God's Righteousness Imputed
Romans 4:22-25 · Bob Eckel · May 28, 2006
Romans (2005-07), No. 33
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/48262352346835

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Good morning. Okay, just kind of a look ahead in terms of what is going to be happening. Jim, as you heard last week, is going to be gone for three weeks, including today. So, Jim and I will be gone next week. So, in fact, we'll both be gone two weeks from today. So, next week, Vern is teaching Romans 5, 1 and 2, the peace of God. And then Mike Doyle gets a great section, not that next week's isn't, 2, 3 through 5 in Romans 5, the following week, kind of tribulations, patience, you know, all the kind of steps along the way of trials that enter the Christian's life. And that's based on the peace of God.

Then what we've done is we've planned, I've planned July, which is without Hal still. We thought maybe we'd see him back by July, but I think You know, just kind of looking forward, we're going to plan July without him. And that's going to be mostly Jim and I, and there's one Sunday in July that either Mike or Vern will teach. So that's kind of the plan through August the 1st.

All right, let's open our Bibles this morning to Romans 4. We're going to finish the chapter this morning. And if you might look with me at verse 21. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was also able to perform. And that kind of sets the stage for what follows today. Again, let's read that again. And being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able to perform. Okay, so that's God.

Not only has he made promises, but Abraham's faith was believing that God would be able to perform his promise. I mean, just God's promise is not really act of faith. I mean, if our faith is real, we believe God for all that he said. You know, God can change, you know, the mountain into a molehill if he'd so choose, but that's not the nature of what he's really in the business of revealing in the believer today.

Verse 22, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness. The title of today's lesson. Now it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him, but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. All right, first verse, Romans 4, 22, New King James Version, and therefore it was accounted to him for righteousness. What is it? It was accounted. What is it? Yeah, it's faith, Harry, yeah, right.

All right, Newell says, there is no more striking description of the principle and process of faith than in this passage. And you could argue with that, but I'm quoting Newell. This is what Bob said, OK? So obviously, William Newell was impressed with the importance of faith and all that it represents.

Imputed is reckoned. I mean, we'll come back to this in Romans 6 in terms of reckoning our position. But this is reckoning the truth of what our act of faith is all about, that we're accounted righteousness, imputed, reckoned, declared, positioned, all those terms, very strong terms. Our righteousness is unequivocal. Isn't that unbelievable? I don't know about you, you walk day in and day out and you kind of look at the downside, you kind of say, you know, what a sinner, I am saved by grace. But, you know, God's, you know, despite all of that, has imputed us and reckoned us as righteous.

An important truth. This is indicative, heiress, passive, and the point of that is the fact that our faith is not based on anything other than the fact that, well, let me back up here a second. Indicative, heiress, passive is, of course, that we're the recipients. We have nothing to do with it.

I'm going to make that point more firmly here in a second. that ultimately that the faith is based on something, and I note here the therefore in verse 22, and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness, and as J. Vernon McGee so often says, and I listen to him on the radio every morning, note the therefore, and the question you need to ask is what's it there for? I mean, you know, I don't know how much you spend time with J. Bernard, but he's always saying, if you see a therefore, you need to ask what it's there for. Kind of cute, anyway. Maybe you don't think so. All right, it's OK.

So, and, you know, the idea there, yes, faith, but verse 21 is that the basis of the faith, again, is what we said a few minutes ago, that Abraham believed God because he believed that he was able to perform it. I mean, what he had promised is not simply what he believed. Abraham believed that he ultimately was capable of performing it. And that relates both to the birth of Isaac and the sacrifice of Isaac and everything that Abraham's faith was based on. So here's the point I thought I was getting into before.

Remember always, there's no merit on the part of the recipient. So, this is related to the indicative, factual, aorist, done deal, passive, were the recipient, tense of the verb. And therefore, it was accounted, or imputed, or reckoned, or declared for Abraham to be righteous. We have no merit here. None.

And that's really, I think, something, that doesn't mean we kind of get down on ourselves. It's simply, it's not about ourselves having any merit to begin with, so let's not get down with ourselves. Newell in chapter 6, and we'll come back to this if I'm teaching this section, but Newell said, to be disappointed with yourself is to have trusted yourself. Same kind of principle here.

I mean, if we get down on ourselves because of our lack of merit, we're in fact appropriate for where we're at. We're even worse than that. We have no merit before God. And so this act of imputation, of reckoning, of accounting is really entirely by his great love and grace. So we see the same examples in this chapter. Let's look at these three examples of this.

So Romans 4.3, just back a page. For what saith the scripture, Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. So we're seeing a bit of a kind of redundancy or repetition. Go back to Genesis 15, 6. It says the same thing, you don't have to turn there, and he believed in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousness. And these are passages that both relate to Abraham. Then Romans 4, 6 related to David, even as David also described the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputed righteousness apart from works. So Abraham and David both got the principle.

How well are we doing today as New Testament believers in grasping this principle? Well, I would suggest that, you know, even us who are in a position to be, you know, hopefully discerning the word of God, you know, truthfully, I think there are a lot of believers that don't quite have that ownership for this important truth. Again, it's not on our behalf. It's entirely of His, this reckoning ourselves to be righteous. And I think that really does reflect in a major way how we walk the path of our lives in terms of being Christians.

All right, verse 23. Now, it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him. And that carries on and implies that there's going to be more than just Abraham, right? So that's verse 24. We're going to look at 23 separately. Who is his? It's not written for his sake alone. Yeah, it's Abraham.

That, the term, that could be resonative or it could be declarative. I mean, either way, this could be, you know, it could be reciting something that it was imputed to him or it could be, in fact, declaring it to be true. They could be interpreted either way and I don't think it really makes that much difference. Again, the verb imputed or logosomai, it means to account or to reckon.

We see this all the time in Romans. And it's a word we should really be familiar with. And I think the bigger picture here becomes more than suggested in terms of what's being suggested in 23 that we'll open up the door to in more detail in 24. And that's, of course, that it's not for his sake alone that it was imputed, but for us also. So we can kind of look at this, 1 Corinthians 10, 11. Now, all of these things happened unto them reflecting on Old Testament believers, for examples, and they're written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are come.

And the question that comes up there, the Old Testament has tremendous value. What will we do without it? I mean, what's the purpose of the Old Testament? George, what's the purpose of the Old Testament? You're not sure, okay. That's a good answer. You were perfectly honest. Purpose of the Old Testament? It still would be to reveal God and his character to us and how he interacted with his people. And then also, of course, the prophecies which point to the Lord. Yeah, I mean, other thoughts, Harry? Old Testament? Okay. Yeah. Yeah, I think, you know, this is kind of just a view that may be only my own, but it's a really simplistic and reductionist view.

Number one, that all of mankind are... Actually, we could begin that God's creative capabilities are reflected there. Number two, man is sinful. and separated from God. And number three, everything points to the cross. So that's the prophets and everything. So, I mean, the summary of the Old Testament is that the principles by which Calvary stands for what it stands needs two-thirds of the Bible to develop. So the idea here is that all of these things that happen in times past are really examples for us in terms of where we find ourselves today. God, the great creator, man falling short of God's glory and being declared separated from God, and then the whole animal sacrifice routine that led us to the cross.

And so the Old Testament really, I don't think, honestly, if we began the Bible with Matthew, there might be sufficient ability. And by the way, if you think about the New Testament, you're really thinking kind of acts forward, really. I mean, the Book of John was really written to the church to a large extent, whereas the other three synoptic Gospels were really Old Testament stuff, right? I mean, it was pre-Cross. I mean, Christ was on the earth, but if you think of everything before the Book of John anyway, and then Acts to follow, I mean, I think you could reflect back on the Old Testament enough because of God's great grace and bring Old Testament stories and passages to us to realize what had happened before.

But what it allows is that the Old Testament can be put in proper perspective. And I don't know, when you're reading in the book of 2 Kings, you're kind of worn out down there. You've got to say, why is all this necessary? But the Lord felt it to be so, so we have to trust that the Old Testament's there for our benefit.

Alright, then verse 24, so Abraham's, or Paul's already set up the fact that Abraham alone wasn't the only benefactor here. Okay, so the idea is that it's for our sake also, I like the ILG here, it's also because of us, but for our sake also, but also because of us, unto whom it shall be reckoned, or imputed, or declared, or accounted, who believe on him that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. Now we're going to focus a little bit on the second part of this as we continue in the lesson this morning.

Acts 2.39, what we're going to see here is some verses that really point to kind of the promises and then ultimately the resurrection as being a culmination of God's promise to all of mankind.

Acts 2.39, for the promise is unto you and to your children and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

This is a qualified reckoning. What's the qualification? For our sakes, who are we? We fit into a qualified or a selected group. It's in the verse. What's it say in the verse? Well, it's bolded in. Yeah, it's qualified reckoning. The reckoning is qualified because it's to those who believe.

Now keep in mind that this imputing righteousness, I don't know about you, you hang around people of the world all the time. And when somebody dies and we have no idea whether they're saved or not, you know, George or Sally or Margaret or, you know, Tim will say, well, he was a good person. Well, you know, wouldn't you like to be a person like Vern or Hal to do, you know, funerals of people you're not quite sure what their relationship was with God? I mean, you'd do the best by God's grace to carry out that funeral service.

I mean, as believers, we look at this as celebration, but this reckoning is only occurring in selected examples. Now, according to Abraham and the promise that was made to him, you know, there are lots of grains of sand on the seashore, right? So there are many of us who are reckoned, imputed righteous, because we believe. But those who don't believe, their first doesn't deal with this, but the presumption is, if you don't believe, on him, God, that raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, then we have no reckoning. We're not imputed righteous.

So, you know, the problem with Christianity is so exclusive. You know, all other faces of the world, gee, you just kind of get on board, right? I mean, the Jews, the very, very Orthodox Jews, I think, would have a problem accepting, you know, non-Jews into their community. But for the most part, if you want to be a Muslim later today, or a Jehovah's Witness, or anything else, you can just go ahead and sign up.

But Christianity demands something very specific, and that's believing that God raised his son from the dead. Relevant. So this whole issue of the resurrection is really an important key for an emphasis that Paul placed in his gospel. Let's look at a couple of these verses, and these are just a few.

1 Corinthians 15.4, and that he was buried, meaning the Lord Jesus Christ, and that he arose again the third day according to the scriptures.

By the way, it's kind of interesting because I just finished the book of Jonah with the McGee tapes. And what's your view of Jonah in the belly of the fish? Was he living in the belly of the fish? Well, Jay Vernon would disagree with that. Jay Vernon thinks because the Lord Jesus Christ reflected back on Jonah, that ultimately when Jonah was spit up onto the soil or onto the seashore, that ultimately he was then given resurrected life.

So, it's an interesting view of that. But anyway, so he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. And you can view John however you want, that doesn't relate to your belief in the Lord Jesus Christ. Anyways, it's kind of been fun to go through that with him.

Romans 10.9, 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.

Boy, pretty clear. All right. But also, not only Paul, let's look at Hebrews. Now, the question is, who wrote Hebrews? A lot of people feel Paul did. I don't particularly feel that he did, but that doesn't make any difference. Many people consider Luke as the author. Other people think of other authors. But anyway, Hebrews 13, 20 and 21.

Now, the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus. that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

1 Peter 1.21, By him ye believe in God, who raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory, that your faith and hope might be in God.

So we're seeing this repeated theme of his resurrection having everything to do with this. And so the question I ask is, if you believe that Christ lived and was crucified but didn't become resurrected, can you be saved? I mean, the resurrection is everything, right? I mean, it really is the key element in the Christian faith. Christ be dead, he died in vain.

In fact, Galatians, I think, brings those truths out fairly clearly. All right, so back to Abraham. God who quickened Abraham's body a vessel that Abraham and Sarah considered to be dead raised up our Lord Jesus Christ." So here's the relationship to Abraham. How did God prove himself to Abraham? Remember, Abraham's faith came before any proof. So what are we reflecting on here in terms of Abraham's body? Okay. He was, what, over 100 years old? He was. And Sarah was not far behind. That would be considered a miracle. It would be.

So the same process of God's imputing righteousness on Abraham by faith is the same principle that exists for us today. I mean, remember what faith is. Faith is believing what God has revealed. And that belief extends into his ability to perform it. Now, we can't again selfishly pray for that today I'm going to have a 2006 Porsche in my driveway when I get home from church. I mean, that just doesn't make it. But the idea for the believer, where's God's promises for the believer? I can think of, OK, what, Ruthie?

Right, his promises are in his word. And how's that word impact now and what happens after now? Our faith is an active faith and we believe in God and His promises that He's able to perform it. What does that mean? He's not really promising us things on the earth.

He's giving us spiritual promises, what our position is and where we're going to spend our time. Alright, so my thoughts are that His promises relate to our walk. And our walk is dependent on our position. And as our position becomes more comfortable, we're approaching Christ for who He is and seeing ourselves not what we get from Him, but what our citizenship is from the very beginning, our walk gets transformed. And it's not going to happen overnight. This is a process by which His promise to us is, I'm going to make you walk by your faith as a new person. So that's promise number one.

The second promise, I think, is the eternity. I mean, we're positioned with him above, and when we leave these deteriorating fleshly bodies, we ultimately are there with him forevermore. Right, George? Life forevermore, right? So the promises that we believe that he'll be able to perform is to transform us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Number one.

That's an act of faith. And the second belief is in our eternal presence with Him. We already have it, but after we leave here, we got it forevermore. So, for Abraham, he bore a son, and when he ultimately went to sacrifice his son, when God said to do so, he ultimately believed that God would resurrect him from the dead. And so, the principle is the same. God demands an act of faith. The term dead here, in terms of Abraham and Sarah considered to be dead, the term dead necros could be a physical death or it could be a spiritual death.

So physical death would be the fact that his body is dead. to have active spermatogenesis and Sarah's body was dead in terms of ovulation. And so we've got a situation here that from a reproductive physiologist perspective ain't going to make it, right? Artificial insemination wasn't an issue then. Of course, Sarah wouldn't have had any eggs left to inseminate.

So, I mean, this is kind of a done deal. Their bodies were dead. And spiritual death really, of course, is that death that separates us from God. That's the lack of faith. So necros could be used either way. And I think here we're looking at dead to be interpreted that relates to the physical body. OK. So verse 25. I give you here the interlinear Greek because it's, I think, a little bit clearer.

The King James says, who was delivered for our offenses and was raised again for our justification. Seems reasonably clear, but I like the ILG, who was given over to death. because of the trespasses of us and was raised because of the justification of us. So I think that if you really want to kind of condense the cross and what it stands for into one verse, I mean there are many verses, but this really I think says a lot that who the Lord Jesus Christ was given over to death because of us on our trespasses And by the way, it's not only our trespasses, it's our sin in nature, right? It was raised because of the justification. Now, notice, because of the justification.

That's interesting. And we're going to take a little bit closer look at that. All right. So, hitting two verses. Oops. Oops. I want to go back. modern technology. All right, let's. This thing, you're supposed to be able to twist it one way and it brings it forward and twist it the other way and it goes back, but I've never been able to get it to go back correctly. There we are, okay.

So Isaiah 53.12, therefore will I divide him. So in other words, what this verse is looking to is the death on behalf of us. which leads to the justification of us. So Isaiah 53, 12, Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he hath poured out his soul unto death.

And he was numbered with the transgressors, you and I. Actually, the entire world. The entire world are the transgressors. But the reckoning is qualified to those who believe, right? And he bore the sin of many, meaning the many, he bore the sin of everybody, and made intercession for the transgressors.

I love 2 Corinthians 5.21, For he hath made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

Now notice Isaiah focuses in our trespasses, but then 2 Corinthians 5.21 focuses in on the sin nature. Christ was made sin, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. Notice that sin nature He took on was our sin nature.

1 Peter 2.24, who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, isn't that neat, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes you were healed.

And then verses coming up about a month and a half from now, very, very relevant verses. Therefore we're buried with him by baptism unto death, that just as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. for if we've been planted together in the likeness of his death, so shall we also be in the likeness of his resurrection. That necessary and perfect relationship between death and resurrection.

And that's the focus here in this terminal part of Romans chapter 4. was delivered and was raised, no doubt, is aorist, having been done, passive, weir, he was the recipient, and indicative, factual. So, Christ didn't do this himself. This was done by the Heavenly Father. Because, which means on account of. Now, justification is best translated here as the act of justifying. My question to you today is justification, an objective and or a subjective feeling. So maybe we need to be sure we understand objective or subjective. What's something that's subjective? Don't all have to answer here at once. Okay, Ruthie? Well, not necessarily cloudy, but... Subjective would be something, what? Subjective is how I see it.

It's not necessarily, it could be factual. If Harry and I both look at the traffic on Holly this morning and you say there's a lot of traffic and I say there's not much traffic, we're disagreeing. Your opinion is there's a lot. My opinion is that there's not much. there's a correct answer, we have to relate it to what's the usual traffic pattern. I mean, the issue is the subjectiveness is how we feel about it.

But the objective is the factual. So the question here, is this justification something about how we feel about it? Or is this a statement of fact? And it's a statement of fact. So, you know, I think a good example here is the whole issue of perception versus fact.

I can't really provide maybe the best of examples, but let's take Ruthie's classroom, and you've got a student who's been somewhat rebellious in the classroom and is acting out, and she or he just feels that this is appropriate behavior, but your subjective view is it's not.

But that's how the child feels and how you feel. But then we have to have maybe a higher authority saying, look, the kid's acting out. And you were right based on what the expected standard is. But how you feel about it and how the child feels is subjective. And by the way, that relates to perception.

You know, when we have situations in which there's some disagreement, I'll use my daughter and myself as an example. Tomorrow night, her perception of what's going on is probably very different than what mine is. And where do I deal with her? Do I deal with her with the objective? Or do I deal with her trying to find out what her perception is first, before we try to break down that perception as being incorrect?

I mean, I think seeing where people's perception is, to them it's factual. And that's a problem with subjectiveness, is because when you take a position on something, you have a mind made up that this is the way it is, but in fact that may not be true.

And I think this is so important for justification. Because justification is declared by God. We're passive recipients. How we feel about it's one thing. And by the way, if we feel wonderful about it, and we feel that ultimately this is His great act of grace to accept us as one of His own and position us in heavenly places as righteous, then our subjective feeling is the same as the objective truth. And where's the source of the truth? Harry's got it open right before him. Yeah, the Word of God. And if that's not our source, then we're all being misled.

So that's why people who go to churches, and I know many of my friends who go to churches, where the perception there is that they have to work their way into heaven. Absolutely. They've got to continually be doing something to measure up. And if they don't measure up, then they're miserable and they're Okay, Margaret, so I'm going to be playing the devil's advocate and say, I thought the Bible said faith without works is dead.

James says something like that. He does. And if you put it all in context, it's the Lord's life has to live out through you. Alright, so... All right. Remember Christ himself said when he was asked how to do the works of God, he said the works of God are believing on him who hath sent. That was his simple answer to what the works of God are. And you know, Remember that God will be able to perform it in us. I mean, you know that I may know him kind of scenario and You know, I think one thing to respond to this.

It's not it's not what you do. It's who you are And once you know who you are, then what you do is an evidence of who you are. I mean, let me say that again It's not what you do. It's who you are. You're in Christ and And once you know who you are in Christ, then what you do by God's grace and His working through you is an evidence of who you are. That's the works. And the works take on a language that God speaks through you in your day-to-day walk.

And you may make mistakes, but that's the power of the Spirit. When we make mistakes and offend our fellow man, we go to him or her and confess and move on. Because God's grace is in the position of humbling us in ourselves to bring greater glory to Him in our work.

So works is important, but works is based on our faith. And remember the two points of what we believe God's able to perform? Number one is to conform us to the image of His Son. So that's because we're imputed righteous. We now believe he's going to be able to perform that righteousness in us. It's not a work of our flesh. It's a work of belief.

And the second point is the eternal life that we have with him. So justification is an objective, a factual statement of God. And the JFB commentary says, a change from guilt and condemnation to acquittal and acceptance. It's like a courtroom. What the jury says is final. I mean, you can appeal, but with God there's no appeal. There's no appeal or appellation process with God, the Heavenly Father, or with the Lord Jesus Christ. It's factual that no longer are we positioned in guilt and condemnation, but we're imputed righteousness and acquitted and fully accepted. Factual.

And why should we doubt what the Lord has said? So let's get personal here. Let's turn to the book of John, chapter 17. And I think this is a very special section that relates to the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ and his high priestly prayer really had us in mind. So John 17, 1 through 5, these words spoke Jesus and lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come.

Glorify thy son that thy son also may glorify thee. is thou hast given him power over all flesh that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." Notice there the qualified reckoning, right? He's going to give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth. I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

Okay, that sets the stage for what we're going to read now. Let's go down to verse 13. And now come I to thee, and these things I speak in the world, that they might have joy fulfilled in themselves. Notice that, they. That's us. I've given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they're not of the world, even as I am not of the world."

Let me just pause there a second. The world hates grace. Just think about that for a second. Mike Doyle and I have had great conversations about this. The world hates grace. And why does the world hate grace? Exactly, because they are not in control.

And that's what I think Christ means. I mean, he may be meaning something much more, you know, much more complicated or much more comprehensive than that. But I've given them thy word, and the world hath hated them, because they're not of the world. I would say not of the world system. We're citizens in heaven, right? This is a foreign country for it, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil. They're not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

Sanctify them through thy truth. Thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. Now, keep in mind, it's them. That's us. Christ's talking about us. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also who shall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. Christ, you know, we're part of his club now. that the world may believe that thou hast sent me." So as the world looks at us, that transforming grace that God gives us in His Son ultimately means that when the world looks at us in our walk, they see Him. That's what he means. And that's not something you work on. You work on that, you're going to fail. I mean, how many times have you tried to be better? Ah, man, that's just death in the city.

It's faith that makes the life lived out. Verse 22, And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am, a position, that they may behold my glory which thou hast given me, for thou lovest me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee, but I have known thee, and these have I known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it that the love which thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." Boy.

I mean, if you think about the imputation of the reckoning or the counting of us as righteous, and we read that prayer, you know, I don't know about you, I mean, you're just lifted up. I mean, to think that the Lord Jesus Christ would really, you know, be praying much of the Gethsemane prayer we have recorded here is about us. It's not simply about what he's to accomplish. It's, in fact, the fact that this was for our sake, too, like Abraham said, not for him only, but for our sake. the sake of the body of believers that would ultimately follow. Misjustifications unto life in chapter 5 awaits us and Vern's going to start with that next week. God has saved not those of good conscience or works, but us, the ungodly. Were new creations in Christ Jesus positioned and seated above?

Now, here's a summary that I've taken from Newell. So, what this table represents is justification, what it's not and what it is. So, what it's not. Justification is not regeneration. It's not that we're kind of in a process of being regenerated to become something we're not. I mean, that's not what this is all about. It's not a change in heart. Today I feel good. Today I'm going to try harder. I feel warmer about this. Not an emotional kind of thing. It's not an unjust man being declared just.

I mean, I can say, you know, I can just say that I'm just, but if there's no foundation by which that happens, it doesn't make it. And justification is not sanctification. I mean, Christ himself in the prayer talked about sanctification. And sanctification is a process of being set apart. And we are set apart from the world system because we're citizens of another kingdom. But sanctification is not justification. It's something that happens after justification. But what it is, is an objective declaration of God. Remember we talked about objective versus subjective. It's not me feeling better. It's not me feeling I'm being regenerated. It's not me declaring myself just.

It's in fact the fact of God who declares us righteous by our faith. And that faith is based on our understanding and belief that Christ died for our sins in the sin nature and was risen in newness of life. What is it? It's based on Christ only. In the absence of the Lord Jesus Christ, our faith is not true. Now, Abraham didn't have Christ, but he believed God was able to perform what he promised to him.

And so the basis is the same. Justification is based on faith. It's the only way we get there. Justification is not based on our works, or our performance, or our declaring ourselves as self-righteous. And finally, the neat thing about justification is it places us in Him. It simply doesn't declare us righteous. It includes us in His company and positions us above.

I thought I'd close this morning and kind of look at today's None But the Hungry Heart by Miles. So often when we come to these lessons on Sunday, that day's Hungry Heart series seems to work. And I'm going to let you look at each word coming up by itself. I think that's kind of cute, don't you?

Okay, if you did not know your union with the Lord Jesus in heaven, you can't come out in the power of the heavenly man to act from him on earth, to be descriptive of him. You can never be heavenly by effort. Many seek to be heavenly by prayer, reading the word, devotedness, but the only pathway to it is to be brought by the Holy Spirit to realize the union we have with our risen Lord. You are heavenly by union, by nature. and abide in him.

Now keep in mind the reason I think this is perfect here today is that we've been declared to be in this position. And so we see ourselves as positioned, declared, accounted as righteous, and so therefore we're heavenly by union and by nature. And this is of God, not of us. So in terms of the application, the application is based on the objective that God has declared us righteous. you know, get on with it, and let that faith really play out on our day-to-day life. It's not a cockiness, it's really a humility, but God replaces, you know, anything that's of the earthly nature with his nature, as that faith really gets enacted in our lives.

Comments, thoughts, questions? Everybody's okay? We going too fast, too slow? About right? Okay. Well, we've clearly, you know, just got the, you know, the shortstop, second basement centerfielder and catcher here today. Anyway. All right, let's close in prayer.

Father, we're grateful today to have your word be so clear. And, you know, it's really special to see the repeated nature of the truth that you've declared. I don't know about most of the others here, but I know that my faith becomes just more solidified by that. the, if you will, repetitive nature of your truth and your word that it's not of ourselves, but it's by your great grace. And then when we sense that and have faith that that's true, we have a rest and a comfort that comes from no other path. And I pray for Vern next week as he opens up the pages to Romans 5, that that peace we have with you is now based on the objective truth of our justification. We're thankful that Abraham provides a distant view of what an act of faith looks like, and may our faith build on your promises and trust that you're able to perform it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.