Commentary on "Expounding the Faith"

RICHARD PEIFER

 

Day 2: Sunday, August 1, 2010 -Therefore, Being Justified

 

Overview

“…If so, we rightfully may render the “you have already been legally exonerated” message of Romans as “you have already been accepted as part of God’s family.” (Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide; July, Aug, Sept, 2010, Page 71, emphasis added)

 

Observations

“ ‘Being justified’ is literally ‘having been justified.’ The Greek verb represents the action as completed. We have been declared righteous, or regarded as righteous, not through any deeds of law but through our having accepted Jesus Christ.” (Ibid, Page 66)

This is a wonderful statement. Our justification is an accomplished fact. It is ours in Jesus. Wow! I wish Adventist theology was always this triumphant.

I quoted a passage from the “Learning Cycle” section of the teacher’s quarterly in the Overview above. This may be a problem of style, or it may be more serious. I don’t know who wrote the comments, so I’m not in a position to judge. Here is my take on it. Study it out for yourself and let the Holy Spirit clarify it for you.

I don’t believe the Bible says anything about us being exonerated. As typically used, exonerate means to clear a person of charges. For example, a prisoner on death row is freed because DNA evidence proves he did not commit the crime. That prisoner has been exonerated.

This is not the case with us. The more closely anyone, let alone God, examines us, the more guilty we are proven to be.

The first part of God’s amazing act of grace in Jesus was to make him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:21). This reconciled us, but did not exonerate us in the sense referred to above. We can be ever thankful that when God looks at us he sees Jesus. We know we deserve death, but we also know Jesus took that punishment on our behalf.

The reason we are justified in Christ is that he already suffered the just consequences of our sin. We are declared righteous solely because there is no more punishment to be meted out. If we accept him as Savior, then we are declared to be children of God and everything that belongs to Jesus – his righteousness and life – belongs to us.

The other issue I have with this day’s lesson is this statement: “The perfect life that Jesus lived on this earth, His perfect law-keeping, has been credited to us.” (Ibid, Page 66) Jesus did not live a perfect life because he kept the law. Jesus lived a perfect life because he trusted the Father every moment of every day. Note the number of times in John’s gospel that Jesus said things like, “I don’t do or say anything the Father hasn’t told me to do or say.” This is not behaviorism but a radical walk by faith.

 

Summary

1. The lesson gets it absolutely right in explaining that justification is an already accomplished fact.
2. I question the use of the word exonerate, because I believe it infers that Jesus’ death declared us to be innocent after all. In fact, Jesus’ death is the capstone to the argument that indeed we are guilty. Our justification is possible only because of the finality of the cross – there is no more punishment for sin to be visited on those who are in Christ.
3. Jesus was not righteous because he kept the law, because no one, no even Jesus, can be justified by keeping the Law. The Law’s purpose is to point out sin (Romans 3:20). Jesus was not sinful, so the Law could not apply to him. Jesus was righteous because he was born spiritually alive. He demonstrated his righteousness by walking in perfect dependence on his Father.

 

GO TO DAY 3

 

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