O ne objection we often encounter when sharing the Gospel with unbelievers, especially those who subscribe to the Buddhistic philosophy of karma, is that our Christian God is unfair. “You mean an evil person like Hitler can go to heaven simply because he believes in Jesus Christ?” they will ask. The philosophy of cause and effect, that “whatsoever a man sow, so shall he reap” enshrined even in our Holy Scriptures, demands that a wicked person should be punished for his crimes and misdeeds. In this section of Romans, Paul provides the answer. Yes, God indeed will be unfair and unjust if He arbitrarily pardons a wicked criminal without punishment. But He did not. He sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for the criminal and for our sins. The Lord Jesus shed His blood to satisfy God’s wrath. The death of Jesus demonstrates justice has been served. The word “righteousness” in today’s verse refers to God’s justice. The righteous God did not just shrug off our sins. “The wages of sin is death” [Romans 6:23]; and the Lord Jesus, who was innocent of all sin, shed His precious blood on the cross and paid the penalty we deserved. To justify is to declare the accused righteous. God, the righteous Judge, can declare us righteous because He sent His Son to die for our sins. He is therefore also our justifier. But to receive this benefit, we must believe in and accept the gift, Jesus the Christ. We need to repent of our sins and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour.
LESSON
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
In the doctrine of salvation by grace, man is nothing, Christ is all. – James Smith, Daily Remembrancer
THOUGHT
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