I Am Righteous In Christ and An Heir Of Eternal Life
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
3/23/2014 AM
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Text:
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I John 5;
Lord's Day 23
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Psalters: |
374, 322, 81, 242 |
- The blessedness.
- We believe what the Bible teaches as summarized in the Apostles' Creed (Lord's Day 7).
- "Justification of life" (18) is to have the right to life in God's judgment (imputed righteousness).
- God declares that those who believe Jesus to be the Christ are acquitted, justified, have the right to live (forever).
- God’s declaration is because Jesus was delivered unto death for our offences and raised for our justification.
- The justified stand before God as if he has never committed any sin, guiltless and in perfect harmony with God.
- The gift of righteousness God is an imparted righteousness so we have life (our condition).
- This righteousness is imparted in regeneration, the Spirit breathing into us the new, heavenly life (John 3:36; 5:24).
- The present possession of this life means that we are heirs of eternal life.
- God enables believers consciously to appropriate this righteousness.
- Humans constantly strive to be righteous before God because of works.
- God determined that the only way to appropriate His gift of righteousness is by means of His gift of faith (1).
- This faith is the exercise of the spiritual ability to hold for truth what God has revealed in His Word.
- The first thing faith holds for truth is my guilt and my sin.
- And faith holds for truth what God declares He has done in Christ, so faith clings to Christ and says, I am righteous.
- The experience of faith.
- Faith is reasonable, so we receive from the Bible the well-defined ground God has for declaring me to be righteous.
- Faith embraces and appropriates Christ and His work, trusting Him to be sufficient for time and eternity.
- Faith acknowledges that though I still sin, yet I am righteous before God because He justified me in His Son.
- What are the beneficial results of being righteous by faith alone through grace alone in Christ alone?
- Faith has us see ourselves the way God sees us: righteous in Christ.
- Faith sees ourselves as still sinning, but also see what God has most graciously declared of us in Christ: righteous.
- We must be instructing our consciences to agree with God and His Word.
- What a tremendous benefit to receive the gift of righteousness in Christ!!
- This results in a peace which passes all human understanding.
- Peace with God is the experience of my righteousness by faith alone Romans 5:1).
- Faith is a certain assurance that I am righteous before God by grace alone.