Sin In The Background
For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.
1 Peter 3:18 (CSB)
The need for justification exists due to the presence of sin. When we reflect on our lives, we become the most adept justifiers of our own actions. This effort at self-justification arises from our desire to normalize and accept sin. We try to rationalize our sin as acceptable by comparing it to others, thereby diminishing the true impact of sin.
All Sin Demands Death. In Genesis, the Lord provided Adam and Eve with the command to eat from all the trees in the garden except for one. Obedience to this command would ensure a life of beautiful harmony between them and God. Disobedience to the declaration of the Lord would lead to a broken harmony with Him and the entrance of death. Sin must receive punishment and requires the ultimate punishment to come as death. The attempt to seek self-justification is an effort to remove this punishment through human means. Sin resides in the backdrop of genuine justification because individuals are justified through Christ alone. Sin creates the backdrop for the need for justification.
All Sin Requires Payment. Our attempt to lessen the level of sin by considering some sins more significant than others reflects a desire to believe that not all sin warrants the punishment of death. Peter notes in the passage above that Christ experienced death because of our sin. Christ did not deserve death, as he was without sin. Yet, he faced death because all sin demands the payment of death to cover the debt incurred by sin. This truth reveals that a hierarchy does not exist regarding the impact of sin on the debt of death; all sin requires death because all sin is against the Lord.
Justification Comes Through Christ Alone. Peter declared that Christ suffered the punishment of death so that we could be brought close to the Lord. We will never accomplish self-justification before the Lord. Without Christ, we all must pay the penalty of eternal death. Yet, justification before the Lord becomes available because of the work of Christ on the cross, the victory in the resurrection, and the offering of salvation. We gain justification not through self-justification, but through faith in Christ alone.
QUESTIONS
What is the danger in self-justification?
Why must we understand Christ as the only way to become justified before the Lord?
