Justified by Grace: The Scandal of the Gospel

Introduction

On the road to Easter, Stéphane Guillet pauses at the "justification" checkpoint: this word at the heart of the Reformers' theology, which Luther said carries the very core of Romans and of Scripture as a whole. Working from Romans 3:21-26, he shows that God declares the sinner righteous freely, through faith in Jesus Christ. A righteousness that's astonishing, even scandalous from a human point of view: an innocent man condemned so that the guilty can be acquitted. This is where God's "yes" breaks open a door that the earth could never open on its own.

Message Outline

1. The verdict with no appeal: no one is righteous

• Before announcing the good news, Paul lays out the case for the prosecution: "There is no one righteous. No, not one" (Romans 3:10).
• "For all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23): the relationship between the Creator and his creature is broken.
• Before the Judge of all the earth, the door seems shut for good. The Gospel can only be received on the foundation of an enormous "no" that God speaks over our own abilities.
• It's against this backdrop of condemnation that the "but now" of Romans 3:21 rings out, the turning point Karl Barth called "the impossible possibility, the yes within the no, life within death."

2. A righteousness apart from the law, freely by grace

• "The righteousness of God has been revealed", but apart from the law. It doesn't depend on how well you obey a set of rules.
• God doesn't make you righteous, he declares you righteous. Your justification doesn't hinge on what you did yesterday, what you're doing today, or even what you'll do tomorrow.
• "Being justified freely by his grace" (Romans 3:24): the redundancy of "freely by grace" drives the point home. Nothing to pay, nothing to bring in exchange.
• In Center Church, Timothy Keller distinguishes two ways of rejecting God: irreligion (denying God) and religion (moralism, believing I'm justified by obeying the law). The only way God has provided, Keller says, is neither irreligion nor religion, it's the Gospel.

3. Through the redemption: Christ, our propitiation

• How can God acquit the guilty with nothing paid for it? "Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:24).
• Verse 25 presents Jesus as the "propitiation." In the Old Testament, this word named the cover of the ark of the covenant, in the Most Holy Place: once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the high priest would touch it with the blood of the sacrificed victim.
• On the cross, Jesus becomes the place where forgiveness is given. He bears our disobedience; we're seen through his obedience. He takes our condemnation; we receive justification.
• This objective, historical act doesn't depend in any way on our will or our merit: it flows purely from the Father's will and the Son's yes, rooted in the love of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

4. Received by faith: an empty, open hand

• How does this exchange happen in you? "Through faith." But what is faith, exactly?
• Watch out for the religious temptation to turn faith into your own work, your own meritorious contribution. Jesus spoke of faith as the smallest of seeds.
• "But to him who doesn't work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:5). Faith isn't righteousness, it's credited as righteousness, by God's pure decision.
• Faith is the giving up of works. It's the gaze of Lazarus, who knows the rich man's wealth is out of his reach (Luke 16). It's the prodigal son, who no longer even qualifies for the pigs' food (Luke 15). It's the tax collector who doesn't dare lift up his eyes (Luke 18).
• An empty hand held out, a pleading gaze turned toward Christ: God wants to answer it. God wants to fill that hand.

5. The consequence: meeting God as Father

• If you approach God without justification, you meet God the Judge, the one who, because he's holy, cannot bear sin.
• If you approach God declared righteous because of Jesus's work, you meet God the Father, the one who recognizes you as his beloved child.
• Justification leads straight into your adoption: Jesus calls you his brother, his sister. You can draw near to God without fear, with confidence.
• You can even say "forgive us our trespasses" with the assurance that he forgives you, because you're no longer standing in a judge's courtroom, but in your Father's house.

Key Takeaways

• Justification is God declaring you righteous, not making you righteous. It's a word spoken from heaven, independent of anything you do.
• "Freely by grace": nothing to pay, nothing to earn. Any contribution on your part would amount to rejecting the Gospel.
• On the cross, Christ takes your condemnation; you receive his acquittal. That's the astonishing exchange that makes the Gospel scandalous from a human point of view.
• Faith isn't a meritorious work, it's the giving up of works: an empty hand, a pleading gaze turned toward Christ.
• Justification opens the way to adoption: you no longer meet God the Judge, but God the Father.

Personal Application

1. What "works" are you secretly trying to bring to God to feel accepted? What would happen if you gave up that contribution?
2. Are you more drawn toward irreligion (denying God, living without him) or religion (moralism that tries to earn its way)? Recognize what Keller calls the two ways of rejecting God.
3. Do you approach God as a judge to fear or as a Father who welcomes you? Take a moment of silence and let God declare you righteous today.
4. What would the tax collector's "empty, open hand" before God look like concretely in your week?
5. For whom around you is the free gift of the Gospel a scandal? How can you simply tell them that God declares the sinner righteous?

Verses Cited

• Romans 3:21-26 (main text)
• Romans 3:10 · "There is no one righteous. No, not one"
• Romans 3:23 · "For all have sinned"
• Romans 4:4-8 · Faith credited as righteousness
• Luke 18:9-14 · The Pharisee and the tax collector
• Luke 15:11-32 · The prodigal son
• Luke 16:19-31 · Lazarus and the rich man
• Ezekiel 33:11 · "I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked"

Further reading

• Encouraging Bible Verses: 20 Texts for Volunteers
• 20 Verses on Perseverance in Ministry
• 20 Verses to Pray for Your Church

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it mean to "be justified by grace" according to Romans 3?

To be justified by grace means being declared righteous by God, freely, apart from your works, on the sole basis of the redemption accomplished by Jesus Christ. God doesn't make you righteous through your own efforts, he declares you righteous because Christ bore your condemnation on the cross.

Why does Stéphane Guillet call this the "scandal of the Gospel"?

Because a judge who acquits the guilty on the basis of an innocent man's condemnation offends our human sense of justice. Yet that's exactly what God does at the cross: Christ, the innocent one, takes the condemnation; the guilty receive the acquittal. The Gospel overturns the ordinary rules of justice.

What is faith in justification, according to this sermon?

Faith isn't a work that earns justification. It's the giving up of all works: an empty hand held out, a pleading gaze turned toward Christ, like the tax collector who doesn't dare lift up his eyes. God looks with favor on this faith and fills the outstretched hand by pure grace.