“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
(Romans 5:1-2)

Intro.

I. The Principle of Justification. (Having been justified, v1)
1. Forgiven from sin.
2. Made Righteous Before God.

II. The Instrument of Justification. (By faith)
1. The Necessity of Faith.
2. Justification by Faith alone.

III. The Product of Justification. (We have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ)
1. Peace with God.
2. Confidence Before God.

IV. The Benefit of Justification. (v2, By whom also we have access by faith into this grace.)
1. Access into God’s Presence.
2. Access into God’s Grace.
3. Rejoicing in Hope of the Glory of God.

Application.
Use 1: Information.
If justification is by faith alone, then Christ is the only Redeemer of mankind.

Use 2: Exhortation.
Since we are so abominable by nature, let us be humble and repent daily of our sins which offend God.

Use 3: Comfort.
If justification is the gift of God, it is an eternal gift and cannot be rescinded.

Conclusion.

Intro.
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
(Romans 5:1-2)
The text here is from Paul’s epistle to the Romans, in which the apostle willing to show us how we may come to terms with the righteousness of God, does in diverse and manifold ways explain to us the first principles of the Christian religion. For good reason this epistle is read, studied, meditated on, and cherished by so many, for in this epistle contains the whole doctrine of salvation, the doctrine which we should be most concerned with. Here in the epistle to the Romans, having explained in the previous chapter how Abraham the father of the faithful was justified by believing in God now tells us what great benefits come from this article of justification. Therefore we are here going to discuss what justification is, how we are justified, why we must be justified, and the fruit and benefits of this justification. Few doctrines in all of Holy Scripture are more important than this one. Martin Luther once said that if this article shall fall, the whole church falls with it. John Owen later said that in this article of justification by faith contains the whole teaching of the Christian religion. We are going to see therefore, that the grace of God cannot be established in our minds and hearts without assent to this doctrine, the depravity of man has no remedy without this doctrine, and the righteousness of God stands vehemently against us apart from this doctrine. If justification is by faith alone, and a man must be justified in order to see the kingdom of God, then it is of utmost importance that we understand and believe what the scripture says concerning it. To be anything less than justified is to be condemned.
Therefore we are going to observe four things concerning this doctrine, and by God’s grace become well acquainted with the means by which we are made acceptable to God.

I. The Principle of Justification. (Having been justified, v1)
Firstly, we are going to discuss this article of justification and explain what it means to be justified. In order for the principle to be established that we must indeed be justified in order to see the kingdom of heaven, we should briefly prove how this is true.
Man being created perfect and upright, and endued with righteousness, and the moral ability to keep God’s commandments fell from his original state of righteousness into a state of sin and condemnation. When Adam rebelled against God by eating the forbidden fruit, he became estranged from God, alienated from God and became enemies with God. Romans 6:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Man being fallen into sin, and coming short of perfection cannot hope by his own means to be reconciled to God, for God being perfectly holy and righteous cannot accept as merit that which falls short of His standard. Man having come short of perfection (and that in every way) cannot earn his way back into God’s favor. He cannot conceive of how to, nor does he desire it. He must needs be perfect to be accepted by God, and by nature man is exactly the opposite. Instead of being knowledgeable in the ways of God, he is darkened by ignorance. Instead of serving God in righteousness he lives in complete rebellion, and instead of worshiping God in holiness and sincerity of heart, his affections are on this world- on himself and on the sinful things that God abhors. Man cannot justify himself. His best works are worthy only of judgment as the prophet says in Isa. 64:6, “But we are all like an unclean thing,
And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags;
We all fade as a leaf,
And our iniquities, like the wind,
Have taken us away.”
Therefore if man’s condition be so, how can he be just before God? Job 15:14-16 therefore says, “What is man, that he could be pure?
And he who is born of a woman, that he could be righteous?
If God puts no trust in His saints,
And the heavens are not pure in His sight,
How much less man, who is abominable and filthy,
Who drinks iniquity like water!”
What must also be stated is that God is holy and cannot abide sin in His sight. God hates sin with such fury and fiery indignation that if sin should appear before Him, He should utterly destroy and consume it with invincible fury. How then can man approach Him at the judgment seat and plead his case seeing that by nature man is wholly sinful, and only sinful? Our best works being defiled even by the least tincture of sin are utterly hateful before Him. Sin is an infinite offense to God. We cannot mend for one sin by a thousand good works. It cannot be done. The prophet Malachi says, “Behold, I send My messenger,
And he will prepare the way before Me.
And the Lord, whom you seek,
Will suddenly come to His temple,
Even the Messenger of the covenant,
In whom you delight.
Behold, He is coming,”
Says the Lord of hosts.

“But who can endure the day of His coming?
And who can stand when He appears?
For He is like a refiner’s fire
And like launderers’ soap.”
The Psalm also says, “You, Yourself, are to be feared;
And who may stand in Your presence
When once You are angry?” (Ps. 76:7)
Who can stand before God but he that is perfectly righteous? Therefore we see that only justified persons are accepted before God. God accepts no man that is not objectively righteous in His sight, and He does indeed accept believers into His presence. Therefore we conclude from this that in order to be accepted before God, we must be justified.

Forgiven from sin.
The first thing we will observe regarding this article of justification is the forgiveness of sins. The Psalm says, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities,
O Lord, who could stand?
But there isforgiveness with You,
That You may be feared.” (Ps. 130:3-4)
If God should mark iniquities, no one could stand before Him. If God should recount all the errors of man, and recompense them with the judgment they deserved, your best day would merit you damnation. The least tincture of sin deserves the greatest weight of wrath, for it is an offense against the infinite majesty of heaven. Thomas Watson once said, “The lightest sin is heavy enough to drag the greatest man into hell.” There is enough demerit in one sin to condemn the whole world. Therefore the Christian when He apprehends the mercy of God and begs for pardon does not take this forgiveness for granted, but knowing that he has in himself only what is hateful, does ask for forgiveness for his sins and repairs to Christ for remission. The blood of Christ was spilled for this very purpose, that sinners might approach Him and be forgiven. It was not for judgment that Christ came into the world, but forgiveness. The apostle says in Col. 1:14, “in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgivenessof sins.”
If there is nothing so heinous as sin, surely there should be nothing so precious to us as the forgiveness of sin, and therefore nothing so precious as Christ who is the author and giver of this forgiveness. Through His sacrifice, the wrath of God was appeased, and we are washed from all our iniquity. We who were defiled by sin are washed by His holy blood and forgiven through Him. Isaiah 1:18 says, ““Come now, and let us reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.”
We see therefore that it is only by faith in Christ that man receives the forgiveness of sins, for God will remember all man’s transgressions that are not atoned for. What blessed mercy there is in Christ who took pity on us, and forgave us with so great a forgiveness though we offended by so great a transgression! If he was not punished for our iniquities and bruised for our sins, we should have received the full recompense of fury upon us.
The Psalm therefore says, “The Lord is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;
As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
As a father pities his children,
So the Lord pities those who fear Him.
For He knows our frame;
He remembers that we are dust.” [Ps. 103:9-14]

2. Made Righteous Before God.
We should observe secondly that not only does God forgive us from our sins in justification, but also accepts us as righteous before Him through Christ Jesus our Mediator. 2 Cor. 5:21 says, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Knowing that God can only accept perfect righteousness, we must apprehend this righteousness through Christ by faith. It must be noted that man cannot be saved by his own righteousness, but only by the righteousness of another- that is Christ. He cannot become righteous in order to be justified as the Roman Catholics suppose, and this justification does not pronounce us righteous on account of anything we have done, or could do. We are not justified by infused righteousness whereby God looking at an imperfect righteousness, forgoes His justice, forgets His law, and allows sinners into His presence for their attempt at righteousness, but by an imputed righteousness, whereby God having punished our sins in the body of the Lord Christ does look only upon the obedience of His beloved Son, and accepts those persons as righteous who were predestined unto redemption through His blood, and received into this grace by faith. The Westminster Catechism states, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.”
So we see here that the justification of a sinner does not respect any works in us, but only the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. If mercy is freely given, righteousness must be freely given also, for in order for the Lord to bestow His mercy upon us, He must clothe us in His own righteousness. This is an objective state of acceptance and removes completely the objective state of guilt which we were previously held under. A justified saint is always justified, no matter how horrible he feels, and a condemned sinner who has not received pardon is liable to punishment for all his sins regardless of how happy, calm or content he is in them.
Therefore we ought to give the Lord our joy since He has given us His justification. We ought not to doubt His love, but seeing the beauty of Christ’s love and mercy, we should send Him the best of our worship and thanksgiving from a sincere heart, knowing we are forgiven of our sins, and made righteous before Him by the satisfaction of Christ.
Though we deserve to have our sins imputed to us, and judgment poured out on us, yet the LORD who is merciful and gracious imputes His righteousness to us, and pours out instead on behalf of Christ His love and mercy on us.

II. The Instrument of Justification. (By faith)
We should observe also the instrument which God uses for the imputing of His righteousness, for if we should say that God imputes righteousness apart from works, are there no works involved? Yea many works, for faith is an active grace, and although God does not respect our faith in His eternal decrees, or in His imputation of righteousness, yet He does not save sinners without it, and although sinners can never be saved by the law, they likewise can never be saved without the use of the law. Therefore we see so many times in the Psalms, the prophets and Christ’s own ministry the necessity of faith for forgiveness and salvation.
1. The Necessity of Faith.
So here we’re going to look at the necessity of faith. Our text which is Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Again it is written, “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” [Heb. 11:6]
So here we are going to pair these verses together like threads interwoven to make a garment. Here these two verses woven together make up the garment of salvation.
“Without faith it is impossible to please God.” And, “Having been justified by faith.”
This article of justification by faith alone separates the Christian religion from all false religions, and also separates us from heretics, and cults. False religion always involves works as pertaining to our acceptance with God. False religion says we are accepted because of something we are or something we’ve done. But Paul says in Romans 1:16¸”I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes.”  Therefore we are to understand that we cannot be saved without faith, and yet we are not saved because of faith. Faith is the instrument which God uses to unite us with Christ, and communicate His benefits to us. Truly as there is no other Communicator of benefits than Christ, so there is no communication of any of these benefits without faith. Faith is the golden pipe which conducts the righteousness of Christ’s person to our person. As He is an infinite source of righteousness and goodness, so as long as we have faith, we will continue to receive the benefits of His blessed redemption. All other graces which we are blessed with by the Lord Christ draw their strength from faith. Faith is the chief grace which is the beginning of all other graces. It is a gift, and yet it is the receiving of gifts. The apostle says in Eph. 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Faith is simply the acknowledgment and confession of our own wickedness, and our receiving and resting upon Christ alone for salvation as He is presented in the scriptures. If there be any view, or respect to our own works in the conscience, we have denied the faith. “For the law is not of faith, but that man that does them shall live by them.” (Gal. 3:12)
2. Justification by Faith alone.
We should also understand that inasmuch as a person is justified by faith alone, so no man is justified without true faith. There are false faiths, counterfeit faiths, pretend faiths, hypocritical faiths, and lying faiths that are not the true faith of scripture. Faith is according to what the word of God says regarding faith, and none other. If we do not believe concerning faith what the word of God says concerning faith, it means we do not have faith. Therefore justification by faith is not without condemnation of justification by anything else besides. Anything added to this or taken away from this is a deadly poison. Therefore the apostle says in Romans 4:14-16, “For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect,  because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace.” Here the apostle concludes that righteousness is established by faith, that the gospel might be established in grace.
Those who say that faith is a work whereby for the sake of that work God accepts us as righteous have not yet learned that if they are judged according to their work of faith, they are condemned by the law as a transgressor, for even the faith of a believer is mixed with some unbelief. “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?” (Gal. 4:21)
No act of the Christian is a perfect act, and therefore no act of a Christian can be the basis for his salvation, or grounds for him to stand pure and spotless on the Day of Judgment. Therefore the apostle also says, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Rom. 3:24-26) God shows Himself exceedingly merciful not only in justifying sinners, but also in justifying those who believe, for even our faith is imperfect. How then can God accept an imperfect work? As we have said before, only through the perfect work of Christ. It behooves us therefore to explain what that faith is, and properly define it that we might possess it in truth, and receive the benefits of Christ by it.
3. What is Faith?
The Wesminster Catechism says of faith, “Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.” So we see from this quote and from the passage in Romans 4 which says, “righteousness is of faith that it might be according to grace” that faith is simply the receiving of grace. It is the confession of a broken-hearted sinner who knowing his condition of misery, and not finding in himself anything of which to bring to God does with contrition and sincerity beg God for mercy. Faith asks for mercy and receives all the benefits of redemption through the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith looks only to Christ for redemption and not to self. It is to be broken by the law, and repaired by the grace of Christ. It is to understand that we are nothing and Christ is everything. Faith begins with the knowledge of sin, the knowledge of God, and the knowledge of self, and knowing that there is no other salvation than that of Christ, comes to the cross to be forgiven of sin, and made righteous. Therefore the Psalm says, “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Ps. 51:6-7)
If faith should ever boast in itself and not in Christ who Redeems the soul and forgives from sin it ceases to be faith. Galatians 6:14 says, “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” Those who boast in themselves and not in Christ are the proud in heart of which the Proverb says, “They are an abomination to the Lord.”
The Proverb also says, “There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes, Yet is not washed from its filthiness.” (Prov. 30:12)
Paul also says in his epistle, “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.” (Phil. 3:3)
Those who have any morsel of confidence in the flesh have not been inwardly circumcised.
“A little leaven leaveath the whole lump.” (Gal. 5:9)

III. The Product of Justification. (We have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ)
The next part of our text reads, “having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Rom. 5:1)
We see also from this text that since we are forgiven from sins, past, present and future, and made righteous before God apart from works this gives us an invincible peace unlike any other peace. For what can trouble the conscience more than sin? What can disrupt the pure streams of heavenly peace more than sin? Truly if sin was the cause for our enmity with God, and the original destruction of our peace, then the forgiveness of sin and the imputation of righteousness is the only foundation for its recovery. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.” (Isa. 26:3) And truly if sin destroys peace, then there can be no peace with God apart from justification. There is no peace with God apart from the peace of the cross. But through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ and the atonement He provides for sin we have peace with God and confidence before Him.
1. Peace with God.
“Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God.” Here we see the full weight of the apostle’s words in that we who were once at enmity with God, hateful to God and hating God are now brought to peaceful reconciliation through the blood of the cross. ‘We were by nature children of wrath‘ as Ephesians says, ‘enemies of God, sons of disobedience, and children of the devil.’ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love has bestowed faith upon us, and through faith the benefits of salvation! As God’s enemies we were subject to His anger, fury and wrath. Through faith we are reconciled to Him, and His anger is pacified towards us having been satisfied by the cross. “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Our ground for peace is not in ourselves but in God’s mercy, not in our works but His sufficiency, yea not in our own faith, but in His righteousness. Our peace shall flow like a river when our minds are stayed upon Christ and His work. It cannot be otherwise. There is an infinite sufficiency of merit in Christ’s blood, and therefore an infinite source of peace for the believer.
2. Confidence Before God.
We should also observe that through this great peace that Christ has purchased, we now have confidence to approach the living God. The understanding that God is holy, and cannot be approached by sinful creatures, bears with it the understanding that this great work of justification now prepares us to approach unto God, for we do not, nor dare not approach Him in our own robes of sin and iniquity, but now being forgiven and made righteous in Christ, we have access into His presence, and with it also great confidence and boldness to approach God in the robes of Christ’s righteousness. For if in Adam we were guilty, and made abominable by sin, and thereby liable to judgment, much more shall we who receive the gift of faith through the work of Christ, be free from guilt and thereby confident to ask of God what He wills. The apostle writes to the Hebrews, “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)
Truly this boldness and confidence to ask of God life and salvation is of the very nature of faith. “Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward.” (Heb. 10:35) Whatsoever we ask in the name of Christ, He is willing to give us for Christ’s sake. Has He not by His own power and Spirit made us willing to approach Him in faith? Has He not Himself put this very thought in our minds to ask of Him eternal life? Is not the name of Christ, “SALVATION”? Therefore, the Christian does not pray with a carnal mind, but with spiritual affections. Being made one with Christ, He asks for Christ those things that accompany salvation. “O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake.” prayeth Daniel. [Dan. 9:19]
“We are made the righteousness of God in Christ.” [2 Cor. 5:21] We who are justified may have reason to weep for sin, mourn for sin, and run from sin, but we have no reason to fear God’s fiery judgments on account of sin, but may by His grace perform our duties with joy and a holy confidence in the work of Christ. As our faith was wrought in us, so our works are wrought in us as well, and we are justified for the purpose of doing God service. And because of His great work of redemption, we need never fear that coming short of perfection will be our undoing, for Christ is perfection for us. Our works are never perfect, but inasmuch as we sincerely obey Christ in love and devotion, and endeavor to keep His commandments, we know that they are wrought in us by Him that is perfect, and by His perfect work they are accepted by Him. He does not see them as works done by sinners, but as services done by justified persons whom He loves and cherishes. If God has justified us, we have great reason to ever be confident in our service, our devotion, our worship and our prayer. He Himself is our peace, and He Himself is our confidence before God as well. In that justification is not by works, but by faith, then truly we do not serve and obey God in slavish fear, but in sincere love and affection. We do not work toward our salvation, but inasmuch as we are already fully saved and redeemed from wrath, we dedicate our works and services, our bodies and our hearts, our duties and our devotions to the glory of God through Christ. This is the peace we have with God. We no longer fear the curse of the law, nor are we plagued by torments of conscience, because the curse is taken away from us and utterly abolished by the blood of the cross. Christ was made a curse for us, therefore there is no more curse on us. Therefore we are always ready to serve God, obey Him, and do all that He says in His word with peace and joy in our hearts, knowing it is accepted by Him through the justification that was wrought by Christ Jesus our Lord.

IV. The Benefit of Justification. (By whom also we have access by faith into this grace.)
We are now come to the final point which is that through this act of justifying a sinner, God is accepting our persons through Christ and inviting us into His blessed kingdom of grace where we will enjoy all the benefits of grace in this life, and all the benefits of glory in the next. The text reads, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Justification is the beginning of the Christian life, and the entrance into all those blessings which were before restricted from us on account of our sin. We must remember that when Adam sinned, he was expelled from the garden of Eden, which was a type of the favor of God, and His blessing and provision for man. On account of sin we are expelled from God’s benefits, but on account of Christ, we are invited back into His favor, into His love, into His care, and are bestowed the full riches of His great mercy.
1. Access into God’s Presence.
The first thing we are going to observe is that we are accepted into God’s presence through faith. Psalm 15:1 says, “Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle?
Who may dwell in Your holy hill?” Truly the answer to the question is only the upright, and only the perfect. But how can man be just with God? How can man who is sinful by nature approach Him who is perfect and cannot abide in His presence anything tainted with imperfection? I say, through the justification that comes by faith, for inasmuch as faith unites us to Christ’s righteousness, so it allows us access into God’s presence, into His favor, and into His graces. The Father loves the Son and has committed all judgment into His hands. “Whosoever believes on the Son has the Father also.” We are accepted as sons into God’s presence through the cross, and through this work of justification. We may therefore have confidence that God will accept us inasmuch as it is the work of Christ that is the foundation for our acceptance. God loves His Son, and therefore loves also all those who believe in Him. Has He not Himself elected us unto this favor? Has He not by His Spirit made us partakers of it? Then as a loving and gracious Father He will bestow all the riches of His grace upon us, seeing He hath loved us from eternity in the bond of the covenant of His Son.
2. Access into God’s Grace.
We see from this text also that through the work of the cross, and the free justification wrought by it that God now grants us access into His grace. As all graces come from Christ’s mercy, and faith is the receiving of mercy from Christ, we should see here that through faith, all other graces are communicated. The ordinary means by which Christ communicates to us His truth is His word. “Sanctify them by thy truth. Thy word is truth.” There is no salvation, and there is no growth in grace apart from Christ’s authoritative word. “My sheep hear my voice.” But without faith none of these benefits of grace are communicated to us. Therefore the apostle says in Hebrews 4:2, “For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it.” If we do not mix faith with our reading, our study, our prayers and petitions believing that every word of God is true, we shall not receive the benefits that flow from it. Unbelief as a great dam stops up the waters of grace, and therefore for us to receive any of Christ’s benefits of grace, He must break this great wall of unbelief down so that the waters of free grace might flow unto us. Through faith, all the benefits of Christ’s redemption are made ours to enjoy. Because He loves us, He will love us still and love us to the end. Being justified by faith, we shall also be sanctified, and then also glorified. For grace is only the beginning of glory. As Thomas Watson once said, Grace is glory begun and glory is grace perfected. We have access into God’s grace, and can ask Him for additional grace, added blessings, and further benefits. He will not withhold any good thing from those who seek Him, and being freely forgiven and made righteous, we know that whatever we ask of Him if it is according to His will, He hears us and will do all for our good and profit.
3. Rejoicing in Hope of the Glory of God.
The final point to be made here is that having been justified by faith, we now have access into hope in Christ’s glory. This is a blessing and grace of its own. As faith is a grace, so hope is also a grace. Faith is the receiving of grace, and hope is the anticipation of glory.
1 Peter 1:3-5 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,  to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” Being accepted into God’s presence and being given access into this grace wherein we stand, we are made to rejoice in glorious hope in the coming of the Lord Jesus. As we have received mercy, so we know that all of the promises of salvation will be ours through Christ Jesus our Lord and Mediator. Throughout the gospels belief and everlasting life are continually conjoined together. Those who believe will receive the gift of eternal life. This is what we hope for, even everlasting life in Christ. He who bought us by Himself and for Himself will surely bring us to heaven with Himself. Therefore we rejoice in hope of this glory, and await the day when Christ shall come with shouts of glory and receive us up into heaven even as Christ was received. We are loved in Christ, and therefore God can no more stop loving the Christian than He can stop loving Christ. Through faith we are invincibly united to Christ, through faith we receive the remission of sins, through faith we receive the righteousness of Christ, through faith we have peace with God, and through faith we are given access into grace, and into the hope of glory – even the hope of life everlasting in heaven with Christ.

Use 1: Information.
If justification is by faith alone, then Christ is the only Redeemer of mankind.
Acts 4:12 says, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” This article of justification is the bulwark and defense of the Christian religion. In our days it is common for the purveyors of false religion to cast contempt on the doctrine of salvation by Christ alone, and proclaim that man can be saved apart from Christ. This is common in neo-orthodox circles, and has been expressed by one of their heroes C.S. Lewis. If you have any doubts concerning whether or not those from false religions can be saved, have no doubt that you are not a Christian. When God saves a soul from death, and a man is made to see his sin and abomination he cannot but detest his sin, and understand himself worthy of death. This is not without faith in Christ, and apprehension of His mercy. The soul that finds refuge in Christ surely knows there is refuge in no other -for that is an inseparable member of faith. We know that since justification comes by faith alone, and faith is in Christ alone, no other religions can boast of salvation. No other god can save like our God. Psalm 96:5 says, “For all the gods of the peoples are idols, But the Lord made the heavens.” Likewise Psalm 97:7 says, “Let all be put to shame who serve carved images,
Who boast of idols.”  Only those who put their trust in the LORD God are delivered from wrath, for it is He that they have offended by sinning, and it is through the death of His Son that satisfaction is made. If faith is not fixed upon the true Christ, He that is full of majesty and glory, mighty to save- then it is no true faith, and can no more save a man than if he should think that chaff could save him from a scorching fire.

Use 2: Exhortation.
Since we are so abominable by nature, let us be humble and repent daily of our sins which offend God.
“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells.” [Rom. 7:18]
So saith the apostle in Romans 7:18.
Oh, Christian brethren, we are saved by grace, and that grace is no small grace, for we were delivered from sin, which is in our very nature. We are disgusting creatures by nature, loving vanity, lies and daily sinning against God, and if our sins should be remembered they would instantly condemn us. If justification depends upon your working, you can never be saved. But seeing that we are covered in infirmity, and never without sin and iniquity, let us daily confess our faults to God knowing that He is merciful and just and will forgive us when we repent in sincerity. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) If Paul the chief of the apostles had the humility to call himself the chief of sinners, then may we have the heart to do likewise. We are no better than others, and although we daily put off sin and bear fruit to God, yet there still remains evil within us. False religion says that no matter how evil a man is, he still has some good in him, but the scripture says that not only are all men wholly corrupt with no good in them, but no matter how holy a saint is there is yet sin in him while he remains on earth. Our sins grieve God more than the sins of the heathen, and although they will not be revenged upon us, yet God certainly will afflict us for them if we continue in them. This is certainly the cause for why justification is absolutely necessary, otherwise we could never be saved. Let us therefore confess our sins to God, humble ourselves before Him and repent, knowing that we are unworthy of His grace, and He is most worthy to be adored for His grace.

Use 3: Comfort.
If justification is the gift of God, it is an eternal gift and cannot be rescinded.
Let this also comfort you, dear Christian, that being a justified saint means always being accepted into God’s presence. If sickness should overtake us, grief should overwhelm us, or death should take us, yet if we are justified then nothing can harm us! The Spirit says in Romans 8:28-30, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” Being justified is only the first step to being glorified. If God has begun the work, will He not also finish the work? He who is the eternal, Almighty and omnipotent Creator of the universe, will He not finish what He has started? Then let come upon us what will, whether persecution, suffering or sorrow, but we will be confident in this, that the Lord has washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us to stand before God in His own righteousness. He is “The LORD our RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Romans 8:31-32 therefore says, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” Therefore, take heart, O Christian knowing that thou art justified by the blood of Christ and can never be un-justified. Take heart, and take courage, glorifying God by a life of spiritual devotion, good works, and keeping the commandments of God- rejoicing in Him and knowing that your works are accepted by Him through Christ Jesus our Lord.