A Gracious God Who Makes Us Right
by Jonathan Pless
The question “How are we made right with God?” has been the focus of my study recently. Since I’ve been a Christ-follower for many years, this question and its answer seemed to me elementary and simple. Even if you haven’t considered the question or its implications, it’s easy to give the Sunday School answer (Jesus!) and go on about your day, likely not giving it much more thought.
I was confronted with this question not long ago on a street corner in Macon, GA. My wife, a couple of friends, and I were going to eat at a popular local burger joint one Friday night. The wait time happened to be over an hour for the group I was going with (I did say popular burger joint), so we went walking around town to kill time (Hey, we were willing to wait. The burgers are good).
As we meandered down Poplar Street, I began to hear some passionate yelling. Yelling is by no means foreign to moderately sized cities, but the shouting did cause our interest to spike. I soon realized there were three gentlemen arguing amongst themselves, Bibles in hand and passionately debating about scripture.
It was quite easy to begin listening more intently; these fellas had some volume to them. After seeing their setup and street-evangelism style booth, I asked my party if they’d mind me talking to the vocal gentlemen. With head nods from my friends and a grinning-eye-roll from my wife, off I went.
The fundamental disagreement between the gentlemen and I came down to the question mentioned earlier. One of justification—how are we sinners made right with a perfect, holy God?
The men were adamant on one answer to this question (justification by faith plus works), while I maintained the answer I had been given and had come to believe (justification by faith alone).
The ultimate results of our conversation that evening are difficult to measure. One consequence I can verify was a burning compulsion to more fully plumb the depths of the topic of justification. My faith has been greatly strengthened by searching and learning about this topic. I’d like to share some of what I found with you.
How are flawed human beings made right with a Holy God? How are we justified before God, the righteous Judge?
The answer the Bible gives is “We are justified before God by Jesus Christ’s perfect life and substitutionary death for us on the cross.”
There are several examples the Bible uses to show how Jesus’s work on the cross makes us able to be made right with God. One way I’d like to share happens to also be the first action God does after man sinned against him.
The Gospel in Genesis
In Genesis 3:1-21, we read the story of Adam and Eve's first sin, or rebellion, against God. This account tells the story of how Adam and Eve first sinned against God. This passage also includes a prophecy of the coming of Jesus found in 3:15 (this prophecy is called the protoevangelium — fancy Latin (again) which means “earliest announcement of the gospel”).
This first promise of Jesus is extremely important, so absolutely don’t miss it! Notice what God does just after this promise.
In Genesis 3:21, we read this: "And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them." In the story, Adam and Eve had just rebelled against a Holy God and tried to play hide and seek with an all-knowing God. They hid and covered themselves with fig leaves! Fig leaves are itchy and abrasive. They also don't last long as clothes.
So what does God do? Remember, God has created this wonderful world for Adam and his wife; he's made all of the various animals, luscious plants, big sky, and blue sea. He's walked with his creation, God has given them abundant food, nourishment, and his very presence. Wow! What a generous and benevolent Creator!
But then Adam and Eve repay this kind Creator by directly disobeying him -- sinning against him. Then they hide from him and shamefully cover themselves.
God would be pure and righteous to immediately kill them and start over. God is pure and perfect. Sin, our rebellion against him, is contrary to his nature and abominable. He would be just to annihilate his creation. But what does he do?
He promises a coming Savior and then acts. God Almighty doesn't kill Adam and Eve; instead, he graciously fashions a covering for Adam and Eve out of the very animal skins he had just crafted for the animal.
The Creator didn't destroy as he justly could have. No; instead God, filled with grace and mercy for those who had wronged him, killed his creation to cover those whom he loves.
God set up the example of what He would do millennia later. God would do this again, only he wouldn't use animal skins. God humbled himself and came to earth to be a sacrifice for those who had wronged him. God became man, and we know this man by the name of Jesus. He became the covering for us. Jesus's blood covers us in our shame.
Adam and Eve attempted to run from the All-Knowing but could find nowhere to hide in their shame and nakedness. God chased them down and mercifully covered their shame and nakedness. He does this with us today. The righteousness of Christ covers us in our shame and nakedness. We can hide in Christ's covering.
Christ’s perfect, righteous life now covers our own lives. Instead of receiving our just reward, death (Romans 6:23), we receive Jesus’s covering. When the Father sees us, he sees the righteousness of Jesus.
Now we can shout praise along with the psalmist, "You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with shouts of deliverance!"
God covered Adam and Eve's shame. He covered their nakedness before a Holy God. He has done the same with his Son. What grace the Father has given us! What mercy!
Friends, this grace the Father has bestowed on us is offered as a free gift. According to 1 John 1:9, God says he is both “faithful and just to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Our debt has been paid; our shame has been covered with the perfect righteousness of Christ.
What should our response be to this astonishing gift? Faith.
The faith I have in the cross of Calvary overwhelms my heart with praise and thankfulness for my kind God and loving Savior.
Believer, believe in this great work accomplished for us. Remind yourself of it day by day, hour by hour.
Friends who have not placed faith in Jesus’s covering: This faith I describe is not a blind faith or a leap of faith. Far be it from me to have blind faith! This faith I have in the work Christ has done on my behalf is both informed and rooted. There are no stupid questions you could possibly think of; no question is ever off-limits. Feel free to contact me via email (jnthnpless@gmail.com). I’d be delighted to hear your views. Coffee is on me.
The conversation between the gentlemen on the street corner and I is ongoing, glory be to God. Rebels against God are made right before God only by Jesus’s free gift. We are justified by faith alone. We contribute nothing to the redeeming work of Jesus on the cross.
Jesus lived in our place and then died in our place. If we insist on any other way of being justified, if we attempt to add our works to Jesus’s perfect work, we insist on a different gospel.
The Bible is clear on different gospels:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim a gospel to you contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let him be accursed!” Galatians 1:8
“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.” Proverbs 14:12
If we insist on finding our own way to God, we damn ourselves from the One we seek. Friends, carefully consider which way you will choose: The free gift provided by Jesus? Or your own way?
Jesus Christ, our blessed Savior,
turned away God's wrath forever;
by his bitter grief and woe
he saved us from the evil foe.
Useless would be Jesus' passion
if salvation you could fashion.
Do not come if you suppose
you need not him who died and rose.
If your heart this truth professes
and your mouth your sin confesses,
surely you will be his guest
and at his banquet ever blest.
“Jesus Christ, Our Blessed Savior” by Martin Luther