The Pulpit Commentary — Romans — Section 142

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1, 2.-Jmtification am,d ita consequences. Here side by side are the most solemn, the most terrible, and the most glorious certitudes of our religion. There is a God. With tha.t God we are not naturally at peace. Enmity toward God means sin; and the wages of sin is death. But how to make peace with him? Blessed be his Name, Christ has died that we might live. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them." Enmity and death-the results of sin, to which all are condemned; for all have sinned. Reconciliation and life-the results of the obedience and death of Christ. These verses put before us how this wondrous transformation may be effected; how, being dead, we may be made alive; how, being enemies of God, we may be reconciled and have peace with him. I. THE NATURE OF JUSTIFICATION. The words in the original mean, " being reckoned [or,' held'] as just," We do not make ourselves just. Neither by this act are we made just, made perfoct in holiness. That is the object of sanctification, and is not completed until we have put off this mortal. If we. should say that when we are justified we are made perfectly righteous, that would be the same thing as saying that no Christian commits sin-a doctrine contrary to the Word of God and to the BAperience of individuals. Paul complained that the evil he would not, that he did. No; justi- fication neither implies that we make ourselves just, nor, on the other hand, tha, we are made just. It implies that we are reckoned just in God's sight so far as regards the penalty of the Law. He declares that the Lawis satisfied in regard to us. M:i.n.ifestly, this is the grace of God. How could we satisfy the Law? "By the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified." "In thy sight," exclaims David, "she.ll no man living be justified." It is by grace a.lone. We can now point to the cross and say, "He died for me I" Ohrist's own words are, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." 'l'hia is the exact parallel of justification by faith. Just as the simple aot of turning the faint and weary eyelids toward that brazen serpent restored the dying Hebrews in the wilderness, so it is still possible for a.II of us, e.en ior such as are most dead in trespasses and sins, to look with the eye of faith toward Calvary and say, "Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died." And by tlmt death he paid our debt. "He was delivered for our offences." This is justilicatiou. Instead of being debtors to do the whole Law, we plead its fulfilment by our Suh.tit-Utt', aoceptod by Gud, while we booomo at the same time the sen·:1ut,, of righteousness.. ThtJ Le.w has boon fulfillod by II porfcct righteousness, I\Ud the pt1unlty of :\ broken L:w oan no longer be inUictod upon thoso who 11pproprinto tlmt rightuou~ucss as tht'ir:s, 'l'hus Justification is thB fi'Btl grac1J of God show11 fa a comp/fie pardo,~ of all Oil/" sin. We are reoonoiled to God by the death of his Son; we havo received the Spirit of alt,p- lc\8 THE EPISTLE OF PAUL TO THE ROMANS. [011. v. 1-21