Beloved radio friends, we greet you in the precious and the worthy name of our beloved Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. We welcome you to the broadcast today and pray that God will give his blessing upon the meditation of his precious word, not only today, but through the week in the will of the Lord, as we consider one great theme from the book of Romans, chapter five, the blessings of justification. The blessings of justification. May I read the scriptures from Romans chapter five, verses one through five only. Paul writing by the Holy Spirit and saying, Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God, and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also, knowing that tribulation worketh patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and a hope that makeeth not ashamed, because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. May God bless the reading and the hearing of this section from his own precious and holy word. May I repeat the theme that we would like to undertake for the week's study, the blessings of justification. And may I first begin by introducing the opening words of our chapter and of the first verse, Paul saying, therefore being justified by faith. First of all, my beloved friend, may I give some reference to the meaning of the word justified? I wonder if all of you may understand the scriptural meaning of this expression being justified that by faith. But the opposite to the meaning of justification is condemnation. And the meaning of the word justified is to be cleared of all guilt and of all condemnation of my sins before a holy God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. May I repeat what we have in the preceding part of this Roman Epistle, the great theme from chapter one to the verse which we have read in chapter five, the justification of a sinner. In other words, simply, how God saves and will save a poor, guilty, held deserving sinner who does no more than believe upon the blessed person of His dear Son, and the atoning work of that blessed Son upon the cross of Calvary. And the result of believing is to be cleared before God, according to His promises we shall see, cleared of every guilt and sin that condemns us and righteously condemns us, but before God we are justified and cleared from that guilt and condemnation because we trust the merit of the Lord Jesus and his atoning death upon the cross of Calvary. This is God's way and the only way whereby he saves the poor, sinful, guilty sinner. Now may I point out before going further the source of justification You may ask the question, how can I be justified? What is the source from which I can expect to be justified? May I read the words in part from Romans chapter three? And verse twenty-four, here are the words. Listen to them very carefully. Being justified freely by His, that is by God's grace, Can I repeat those words again? Being justified freely by God's grace. The source of justification is God's grace, his unmerited favor, a manifestation of grace toward a sinner who is so undeserving. But I wish you to note something very carefully. In these words we have quoted from Romans being justified freely. Nothing to pay. God does it freely by His grace. So God Himself, please may I emphasize it, my beloved sinner friend, who may not be saved, tis God alone who can clear you of your debt and free you from the penalty of your sins. And he is willing to do it by grace, meaning, though you are undeserving. But then, God is not only the source of justification, but he has provided the means whereby he can do this. And that is found in the same verse of Romans three, twenty-four. Let me quote the whole verse. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Can I repeat those words? Why is it that God is able and willing and even anxious to forgive sinners, to clear them from the guilt of their sins and the penalty of their condemnation? It is only through the value of that redemptive work His beloved Son has done. the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Let me link these words with some that are found in our chapter five of Romans and verse nine, where God says in the ninth verse, We are justified by His blood. That is the blood of Christ. What a joy to recognize. Not only the source of my justification must be in His God, But the means whereby he can perform this blessed work for my soul is through the value of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus and the value of his precious atoning blood. Now from our verse which we have read in Romans five, let me open the words of Romans five one again, quoting them, and here we shall find the condition the ground upon which God will justify and clear the sinner, therefore being justified by faith. May I emphasize those two words, the ground of justification for me to thus appropriate what God offers, whereby I might receive that justification from Him, the condition that He stipulates is, Not by works. Now let me make the distinction. Tis not by works but by faith. May I read in connection with this expression by faith? Words that are found in Romans chapter four and verse five, which also magnify that the ground and the condition of my justification must be and is only by faith and not works. Listen to these valuable words. And if I am speaking to any dear person who is seeking, by good works, by their own human efforts, to warrant and to merit salvation, will you listen to these words carefully? God's saying, Romans four, verse five, But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly His faith is counted for righteousness. Note the opening words. God does not offer his justification to those who work. He offers it only to the one who worketh not. But he must and she must do one other thing. And what is that? Believe on him who justifies the ungodly. Oh, and if you will believe that God the Father is willing to forgive you your sins and take away the charges of your condemnation and the penalty that you deserve by believing upon his dear Son and his atoning work. Have you ever said in the words of the hymn writer, I do believe, I now believe, that Jesus died for me, that on the cross he shed his blood from sin to set me free? May I also insert the precious words of the Lord Jesus, quoting them from John chapter five in verse twenty-four. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment or condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. May I very carefully and prayerfully repeat the fact. The Lord Jesus states, if anyone will believe that my Father sent me to redeem their souls by dying on the cross, that one who will believe that my Father sent me, and here's my word, half everlasting life, shall never come into judgment or condemnation. but is already passed from death unto life. Or may I repeat, very carefully, what does it mean to be justified? First the source of it, it is God's grace alone, unmerited, but willing, to forgive the sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus. For the means of that justification God stipulates is through the redemptive work of the Lord Jesus Christ, on the condition you will by faith receive the Lord Jesus Christ and believe upon his finished work, not your works, his finished work upon the cross. Now may I add one thought, practically, we also would like to emphasize from the epistle of James chapter two, very briefly, the evidence of justification. Some may often wonder why James ever wrote Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Why does James emphasize justification by works? James is not speaking of justification before God, but before mankind. For the evidence of being justified will be shown when one believes upon the Lord Jesus by his and her life, the evidence will be shown before man. Even as the Lord Jesus once said, by their fruits ye shall know them. May I ask the question, Are you justified? Are you saved? Why not trust the Savior now? Father, bless thy word to the glory of our Lord Jesus. Amen.