The Gift of Innocence

Romans 3:23-24
October 26, 2008

Said Martin Luther, “The doctrine of justification by faith alone is master, prince, lord, ruler, and judge over all kinds of doctrine.” There are other important doctrines besides the doctrine of justification, but none is more critical to us, and we need to know only have an intellectual grasp on it, but we also need to check the condition of our own hearts to make sure that what we’re talking about when we speak of being justified is true of each of us as well.

We’ve all watched courtroom scenes on TV, either true life stories or those invented for our entertainment. But have you ever imagined what it would be like to be the defendant, to stand accused of some terrible crime, to hear the airtight case woven by the prosecuting attorney, the desperate attempts by your overmatched defense attorney attempting to win an acquittal, knowing all the while that the evidence was incontrovertible, that you were guilty beyond a single doubt—and that everybody in the courtroom knew it. The trial is wrapping up; closing arguments are over; the judge is about to pronounce his verdict, and everyone knows what it will be: “guilty on all counts”; the conclusion is foregone. And you rise at his bidding, inwardly cringing as you await his words. “I find the defendant…not guilty!” Waves of shock ripple through the assembled crowd; you drop to the ground with astonished relief, wondering how it could be that you’ve been declared innocent, free from guilt. This is the picture of justification.

I. The Definition of Justification
“to declare, accept, and treat as “innocent”, and as “righteous” in the sight of God”

It is a declaration of utter and complete innocence in the eyes of the judge; its opposite is condemnation, the judge declaring “guilty”, ringing the gavel down, and preparing to pronounce sentence. But beyond this, justification gives to the guilty sinner a positive declaration of “righteous”; in other words, it is more than full forgiveness, though it includes that. It’s not just that God is unwilling to send you to hell for the sins you’ve committed; it’s that He sees you as though you’ve not committed them, and thus that there is no basis for punishment at all.

II. The Need of Justification – “All have sinned”
We have all failed to live up to the glory of God, the glory in which we were all made (in God’s image), the glory of His eternal presence, the glory of His righteous eternal standard. Condemned, you deserve nothing but judgment for your many transgressions, and yet the judge rings down the gavel and declares “innocent” despite the fact that you’re dead-to-rights guilty.

III. The Nature of Justification – “Gift”
Cement this into your minds as well: justification is a gift (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8). Innocence is a gift, and thus the title of today’s message. The significance of this is that a gift is something which is not, indeed cannot be, earned or merited. When Scripture uses this terminology to describe our justification, it’s not throwaway language, but rather is stressing a critical concept: justification is not, indeed cannot be, earned, but rather is received as a gift.

IV. The Source of Justification – “Grace”
The Giver of the gift of justification is God, and the source is His amazing grace. He is under no compulsion other than that of His own character; He is not under obligation to you or to me.

Remember that we spoke last week of the fact that it is God Who seizes the initiative in our salvation; any formulation of theology that denies this is sub-Christian, indeed anti-Christian. God’s grace is the source, for it is God Who takes the lead in bringing about our justification.

V. The Cost of Justification – “Redemption”
Justification is free, but it is not cheap! “Redemption” is the word which refers to the act of paying a price in order to set free one who had been in bondage. Jesus is the One Who paid a great price and purchased us out of the slavery to sin that Paul has already described when he said we were, by nature, “under sin”.

VI. The Grounds of Justification – “His blood” – Romans 5:9
According to Paul in Romans 5:9, we have been “justified by His blood”, and by this, as we see from the preceding verse, He means Christ’s death on the cross, His blood sacrifice for our sins. God’s justice demands that payment be made for sin, and when we look at the cross, that’s what we must see, Jesus by His voluntary death satisfying the demands of God’s holiness and justice.

Justification does not equal “amnesty”; this is no pardon without principle, no overlooking of sin or sweeping it under the rug; instead, a great price was paid for your justification, and so while it is free to you, it is anything but cheap. God is not saying, “ah, your sin isn’t that bad a thing”; He’s saying that it is a terrible thing, and that’s why nothing short of Christ’s death could atone for it. Jesus identified with me and died for me, in my place, taking my punishment and shame.

VII. The Authentication of Justification – “Resurrection” – Romans 4:25
Christ was “raised for our justification”, Paul writes in Romans 4:25. In what sense is this true? Without the resurrection, Jesus Christ would have been another man dying, no reason for us to place faith in Him, no reason for any confidence that He was anything more than just another teacher who walked the countryside with delusions of grandeur. But the resurrection provides proof, authenticates the teaching of the Bible, that He is indeed the One Whose death secures our justification.

VIII. The Means of Justification – “Faith” – Romans 5:1
“We have been justified by faith”, Paul says in Romans 5:1, and he’s doing nothing more than echoing what he’s also said in the surrounding context of today’s passage; we note that same type of phraseology in :22, in :25, and in :26. We are saved by faith, and when we say that, we believe that what Paul means there is to say that it is by faith alone that we are justified, that our good works play no role in it, that if they did, the word “gift” would be meaningless to describe how God does it. That’s what God is looking for from you today: faith, period. He’s looking for you to simply receive the gift that He freely offers, to take from Him what you can’t otherwise attain, and what He alone can provide: justification through faith in Christ.

Taking it Home
• We defined the act of justification thusly: “to declare, accept, and treat as “innocent”, and as “righteous” in the sight of God”. Why are all three of those verbs important? What do they each teach us about God’s actions and attitude toward us?
• The old song “The Solid Rock” has a verse that says that we are “dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless to stand before the throne.” If this is true, how does possessing the righteousness of Christ take justification to a deeper step than merely being pronounced “innocent”?
• Justification takes place “as a gift”. In what way(s) does this fact make the gospel easier to hear for people without Christ? In what ways might it make it more difficult?
• If this verdict on my sin regards sins past, present, and future, then what does justification say about my security in Christ? On what basis am I secure in Him?
• Look at Romans 8:33 and the surrounding context. What are some of the things that are true of those who are justified by God’s grace?
• Next week, we look at the topic of redemption. What is your understanding of that word, and how does it impact us?