard and believed from the heart
the true gospel of Jesus Christ, which “…IS the POWER of
God unto SALVATION…” (Romans 1:16). And because God is a JUST God, salvation must require no more effort on our part than
the fall did for Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve believed the lie of the
serpent (the devil; John 8:44) and
they ate. The fall from life to sin and death was sure, not only to them, but to their seed after them
forever (all mankind). Now Adam and Eve had a choice. Their seed, forever
(which includes you and me), had no choice in the matter. We were, as the psalmist said, “…shapen in
iniquity, and in SIN…” were we conceived (Psalm
51:5). We were born in sin; born of a fallen, fleshly, sinful nature. Yet the law entered
which says, “The soul that sinneth, …shall die…” (Ezekiel 18:20). All sinners
MUST die, even though it wasn’t our
fault. The sentence of death, the “…condemnation…” (Strong’s #2631,
“an adverse sentence, [or death verdict];” John 3:18; Romans 8:1)
of “the law of God” was upon
everyone of us. Jesus said, “Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to
destroy, but to fulfill” (them; Matthew 5:17).
This may not sound encouraging, but wait,
Romans 3:24-26 says, “Being JUSTIFIED freely (without cost, price, money; Isaiah 52:3) by His (God’s) grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth
to be a propitiation (a mercy seat, an atoning victim [or sacrifice]) through faith in His (Jesus’) blood, to declare
His (God’s) righteousness (His JUSTICE) for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say at this time His (God’s) righteousness (or JUSTICE): that
He… (God, might) …be
JUST, AND the JUSTIFIER of him (whosoever that
wills) …which believeth in Jesus.” God Himself would be unjust to cast us into hell, if we had no alternative, because it wasn’t our fault we were born in
sin. But in His great love, wisdom, and JUSTICE, He
made a way of escape for us (if we so choose).
He prepared a sacrificial body for the Word of God, the Christ, the
cocreator of all things, John 1:3, 14; born into a natural, physical body
called Jesus the Christ, the Son of God; Hebrews
10:4-10; Psalm 40:6) and He (Jesus, the Christ, the living Word of God) stood in the gap
for us (Ezekiel 22:30; Isaiah 59:16).
Having no sin and therefore no condemnation (no sentence of death) upon Him, He died
the death for us all (thus satisfying [through fulfilling] the adverse sentence or death verdict of the law which was upon
us all) in that all who truly believe the
gospel (the good news of what He did for us at Calvary) died in Him (in union with Him). And that’s just part of the good news. In Him, we were and are also “…planted together…” (i.e., buried; Romans 6:5) with Him. Our
old man of sin (the sin nature) was put away in the grave
and we were born anew, FREE from sin. Through our death with Him we are also “…become dead to… (freed from) …the law…” (of Moses and of all men’s religious laws) which are “…the strength of sin…” (I
Corinthians 15:56), to “…be married (joined) to another, even…” to (Jesus) IN whom
IS “…the law of the spirit of LIFE…” (Romans 8:2; John 1:4, 14:6), “…that we should (would) bring forth fruit unto God” (Romans
7:4). We were and are raised again IN newness
of life IN Him, and were and are
made to sit together “…IN heavenly places…” IN Him (Ephesians 2:6). As true, born again believers, we’re MORE than Adam ever was; not just
living souls, but born (again) of
the pure, sinless Spirit of life which is only, OF and IN Jesus Christ (Romans 8:2;
II Corinthians 4:10). IN Him, we’re new creations and joint
heirs WITH Him. This IS the JUSTICE
of GOD, and MORE.
I said earlier that for God to be JUST, our redemption and salvation must require no more on our part
than the fall did for Adam and Eve. They
believed the lie of the devil, and
partook (ate) of the wrong tree.
Therefore, the only requirement for us to be saved is to believe the “…true report…” of the gospel
and eat (partake) of the flesh and
blood of the Son of God (I’m NOT
speaking about the sacraments; John
6:53-54). Death was, and yet is, in the partaking of the “…tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil….” Life was, and yet is, in the partaking of the flesh and blood of Jesus, the
Christ (our tree of life). “…Except ye EAT the flesh of the Son
of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you” (John 6:53). God’s JUSTICE
required that the transformation from sin and death, to life, be just as sure to all those who
“…repent and believe…” the truth (the true gospel of Jesus Christ; Mark 1:15), as the fall from life, to sin and death, was to
Adam and Eve who believed the lie of
the devil (Genesis 3:4-5; John 8:44). There could be, and is, no
more effort, no more labor, no more work on our part. Just believe and eat. The
result is just as sure.
No, it’s not our fault we were born
sinners; but God Himself can’t change that fact. However, because of His great love for us, and because He is JUST, He has made a way of escape for us. And what a tremendous price He paid. There
was absolutely no other way to save us because Jesus prayed in the garden of
Gethsemane, “…my
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me…” (Matthew 26:39). How could we not love Him and serve Him out of
that love when we understand this?
So then, let us “…Go…into all the
world and preach… (this) …gospel… (this good news of God’s great love and JUSTICE toward man) …to every creature” (every person; every soul; Mark 16:15) for “…this gospel of
the kingdom… (must first) …be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come” (Matthew 24:14).
Then shall the wrath of God be upon all those who reject, wrest,
and blaspheme the incomparable, unfathomable love He showed forth by sending “…His only begotten (of a fleshly body) Son…” (I John 4:9-11) through those
unspeakable sufferings that we might be saved: The cruel trial of “…mockings…” (Hebrews 11:36), the merciless whipping
(Psalm 129:3), the crown of thorns (Matthew 27:29), and the rejection of
His own people as He carried that cruel
cross (John 19:1-30). And
finally, the agony of those cruel spikes as they were driven through His hands
and His feet, and the slow suffocation and pain as He hung there. Yes,
only the mighty love and JUSTICE of
God could send His only pure, sinless
Son through such a horrendous ordeal to save wretches like you and me; even if it wasn’t our fault.
If you are one who has rejected Him and His great love
and JUSTICE in the past, please
don’t reject Him any longer. Turn to Him today. Call on Him with repentant
heart and believe the glorious
gospel. Eat of His flesh and drink
of His blood. It was for our salvation
that
“…it pleased the Lord (the Father) to (allow sinful man
to) bruise Him (Jesus, the Son) …” (Isaiah 53:10) in order that we
could be saved from the adverse sentence of eternal death in a devil’s hell. An adverse
sentence which was and is upon
the whole WORLD, unto the abundance of
life which is in the Father and
the Son. It is the “…Father’s good
pleasure to GIVE you the kingdom…,” and it’s not your fault you were born in
sin. It IS your fault if you reject
and/or “…neglect so great (a) salvation…” (Hebrews 2:1-3).
Message 5 - The Justice of God
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