Just and Justifier
Sermon V in the Series on the Atonement
by Jonathan Duttweiler
"being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth [as] a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:24-26 (NKJV)
Throughout our whole examination of the subject of the Atonement we have been saying that the need for the Atonement Christ made for us stems out of the problems that face God in forgiving sin and reconciling the sinner: that is, God must find a way to uphold His moral government while forgiving those who violate its precepts:
- He must also demonstrate His hatred for sin, yet love toward the sinner, all the while overcoming the sinner's fear, distrust and ignorance of God.
- And He must find a way to bring about humility in the sinner, destroying any vestige self-righteousness, in those He forgives.
- Finally, He must win the complete surrender of the hearts of free moral agents, that He might completely transform their character.
Thus, we must ask the question of the ages, does the Atonement of Christ actually overcome these problems? We may answer with a resounding YES!
The suffering and death of Jesus Christ satisfies all the problems God has in forgiving sin! As the Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Romans 5:1 NKJV)
The Atonement of Christ satisfies "public justice" and therefore upholds God's moral government while at the same time allowing Him to forgive sin. Again, Paul writes, "He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus Christ." (Rom. 3:26, NIV)
" Public justice" is that justice which is concerned with the over-all interest and well being of the public at large. It looks more to the "spirit" of the Law than strictly to the letter! Nathaniel Taylor wrote of public justice, "...that which is common to them all, is a benevolent disposition of the moral governor to maintain by the requisite means his authority as the necessary condition of the highest happiness of his kingdom." A useful illustration of this concept is the common system of pardons & parole. This system allows offenders out of prison, without serving the strict penalty of the law, when it will not harm society. In this regard, it is deemed that the benevolence shown the offender is of greater value to the public good then keeping him in prison.
Gordon Olson points out that the "...advent and sufferings of Christ has provided a moral force of far greater proportions... than the threatened eternal punishment of sinners had provided..." In the cross of Christ we have a public testimony of God's hatred for sin and the dreadful certainty that NO sin will go unpunished. "For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast [them] down to hell and delivered [them] into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;...[then] the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under punishment for the day of judgment," (2 Peter 2:4, 9 NKJV) Thus, the cross of Christ becomes a roadblock to sin in the lives of believers. "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh , God [did] by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh , on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh," (Romans 8:3 NKJV)
The Atonement of Christ also reveals the moral character of God, thereby removing the problem of our ignorance of God's attitude toward us and our sin. "This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previous committed." (Romans 3:25 NAS) The atonement reveals God's great love and mercy! "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died For us," (Romans 5:8 NAS) God is not looking to take out His wrath on someone, but is willing to forgive freely those who will repent! The atonement of Christ also reveals His great grief and hatred for sin! The suffering of the "man of sorrows", His death from a broken heart over sin, makes sin forever a dreadfully serious and tragic matter!
The Atonement provides a force of humiliation for penitent sinners, revealing inescapably our own guilt, our deservance of punishment, and the great wickedness of our pride and self-righteousness! As Paul writes, the cross reveals that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) One thing that we have learned is that humility is more than voluntary will power, only some great moral force can subdue our pride! The principle purpose of the Holy Spirit is to take the awesome spectacle of the Crucified Christ and reveal the full ramifications of His death to the heart and will of the sinner. Thus, the impact is much as when Isaiah had a vision of God and declared, "Woe is me, for I am undone!" He saw himself in the light of God! We must realize and be awed by the judgement our sin deserves before God can forgive us - "The sacrifices of God [are] a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart-- These, O God, You will not despise." (Psalm 51:17 NKJV)
We see, then, that the Atonement directs sufficient moral power to our hearts, wills and understanding so as to bring us to a complete yielding of our innermost being to the transformative power of God. We've said that God cannot simply overwhelm our moral freedom to make us into the person He wants us to be; we would no longer be free moral agents. It is only as we yield ourselves to His rule that the Holy Spirit can cleanse and purify our whole inner personality. 1 Peter 1:22-23 states "Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever." Thus, the Spirit may bring us to a continual life of obedience and service empowered by the Spirit! "Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for [His] good pleasure." (Phil. 2:12-13 NKJV)
Gordon Olson writes, "The simple statement of the Bible seems to be that sin is such a dreadful tragedy in the kingdom of God that it cannot be disposed of in any simple matter." While God has no personal, vindictive desire to punish the wicked, He cannot freely forgive sin if it will cause more sin! Consequently, not only must sinners be humbled and repent, but some awful measure must be substituted for their punishment which will bring about the same, or greater, effect in checking sin and revealing God's righteousness that the punishment of their sin would.
Thus the cross of Christ stands through the mist of time; ever beckoning sinners to come and find peace, and joy, and love in relationship to their God! Thus, as John declares in that most magnificent of verses, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." (John 3:16-17 NKJV)