Justified With God
Job 9:2; 25:4
Intro:
Twice in the book of Job, we find the same question asked by two
different men.
First of all,
Job asked in Job 9:2 – How should man be just with God?
Secondly,
Bildad asked in Job 25:4 – How then can man be justified with God?
He then goes
on to elaborate on his question by asking, “or how can he be clean that is born
of a woman?
The word “JUST”
in 9:2 and the word “JUSTIFIED” in 25:4 is the same Hebrew word.
צדק tsadaq tsaw-dak’ - to
be put or made right, be justified; justify, make to appear righteous, make
someone righteous
DEFINITION – THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION IS GOD'S ACT OF
REMOVING THE GUILT AND PENALTY OF SIN WHILE AT THE SAME TIME DECLARING A SINNER
RIGHTEOUS.
The question
these two men are asking is the question that men have been asking since time
began.
How can a man
– a sinful man, become righteous in the sight of a thrice holy God?
It is
strongly believed that Job is the oldest book in the Bible with Job living
around the time of Abraham.
This was
before the law, before the Scriptures, before the Tabernacle, before any
teaching or preaching was made available on the subject of justification.
Job pondered
what is the basic tenant of Christianity today – the Doctrine of Justification.
Even in the
most remote, isolated, uncivilized societies, mankind is aware of the fact that
they are inferior to a Supreme Being, and that they are worthy of the judgment
and wrath of that Supreme Being.
The Great
Reformation, initiated mainly by the actions of Martin Luther – was founded on
his discovery of the importance of the Doctrine of Justification.
His
overwhelming conviction of its absolute importance and his dogmatic belief in
the Biblical teaching on this doctrine compelled him to nail his 95 Thesis to
the door of the Wittenberg Castle church.
Concerning
this Doctrine, Martin Luther, at the cost of being proclaimed a heretic, wrote –
“This one and firm rock, which we call the doctrine of
justification, is the chief article of the whole Christian doctrine, which
comprehends the understanding of all godliness.
Before we
answer the question that was asked twice in the book of Job, notice several key
Biblical facts:
1. It is possible for sinful
man to be justified with God.
·
Galatians 3:6-8 Even
as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of
faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that
God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto
Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
2. It is God’s desire for all
men to be justified.
·
Romans 5:18 Therefore
as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by
the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of
life.
3. It is impossible for man
to justify himself.
·
Luke 16:15 And
he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God
knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination
in the sight of God.
·
Galatians 2:16 Knowing
that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus
Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by
the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the
law shall no flesh be justified.
·
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a
leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
So – the question
remains – HOW THEN CAN MAN BE JUSTIFIED WITH GOD?
I. Justification is Accessed
through a Person
The Word of
God is crystal clear on this – it is only through the death, burial and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
·
Romans 4:24, 25 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 offences, and was
raised again for our justification.
·
Romans 5:8, 9 But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ
died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall
be saved from wrath through him.
·
Romans 5:23-25 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 offences, and was
raised again for our justification.
·
I Corinthians 6:11 And
such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are
justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
This is what
Jesus meant when He said in John 14:6
– Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
·
This
is why we pass out tracts.
·
This
is why we support missionaries.
·
This
is why we run busses.
·
This
is why we go soulwinning.
·
This
is why we have an altar call every time we have a church service.
·
This
is why we were left here on this earth as believers.
THE WORLD MUST BE TOLD THAT JESUS IS
THE ONLY WAY TO BE JUSTIFIED WITH GOD!!
II. Justification is by the
Admission of a Problem
·
Luke 18:13, 14 And the
publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven,
but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house
justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall
be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
·
Romans 3:19, 20 Now
we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under
the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty
before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified
in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
As long as a
person is in denial about their true state as a sinner – alienated from God,
they cannot be justified.
Justification
requires that a person acknowledge that they are indeed a sinner and deserving
of God’s judgment.
Self-righteousness
is without a doubt the most populated vehicle to Hell.
A person that
fails to admit they need God in order to be justified will never be.
·
QUOTE: The
hardest people to reach with the love of God are not the bad people. They know
they are bad. They have no defense. The hardest ones to win for God are the
self-righteous people. - Charles L. Allen
III. Justification is by the Acceptance
of a Provision
·
Romans 5:1 Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ:
·
Acts 13:38, 39 Be
it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from
which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
·
Galatians 3:11, 24 But
that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for,
The just shall live by faith. Vs. 24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to
bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Accepting God’s
provision of justification by faith is an absolute, non-negotiable condition.
FOR BY GRACE
ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH – AND THAT NOT OF YOURSELVES – IT IS THE GIFT OF
GOD.
As the old
hymn says – “Nothing in my hands I bring – simply to the cross I cling.”
