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Justification
Part 1 - Job 1 Our Problem with the Devil
Would you like to meet God? If you had the chance to meet God today would you? Would you be scared or nervous to meet him?
Would it be a good thing for a sinner, like us, to meet God who is holy, holy, holy and who can’t be around sin?
This fall we’re talking about this thing, JUSTIFICATION.
Westminster Shorter Catechism Question 33: What is justification?
“Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”
Justification -how you, a sinner, can stand before God and God say to you, “You are righteous. You are perfect. And you deserve to live forever in heaven with me.” That has to happen for you to get into heaven, but how is that possible, we’re sinners?!? One of the problems we have with our sin and getting to heaven is the devil.
Let’s read the story of Job in Job 1:1-12.
[On Earth] Job opens up with this picturesque scene: Job, a God-fearing man, a really good guy, great family, his kids love each other, party together, and they’re all wealthy. And then the story cuts to another scene, not an earthly scene, a heavenly scene, this “behind the scenes” scene.
[In Heaven] In the heavenly scene we find Godin his heavenly council on a day when the court is in session. And the devil shows up feeling really good about himself; he starts boasting about his dominion on earth. This language, “Yeah I’ve been strolling about on earth” -his walking about like he owns the place, boasting that since the Fall, since Adam and Eve sinned, all mankind belongs to the devil.
God answers the devil’s boast with his own boast, “Oh yeah, you ever come across Job, my servant? He loves me. He worships me. He believes I love him. Because I have saved him and he does belong to me.” And Satan answers God’s boast with another boast that God’s boast is empty - that Job doesn’t really love God; that people like Job only serve God to get stuff from God, not because they love or worship God. Satan challenges God, “Takeaway his stuff, see what happens, he’ll curse you, turn his back on you because he’s mine, not yours.“ God says, ”Challenge accepted.“
Why does the devil hate Job?
Because God says Job belongs to God but the devil says Job, and every sinner, belongs to the devil.
Who’s right? The devil tempts us to sin then he accuses us before God, ”Look they’re sinners, they deserve judgment.” Think of a courtroom - they are in the heavenly throne room of God before God the Judge and the devil is like a prosecuting attorney and you are the one trial - and the devil makes the case that you are guilty and sinful and deserve a guilty verdict and the punishment is death and condemnation. Is the devil right? What does every sin deserve?
The wrath and curse of God. Even one sin deserves God’s judgment and condemnation.
[Challenge] So God must do something about our sin and somehow get us a verdict of not-guilty, innocent, a verdict of justification if we’re going to live and not die forever. So God has promised to save us from our sin and from the devil and from death. But the devil doesn’t believe that’s possible. The real challenge here is to God; Satan’s challenge is really to God himself that:
the gospel is NOT true;
God’s claim to be the Savior of his people is an empty lie;
God cannot, will not save his people from Satan, sin, and death;
whatever grace and salvation God promised after the Fall with Adam and Eve isn’t a real thing;
Job’s religious profession is false;
Job is a hypocrite;
Job only looks pious because right now he’s prosperous;
AND THAT God is really the one to blame for all that because he’s bought Job’s fake piety with prosperity;
so Job’s devotion to God is an empty lie;
and Satan will prove it with the one man God is boasting in. Just let Satan make him suffer.
[Justification]And God accepts the challenge and Job is put on trial! And who wins? Job! Job goes through horrible suffering but he still believes God loves him and will save him even if he dies.
But how does Job win?
God beats the devil for Job and for us. God sends his son, Jesus Christ, who comes and battles the devil. The devil tried to tempt Jesus saying the same things to him, “Jesus, your Father in heaven doesn’t love you. He’s a liar. You don’t have to die on a cross. Just listen to me and follow me and I’ll make your life easy and good.” But Jesus resisted all the devil’s temptations to sin. AND THEN Jesus went to the cross to take the punishment for Job’s sin, and Adam and Eve’s sin, and your sin! Jesus died for you so you won’t die.
The joke is on Satan. God uses Satan’s hatred of Jesus against Satan. Satan’s work of sending Jesus to the cross is part of the fulfillment of the gospel. Satan plays his guilty part in the crucifixion of Jesus but the crucifixion turns out to be how Jesus crushes the devil.
So is the devil real?
Yes. “What you see is what you get” is NOT true. There is a spiritual world. You need to know this enemy exists. And at the same time don’t obsess over him. The devil either wants you to think he doesn’t exist OR he wants you to think about him all the time and be afraid. Don’t trust what the world or Hollywood tells you about him. You couldn’t even trust what the devil tells you about him if you ever met him or someone claiming to be him because the devil is a liar. So you listen to what the Bible tells you about this battle with spiritual cosmic forces.
What does the Bible tell us about him?
The devil is not God; he is not equal in power to God. The devil not the opposite of Jesus. The devil is a fallen angel. He is more powerful than mankind. You can’t just fight him on your own. You have to be a Christian to withstand the devil. Only the Christian is delivered from the power of the devil.
Jesus has triumphed over the devil and so if you are united to Jesus through faith then in him and with him you have triumphed over the devil and his forces.
But the devil doesn’t want you to believe that. The devil wants you to believe God is a liar and that grace is fake and that you are not saved. And so how do you fight against the devil when he tempts you: to doubt the gospel; to doubt your salvation; to doubt God’s love for you; to doubt the grace of Jesus; to doubt Jesus’ work saving you?
Don’t believe him or his lies. You fight him by believing in Jesus; with the gospel and prayer. Job shows us the truthfulness of the gospel; that no matter what happens to us in this life God does love us and he has saved us in Jesus.