JUSTIFICATION #9 CHRIST ENDS LAW AS A MEANS TO RIGHTEOUSNESS A key to understanding

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5:1-2) How does a person become righteous before God? That is a question that has needlessly plagued theologians for centuries. Some suppose that righteousness is based upon a law principle; i.e., adhering to a set of rules or procedures. There is an allurement to this approach that is deceptive. The Word of God is clear, however, on this point. Our acceptance by God is not based upon our work, but upon our faith! Christ has brought an end to law as a means to righteousness! "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them. But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed" (Rom 10:4-11).

The Law is not eradicated

Some think that Christ has eradicated the Law. In this view, Jesus is perceived as erasing the Law. It simply does not exist any longer. In contradiction of this perception, Jesus plainly declared that He did not come to "destroy the law." Paul adds that the "law is for the lawless," confirming that it is still with us. He also appealed to affirmations of law to buttress certain of his arguments. The point of this text is not the removal of the law, but its impotence to produce righteousness. In another place, Paul affirms that the law never was intended to make a person righteous.

Righteousness by law = "Do and live"

The righteousness produced by law is described by Moses -- and it stands for righteousness under any system of law. "The man that doeth those things shall live in them." In this scenario, our recognition by God is based upon complete conformity to a law. Under a system of law, complete conformity is imperative. No deviations are allowed under such a system. Under the law principle, there is no provision for recovery from infractions of the code. No strength to keep the law is given, and no forgiveness is experienced. The clear affirmation of the Spirit is this, "the law is not made for a righteous man", nor, indeed, can it produce one!

Righteousness is not an accomplishment

In Christ, righteousness is not an accomplishment, it is a gift! "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness." The meritorious work was accomplished by the Lord Jesus, and it is appropriated by our persuasion of its applicability to us! This is why Gospel preaching is imperative. Telling people what they ought to do will never produce a clean conscience--only the proclamation of the good news of Christ will do that! "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" (2 Cor 5:19). If the Gospel is not preached, justification will not be realized! Little wonder, therefore, that Satan works so aggressively to replace preaching with issue-centered discussions, political agendas, and general theological trivia.

A righteousness from God without the law

Justification is the appointed means of becoming righteous. In fact, being made righteous and being justified are the same thing. Seeing the futility of justification by works, Paul eagerly sought to appropriate the righteousness declared in the Gospel. He abandoned every competing religious pursuit in a quest to obtain true righteousness. In this, he is a pattern for us all. "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil 3:9). Do not miss this important point! God is the one that gives righteousness, and faith, not works, is the appointed means through which it is given. The Spirit declares that a righteousness has now been revealed "without the law;" i.e., apart from the law principle. Under such an arrangement, adherence to law follows acceptance, and is not an initial requisite for acceptance. Thus, we do not work to be accepted, but because we have been accepted. This is a vital distinction. Those that are justified work because God has received them. They do not work to achieve that reception. Here is the proclamation. "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom 3:21-28). Note these glorious affirmations! They speak of our justification. Complete exoneration is not conferred upon all that have performed sufficient works, but upon "all that believe." The gracious ("free") gift of justification is conferred because of God's grace, not because of His indebtedness to us for having performed well. The appointed means for accomplishing our justification is the "redemption that is in Christ Jesus." That is something He did, not something we do! It is God's righteousness, not ours, that brings the forgiveness of sins. In all of this, God has not sacrificed one whit of His Person. He has not compromised His character, or pushed any of His divine traits into the background. He is absolutely just in justifying the believer. Hallelujah! This clashes with much of the religion of our day, ranging from the rigid approaches of religion confined to form, to the predictable actions of those whose religion is based upon emotion alone. In both of these extremes we find people approaching God on the basis of works. In the former, works become the means of atoning for infractions of the law. In the latter, human effort becomes the means of arriving at an acceptable spiritual condition that qualifies for the blessing.

-- TOMORROW: POWER FOR LIVING --