What if the greatest barrier to enjoying fellowship with God is not sin itself, but misunderstanding justification?
Discover the freedom, assurance, and joy found in Christ alone.

A study guide in the doctrine of justification by faith

Roger Smalling, D.Min

…and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete. 1 John 1:3-4

Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 1: What is the chief purpose for which man is made? Answer: The chief purpose for which man is made is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.[1]

Why justification matters

To show how to have a more profound fellowship with God the Father and to increase the joy of our salvation.

All Christians understand the importance of glorifying God. Yet many fail to enjoy fellowship with God the Father. They perceive him more as an entity to serve than a personality to enjoy. They have put a barrier between themselves and the Father. This study will help identify what is that barrier and how to remove it.

Effects of fellowship with God the Father

• • A new security of salvation.
  • Freedom from a guilty conscience.
  • Avoiding legalism.
  • More profound understanding of how to grow in grace.
  • Greater confidence in evangelism.

The essentials of justification

What is justification?

Does justification mean “made righteous”? Or does it mean, “declared righteous”? Luke 7:29; 16:15; 1 Tim. 3:16

Justification means ___________________.

Justification does not mean ____________________.

Justification: The legal declaration that a person is righteous relative to God’s moral law. The basis is the perfect righteousness of Christ, which is attributed to the believer by faith alone in Christ alone.

• It is a ______declaration from God.
• It is relative to the moral law, which is still in force.
• Its basis is __________________.
• Righteousness is ____________to the believer.
• The means is __________.

Why justification is central to the gospel

• What is the consequence of following another gospel? ­­­­­­­­­ ____________
• How many correct perspectives are there of the gospel? _________
• When Paul uses the word “justification,” he means ____________.

The background of justification

The problem of human sinfulness

  What happens to those whose righteousness does not exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees? ___________________________ Mt. 5:20

How does Gen. 1:27 define a human being? ____________________

What is the primary character attribute of God? _______________ Is. 6:3

What does God require of us as his image? _______________1Pet. 1:16

How much obedience is required? ___________________ Mt. 5:48

The fall of Adam

What was the consequence of the fall of Adam? _____________ Gen. 2:17

What are two other consequences of the fall of Adam?

____________________, __________________ Rom. 5:12-19

God’s covenant with Abraham

What was counted to Abraham for believing God? ________________Gen. 15:6

What did God establish with Abraham to make a relationship with him possible?  ___________________ Gen. 17:1

• What is the condition? V.1 ____________________
• What is the benefit? V.7 ____________________
• Who are the participants? V.7 ____________________
• How long does it last? V.7 ______________________

Galatians Chapter 3

• According to verse 7, who are the participants? ____________
• What does Paul call the covenant with Abraham in verse 8? ___________
• What is the condition in verse 9? ____________________
• What is the benefit according to verse 14? ____________
• What are we redeemed from according to verse 13? _________
• How long does the covenant last according to verse 15? ________

From Genesis 17 and Galatians 3, can we conclude that the covenant with Abraham is the Christian covenant today? Yes or no? _____________

What defines perfection?

What did God promise as the reward for perfect obedience to the law, and how many commandments must be obeyed? _____________________ Luke 10:28

The purpose of the law

What is the purpose of the law? __________________Rom.3:20; 7:7

Does God still require the righteousness of the Law to be fulfilled in Christians? Yes or no? _______________Rom.8:3-4

Is the moral law still in force? _______________1 Jn. 3:4

What reaction does breaking the law provoke in God and why? ________Rom. 4:15

From what does the gospel save us? _________________ Rom. 5:9

Why partial obedience fails

Does partial obedience count? _____________________ James 2:11

What reward does our obedience deserve? _______________ Lucas 17:10

God’s solution

Christ our substitute under the law

What was the effect of the sacrifice of Christ on our relationship to the law? _____________ Col. 2:13-14

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Group Exercise

 Rom. 3:24-25

• 

  What makes the grace of justification possible? _____________

• What is the price Jesus paid for our justification? ________________
• What does propitiation mean? ___________________
• How do we appropriate this redemption? _____________

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In what consists our righteousness? _______________1Cor.1:30

What is our relationship to law as a means for obtaining righteousness?  ______________ Rom. 10:4

Why was it necessary for Christ to be born under the law? ______________________ Gal. 4:4-5

Is Christ an addition or supplement to our own righteousness? Yes or no? _______________

Is faith itself our righteousness? Yes or no? ___________Rom. 3:22

What do we have as a result of justification? _____________Rom.5:1

From what are we free? _____________________Luke 1:74

How can we now approach God for mercy, yet do so with an attitude of confidence? ____________________________________Heb.4:16

Why do we have eternal life? Is it based on being born again? Or based on justification? _________________________ Titus 3:4-8

Freedom of conscience

Discuss what these verses teach about the sense of sin-consciousness in the believer.

How is the sacrifice of Christ supposed to affect our conscience? ___________________ Heb. 9:13-14

What is the difference between sin-consciousness under the law versus under grace because of the sacrifice of Christ? __________________ Heb. 10:1-4

With what attitude do we draw near to God, relative to our conscience? ___________________________ Heb. 10:22

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Group Exercise

New security: Ro. 8:30-34 (See the text in your Bible.)

• Does God accept accusations against his elect? If not, why not?

  

  ________________________________________

• Who has the right to declare them righteous? _________________________________________
• What relationship is there between the elect and justification? ___________________
• What does the continuing intercession of Christ have to do with the security of our salvation? ______________________

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Freedom from sin-consciousness

If sin does not condemn us, what is to prevent us from sinning all we please? The following exercise will help answer this.

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Group Exercise

Based on Rom. 6:15-18, answer the following questions:

• Does being free from the condemnation of the law give us freedom to sin? Why or why not? _________________
• Are sinners capable of not sinning? _____________
• What do Christians naturally pursue? _____________

How do justified and non-condemned people behave and why? ________ Rom. 8:1-2

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Living under grace

 Lessons from 1 John

What is the natural motivation of those who are saved? _____________ 1Jn.3:3

Who or what is the cause of our obedience? _________________Phil.2:13

Those who are born of God are incapable of what? Why? _________________________1Jn.3:9

Who or what keeps the Christian from living a life of sin? Is it his own obedience to laws and rules, or something else? __________ 1 Jn. 5:18

Freedom from legalism in Galatians

From what is Paul exhorting Christians to be free? What is the yoke of slavery? ___________________Gal.5:1

Paul says we have been called to freedom. What freedom is he talking about, and what is the warning he gives? ___________________ Gal. 5:13

The point: Fellowship with the Father

I promised to identify the barrier that keeps us from enjoying God the Father fully.

Performance-based versus cross-based righteousness

It seems we put rules between God and ourselves as conditions for him to accept us more than he already has. This is a performance-based, rather than a cross-based, righteousness. There is nothing between God the Father and us but the cross. That is not a barrier. It is an invitation.

God is our father, not our judge

God is no longer our judge. He is our Father. His wrath has been satisfied, and he will never be angry with us again. We are no longer criminals before a bar of judgment. We are children with wounds.

Our new identity

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Group Exercise

Ephesians Chapters 1-3

How many of the epistles were written to “sinners” versus how many were written to “saints?” Should we view ourselves primarily as sinners with grace or saints with remnants of corruption? Write a list of all the good things Christians are in Christ and have, found in the first three chapters of Ephesians.

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From this study we learned…

• Justification by faith alone in Christ alone is the gospel.
• God requires absolute holiness and perfection from people as his image bearers.
• God’s moral law is in force forever and defines perfection.
• The gospel saves us from the wrath of God for breaking his moral law.
• Partial obedience is disobedience.
• Christ’s death on the cross freed believers from the condemnation of the law.
• God attributes perfect righteousness to those who trust in Christ.
• The gift of eternal life is based on justification.
• If we lack fellowship with God, we may have put rules on ourselves that God did not place there.
• Christians have a new identity as saints and are no longer considered sinners by God.

Note

[1] Westminster Shorter Catechism, Modern Translation, Question one. http://matt2819.com/wsc/

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