Three important statements Kevin doesn’t believe in.
Robert Clarke, ‘The Sinless Servant’, The Christ of God, ch. v, pp. 49ff
The Sinlessness of Christ
Christ claimed to be absolutely sinless.
He prayed, but He never prayed for forgiveness.
He interceded on behalf of his disciples, but He never exhorted them to intercede for Him.
Although He called God His Father, He never called Him His Saviour.
He was conscious of world sin, but He was never conscious of personal sin.
He allowed those nearest to Him to believe that He was sinless.
He was weary, but He was never ill.
He sorrowed for the sin of the world, but He never sorrowed for His own sin.
He taught that all need to be born again, but He never hinted that He was born again, or that He needed such a change.
As well as claiming to be sinless, He was explicitly declared by the apostolic writers to be sinless.
C. H. Spurgeon, Christ’s Glorious Achievements, pp. 13–14
Look how the law is adapted to this; for, first of all, it shows man his sin. Read the ten commandments and tremble as you read them. Who can place his own character side by side with the two tablets of divine precepts without at once being convinced that he has fallen far short of the standard?
When the law comes home to the soul it is like light in a dark room revealing the dust and the dirt which else had been unperceived. It is the test which else had been unperceived. It is the test which detects the presence of the poison of sin in the soul.
‘I was alive without the law once,’ said the apostle,’ but when the commandment came sin revived and I died.’ Our comeliness utterly fades away when the law blows upon it. Look at the commandments, I say, and remember how sweeping they are, how spiritual, how far-reaching. They do not merely touch the outward act, but dive into the inner motive and del with the heart, the mind, the soul.
There is a deeper meaning in the commands than appears on their surface. Gaze into their depths and see how perfect is the holiness which they require. As you understand what the law demands, you will perceive how far you are from fulfilling it, and how sin abounds where you thought there was little or none of it.
You thought yourself rich and increased in goods and in no need of anything, but when the broken law visits you, your spiritual bankruptcy and utter penury stare you in the face. A true balance discovers short weight, and such is the first effect of the law upon the conscience of man.
Desmond Ford, Right with God Right Now, new version, pp. 175–176
Romans 8: We Stand in Justification
Christianity is not a mechanical religion.
We do not receive forgiveness only for every sin
remembered and confessed. We are so weak we are
often unaware of our mistakes. Rather, when we
look to Jesus we are justified all the time.
We are always right with God in Christ.
This brings to our hearts the love
that is the intent of the law.
The first three verses of Romans 8 summarize the preceding 7 chapters of the book. They summarize Romans 1–5 and freedom from wrath; Romans 6 and freedom from sin; and Romans 7, freedom from the motivation of law.
They tell us of the tremendous blessings of the gospel. There is no condemnation for the believer, today, tomorrow, or the next day.
We stand in justification
I feel sad for people who think that justification happens only at the beginning of the Christian life to get us started—but after that it’s all sanctification.
The idea that God does a mighty work for you and forgives you at the start, but then—you’d better not make any more mistakes or you’ll be done in. That is not the teaching of the Bible.
We stand in justification, according to Romans 5:1:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1–2 NIV)
Being justified by faith, we stand; we have access.
In other words, justification is over us all the time, until we die, until Jesus comes.
