Soteriology 101: Justification Part 1

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12 ESV

Justification Part 1

Romans 3:19-4:12

Definition:

Soteriology -

- Greek: Soteria - salvation or deliverance AND English: logy - the study of

- Simply stated, soteriology is studying and understanding Gods plan of redemption and the work of salvation, which was accomplished through our Lord Jesus, the appointed Messiah.

- In biblical understanding, justification refers to God's authoritative and sovereign declaration that a person stands righteous before Him.

I. Debt owed / Debt paid

A. The penalty – For the wages of sin is death…Romans 6:23a

1. All are guilty - Romans 3:10 and Romans 3:23

2. All are accountable - Romans 3:19

3. Wrath is against all - Romans 1:18

4. One must pay the price. - 1 Peter 3:18

B. Jesus paid it all! Romans 3:25

1. He was cursed on our behalf. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written “cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”…Galatian 3:13

2. He was despised and rejected. Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 22:6

3. He was abandoned and forsaken.

a) By His disciples. Matthew 26:31, 56

b) By God. Mark 15:34, Psalm 22:1

4. He was punished. Isaiah 53:6

5. He was mocked. Psalm 22:7-8, Matt 27:42

C. The gift of Salvation – For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

1. It is by His grace - Titus 3:5-7

a) Faith does not save us, but by faith we simply receive what God has done in Christ.

b) God saved us because He is merciful and gracious.

D. God sovereignly declares us righteous – And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…Romans 4:5

a) He justifies the ungodly, not the godly. - Galatians 3:3

b) It is accounted to us. - James 2:23

c) The great exchange - 2 Corinthians 5:21

Talk it out, Walk it out!

1. How does understanding our guilt change the way we view God’s grace?

2. How does knowing we are accountable to God affect the way we think about sin?

3. What does it mean for Christ to become a “curse” for us and how does this deepen your understanding of the cost of salvation?

4. Why must salvation be a gift rather than something earned and how does this truth affect our attitude toward God and toward ourselves?

5. How would you explain the “great exchange” to someone unfamiliar with Christianity?