I Am Righteous In Christ and An Heir Of Eternal Life

Minister:
Date: AM
Text: I John 5; Lord's Day 23
Psalters: 374, 322, 81, 242
  1. The blessedness.
    1. We believe what the Bible teaches as summarized in the Apostles' Creed (Lord's Day 7).
    2. "Justification of life" (18) is to have the right to life in God's judgment (imputed righteousness).
      1. God declares that those who believe Jesus to be the Christ are acquitted, justified, have the right to live (forever).
      2. God’s declaration is because Jesus was delivered unto death for our offences and raised for our justification.
      3. The justified stand before God as if he has never committed any sin, guiltless and in perfect harmony with God.
    3. The gift of righteousness God is an imparted righteousness so we have life (our condition).
      1. This righteousness is imparted in regeneration, the Spirit breathing into us the new, heavenly life (John 3:36; 5:24).
      2. The present possession of this life means that we are heirs of eternal life.
  2. God enables believers consciously to appropriate this righteousness.
    1. Humans constantly strive to be righteous before God because of works.
    2. God determined that the only way to appropriate His gift of righteousness is by means of His gift of faith (1).
      1. This faith is the exercise of the spiritual ability to hold for truth what God has revealed in His Word.
      2. The first thing faith holds for truth is my guilt and my sin.
      3. And faith holds for truth what God declares He has done in Christ, so faith clings to Christ and says, I am righteous.
    3. The experience of faith.
      1. Faith is reasonable, so we receive from the Bible the well-defined ground God has for declaring me to be righteous.
      2. Faith embraces and appropriates Christ and His work, trusting Him to be sufficient for time and eternity.
      3. Faith acknowledges that though I still sin, yet I am righteous before God because He justified me in His Son.
  3. What are the beneficial results of being righteous by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone?
    1. Faith has us see ourselves the way God sees us: righteous in Christ.
      1. Faith sees ourselves as still sinning, but also see what God has most graciously declared of us in Christ: righteous.
      2. We must be instructing our consciences to agree with God and His Word.
    2. What a tremendous benefit to receive the gift of righteousness in Christ!!
    3. This results in a peace which passes all human understanding.
      1. Peace with God is the experience of my righteousness by faith alone Romans 5:1).
      2. Faith is a certain assurance that I am righteous before God by grace alone.