Well, good morning, everyone.
What is a Christian?
That's really the question that we're unpacking over the course of this series.
It's an important question.
It's an important question for those of us who would say that we are Christian
because it's in fact possible that you have rejected Christianity
on a false assumption of what Christianity actually is about
and what it means to be a Christian.
And so if you are new amongst us today, welcome.
It's a great day to be in church because today we get to the heart of the Christian message today.
What it fundamentally is all about.
And it's crucial because you could sit in church for decades
and not understand what we're unpacking this morning.
You could call yourself a Christian for decades
and not understand what it is that we're unpacking this morning.
The language of the New Testament is that a Christian is someone who is in Christ.
Ash has already said that.
A Christian is someone who's united to Christ in such a way that everything that is Christ,
everything that is his, all that he is, belongs to you, the Christian.
And so today we're discovering how do we get into Christ?
That's the key thing that we're looking at today.
And I've got four points.
Unfortunately, I didn't get it done in time late last night in order to get it on the app.
So you'll just have to take notes or re-watch it later or something or get a copy.
Actually, you've got copies of it in front of you probably.
Okay, first of all, I've got four points.
First one is the need for justification.
Verse 21, Romans 3.
But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been made known.
Now, the word righteousness there is a word that we're not necessarily familiar with in the English language.
We don't kind of talk about it much, really.
It's not something that just flows around.
But the word righteousness in Romans 3, in fact, in the book of Romans,
is the same Greek word as the word justify.
Justify.
So to justify your existence, if you like.
And so righteousness is, another way of understanding it,
is a performance record that validates you and removes barriers.
That's what righteousness is.
For instance, it's similar to a resume.
You have a resume, a CV, and it's a record of your employment history,
your accomplishments, your experiences.
And the purpose of a resume is to open doors for me,
to start a conversation, to potentially get a job.
But without the resume, you don't even get the door opened.
It's about the resume is the possibility of finding acceptance, approval,
of being granted something.
An academic record is the same thing.
You want to apply to get into a university, academic record does the same thing.
Without the academic record, you're not going to get the door of university open to you.
Interesting enough, it happens right through all of life.
All the way through life.
Even on a social level, the clothes you wear, the cars we drive,
the suburbs we live in, the holidays we have,
all the things that are an attempt to get into an approval in a particular social group,
or a family, or even in my own sense, that I fit as part of this society.
And all of our records of righteousness in their various degrees are ways of saying,
please approve of me.
Please accept me.
Here is my record.
And everybody is doing it.
Everybody is seeking righteousness, seeking justification,
seeking validation, acceptance, approval.
It's not just a religious thing.
One of the best pictures of this is the,
it's in the epic movie, Chariots of Fire.
It chronicles the rise of two Scottish sprinters up to the 1924 Olympics.
And it was the 100 meter sprint.
One of those sprinters was a guy named Harold Abrahams,
who went on to win the gold medal.
And Abrahams famously said,
I've got 10 lonely seconds to justify my whole existence.
When he was asked, why are you training so hard?
Why are you putting all this effort into the 100?
I've got 10 seconds to justify my whole existence.
He ran in order to prove himself to others that he mattered.
He ran to justify himself,
to know that he was worthy, acceptable.
Another example, Academy Award winning filmmaker Sidney Pollack
famously expressed that making movies was his way of justifying his existence.
Not long before he died, his family was pleading with him.
He was sick.
And they knew he was dying.
They were pleading with him to stop making movies because it's killing you.
The whole process is killing you.
And this is what he said in an interview.
Although the grueling filmmaking process is wearing me down,
I cannot justify my existence if I'm not creating something.
Of course, the great irony of it is,
because he had to keep making movies.
Because he had to keep making movies,
then it clearly wasn't justifying his existence.
It clearly wasn't filling up that thing that was inside of him that needed justification.
We do it in all kinds of different ways.
For instance, if being a parent with good and happy kids is our justification,
then psychologists will tell you that's a sure way of ensuring the kids are not good and they're miserable.
If that's your justification, it will never be your justification.
All self-justification is fragile.
All of it's fragile.
One more movie, just one more gold medal, one more promotion,
the kids being perfect,
or as the late American businessman and the world's very first billionaire,
John D. Rockefeller said,
just one more million and I feel I'm okay.
Just one more million.
You see, the problem is,
deep down,
deep, deep, deep down inside of us,
we all know that we should be better than we are.
And so justifying our existence
for all of us is something that we do,
but for all of us,
it's just, it's out of reach.
One more million,
one more gold medal,
just out of reach.
All of us want a life that counts
and are worthy and are worthy enough
in order to be accepted by others,
approved of.
All of us want that validation.
Every culture and society does exactly the same thing,
even if it looks different
in how we might pursue that validation,
that justification,
that righteousness.
And that's why
every culture
and every religion
thinks it's the same
when it comes to God.
To get in with the divine,
to get in with a God,
requires a spiritual
and a moral resume
of our performance
that says,
please validate me,
please accept me,
please approve of me,
please justify me,
please find me righteous.
And so we develop
our record of righteousness
and hope in the end
that we will be accepted.
And the problem
with self-justification
is that all of us know
that we should be far better
than we are.
Forget about living
according to anyone else's standards.
Forget about living
to the divine standards.
Forget about living
even in obedience
to the Ten Commandments.
Forget about all of that.
None of us even live up
to our own standards.
And that's why
we're constantly pursuing it.
In the chapter before this,
in Romans 3,
Paul writes,
you therefore have no excuse,
you who pass judgment
on someone else,
for at whatever point
you judge another,
you're condemning yourself.
Because you who pass judgment
do the same things.
And so when you,
a mere human being,
pass judgment on them
and yet do the same things,
do you think
that you'll escape
God's judgment?
He's saying there,
there's not a single
human being
who is able to live up
to their own convictions
of what is right and wrong,
let alone to God's.
How can we possibly
justify ourselves,
validate ourselves,
if we can't live up
to even our own standards?
And it's important.
Because the word justification
is a word that belongs
to a law court setting.
Where God is viewed
as the judge
and we are the accused
before him.
And by our own standards,
the evidence is against us.
Just by our own standards.
And so verses 22 to 23
say that all of us
stand accused.
There's no difference
between Jew and Gentile.
In other words,
for all of humanity,
all have sinned
and fall short
of the glory of God.
What Paul's pointing to here
is that early in Romans,
he's writing that
humanity,
people,
us,
we were made
by God
in his likeness
to bring him glory
and to enjoy his glory.
And sin
is the rejection
of the God
who has made us.
And so we have lost
his glory.
Sin means we can't
be in relationship
with him.
We rebel against him.
We want to live life
without him.
And we,
therefore,
do not enjoy
his approval.
We do not have
a right standing
before him.
We are not justified
before him.
We stand
accused
and condemned
before him.
And earlier
in chapter 3,
we are told
that all of us,
the religious
and the non-religious,
are under sin.
The moral
and the immoral
are under sin.
Our condition
is all the same.
Our legal standing
before God
is not justified.
There is no degrees
of unrighteousness
and justification.
We are all
unrighteous.
And then Paul
writes
these words
in Romans 3.
But now,
for the first
time
ever
and for the
only time
ever,
the righteousness,
the justification
of God
has been made
known.
in other words,
what he's saying
here is,
this is a totally
new approach
to getting in
with God
and it's just
been revealed.
And what has
been revealed
is that the
righteousness of God,
the justification
of God,
the perfect
record,
the validation
of God
has been
revealed.
And it puts
an end,
what it does,
it puts
an end
to all
of our
striving
and struggling
for self-validation
because the
righteousness
has been
revealed.
world.
It's a gift.
And here's the
gift.
None of us
can justify
ourselves.
And verse
24 says,
all are
justified
freely
by his
grace
through the
redemption
that came
by Christ
Jesus.
Justified
freely.
Now the
word freely
there
is really
important.
it's
used
in
another
place
in the
New
Testament
in
John
chapter
15
verse 25
when
Jesus
says,
they
hated
me
without
a cause,
without
a reason.
Literally,
they
hated
me
freely.
without
reason,
without
cause.
And the
word freely
means there
in a way
that is
totally,
completely
unwarranted.
It is
something that
is given
or done
for no
reason at
all.
It's
unwarranted.
And here
we
penetrate
into the
core
difference
between
Christianity
and
every
other
world
religion.
We
become,
a
Christian
becomes
acceptable
and
beautiful
before
God
not
by
what
we
bring
but
by
what
Christ
brings.
Not
by what
we
do
but
what
Christ
has
done.
The
glorious
reality
is
expressed
in one
of the
most
significant
verses
in all
the
Bible.
I quote
it
regularly.
For
our
sake
he
made
him
to
be
sin
who
knew
no
sin
so
that
in
him
we
might
become
the
righteousness
of
God.
We
might
come
the
justification
of
God
justified
before
God
right
before
God
perfect
record
before
God
we
might
have
God's
perfect
record
that's
the
righteousness
of
God
Jesus
Christ
had
no
sin
of
his
own
but
at
the
cross
he
took
on
himself
all
of
ours.
Romans
back to
Romans 3
it
unpacks
this
for us
all
are
justified
freely
without
warrant
without
reason
freely
by
his
grace
through
the
redemption
excuse
me
through
the
redemption
that
came
by
Christ
Jesus
God
presented
Christ
as a
sacrifice
of
atonement
through
the
shedding
of
his
blood
as
I
said
justification
is a
legal
term
that's
connected
to the
law
courts
the
word
redemption
here
is a
word
that
is
much
more
uglier
it's
a
word
that's
connected
to the
ancient
slave
market
the
reason
why
humanity
none
of us
can
justify
ourselves
is
because
we're
enslaved
we're
imprisoned
we are
captivated
to a
debt
of
sin
against
God
that
we
can
never
repay
we've
got no
ability
to
repay
got no
ability
to add
things
to our
CV
to our
resume
morally
righteously
before
God
no
ability
and in
Christ
Jesus
freedom
from that
debt
has
come
because
Jesus
paid
for it
all
he
atoned
for it
Romans
3 says
through the
shedding
of his
blood
on the
cross
you see
on the
cross
Jesus
Christ
received
the wrath
of God
for our
sin
and in
doing so
he turned
God's
wrath
away
from us
as I
said a
couple of
weeks ago
the
ground's
been
burnt
there's
no more
you can't
light another
fire there
the wrath
of God
has been
removed
from us
turned
away
you see
God
does not
sit up
there and
go oh
it's
okay I
just
forgive
you all
he does
not set
aside
his
justice
he just
turns it
on himself
on the
cross
it's the
place where
God's
justice and
love are
fully satisfied
and God
imputes to
Christ
Jesus
it's the
great exchange
he imputes
to Christ
Jesus
our
rebellious
record
and Jesus
satisfies the
debt of
that rebellious
record as
God
pours out
his anger
on him
and punishes
him for
our record
and because
Jesus does
that and
fulfills it
completely
God
legally
imputes
Jesus
right record
with God
to us
and so
we are
redeemed
you see
when we
come to
Jesus
we enter
into this
kind of
union
with him
and the
union
in Christ
because of
his justifying
work means
that everything
that naturally
belongs to
Jesus
becomes
ours
at the
cross
everything
that naturally
is ours
becomes
his
and because
he was
successful
at the
cross
in bringing
justification
for humanity
everything that
is his
now becomes
mine
and yours
in Christ
that's what
it means to
be one
with him
the new
testament
language is the
language of the
Christ is our
bridegroom and
we're his
bride
it's the
marriage
the marriage
union
it's what
we say
you know
I do
weddings
in my
gig
and
you know
your bride
and bridegroom
are there
and they
say words
like
with all
that I
am
and all
that I
have
I own
you
it's the
great
exchange
I
did the
same
27
odd
years ago
or something
27 and a
half years
ago
I think
that's
right
yeah
yes
it is
right
in my
case
I was
a student
I had
a student
debt
I owed
my father
in law
$2,000
for our
honeymoon
and I
had
virtually
no money
in the
bank
and I
said to
Nat
all that I
am
and all
that I
have
is yours
you are
now bound
with me
in debt
and that's
what happens
to the
Christian
the infinite
debt is
now his
and he
pays it
you see
the death
and resurrection
of Jesus
is the
marriage
ceremony
for the
Christian
Romans
425
says
Jesus
was
delivered
up
for our
trespasses
and he
was raised
for our
justification
the
resurrection
I don't
know if
you've
thought
about
this
before
but the
resurrection
was the
act
by which
God
said
to
his
son
who
bore
our
sin
you
are
justified
you
are
justified
and
because
the
son
is
justified
Christ
is
justified
the
verdict
can
never
will
ever
be
reversed
and
when we're
united to
Christ
the same
is true
of us
our
justification
is
participation
in
his
justification
and
so the
newest
Christian
in the
world
is no
less
justified
than the
most
mature
Christian
in the
world
the
saints
who are
currently
in glory
are no
more
justified
than the
most
recent
convert
to
Christ
we
receive
what is
properly
his
and he
receives
what is
properly
ours
and it
is the
fruit of
our
union
we
are
clothed
in
his
righteousness
because
we
are
in
him
justification
when we
read
we're
justified
in
Christ
Christians
have a
tendency
to go
that
means
I'm
forgiven
that's
what the
word
justification
means
justification
is not
less than
forgiveness
but it's
so much
more than
forgiveness
says
it's a
negative
term
forgiveness
it says
you are
free
to go
there's no
more debt
to pay
you're free
to go
that's what
forgiveness
is
justification
says
come
you are
welcome
to
all
that is
mine
all of
my love
all of
my presence
everything
that is
mine
is yours
that's
justification
so how
do we
receive it
verse
22
25
26
it's
all
by
faith
we receive
it by
faith
a person
is justified
approved
by God
validated
in right
standing
with God
by faith
in Jesus
Christ
now
we need
to be
careful
here
because
there is
a bunch
of common
mistakes
with this
and
they're
subtle
mistakes
it is
so
often
that we
think
that the
faith
I have
it is
what the
thing
that
justifies
me
it's
my
faith
that
justifies
me
and
if I
think
it is
my
faith
that
saves
me
and
justifies
me
what
happens
is
I
stop
looking
to
Jesus
and
his
work
of
justification
and
I
start
looking
to
my
faith
in
Jesus
and
so
every
time
there's
a
failure
a sin
every
time
I'm
not
able
to
fulfill
the
Christian
life
it
crushes
me
every
time
there's
a
doubt
that
comes
in
I'm
stumble
when
I
don't
feel
right
with
God
I
stumble
when
I'm
not
excited
as I
once
was
in
the
presence
of
Christ
I
stumble
and
that's
because
I'm
trusting
in
my
faith
and
faith
has
become
a
work
so
imagine
someone
asked
you
this
question
if
there
is
a
heaven
how
do
I
get
into
heaven
here's
three
different
responses
that are
common
depending
on
your
answer
if
you
answer
well
what
you
need
to
do
is
try
your
best
at
being
a
good
Christian
in
other
words
self
justification
self
validation
my
own
record
of
righteousness
that
is
salvation
by
works
it's
salvation
by
my
effort
it
is
self
!
justification
!
you
will
what
you
need
to
believe
in
God
and
do
his
will
do
what
he
says
obey
him
in
life
be
obedient
to
him
in
life
follow
him
in
life
if
that
is
your
answer
then
it's
a
combination
of
salvation
by
self
justification
and
salvation
by
faith
if
you
answer
well
I
believe
in
God
with
all
of
my
heart
that's
how
I
get
in
that
is
salvation
by
faith
as
a
work
that
is
salvation
by
faith
as
a
work
that
is
you
are
trusting
in
your
trust
and
all
of
these
false
understandings
of
saving
faith
will
lead
to
insecurity
anxiety
lack
of
confidence
pride
devastation
when
you
morally
fail
and
both
the
religious
person
and
the
irreligious
person
at
this
point
can
be
just
as
lost
in
their
self
justification
just
as
lost
and
it
is
possible
to
sit
in
church
for
years
and
years
and
years
and
years
and
still
not
know
what
it
is
to
be
justified
in
Christ
to
sing
the
songs
we
just
sung
and
then
to
leave
here
to
work
for
your
justification
within
a
Christian
framework
you
might
know
for
instance
that
when
you
confess
your
sin
God
is
forgiving
because
Jesus
died
on the
cross
for
you
might
be
confident
of
that
you
might
know
that
and
once
you
confess
your
sin
you
recommit
yourself
to
now
really
living
for
him
I
gonna
I'm
just
gonna
live
for him
again
and
I'm
not
gonna
do
that
again
and
then
it
happens
again
you
confess
your
sin
and
then
I'm
gonna
live
for
him
again
and
it
happens
again
and
again
and
again
and
again
and
again
and
again
what
it
means
to
be
a
Christian
is
not
to
just
repent
of
your
sins
but
it
is
to
repent
of
your
false
righteousness
your
false
justification
that's
what
it
means
to
be
a
Christian
saving
faith
is
simply
the
attitude
of
coming
to
God
with
empty
hands
that's
saving
faith
coming
to
God
with
empty
hands
and
what
saving
faith
is
it's
the
end
of
one
kind
of
faith
and
it's
the
beginning
of
a
brand
new
faith
a
Christian
is
someone
who
stops
working
at
their
justification
and
they
trust
God's
gift
of
justification
in
Jesus
saving
faith
is
a
transfer
of
trust
and
it's
a
trust
in
God's
promise
to
save
this
matters
so
how
do
we
experience
justification
it
doesn't
mean
to
live
this
Christian
life
if
you
like
being
justified
in
Christ
August
2013
there
was
a
Nigerian
newspaper
that
it
released
the
story
I'm
not
in
the
habit
of
reading
Nigerian
newspapers
but
this
was
a
really
interesting
story
and
really
what it
is
it's
an
illustration
of
what
so
many
Christians
do
how
many
so
many
Christians
live
the
story
was
an
inmate
it
said
that
he
caused
a bit
of a
disturbance
in
a
law
court
the
judge
acquitted
him
of his
crimes
and
set
him
free
and
all
the
charges
against
him
were
dropped
and
in
that
moment
he
walked
at
the
end
he
walked
back
to
the
prison
van
and
at
the
prison
van
about
to
hop in
the
prison
guard
said
what
are you
doing
you're
free
to
go
I
don't
want
to
I
don't
want
to
go
and
instead
of
the
normal
jubilation
and
happiness
he
got
really
annoyed
and
then
a
ruckus
started
it
took
six
prison
guards
police
officers
and
court
officials
to
literally
subdue
the
guy
and
throw
him
out
of
the
court
and
then
he
turned
up
the
prison
knocking
on
the
door
let
me
back
in
and
that's
a
picture
of
so
many
of
us
we
are
free
in
Christ
and
yet
we
find
so
many
subtle
ways
of
returning
to
the
prison
of
self
established
standing
before
God
in
the
divine
courtroom
healthy
Christian
discipline
is
this
you're
constantly
pushing
refresh
on your
settled
status
before
God
that
is the
Christian
life
you are
constantly
pushing
refresh
justification
by faith
justification
by faith
justified
I have
the
verdict
of
final
acquittal
I am
approved
of
God
justification
in
Christ
justified
by
faith
it
is
not
a
hotel
pass
sorry
a hotel
that you
pass
through
it is
the
home
in
which
you
live
as
a
Christian
it's
not
the
gateway
or
it's
not
just
simply
the
gateway
into
the
Christian
life
it
is
the
path
of
the
Christian
life
it's
not
the
jumper
cables
to
get
the
Christian
life
started
it is
the
engine
of
the
Christian
life
as
the
very
first
person
who
discipled
me
when I
was
very
new
to
the
Christian
faith
says
Steve
do you
want to
be a
Christian
right to
the
very
end
of
your
life
absolutely
he said
as you
start
so you
continue
he said
you start
the
Christian
life
with your
hands
empty
at the
foot of
the
cross
pleading
for
mercy
confident
that your
salvation
is
purely
in
Christ
justification
he said
don't
ever
get up
from
the
cross
don't
ever
get up
from
the
foot
of
the
cross
justification
is
how
you
start
and
justification
is
how
you
continue
justification
in
Christ
is
not
a
process
it's
an
event
it's
a
moment
in
time
the
verdict
of
legal
acquittal
once
and for
all
but the
Christian
life
is
fed
by
constantly
staying
there
!
and
ever
more
deeply
going
into
the
event
of
justification
in
Christ
and
when
we
do
here's
what
happens
we
grow
in
humility
verse
27
then
what
becomes
of our
boasting
it's
excluded
by
what
kind
of
law
by
a
law
of
works
no
but
by
the
law
of
faith
the
very
first
effect
of
truly
understanding
how
we're
justified
in
Christ
is
the
removal
of
all
boasting
and
the
word
Paul's
actually
very
emphatic
here
in the
Greek
language
it
is
excluded
your
resume
my
resume
my
CV
of
moral
righteousness
is
entirely
excluded
it is
blank
there's
nothing
there
boasting
in
ourselves
cannot
coexist
with a
true
grasp
of what
Jesus
done
for
us
I
contribute
nothing
to my
salvation
other than
my
colossal
need
for it
our
righteousness
is credited
and received
which means
I boast
in Christ
I give
glory
to God
and free
to see
and be
really
understand
for the
first time
who I
truly
am
another
thing that
flows from
justification
in Christ
is grateful
joy
and a deep
security
through all
the times
of uncertainty
my
joy
is not
rocked
because I
have the
praise and
the approval
of the
praiseworthy
one
it also
produces a
greater
identity and
purpose in
life
because we're
included in
God's great
plan for all
time and
space in
Jesus Christ
another one
assurance
knowing the
blessing of
the righteousness
of Jesus
Christ being
credited to
me is the
only way to
be liberated
to see who
I truly
am
too many
Christians are
shocked when
they fail
shocked when
they fail
and there's
plenty of
non-Christians
who are happy
to point it
out to you
as well
the reality
is we
should be
shocked when
we actually
don't fail
that's
where the
shock should
be
self-justification
leads to a
life of
ignoring
excusing
or despairing
over our
failures and
our flaws
we are
constantly worried
about what
people think
about us
we can't
take any
criticism
we want
to defend
ourselves
consistently
justification
by faith
in Christ
means there
is nothing
to defend
it's a
blank sheet
I've got
nothing to
offer
there is no
record of
righteousness
to defend
one more
justification
in Christ
gives us
hope when
hope is
gone
we have
no hope
for eternal
life except
that God has
promised that
in Christ
Jesus
and that
we can be
made right
with him
and that
means we
can face
the loss
of all
things that
we enjoy
and deeply
grieve those
things
when they're
taken away
and yet we
can still have
hope
because all
that is
Christ's
is mine
I'm united
with him
free
justification
in Christ
Jesus
makes every
difference to
where we are
heading
but also
to how we
act and how
we feel
now in both
the good
times and the
hard times
and the
!
and the
other
things
are
going to be
to
the
end
of all