Have you ever worked for a boss who expected you to get your job done, but then never gave you the tools to get the job done? That’s incredibly frustrating isn’t it? Then on top of it, a lot of times, the boss would get mad because the job wasn’t done. Praise God that God isn’t like that! Paul brings up something in Romans 3 that is incredibly interesting. He brings up how God is both just in punishing sinners for their rejection of Jesus, but God is also the justifier. Romans 3:26 says, “To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
The most often mentioned attribute of God in the Bible is that God is holy. To be holy means to be morally pure, perfect. This is why man’s sin is so offensive to God. In His holiness, God demands justice for man’s rebellion. However, the Bible is very clear that salvation is not by works but rather by grace. At first glance, this would set up one of those frustrating scenarios I talked about in the beginning. God is pointing out a problem, but there appears to be no solution. However, there is a solution. The solution is Jesus’ sacrificial, substitutionary death on the cross. Since we are saved by grace through faith, it means that we can be justified through the blood of Jesus. This is how God is both just and the justifier. He is just in demanding and expecting payment for sin. He is the justifier in that He sent Jesus to satisfy His wrath against our sins. God isn’t asking us to work our way to Him, because He knows that would be impossible because He is holy and we are not. Yet, He has made a way for us to come to Him, and it is through faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus. God has not only pointed out the problem, man’s sin, but He has also provided the remedy for it, Jesus. But what does this mean for you and I?
It reminds us that the only way to be saved is through faith in Jesus. It also reminds us that there is grace, mercy, and forgiveness for our sins. We are not hopeless or helpless. It also means that we must remember that these truths apply to others as equally as they apply to us. This is why God’s example through the life of Jesus is our standard when it comes to love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness. We are to love, extend grace, give mercy, and grant forgiveness to others, the same as God has given them to us. It means we give these things because someone asks us to, but because we are going to give these things as freely as we have received them. God being both just and the justifier is also important because it reminds us just how much God hates sin. We cannot use God’s grace as a license to sin. Instead, we must run to His grace when we fall into sin. Let me end by asking this, how are you doing at following God’s example of showing love, extending grace, showing mercy, and granting forgiveness to others right now? If that statement hurt, allow it to remind you of your need for daily, transforming grace. Then, go out and give it to others in the same measure you have received it from God.
By His grace and for His glory,
Pastor Justin