A STUNNING REVELATION 2: Part 2 “OUR
ABSOLUTELY HOLY GOD JUSTIFIES THE ABSOLUTELY UNGODLY”
That
absolutely blows my mind! And what's more amazing is that after our
justification and we continue to sin, He doesn't take our
justification back. And if you honestly think He does or He can, it's
because you think that holy God is like you or one or both of your
parents or a “friend” you once had who broke off your friendship
because of something you did that they didn't like. Beloved, God is
soooo not like us.
THINKING ON THE
WRONG LEVEL
My relationship
with my daddy was based totally on my behavior. Totally. The beatings
my brother and I endured during our formative years came solely
because daddy didn't like us and found it easy to hit us or kick us
or slap us or beat us with his belt over any little thing like
getting his hunting boots wet. Seriously. If I thought God was like
him I'd end it all right now. Why not!
My
daddy was not God. I'm not my daddy. God loves me with an everlasting
love that I cannot for the life of me fully understand. It is this
beyond-understanding kind of love that God has toward me that lets me
know and see through a glass dimly His nature and His mercy and His
grace every time I sin as His child. It really does blow my human
mind. It goes against everything my old corrupt self thinks is right
and fair.
I have, as a
pastor, talked with a woman or two who were being physically abused
by their unregenerate husbands. I saw first hand what I have heard
psychologists say when they addressed abused wives, these women
believe that they deserve the beatings.
Do they? Of
course not! It's no different now for those who are in Christ when we
believe that we deserve to be kicked out of God's family because we
sin. And, again, we think that because we are convinced that God is
like one of us.
Now to really
blow your mind and I pray to seal the deal, lets take a look at just
who it is that God so loves and has once and for all justified.
WHAT DID THE
UNGODLY LOOK LIKE THE MOMENT PRECEDING THEIR JUSTIFICATION?
What did you look
like just before you were saved by the grace of God while you were
hearing the gospel?
Were you a “good
person” who just didn't know Jesus? Many of the ungodly consider
themselves good people. You know, of course, that even the best of
us, those who are morally upright, are just as ungodly as the worst
of us apart from Christ.
Were you an
adulterer? Were you a homosexual? A liar? Lazy? A drunkard? Were you
promiscuous (a “fornicator”)? Did you “do” drugs? Were you a
greedy person, a covetous person who is an idolator? No matter what
you were like before you were justified, God chose to justify you
anyway. And He didn't ask you to keep any rules or laws before He
could or would do it. We are justified by grace alone, through faith
alone, in Christ alone, through hearing the gospel alone, for God's
glory alone.
The moment I was
saved the thought of having to do something in order to get saved
never entered my mind. I knew it was God's doing. I knew I was saved
by the grace and mercy of God as soon as I saw who the Son of God is.
As I sat at the
table where God was unbeknownst to me drawing me to faith in His Son,
my soul, my mind, my heart, my spirit, my inner man was captivated
with the good news that Jesus had done for me what was impossible for
me to do.
I had used the
lame argument with the young lady who was presenting the gospel to me
that I wasn't ready to be saved and go to church. That's pretty lame,
isn't it? “I'm not ready yet.” Right. And then speaking by the
Holy Spirit, that 19 year old girl said the words that God used to
change my life, “Without Jesus you can't be ready.”
With the
exception of homosexuality, I committed every sin listed above. I was
ungodly to the extreme. But there wasn't a word in the gospel that
morning telling me to first stop drinking or drugs or smoking or
fornicating before I could get saved. No. It was all of God and all
of grace. He justified me after He revealed Himself to me through the
gospel. It was all His doing.
Think
about it. I was “dead in trespasses and sins.” I was spiritually
dead. I couldn't have done anything to get myself ready. Dead people
never can. It takes the miracle of God intervening in the nature of
man to bring about true repentance and life and faith in Jesus. And
that's how God justifies the ungodly, He intervenes by and through
the Person of the Holy Spirit who gives us life and light and faith
in Jesus. Period.
The
Greek word for “ungodly” (avsebh/)
should open our eyes and ears and hearts and minds to the amazing
grace of God. The meaning and application of this word should instill
within every believer more than just a sense of gratitude but a
reverential awe of God and a true fear of God. This word will help us
understand just how vile humanity is and just how gracious and
merciful and patient God is. And if anyone can walk away saying to
himself “I'm not vile! I was never such a wicked person!”, then
you are calling God a liar and the truth is not in you.
Here is the
meaning of this word, “ungodly:”
destitute of
reverential awe of God,
profane,
enemies of God,
wicked,
evil,
godless,
contemning God.
I will add this to
our definition of ungodly from Scripture:
spiritually dead,
separated from
God,
dead in
trespasses and sins,
sons of
disobedience,
blinded by and
led by the devil,
living according
to the course of this world and the prince of the power of the air,
living according
to the lusts of the flesh,
fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind,
by nature
children of wrath,
those who will
not inherit the kingdom of God.
All who by the
grace of God have come to faith in Jesus Christ upon hearing the
gospel and being made alive by the Holy Spirit have been justified of
all things. That is amazing!
STUNNING
REVELATION 3: GOD HAS JUSTIFED US OF ALL SIN
That's right, we have been justified of 'ALL SIN.”
Hebrews
2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we
have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through
angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just reward,
Ok, now ask yourself, what would it take for holy God to be able to
call the ungodly justified and righteous? What would it take for God
to be able to justly declare His enemies, the wicked, the profane,
the unrighteous, right with Him without Him compromising His holiness
and integrity? Look at this verse from the letter to the Hebrews.
First, the writer reminds the readers that they have heard the
gospel, “the things we have heard” (4:1-2). Then he exhorts them
to earnestly consider the gospel lest any Jew among them give in to
the temptation to return to the law. Then he presents a remarkable
truth, “every transgression and disobedience received a just
reward.” That's why the author pleads with the doubting Jews to
think about what they're thinking about doing and consider what has
been done on their behalf.
This is what Jesus was saying when He said from the cross, “It is
finished.” Every sin, every transgression, every trespass, every
disobedience was then paid for. There is absolutely nothing for the
ungodly to do in order to be justified; it was all done for us by
Jesus. His perfect life, His suffering, His death and resurrection
did all that God demanded be done by man. He did it for us because we
couldn't.
Now check out the following few verses:
Hebrews
2:1 Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we
have heard, lest we drift away. 2 For if the word spoken through
angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience
received a just reward, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect so great
a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and
was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
Romans
5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ,...9 Much more then, having now been
justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Ephesians
2:1
And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2
in which you once walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now
works in the sons of disobedience, 3
among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our
flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were
by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is
rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5
even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with
Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6
and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly
places in Christ Jesus, 7
that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His
grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9
not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works,
which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
1
Thessalonians 1:10 and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He
raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to
come.
Now
seriously, do you honestly think God is like us? Are you beginning to
understand how Holy God Almighty can justly justify the ungodly? He's
God.