The Just For The Unjust

There is desperation, almost frenzied confusion in the world today.  One thing is clear.  We have someone who can justify us from all things.  Peter gave a simple yet profound summation of the gospel.  Who knew better than Peter about human nature getting in the way?  He was dynamic, but he still had his moments.  We all sin and come short.  Our nature itself reminds us how unjust we are at the same time it reminds us how just the Lord is.  Our trust must be in him if we have any hope of being right with God.

I Peter 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.

When I got saved I needed this lesson.  I still need it today.  Jesus comes inside our being.  I don’t know how, but I know he’s there.  It’s like a new set of clothes I put on after a bath.  I feel clean.  Without Christ, we feel our dirtiness, our unjustness.  With him we become clothed in the freshness of his justness.  The righteousness of Christ is in the heart.  Our own righteousness makes us feel good when we do something right, but that’s not enough.  When we embrace Jesus Christ, it’s more wonderful than anything we can accomplish on our own.  The only way to righteousness with God is through his son Jesus.  The only way to be cleansed of guilt, forgiven and just is through Jesus.

Peter knew this.  He wanted us to understand how much we need the Lord because we cannot trust ourselves to save us.  Salvation doesn’t consist of what we do except to trust in what Jesus did on Calvary and what he does for us each day.  When we willfully sin, we cause him to suffer.  John says if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.  Then he said if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

We must operate our life by this fact.  Man needs a Savior.  We can’t save ourselves or each other.  It was a must-do for Jesus to come to earth.  The only way for a person to be cleared and just was for Jesus to come.  He had to suffer.  He had to be the sacrifice.  The Bible tells us the wages of sin is death.  We are naturally prone to do wrong and sin against God, sin against others, and sin against ourselves.  The taste of sin may be sweet, but the penalty is more than we can bear.  The place of punishment is hell and the lake of fire.  Jesus willingly came.  He stepped in front of me, in front of my condemnation.  He gave himself so I wouldn’t have to die for my sins.  That’s what he did for each of us.  He took our punishment and bore our sins—the just for the unjust.  There is only one way to be just.  There was only one sinless one.  He was born the sinless Son of God but was 100% human.  When Jesus was faced with the choice to sin, he didn’t.  He was tempted in all points like we are, but he remained sinless.  He came out of the grave that first Easter morning as the Just.

We may call each other just because we’re good neighbors or honest people.  We are still not perfectly just.  We may be right in some things, but we are imperfect in many.  Where we came short of the glory, Jesus came in the glory.  He had one purpose—to die as the just for the unjust.  My name was Bob Unjust Surber.  It’s your middle name too.  We may be completely accepted by society.  Everyone has good points, but it’s not what others think that matters.  It’s what God thinks.  He sees our totality and thereby sees us as unjust.  We cannot become just by what we’ve made of ourselves or who we are.  What matters in eternity?   Are you right with God?  Are you justified?  We’ll never be just, but we can be justified!

Romans 3:23 says for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.  We are not justified by the positive parts of our life.  Jesus didn’t come to condemn us.  We were condemned already.  David said he was nothing but dust.  That’s all we are.  On our own we will never be clean of the guilt.  Verse 24 says being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.  We don’t deserve it, but Jesus loves us.  He chose to suffer on the cross so that we wouldn’t have to die in our sins.  He wanted us clean and justified. That’s why he provided redemption for us.  Verse 25 says Jesus was set forth to be a propitiation.  That means the wrath of God was appeased.

Did I do it?  No.  Jesus did.  Verse 26 says for us to declare…at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. The preacher isn’t the justifier.  Jesus is.  Only he is able to fulfill that role.  He got it right.  Those who trust in Jesus Christ are justified.

Peter said it was the just for the unjust.  He suffered to bring us to God.  As we trust Jesus, we’ll get to God.  Through Jesus we have a relationship with God.  When we leave this world we’ll see him.  The Bible says blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.  Our Justifier will take us to him.

That’s the story of your life—the just for the unjust.  If you’ve never been saved, call on the Lord.  He’ll save you and justify you.  Do you need to renew your faith?  Being justified by faith is the only way to really be alive, and live.