As we continue thinking about Justification, we have seen that God justifies the ungodly. It is not that we are to live ungodly lives so that we can be justified, but those who come to recognize and feel the weight of their sin and ungodliness are the ones who believe in Christ alone for salvation. How can one believe/trust/have faith in Christ alone who came for sinners and not the righteous if he does not see and feel himself as being ungodly? One question that needs to be answered has to do with the sinner knowing and feeling that he is ungodly. Is this really necessary in order to be saved?Human beings are all born in sin. Sin is a state from which pride, selfishness, and unbelief flow out of the unbelieving heart. Can a person born in sin really trust in Christ alone without knowing and feeling his own sinfulness? Can one born and practiced in pride and independence rely and trust in Christ alone without being brought from his pride to a humble and contrite heart? When Romans 4:5 sets out the shocking truth that “to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,” does this mean that the person has to know and feel his ungodliness in order to be justified? If not, then what does Romans 3:19 mean when it says this: “Now we know that whatever the Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, so that every mouth may be closed and all the world may become accountable to God.” The Law came to show man his sin so that every mouth would be closed. This sounds as if people need to know and feel their sin to the degree that their mouths are closed before the holiness of God.
“The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted”” (Luke 18:11-14). Here we see a tax collector who recognized his sin and saw his helplessness before God. He did not look to his own works whether it was God working those works in him or not, but instead looked to God and His mercy alone. The result, according to Jesus, was that this man went to his house justified. The tax collector was unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven which shows humility. He was beating on his breast which shows the inner pain of contrition. He cries out to God to show him mercy which shows that he was broken from anything that he could do. He went home justified.
What was the difference between the Pharisee and the tax collector? On the outside the Pharisee would have appeared far more attractive with his honesty, fasting, and tithing. He stood before God and thanked God that he was not as other people. The tax collector, on the other hand, saw his own sinfulness so much that he would not look to heaven and simply cried out for mercy. The Pharisee did not see himself as ungodly and so was not justified. The Pharisee, even though he thanked God for his own actions, was not justified. This should make those within Roman Catholicism and the New Perspective and Auburn Avenue Theology movements take notice. The Pharisee attributed his moral actions to God but still was not justified. God justifies the ungodly, not the outwardly moral. The people that God justify have lost all sense and claim to goodness in themselves and simply cry out for mercy. When people are emptied of their own righteousness and pride and are then able to look to Christ alone, they are declared just on the basis of the propitiatory sacrifice and imputed righteousness of Christ. That person and that person alone believes in Christ alone for everything.
Let us notice a few more things about the tax collector. He referred to himself in his plea for mercy as “the sinner.” One meaning of the Greek word here is “one devoted to sin.” This man saw himself in a true light, one who was “the” sinner and one who was devoted to sin. Here was a man who saw the enormity of his sin and knew that it was the mercy of God alone that would save him. He was not proud of anything, he just wanted mercy. Jesus told this story to bring down the pride of the Pharisees and to show just who the people are who are justified. We must learn this lesson. It is the person who knows his sin and feels in his heart that he or she is “the sinner.” This is the person who does not look to himself for anything good and simply cries out for the mercy and grace of God. That is the person who is justified, not those who are religious and righteous in and of themselves.
We can also see that Jesus came as a physician for sinners, not the righteous (Luke 5:31). Those who are righteous or healthy do not need a physician. Jesus came to deal with and bring healing to those who are terminally ill with sin. The Pharisee in Luke 18 indeed thanked God for his morality and righteous behavior. However, that meant that he was well and was not in need of a physician. God declares the ungodly just because they alone see their true sinful nature and actions and so see their need of a real physician of souls, Christ Jesus the Lord. Seeing sin as it really is puts man beyond any hope within himself and so he sees that he needs a Divine physician to have mercy on him. The tax collector saw his ungodliness and so looked to God alone to justify him.
In the story of the Rich Young Ruler we see that he also found out that sinners alone need apply for salvation. Just after the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, a rich young ruler came to Jesus. What did he find out regarding justification and salvation? “A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.20 “You know the commandments, ‘DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, DO NOT MURDER, DO NOT STEAL, DO NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS, HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER.'” 21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” 22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” 23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely rich. 24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! 25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” 27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible with God.”
The ruler that came to Jesus wanted to know what he could do to inherit eternal life. As usual, people always want to know that they can do in order to be saved. Jesus simply told him what he needed to do if he was going to save himself. But again, people look at the outward aspect of the commands and just assume that they keep them because they for the most part keep the outer part of the command. But something about that does not answer the questions of some who have an inward awakening of some kind. So Jesus went to the spiritual aspect of the commandments and stuck the sword of the Spirit into the pride and love of the ruler. The young man could not because he would not sell all that he had. Indeed he was an idolater who loved his money and wealth. He went away sad because he was unwilling to be a sinner, even a poor one. To deal with sin of the heart means that a person must deal with those sins that are in the heart. Coveting and idolatry are sins that mere confession alone is not enough, but there must be some selfdenial that is produced. It is not as if selling all that he possessed would have saved the rich young ruler, but it was in turning from them in his heart that would have demonstrated a changed heart. The rich young ruler was not willing, therefore, to turn from his sin. He was unwilling to see the depths of his sin of idolatry in loving his possessions. He was unwilling to face the fact that he was ungodly. So even though he had kept the outward commandments since his youth, he was a wretched man in his heart.
What we can learn from these biblical stories (one parable and one story of how Jesus dealt with one man) is the necessity of seeing and feeling one’s own wretchedness before God. Jesus even told why He gave the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector: “And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9). Those who are self-righteous are proud people who view others who are less righteous with contempt. This would be true of those that give credit to God for their righteous actions as well. So those who wish to be declared righteous by God should not be declaring their own righteousness. God declares sinners and the ungodly just because in that method alone does the glory of His grace shine. God does not declare sinners just so that they may exalt themselves, but so that they will exalt Him.
The doctrinal part of Justification is not a terribly hard thing to grasp. What is hard to deal with is the sinful and proud heart of men. The doctrine can be grasped by the natural mind, but the natural man in his pride and self-righteousness does not want to let go of all his righteousness. I am sure a Pharisee would have seen that he was not perfect, but he did not see or admit his own ungodliness. However, God only justifies the ungodly. The doctrine of Justification and of the Gospel is built on sinners who cannot save themselves. The Gospel only comes to the helpless and the ungodly. The reason why the true Gospel is refused by so many is that people will not relinquish the grip on their own righteousness and pride, even to some degree. Jesus did say “blessed are the poor in spirit” thus showing that people need to know and feel their own ungodliness.
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