Dirtyconfession.com

“God does not deal, nor has he ever dealt, with man otherwise than through a word of promise We in turn cannot deal with God otherwise than through faith in the Word of his promise. He does not desire works, nor has he need of themThere is no doubt, therefore, that in our day all priests and monks, together with their bishops and all their superiors, are idolators, living in a most perilous state by reason of this ignorance, abuse, and mockery of the mass, or sacrament, or promise of God.-Martin Luther, The Babylonian Captivity Centuries ago, the patriarch Job exclaimed, “How should man be just with God? For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both” (Job 9:1, 32-33). Even so, Job later expressed the sublime confidence of resting in his redeemer: “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another” (Job 19:25-27).The utterances of the patriarch illustrate well both the need for, and the sufficiency of, the work of our redeemer, Christ Jesus. Whereas no ordinary man could act as our mediator, yet there is good news of redemption: “there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom. God was manifest in the flesh” (1 Tim. 2:5 -6, 3:16).A crucial question every man must ponder is how he can be just before God. This is a legal question, pertaining to our guilt as sinners. We are all guilty; there can be no denial of that fact. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Rom. 3:10). We have nothing of merit to bring before God to improve our standing, for “we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. 64:6). If we remain in this guilty state, we must suffer the punishment due for our sins, which is everlasting torment in hell. Truly our case is desperate.Moreover, we need more than forgiveness for the guilt of sins committed. If we would appear before the holy Lord of glory, we need a positive righteousness, not just a pardon for our offenses. Thus the case is clear: if we are to stand just (or righteous) before God, we must obtain righteousness from a source outside ourselves.Let us, then, give praise unto God: through his wondrous plan of redemption, such a righ teousness is found in Christ! In Christ alone may we find the righteousness we inherently lack. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” He “was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justifica tion” (2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 4:25). Thus is he called, “The Lord our righteousness” (Jer. 23:6; 33:16).Christ Jesus provides the sole ground of righteousness for redeemed sinners. “When he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Heb. 1:3).This truth is at the foundation of historic Protestant theology; hence the slogan, ” Solus Christus!” The Westminster Shorter Catechism (#33) summarizes: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us .”Essentially, then, justification is a forensic (or legal) concept. The sinner is declared righ teous, based solely upon the righteousness of another, even Christ Jesus. The righteousness of Christ is the ground of salvation. – Kevin Reed