Justified

 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ~ Romans 3:23-24

 

I have spent a good deal of time this week looking at how mankind is in sin. And unlike the presidential election,  the outcome of that study was always pretty certain.  I am not surprised at how Paul describes the human state... Mainly because I live on a daily basis with the reality of that.

I have been a Christian,  intermittently,  for about 35 years of my 43 years of life and I have understood this for all of them,  that a darkness lurks in the heart of my desires. That,  as Paul says,  when I would do good,  evil is present with me (Paraphrase).

 

And although,  as I stated yesterday, a time comes when I think,  but surely I would be better by now?

 

You know,  more sanctified.

 

I don't know why so much is made of the mystery of the paradox between free will and predestination.  Forget that mystery,  what about the one of so called sanctification?

 

Glory to glory,  as my mum would say politely,  'my foot'! (insert the name of a preferred limb/appendage)

 

It sure doesn't feel like it.

 

I got quite stunned when I asked a respected member of our congregation,  one who I have known all my adult life, one who is a dedicated man of prayer and commands a respect and admiration for his humble and disciplined life, what he thought about sanctification.

 

I had expected,  when I first began to serve Jesus,  that I would indeed be changed from glory to glory.  The reality had been somewhat of a disappointment.  If anything with age my character disintegrated as I become more and more curmudgeonly and less tolerant or others and increasingly set in my ways!

 

I was expecting some pearl of wisdom from him, something to give me hope that some kind of change could be expected and that there was some key to unlocking it.

 

This gentleman is in his eighties.  He has a lot of wisdom to bring.

 

He raised an eyebrow, leaned back and folded his hands across his chest,  paused briefly and then said,

 

"To be honest with you..."

 

(Yes,  yes,  what is it oh wise one?  What is your secret?)

 

"Well to be perfectly frank....."

 

(here it comes,  the diatribe about discipline,  and how tough is the road to holiness)

 

"Well, I have sort of given up, really."

 

Wow.

 

That's it?

 

Some seventy years of devotion to Christ and that's all you've got?!

 

You have given up!

 

"Yes, at my age you stop thinking change is possible and just accept it."

 

Oh man.

 

I am screwed.

 

Now I need to say a couple of things.

 

Firstly,  a couple of years after he said this I actually saw a huge transformation in this elder brother as he came into a fresh experience of God.  It is perfectly possible I caught him on an off day, or even,  as I have discovered is also perfectly possible, an off year.

 

Secondly,  there is actually wisdom in his answer.

 

I hated hearing him say it, but that is largely because I held aspirations of becoming better.

 

Although salvation is free, and there is grace,  I am not entirely satisfied with it.  What good is it if I can't feel good about myself?  (and here I expose my heart and my sin).

 

This need for approval is SO deep.

 

But if God has said that I am acceptable, then I am acceptable. Like my dear brother,  I should just give up and let sanctification take care of itself.

 

Martyn Lloyd-Jones says;

 

"The opposite of condemnation is never sanctification,  invariably it is justification."

 

Look back at the verses a moment.  All have sinned.  Yup. Check. 

We are all sinners. All under condemnation. Check.

 

"But all are justified freely by his grace!"

 

CHECK!!

 

Now when I say 'give up', I don't mean not to make an effort in your spiritual life. Absolutely not. By no means.  We are told to 'keep your spiritual zeal in serving the Lord '.

 

We should give up on our false motivations for earning approval; anyone's approval.  Not man's, not our own, and certainly NOT GOD'S.

 

Salvation is a finished work.  Grace is free. It is done.  Jesus has sat down at the father's right hand.  Sat down because his work is complete.

 

And the irony,  when we stop trying,  is that we actually start to change.

 

Justified freely by God.

 

Clean and free with all charges cleared and all debts paid.

 

The sweet peace of that.

 

Rest in that.

 

Satisfy yourself not in your works,  but in Jesus and in his finished work.

 

Because, to quote John Piper,

 

"God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him."

 

Amen.