Charles H. Spurgeon - Sermão Inglês - Justification by Grace
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON
The Gospel of Jesus Christ begins where all human pretension ends. Before proclaiming justification, Paul declares a truth that destroys every hope of self-righteousness: “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Man does not appear before God as someone who is merely spiritually sick and needs assistance, but as one who stands guilty before His holy Law. The problem lies not only in what we do, but in what we are in Adam: sinners, incapable of producing the righteousness required by a holy God. It is precisely against this background that the following declaration shines forth: those who possess no righteousness of their own are “justified freely by His grace.”
Justification is a judicial declaration of God. The sinner is guilty, yet God accepts him as righteous, not because He overlooks his sins or diminishes the demands of His Law. God does not save by suspending His justice. He saves by satisfying it perfectly in Christ. This is the great wonder of the Gospel: the Judge who justifies the ungodly remains absolutely just in doing so, because the condemnation owed to the sinner was borne by his Substitute. Christ took upon Himself the guilt of His people and suffered the penalty they deserved. The justice of God was not circumvented; it was satisfied (Romans 3:25-26).
For this reason, redemption is found entirely in Christ. On the cross, He did not accomplish an incomplete work, waiting for the sinner to supply what was lacking. The price was paid in full. No portion of the debt remained the responsibility of those for whom Christ died. His precious blood fully satisfied the demands of God's justice, and His declaration “It is finished” expresses the perfection of a work to which nothing can be added. Christ accomplished alone what no one could accomplish alongside Him. No human merit contributes to the atonement. No religious work supplements Calvary. No suffering of ours adds any value to the blood of the Lamb of God.
This substitution constitutes the very heart of justification. Christ takes the sinner's place and bears his condemnation; the sinner, united to Christ by faith, receives a righteousness he could never produce. God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
And none of this means that Christ became a sinner, but rather that our guilt was imputed to Him. Likewise, we are not justified because we have become perfect, but because the righteousness of Christ is imputed to us. Our acceptance before God rests outside ourselves, in the person and work of the Mediator, Jesus Christ.
Here every possibility of boasting disappears. Justification is granted “freely.” The sinner does not purchase it with good works, tears, penances, prayers, theological knowledge, or personal improvement. Even repentance and faith do not constitute a payment offered to God. If we attempt to present our merits as part of the price, we demonstrate that we have not yet understood grace. The Gospel does not proclaim that Christ will do His part if we adequately do ours. It proclaims a salvation accomplished by Christ and received through faith.
This does not make holiness unnecessary. The grace that justifies also transforms. Good works are not the root of justification, but the inevitable fruit of saving grace. We do not obey in order that God may justify us; rather, because His grace has reached us, we begin to desire to obey the One who saved us. True faith can never turn Christ into a license to sin. The same Spirit who grants life and faith leads the believer to mortify sin and pursue holiness.
There is also extraordinary consolation in this truth. Whoever has been justified in Christ possesses a secure standing before God. The debt Christ paid will never be demanded again. God does not punish His Son for the sins of His people only to require a second satisfaction from them afterward. “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This peace does not rest upon the constancy of our feelings, but upon the perfection of Christ's work.
The sinner, therefore, must not wait until he becomes worthy before coming to Christ. Such waiting would never end, because no one can produce within himself the righteousness necessary to stand before God. The invitation of the Gospel is addressed precisely to the one who recognizes his spiritual poverty. Come without presenting any credentials. Come confessing your guilt. Come abandoning all confidence in yourself and resting solely in Christ, who saves sinners.
The Christian hope may be summed up in this truth: “Christ is sufficient.” Our guilt found His cross; our debt found His payment; our condemnation found His sacrifice; our need for righteousness found His perfect obedience. Therefore, the sinner who believes does not need to complete the Savior's work. He needs to rest in it. Justification is by grace because its origin is in God, its foundation is in Christ, and it is received through faith. All human boasting is excluded, and all the glory of salvation belongs to the God who freely justifies sinners through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Divino Cordeiro
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About the author
CHARLES HADDON SPURGEON
The Prince of Preachers
Spurgeon is widely recognized as one of the greatest preachers in the history of Christianity. His sermons reveal an eloquence comparable to that of Chrysostom and a literary ability similar to that of Augustine. He possessed the biblical steadfastness and courage of the Reformers, as well as the piety and zeal of the Puritans, of whom he is regarded as the most celebrated heir.
Born in Essex, England, on June 19, 1834, he was the eldest of sixteen children, the son of John and Eliza Spurgeon. He found salvation in Jesus Christ between the years 1850 and 1851, during an intense snowstorm, when he entered a small chapel and heard a sermon that transformed his life.
In January 1852, at the age of seventeen, he became pastor of the Waterbeach Baptist Church, north of Cambridge, and quickly gained renown as a preacher. His ability to communicate and his profound understanding of the Scriptures attracted great crowds.
In December 1853, he was invited to preach at New Park Street Chapel, the largest Baptist church in South London, which would later become the Metropolitan Tabernacle. In April 1854, he was ordained as pastor of that church, a position he held until his death on January 31, 1892, at the age of fifty-seven. During his ministry, the congregation grew so greatly that it became necessary to build a new sanctuary with a capacity of six thousand people.
In addition to his example of a holy life and his remarkable accomplishments, one of Spurgeon’s greatest legacies is his sermons. In them, we find a harmonious union of truth and piety, beauty and goodness, light and warmth, and above all, we find Jesus Christ. His sermons were published weekly and distributed throughout the world, reaching millions of people.
Another remarkable aspect of his life is the vastness and quality of his written work, comparable to that of John Calvin. Spurgeon wrote approximately 150 books and more than 3,500 sermons. Among his best-known works are The Treasury of David, a commentary on the Psalms, and Lectures to My Students, a series of lectures addressed to students of theology. He also founded the Pastors’ College, which trained hundreds of ministers, and the Stockwell Orphanage, which provided care for needy children. He was widely recognized for his generosity and dedication to the welfare of others, frequently donating large sums to charitable causes.
His health began to decline in the 1880s, but he continued preaching and writing until the end. Spurgeon died leaving an enduring legacy that continues to exert a profound influence on Christians throughout the world today.
Divino Cordeiro
