LESSON 2 13/3/2022
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
Devotional Reading: Rom. 3:21-24
Topic for Adults: By Faith Alone
Topic for Youths: Declared Righteous
Topic for Intermediates: Justified by Faith
Lesson Scriptures: Rom. 3:1-2, 9-13, 21-31
MEMORY VERSE
“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the
deeds of the law”
Romans 3:28 (NKJV).
DAILY DEVOTIONAL READING
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Fri. 11/3/2022 Righteousness Through Faith Rom. 3:21-24
Righteousness is defined as right standing with God. No one born of a woman has the ability to be right with God. All of our human efforts; our righteousness is like filthy rags before the judge of the earth. God is a righteous judge. He is not righteous because He obeys the law, He is the giver of the law who is more perfect than the law. We were sinners but God did not turn His back on us, He reconciled us to Himself by becoming a propitiation for our sins. All we have to do is to accept Jesus’ sacrifice through faith and believe that we have been justified, vindicated and accepted by God because of His benevolence towards us.
Point of Emphasis: Justification is not by human efforts; we are justified by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Prayer Point: Lord God, I thank You for Your sacrifice which brought me justification in Jesus’ name.
Reading The Bible Through in a Year: Morning: 2 Cor. 12; Evening: Est. 7-8
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BACKGROUND
The doctrine of justification reveals the blessedness of having our numerous sins pardoned and our slate wiped clean, not because we deserved it but because Jesus took our place, died for us, imputed His righteousness into us and made us God’s family. Someone described justification as the case of an offender who committed a crime before the judge who will decide his case. It so happened that on the day the crime was to be decided, the judge paid the price demanded for the release of the offender and the criminal was freed. We were offenders who were still in sin when Jesus came and took our place, paid our debts and delivered us from the guilt and punishment of sin.
NOTES ON THE LESSON
PART 1: WE HAVE ALL SINNED - ROM. 3:1-2, 9-13, 23
In the Bible days, the Jews were considered as the only family of God on earth. The Jews were God’s people and the Gentiles were the race of the underserving and unworthy. But one thing binds us all together, we are all products of sin and sinners from birth. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (verse 23). The seed of sin in man originated from the fall in the garden of Eden. Since the disobedience of the first man, the human race has been doomed and condemned to hell.
The popular verse of the Scripture, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” remains relevant to all generations. It serves as a reminder of three major truths;
we were all born as sinners;
We are all sinners not because we all sinned but we were born so. ;
We have all fallen short of God’s glory.
Romans 3:23 reveals the generality of the decadence of the human race, no one is exempted from the matter. No one is righteous, no one seeks God, no one understands, no, not one [verses 10-11]. This Bible passage is explicit about the inclusiveness of every human being. It is clear that no one can stand before the judge of the earth and proclaim himself righteous and sinless. We have all sinned, we have all strayed far away from God, we have all transgressed. As Christians today, we must never forget where God brought us from. We must always remember that we were once sinners, lost in sin and condemned to hell, but Grace found us.
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PART 2 WE HAVE ALL BEEN JUSTIFIED - ROM. 3: 21-26
Justification is a legal declaration by God. Justification is simply God acting as a judge, declaring that a person is righteous in His sight. Justification is pivotal to the Bible messages. It is so crucial that it appears in over two hundred places in the New Testament alone. Justification is not making someone righteous; it is declaring someone righteous. If God has declared you righteous in His sight, you do not have to pay the penalty for your sins. Justification does not only cancel our eternal damnation; it also settles our age-long dispute with God.
God is the perfect and unbiased judge of the earth. He rules the world in righteousness. Obedience to His perfect law is the requirement for His pardon. Anyone who falls short of God’s standard is punished and made to pay for his incapability. The truth is that there is no hope for anyone if God’s verdict goes against him. ‘The righteousness of God’ is therefore a predominantly legal concept, symbolising God’s gracious work of conferring upon guilty sinners a justified justification, exonerating them in the court of heaven without prejudice to His justice as their judge.
There is an executive and judicial view to the topic of justification by God. Because God is King, He has the final ruling over every matter of life. He has the executive power to overrule judgement and set a criminal or offender free. Jesus partly demonstrated this executive power when He set the woman caught in adultery free and exonerated her from all her crimes. Legally, God sits as a judge and decides who is condemned. He has the judicial authority to absolve sins and set the offender free. Once He proclaims a sinner forgiven, that settles the matter.
PART 3 JUSTIFIED BY FAITH ALONE - ROM. 3:27-31
Timothy Keller wrote, “Justification is not merely an abstract theological concept, it is the sense of approval and belonging that every person desires”. Justification is more than having our sins forgiven. Justification means that in God’s eyes, we are given Jesus’ perfect record. We are treated as if we have lived the perfect life that Jesus lived. We are given the love that Jesus deserved. We have the same access that Jesus has to the Father. The good news is that all of these comes not from us having done anything, but simply by faith.
One of the contentions about the subject of justification is that; is man truly absolved of all his sins? or will he still have to pay a bit of penance for his wrongdoings? Another sect questions the pardon of future sins. The truth is that believers need to truly believe that Jesus has paid the price for all of our sins. No one can pay for his own pardon. The punishment is far too grievous to be borne by anyone. We must therefore believe that Jesus has been punished for all of your sins, past, present and future – all sins have been paid for. No more sacrifice is needed for God’s mercy and pardon. No more “works”, no more shedding of blood, Jesus did it once and for all and perfected it. The finished work is truly finished!
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CONCLUSION
Man stood eternally condemned in the court of law. Man could not pay for his own sins because the punishment was far too great. God, the King and Judge of the earth sent forth His only Son, Jesus Christ as a propitiation for the sins of men. However, there is something to be done to repay for this. Not good works, for our best is as rags. The only thing needed to be truly justified is to believe in the finished work of Jesus Christ.
QUESTIONS
1. What does the word justification mean to you?
2. In your own words, explain Romans 3:23.
3. What do we need to do to be justified by God?
4. Will people still be punished for sins committed?
5. What does the finished work of salvation mean?
DO HAVE A BLESSED DAY
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©2022 THE GOSPEL FAITH MISSION INTERNATIONAL DEVOTIONAL IS BY PASTOR (DR) E.O ABINA, THE GENERAL OVERSEER OF GOFAMINT Worldwide. |
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