“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:23-24)
In his younger years Martin Luther was tormented in his soul because he saw himself as a man on trial—on trial before an almighty and holy God. For Luther, the question was, “How can a sinner measure up to the demands of a Judge who expects nothing short of perfection?”
We sinners have many ways to try to justify ourselves before God. We excuse our sins—”After what he did to me, I have a right to get even!” We deny what we did was wrong—”Everybody else is doing it. How bad can it be?” We blame others for our bad behavior—”The woman you gave me . . .” We try to justify ourselves by comparison—”I thank God that I’m not like other men.”
These lines of defense are truly laughable. In fact, they make our case worse, because when we use them—rationalizing, denying, blaming, comparing—we are being dishonest. We are trying to cover up what is all too obvious, namely that we’ve been caught openly with our hand in the cookie jar. Honesty requires us to admit about ourselves what David admitted about himself: “Against You, You only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight . . . Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” (Psalm 51:4-5)
How can a person, inherently evil by nature, who sins in so many ways every day, hope to escape everlasting punishment in hell? This is the haunting question each and every human being is faced with.
Thanks be to God for revealing the answer to Luther. God revealed it to him from Scripture. The answer is the one great truth of all Scripture—the teaching of justification. Justification is a courtroom term used in the Bible. It says that, in God’s courtroom, sinners have been declared “not guilty” for Christ’s sake. The doctrine of justification answers the question of how a sinner can be sure He will be welcomed by God into heaven.
In justification, God shows Himself to be a God of both justice and mercy. The verdict in God’s courtroom is “not guilty.” It is a merciful verdict because we don’t deserve it. Yet it’s also completely just, because in Christ the righteous demands of the Law have been fully satisfied for all, and the penalty for sin has been fully paid for all.
But who is meant by “all”? Answer? All people. Every sinner. The entire world. Your friend. Your neighbor. Your family member. That hateful person who can’t stand you. The most depraved criminal. And, yes, even you, and even me. These all, without exception, have been justified in God’s courtroom. Our verse says “all” have sinned. Yet it also says that those same “all” have been “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
This does not mean that every sinner will spend eternity in heaven. Sadly, while all have been justified, many stubbornly reject God’s verdict. “He that believeth not shall be damned.” (Mark 16:16 KJV)
But don’t let that diminish how wonderful the doctrine of justification is for you personally. When troubled by your sin, follow the divine logic: God has pronounced the whole world “not guilty” of all sin for Christ’s sake. You’re part of the world. So, God regards you, personally, as completely innocent of all sin. On that basis, you may be absolutely certain that one day God will welcome you with open arms into His heaven.
It has been rightly noted that only a handful of church bodies today hold to the doctrine of justification in all its unconditional truth and beauty. By the grace of God, the Church of the Lutheran Confession is one of them. On Reformation Day we thank God for many things, but above all we praise Him for restoring to His church the wonderful doctrine of justification.
is pastor of Gethsemane Lutheran Church in Saginaw, Michigan, and president of the Church of the Lutheran Confession.