“Christ “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 4:25; 5:1)
All who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Saviour are familiar with the doctrine of forgiveness. The redemptive work of Christ includes the forgiveness of sins, which removes the penalty associated with our guilt (Col. 1:14). In Romans 3:19, we read that all the world is guilty before God. The word used for “guilty” carries the thought of “accountable” or “indebted.” When an individual is guilty of a crime, he is indebted to society and to the injured party. This indebtedness may be in the form of a fine, a prison term, or even his life. It is helpful to see that God is not only the righteous Judge who determines man’s guilt, but He is also the injured party against whom man has sinned (Ps. 51:4).
In the seventh chapter of Luke, Jesus told a parable of two debtors. While one of them owed the creditor ten times the amount of the other, they were both in the same condition of being bankrupt and unable to pay. The creditor frankly forgave their debt and any penalty associated with it. This gracious and free forgiveness removed all fear of judgment and resulted in peace (Lk. 7:50). This is a very vivid picture of God graciously and freely forgiving the sinner his debt to Him.
While the forgiveness of sins is gracious and free, it is not at the expense of God’s righteousness. His righteousness requires that justice be carried out and the penalty paid. Thus the forgiveness we enjoy is not only that of God acting as the offended party, but also the pardon which comes from a righteous Judge. This is only possible because of the propitiatory work of Christ. Atonement is an Old Testament truth which expresses the fact that sins were covered. Propitiation expresses the truth of satisfaction. Our sins are not just covered over, but God has been fully satisfied in regards to them (1 Jn. 4:10). As a result, Christ has been publicly declared to be the mercy seat, or the place at which God and man can meet. God can now pardon us of all our sins while still remaining righteous (Rom. 3:24-26). The more we enter into God’s appreciation of the propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, the greater will be our peace.
Forgiveness is the negative aspect of justification. It is the removal of our guilt and the associated penalty. It is based on the death of Christ (Rom. 5:9; Eph. 1:7).
In Romans 4:25, we read that Christ “was delivered for our offenses, and raised again for our justification.” While justification includes forgiveness, it is far more. Some have defined it as “just-as-if-I-never-sinned.” This definition falls far short of defining this blessed truth. This definition leaves one merely in the state of innocence, as Adam was before the Fall. It gives no security or permanent acceptance with God.
Justification is the “declarative act of God by which the believer is declared to be righteous.” This declaration is a result of a change of legal standing before the righteous Judge. It is objective truth. It is what God declares about the believer, not something subjective happening in him. Justification does not make one righteous. It is the declaration that one is righteous, or is constituted righteous. This truth presents the fact that not only has God forgiven the believer, but He has also declared that he is righteous in His sight.
An illustration may be of help in appreciating this distinction. Envision a person who was repeatedly caught shoplifting and was forgiven on each occasion. While this forgiveness kept the penalty of the law from being carried out, it would not mean that he is accepted as a righteous person by the owner. The owner would not hire him under the assumption that forgiving him made him righteous. (One who is righteous practices righteousness, 1 Jn. 3:7.) The individual would never give the owner of the shop as a character reference. In the same way, our forgiveness, while removing the penalty and fear of judgment, does not by itself imply acceptance with God. But God declaring us to be righteous in His sight does.
The positive aspect of justification is associated with the resurrection of Christ. When we see that Christ’s resurrection was itself a “declarative act of God,” we begin to see its importance. In John 16:10, Christ’s resurrection and ascension to the Father is a declarative act of God by which the world would be convicted. The world rejected Christ and His claims. Israel had esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God (Isa. 53:4). Christ’s resurrection not only declared God’s acceptance of His sacrificial death, but also declared that Christ Himself was righteous and the world was wrong in their judgment of Him. In Romans 1:4, the Apostle Paul states that Christ was “declared” to be the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead. In Romans 10:9-10, the belief of this truth is not only unto forgiveness, but unto righteousness.
The faith of the believer not only identifies him with the death of Christ, by which the penalty is removed, but also with a risen Lord, who has been declared to be righteous by the resurrection. The believer no longer stands before God in Adam, but in a risen, glorified Christ. Not only are we forgiven, but we are accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6).
May each believer know the rest and joy of such a position.
MIGHTY LOVE
O joy of the justified, joy of the free!
I’m washed in that crimson tide opened for me;
In Christ, my Redeemer, rejoicing I stand,
And point to the print of the nail in His hand.
Lord Jesus, the crucified, now Thou art mine;
Though once a lost sinner, yet now I am Thine;
In conscious salvation I sing of Thy grace
Who lifts now upon me the smile of His face.
Frank Bottome