The salvation of God (5) (Romans 8:29-30)

The salvation of God (5)

 

 

 

[Romans 8:29-30]

 

 

 

                Look at Romans 8:29-30: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.”

 

The fourth stage is ‘God justified’ (Rom. 8:30).

 

          Today I want to think about the fourth of the five stages of salvation, the salvation of those whom God justified (v. 30).  This is Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 33: (Q) “What is justification?”  (A) “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”  Justification is an act of God's free grace.  For example, salvation is an act of grace that God gives us freely.  Look at Ephesians 2:5 – “even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).”  Even God's forgiveness of all our sins is an act of God's free grace.  We are all sinners and we are all guilty.  Look at Romans 3:23 – “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  The fact that God considers us righteous in his sight and accepts us is also an act of God's free grace.  Because the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us, we are justified.  This is only by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

                There are three “imputations” in Christianity:

(1)    The imputation of Adam's sin:

 

This is Westminster Confession of Faith (6:3): “They being the root of all mankind, the guilt of this sin was imputed, and the same death in sin and corrupted nature conveyed to all their posterity descending from them by ordinary generation.”  Because the first Adam committed the sin of disobeying God's command of the covenant, that sin was imputed to all of us.  Look at Romans 5:12 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”  Through one man, Adam, sin entered the human world, and death through that sin.  All have sinned, and death spread to all.  In this way, the original sin of the first Adam was imputed to all people.  Therefore, all people have been tainted by sin and have become corrupt (total depravity).  Look at Psalms 51:5 – “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.”

 

(2)    God has imputed all our sins to the sinless Jesus Christ.

 

Look at Isaiah 53:6b – “… But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.”  The word “to fall on” here means “to imputed”.  That is, God has imputed all our sins to the sinless Jesus Christ.  Look at 1 Peter 2:24 – “and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.”  Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, took on all our sins and died on the cross.  Its purpose is that we may live to righteousness.  Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  Jesus Christ, who knew no sin experientially “to be sin on our behalf” for the purpose “that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus Christ).”  Heavenly Father transferred (imputed) all our sins to Jesus Christ so that He died on the cross for us.  Look at Romans 4:25 – “He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.”

 

(3)    Imputation of Christ's righteousness:

 

This is Westminster Confession of Faith (11:1): “Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth; not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.”  Look at Romans 3:21-22: “But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction.”  Look at Galatians 2:16 – “nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.”  We cannot be justified by works of the law.  It is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we are justified.  That Jesus Christ obeyed God's will (word) all the way to the point of dying on the cross.  We who believe in Jesus Christ by the grace of God are justified by God because the righteousness of Jesus Christ is imputed to us.  Look at Romans 5:18 – “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.” 

 

                The word “justified” in Romans 8:30 is a legal term. ‘Justification’ is when God, the Judge, examines the works of Jesus Christ, obedient to the point of death on the cross to bear all our sins according to the will (word) of God, and declares us innocent.  Look at Romans 8:1 – “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  Here, “condemnation” is the opposite of ‘justification’.  Because Christ transfers (imputes) his righteousness to us, God justifies us and considers us righteous and treats us as righteous.

 

                Having been justified in this way, God has made us “adoptions”. See the Order of Salvation: (1) Call, (2) Regeneration, (3) Conversion, (4) Faith, (5) Justification, (6) Adoption, (7) Sanctification, (8) Perseverance, (9) Glorification.  This is Westminster Shorter Catechism Q&A 34: (Q) “What is adoption?”  (A) “Adoption is an act of God's free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.”  Look at 1 John 3:1 – “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.”  Because of our Heavenly Father's great love, we are included in the number of children of God.  Look at John 1:12 – “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.”  Our privilege as a child of God is to have access to our Heavenly Father and to call Him “Abba!  Father!” (Rom. 8:15; Gal. 4:6).

 

                Look at Romans 8:17a – “and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, ….”  Our Heavenly Father adopted us through his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to be the firstborn among many brothers (v. 29).  Look at Hebrews 2:11 – “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So, Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”  We are all God's family.  Because we have become children of God (adoption), Jesus is our oldest brother, and we are his brothers.  Jesus is not at all ashamed to call us “brothers.”  This is a free gift from God, and it is eternal.  God's adoption of us is eternal and cannot be undone, and no one can take it away.  Look at John 10:29 – “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.”  In this way, God's salvation is certain, so we can have the assurance of salvation.

 

Since God works our salvation, we must stand firm in the faith without wavering with the assurance of salvation, fighting and winning all the temptations Satan tries to make us question/doubt and distrust our assurance of salvation.