The Lamb of the New Covenant   Part II

Justification, through ‘faith’ (through believing in the Lamb of the New Covenant)

Romans 5:12-21 NIV   In the first 5 chapters of Romans, the Apostle Paul has been making the case that ‘sinners’ are made right with God not on the basis of any righteous acts, or within their own sense of doing good, or within any sense of their own inherent righteousness, but on the basis of the righteousness of Christ that is received by ‘faith’ alone.  And here is the explanation as to why Paul says God chose it to work this way:   Paul writes, “12, Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, (Adam) and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.  15, But the gift is not like the trespass.  For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, (Adam) how much more did God’s grace and gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!  16, Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin:  The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.  17, For if, by the trespass of the one man, (Adam) death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.  18, Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men.  19, For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.  20, The law was added so that the trespass might increase.  But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 3:28 NIV  Paul says   “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.”

Romans 4:5 NIV   Paul says  “To the man who does not work (try to earn through works) but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Romans 10:4 NIV  Paul says   “Christ is the end of the law ‘so that’ there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV   Paul says   “God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, ‘so that’ in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

God chose to save us ‘through’ Jesus Christ because it correlates with how we became sinners through Adam. Justification to new life correlates with the condemnation to death.   We must understand that we did nothing to inherit the death and condemnation that we received through Adam.   It was imputed to us.   Thus Paul says, in the same way, the ‘justification’ we receive through Jesus, does not come from what we do but from what Jesus did ‘for’ us.  Wow.

One of my favorite people on the planet is my pastor of over 40 years, David N.   When teaching this principle of where we become ‘justified through faith’..and being imputed a position of righteousness before God…I can see David illustrating this principle and holding out his hands in front of the audience..and opening his fingers…and then he crosses his hands to the opposite side of where they were prior…and he says   “The Great SWAP…Jesus pays our debt and dies the death we deserve.…and we get forgiveness and declared righteous.”

And ‘that’ is the true meaning of Easter.   He died for you and me.   God placed on Him our sin and sins.  Jesus paid our debt..died the death we deserved.   He got death, we get forgiveness and eternal life.  God imputes to us a position of ‘righteousness’ based on what Jesus did for us.

Easter means… He is Risen!!!   He is our ‘forever’ risen Christ, the Lamb of God.   He sits at the right hand of God in the throne room in heaven and He promises that He will bring us home to live with Him forever.    If you have not put your faith in Jesus for your ‘salvation’…please do so today.   If you are already a ‘believer’…I encourage you to ‘share’ the good news that He is Risen.

(One final post in this series coming later in the week.   We know what he did ‘for’ us.   And now we will see what he did ‘to’ us. )