If anyone should ask me what I mean by a Calvinist, I should reply, “He is one who says, Salvation is of the Lord.” I cannot find in Scripture any other doctrine than this. It is the essence of the Bible. “He only is my rock and my salvation.” Tell me anything contrary to this truth, and it will be a heresy; tell me a heresy, and I shall find its essence here, that it has departed from this great, this fundamental, this rock-truth, “God is my rock and my salvation.” What is the heresy of Rome, but the addition of something to the perfect merits of Jesus Christ—the bringing in of the works of the flesh, to assist in our justification? And what is the heresy of Arminianism but the addition of something to the work of the Redeemer? Every heresy, if brought to the touchstone, will discover itself here. I have my own private opinion that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and Him crucified, unless we preach what nowadays is called Calvinism. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism; Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith, without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation after having once believed in Jesus. Such a gospel I abhor.

Taken from A Defense of Calvinism by C.H. Spurgeon

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is summed up in these two verses of scripture.  That Christ died for our sins, was buried, and was raised back to life three days later, thus conquering death which gives us the hope that we too if we are found in Christ when we die will be raised to be with Him forever. While these two verses are a summation of the truth of the Gospel, and are of first importance,  it doesn’t tell the whole story…

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.” – John 1:1-3

These verses are so rich in themselves and there is so much that we can talk about just in these scriptures but I want to focus the fact that in the beginning God made everything.  Specifically, all things were made through Jesus (the Word) and without Jesus nothing was made that was made. Everything was made by Christ.  the heavens, the earth, everything in the earth including the seas, the trees, all creeping things, as well as man and woman.  He created the garden of Eden for Adam and Eve, and God gave them charge over everything in the garden as well as the whole earth. – Gen. 1:28-30.

God gave them one command.  ”And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Gen. 2:16-17.  They could freely eat of any tree within the garden, but there was ONE tree that was forbidden to them.  Just like us today, we always want what we can’t have.  We can never be content with what we have.  Not only did they have no doubt hundreds of trees they could eat off of… but they had the privilege of being in the presence of Almighty God Himself, living in perfect harmony with the Creator of the universe!

We then read that the Serpent came by and persuaded Eve to eat of the forbidden tree.  Then she went to her husband and lured him into the deception of eating the fruit also.  - Gen. 3:1-7.

This is no small thing.  This tragic event has HUGE implications… I think too many times we tend to minimize what actually happened here in the garden of Eden that day.  It is not the fact that they ate the fruit from a certain tree that is in view here.  What IS in view is that Adam and Eve, our first parents, sinned against an infinitely holy God, transgressed the commandment of the God who had made them and gave them everything they had.  They decided that their way of doing things was so much better than God’s way.  Essentially, they were the ultimate authority… not the God who had created them.

Then we read on…   To the woman He said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children.  Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.”  And to Adam He said,  “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Gen. 3:16-19.

and also we read… ‘Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.’ – Gen. 3:22-24.

Not only were they punished in the sense that woman would have pain in childbearing, and man would have to work the ground and earn his living by the sweat of his face… but God said that they would die physically.  It doesn’t end there though.  Notice that God drove them out of the garden, from His presence, and placed cherubim with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.  This is a picture of the SPIRITUAL death that they will now experience.  Notice that they would never be able to earn their way back to God by making up for the wrong they had done.  They couldn’t go back and regain a good standing with God by undoing what they had done by eating of the tree of life on their own.  That way was now blocked. God would have to provide another way… IF He chose to do so.  I say IF because God did not have to.  He could have left them in their condition.  He could have left us all in our sinful state.  He is under NO obligation to rescue anyone.  He would be perfectly just in condemning us all to hell eternally.  Why is the punishment so severe? You might ask.  Well because of the nature of the Person whom they and we have offended.  God is infinitely HOLY, and thus the punishment for breaking His commands should be of an infinite nature.  God is righteous and just, we are unrighteous and full of wickedness.  “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked;  Who can know it?” – Jeremiah 17:9.

From the time of Adam on, man would continue to try and find his own way to get back to God.  Man, sinful in nature because of the fall would never again be right with God.  God’s Word says that our nature since the fall has become enslaved to sin.  Romans 6:6, John 8:34, Romans 6:17, Romans 6:20.  This means that we can do nothing but sin. Nothing.  You might find this hard to believe since there are many “good” things that humans do all over the world.  There are hospitals, orphanages, shelters for the homeless, young men who help the elderly across the street… (well, there used to be anyway.)  Sure people do good things, I recognize that.  Remember that God doesn’t look on the outward, but on the inward.  He looks at the heart, its motivations and intentions.  The scripture says that, “whatever does not proceed from faith is sin.” – Romans 14:23b.  Also, “Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” – Rom. 8:8.  And, “without faith it is impossible to please him…” – Heb. 11:6a.  What we can take from these scriptures is that nobody can please God apart from faith, and that everything that is not done by faith in Christ is SIN. So naturally this has to mean that if a person does not have faith in the Son of God everything they do is from a heart that is sinful by nature… enslaved to sin.  This has disastrous implications when it comes to humans trying to work their way to God or do things for God for merit on their own.  This is why there is absolutely NOTHING that we sinful, wicked humans can do to merit salvation.  Apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ, we are left without hope.  We are on our way to hell.  God would be totally just in sentencing us to such a punishment for our open rebellion toward Him everyday.  Reflect upon God’s Word:  “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” “Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.” “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” – Rom. 3:10-18.

We deserve Hell…

“BUT GOD, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Even when we dead in our trespasses… enslaved to sin… at enmity with God… without saving  faith toward God, God rich in mercy because He loved us made us alive by His grace and raised us up with Him to show forth the riches of His grace in kindness toward us.  He saved us.  It is not our own doing, it is His gift to us so that no one may boast.  And He planned for us to walk in good works (from faith) before everything began!

But how were we saved?  On what basis?

In accordance with God’s plan of redemption set forth from before the foundation of the world (Acts 4:27,28), God the Father sent His only begotten Son into the world in human form, the form of a lowly servant, born of a virgin.  He fulfilled all of the Law for us, keeping all of God’s commandments, living a totally sinless life.  He was betrayed by the Judas Iscariot, given into the hands of the Jewish religious leaders of the day and ultimately given up to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate to be nailed to a cross for a crime that He did not commit.  He suffered and died a horrible, shameful death on the cross for our crimes… all of our sin, our open rebellion, our hatred for God, all of it was laid on Jesus and He took it willingly as a substitutionary atonement for our sins.  He died for us, so that we who repent and trust (believe) in Him might live with Him!  You see, God was able to render us justified because of Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross.  He died a death that we should have died.  Our sins were transferred or imputed to Him, and His righteousness (or sinless perfection) was transferred or imputed to us so that when we stand before God after we die we will be welcomed into the presence of God on the basis of the work of His Son Jesus Christ.  After He died He was buried in a tomb and on the third day He rose from the grave and eventually ascended to heaven to the right hand of God thus triumphing over the power of death for us so that we who are found in Jesus can hope to triumph over death and live eternally with Him!  What a great God!! All those who believe this… who believe in Christ’s atoning work on their behalf and repent of their sins will be saved.  We do not work to merit favor with God any longer… but we rest in the Son, trusting that what He has done is sufficient for us! THIS IS THE GOSPEL.

In summary, God made us, and instead of finding our joy and satisfaction in Him we broke His commands and decided that our way was better.  We try and try to get back to God by trying to earn favor with Him using our own methods.  We deserve hell and God would be perfectly just in letting us go there but instead God was pleased to send Jesus to be a ransom for His people.  He was sinless and yet suffered, died, and was buried. He rose again three days later and conquered death for us.  Through repentance from sin and faith toward God we are saved on the basis of Christ’s substitutionary work.

Repent of all your wickedness and place your faith in Christ for salvation today!

This week I will feature a new artist to the series who goes by the name “Sho Baraka”. Sho is another founding member of the 116 clique along side Lecrae, Trip Lee and Tedashii. He is a college graduate originally from Canada. He has recently moved to the ATL in order to plant a new church called “Blueprint Church”, in which he serves as the Creative Director. Sho, being one of my favorite lyricists, brings something very different to Lyrical Theology. He has a unique way of expounding on the scriptures while being distinctly lyrical and/or poetic. This weeks song is called “Justified”. Sho Baraka takes a stab at the book of Galatians. Although its a quick overview, it’s a great job nonetheless. This song is my jam and I love the message of the track. So get ready and BEAR SOME FRUIT!

Introduction to Galatians

Paul’s letter to the Galatians was addressed to a group of churches in Galatia, a region of present-day Turkey. Paul had preached the gospel in these churches. He wrote to counter those who taught that Christians must be circumcised in order to be accepted by God. Paul began with a defense of his apostolic authority (chs. 1–2), then made it clear that all believers, Jew and Gentile alike, enjoy complete salvation in Christ (chs. 3–4). In chapters 5–6 Paul showed how the gospel of grace leads to true freedom and godly living. Perhaps the central message of Galatians is “a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ” (2:16). Paul wrote this letter sometime between a.d. 48 and 55.

Hook
They Talk about the Law (They Talk about the Law)
But they twisting the law (But they twisting the law)
the law is a tutor that leads us to Christ (3:24)
by faith justified and he gives us life (2:16)

Bridge 1
Got grace from the father in the Son were new/
Be filled with the spirit and bear some fruit /
Say bear some fruit (Say bear some fruit)
Say bear some fruit (Say bear some fruit)

Verse 1

Let me be clear I not here to please men (1:10)
If I was then I wouldn’t be a servant of him (1:10)
Im shocked how quickly we turn from the real faith (1:6)
they want to discredit my ministry say I real fake
Im like Paul I got called on my way to Damascus
Commissioned by Christ to go preach to the masses
he wasn’t a disciple when Christ took the lashes (1:15-2:14)
since the twelve didnt know him they question his passion (1:15-2:14)
but he preached a gospel that was grace related
not another from the Lord and the Judaizers hate it
false teachers come thru like wolves in disguise (2:4)
and some of my closest boys believe these lies (2:13)
we know those who teach this other gospel is accursed (1:6-9)
and you following these teachings dont benefit the church (3:10-13)
(The Application) not bound to your traditions (4:10)
Free from the law to the spirit Im submitting (2:19)

Hook

Bridge 2

I know I’m dirt I have nothing to prove
but be filled with spirit and bear some fruit
say bear some fruit (say bear some fruit)
say bear some fruit (say bear some fruit)

Verse 2

Why you trying to rebuild what you once destroyed (2:18)
the contracts abolished the laws null and void (3:25)
its no longer I that lives but Christ that lives (2:20)
I no longer have the same priorities you dig
since I understand grace things have changed
If I’m justified by my works then he died in vain (2:21)
cause there is no fury known like the Savior scorned
trying to produce veil after the first was torn
the promise was given before the law ever came (3:14-29)
because there a law doesn’t mean the promise has changed (3:14-29)
but what the law does do is shows we needed a promise (3:14-29)
seed of Abraham to whom we pay homage (3:14-29)
(The Application) if all this is true
how can I go back to the things I used to do (4:9)
you can read more, share more, do more things
but its only thru Christ by which we please the King

Hook

Bridge 3

Sanctified by the word cuz the word is truth
be filled with the spirit and bear some fruit
Say bear some fruit (Say bear some fruit)
Say bear some fruit (Say bear some fruit)

Verse 3
They want justification from the law they’ve fallen from grace (5:4)
they pretty much denied Christ even died in their place
we eagerly await the hope of righteousness by faith (5:5)
by faith fulfill the law with love not hate (5:6,14)
but I hate my flesh, its bad for my health (5:16-21)
gotta serve my community while dying to myself (5:13)
cuz myself is nothing but a thief and a liar (5:21)
but Christ has crucified my passions and desires (5:24)
if I’m trippin in community your boy will hear it
gotta restore that cat with the fruit of the spirit (6:1)
without submitting to the spirit your boy cant grow (5:16)
and trying to do more, we just reap what we so (6:7)
(The application) walk in the spirit in every situation (5:25)
I’m crucified to the world I’m a new creation (6:14)
Just as Christ is the architect to salvation
the spirit is essential to sanctification

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” -Romans 8:35

The Christian life is a life of freedom and joy. We are told we can come confidently to the throne of Grace (Hebrews 4:16). But when do we lose this privilege? Are there sins that can keep us from God? Can we walk away from the grace that has been delivered to us? How secure are we, anyway?

We’ll be spending a lot of time in the most comprehensive chapter in the Bible on the topic: Romans 8.

He Has Set Us Free

What, exactly, does the Bible mean when it says:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” -Romans 8:1-2

You see, we are utterly free from the law of – ‘If you sin, you will die’. God Himself, who is all knowing and all powerful, has pardoned us, and promised us eternal life. Now, no sin will ever be counted against us again. We still sin, but the counter has been reset to zero, and God took the batteries out.

We’re secure because God has forgiven us.

He Has Given Us the Spirit

Who do these insane promises apply to? Who are these people who are freed completely from condemnation? Is anyone who prayed a prayer free? Can we just sin and enjoy forgiveness, and not worry about serving God?

Let’s look again at 8:1.

“There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” -Romans 8:1

Who is it that is “in Christ Jesus”?

“You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” -Romans 8:9

Only if you have the Spirit of Christ, do these promises apply to you. Which brings us, once again, to one of my all time favorite doctrines: regeneration. Regeneration is a work of the sovereign grace of God to change the heart, mind, and will of a sinner into that of a believer. It is the moment the Holy Spirit enters and takes up residence in the believer. Without this indwelling of the Spirit, we are incapable of believing.

“no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.” -1 Corinthians 12:3

So follow me. If someone is not regenerate they do not have the Spirit, If someone does not have the Spirit they are not in Christ, and if someone is not in Christ they are not freed from the law of sin and death. While many may claim that they know Christ, some are deceived. Anyone can say they’re Christians, but only those who have the Holy Spirit belong to God.

“For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” -Romans 8:14

These people, who now love God and no longer have a heart that is rebellious, will never ultimately walk away from Him. Anyone who does walk away, proves they were never regenerate to begin with. We will have eternal life only “If indeed the Spirit of Christ dwells in us”.

We’re secure because God gave us His Spirit.

He has Planned It All

“And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” -Romans 8:30

Please note two things about this chain of events: 1. They are all past tense. 2. Not one of them is a work of man.

In God’s mind the glorification (conformity to Christ’s image in eternity) of His elect people is already as complete as their predestining. As far as God is concerned, everyone who is in Christ is as good as in Heaven.

Secondly, since man didn’t predestine himself, call himself, or justify himself, to say we can stop God from the final step is just silly. Salvation is, in every way, of the Lord. There is nothing we accomplish, contribute, or decide that helps God save us. This is what grace means. Grace is God lavishing His love and mercy on people who, not only don’t deserve it, but never even wanted it.

We’re secure because God has planned it.

He Won’t Let Us Go

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39

If you can think of something that doesn’t fit in this list, you’ve found the loophole. Paul did us a pretty big favor with that last one. I certainly can’t think of anything that isn’t “in all creation”… besides God of course, and speaking of God:

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” -Romans 8:33

We’re secure because God won’t let anything take it away.

He Gave His Son

“For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” -Romans 8:3-4

Because we couldn’t obey, God has taken the punishment owed to believers and placed it PERFECTLY on his Son. He has, in effect, “condemned sin in the flesh”. And now the righteous requirements, the very perfect life that Christ lived, is fulfilled vicariously in us… those who walk in the Spirit. This is the finished work of the atonement.

Christ’s sacrifice removes every sin from every believer. His obedient gives us a perfect standing before God. And His resurrection guarantees that we will be raised to glory.

“If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.” -Romans 8:11

Christ is not trying to save people. Christ has saved His people. And every person for whome Christ has died, WILL be in heaven. The promise of God to His elect is not a temporary conditional security.

We’re secure because Christ is a perfect Savior.

What God saved me from is amazing. Only he could perform such a miracle. To think that I was in complete rebellion. A prisoner, if you will, to hate and rebellion towards God.

I mean did I literally shake my fist towards the sky to show my contempt for the Almighty? Most assuredly not. It was the fact that I spent my entire child hood all the way up to 19 years of age trying to be “good enough”. Trying to say all the right things and trying my hardest to get right. What a stinkin slap in the face of a thrice holy God. To even think that I could in any way influence His will by my own effort was a downright punch to the gut of the King. I grew up in a protestant church. I knew the term “Faith Alone. Or “Only Faith” or even the phrase “Works don’t save you, faith does.” I knew those sayings and I preached them to many people. But I knew nothing of it. Why? Well for one I believed salvation was a choice or “decision” if you will. And on top of that I knew you could lose your salvation if your not careful. Growing up I thought I lost my salvation literally over 50 times. No lie. Every night I would pray for God to forgive me of my sin and any sins I didn’t realize I committed, just in case. Just in case I forgot a sin, so that if I died that night I wouldn’t go to hell.

All of this is the evidence for my hate for God. He would offer me grace upon grace and I would spit in His face. Why? Because it was too good to be true. Too much charity for me. So I rejected it. Pretty much mocking the bloody sacrifice that Christ made for me. A sacrifice that said emphatically, “YOU CAN NEVER BE GOOD ENOUGH. YOUR WICKED AND EVIL AND I HATE YOUR REBELLION AND SIN! But because I love my name so much and I love you, I WILL DO IT FOR YOU! I WILL PAY THE PENALTY THAT YOU ARE REQUIRED TO PAY!”

At 19, I realized that Jesus bought my soul. He did it and it was finished. God granted me repentance and I have never been the same since. I can’t even explain how that makes me feel. I want to sing. I want to sing loud to the Lord.

He bought me. Liberated me. Redeemed me. Ransomed me. Forgave me. Clothed me. Chose me. Justified me. Sanctified me. Will glorify me. Has loved me.

And now I love thee. Only because He loved me first.

Welcome to the very first post for Lyrical Theology Thursday. This series is intended to meditate on God’s Word through hip-hop music.

The term “Lyrical Theology” was coined by rapper and fellow minister of the gospel Shai Linne. The term means two things. “Lyrical” in that the song will be very creative in rhyme patterns and style. “Theology” in that the song is theological in nature. A lot of times the songs will go verse by verse through a specific Bible passage. A lot of these songs make you feel like your listening to Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology over a dope beat. I love all kinds of music. But this “new” genre of hip-hop has become a favorite and keeps my ears and mind glued.

Every Thursday (Lord willing), I will bring a new song with lyrics to read. My prayer for those who love hip-hop already, is to be introduced to some God glorifying, musically excellent hip-hop. And my prayer for those who may hate hip-hop or never really cared for it, is to at least praise God for using these men to glorify Himself through this medium. So with no further ado, lets get to our first post!

Shai Linne: “Justified”

I love the idea of starting this great series off with this song. Shai Linne also known as “the lower case mc”, is easily my favorite musical artist to date. A rapper from Philly who is currently interning under Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. His three albums are classics through and through. His most recent album “Storiez” is a must get. This song is called “Justified” and it is off his first album “the Solus Christus project”. In this song, Shai will be the expositor of Romans 3:12-24. I can not think of a better way to start off this series. If your still wondering what this series will be like, this song should give u a great indication.

Verse 1

Let’s set the context, I promise you- It’s not complex
So far, Paul has been explaining why God’s vexed
Mad at us, His wrath is Just, we lack trust
Blasphemous, even though we know it’s hazardous
Chapter one, verses eighteen to thirty-two
He talked about our great schemes and the dirt we do
He said people refused to give God His due praise
Suppressing the truth in their wickedness, they’re ruthless
Therefore, God gave them over to their sinful ways
And because of nature, we have No Excuses
Chapter Two’s for those who think they don’t fit in this category
They think they’re on the path to glory-Nope, wrath & fury
They point the guilty to hell, they’re swelled-
Lacking humility, even though they’re filthy as well
Needing more than a bath, because like a greedy man who hoards his cash-
In the same way, they’re storing up wrath
For the day when God’s righteous judgment is revealed
And all see their sin debt’s an infinite amount
When no secret word, thought or deed will remain concealed
Before God, to whom we must give account
That’s why

Hook:
It feels so good to be justified
Either trust or die, you must decide
Stakes is high- make the right decision
For the Lamb who’s life was given-Christ is risen

Verse 2

As we continue, the apostle Paul is a man on a mission
To convince you of hostile, fallen humanity’s condition
Learn what God disperses- “hurt your pride” verses
Romans 3:12 “All have turned aside, they’re worthless”
Bound by sin, a race of hopeless slaves
Verse 13: “Their throat is an open grave”
It says that “they use their tongues to deceive”
“The poison of vipers is under their lips”
Look at Hip-hop; that’s not a hard one to believe
Cats who run with their cliques with guns on their hips
Doesn’t it fit? Thugs found dead in clubs
Verse 15: “their feet are swift to shed blood”
Police end up deceased in mad hot zones
Verse 17: “The way of peace they have not known”
Everybody appears hard- despite the clear odds
Verse 18: bottom line- “Nobody fears God”
His Holy Word declares we’re all lawbreakers, well
That’s the explanation for this planet’s confusion
If God didn’t intervene, the fall would take us all to hell
But Praise the Lord! He granted a solution!
And

Hook:
It feels so good to be justified
Either trust or die, you must decide
Stakes is high- make the right decision
For the Lamb who’s life was given-Christ is risen

Verse 3

Verse 21- God’s righteousness- He manifested it
But that’s nothing new- it’s in the Old Testament
It belongs to those who put their faith in Christ
If you believe, you’re redeemed because He paid the price
We were hostages, but then He set us from the bondage of sin-
So now we pay homage to Him
Verse 24- Divine gift- JUSTIFICATION!
The most important term in a Christian’s vocabulary
And most believers can’t define it- that’s frustrating
‘Cause understanding this helps us resist the adversary
Christ spilled His capillaries; that’s why our Savior can’t be Mary
That’s a burden only the God-Man can carry
In Justification:
God declares sinners to be righteous by Grace Alone through Faith Alone
In the finished work of Christ Alone- He saves His own
Add anything to that, you’re in the danger zone
At the cross, God treated Christ as if He lived my life (what?)
I’m so perverted- that’s why He was broken and murdered
Through faith, God treats me like I lived the perfect life of Christ
Yo, I can’t earn it, and no I don’t deserve it but

Hook:
It feels so good to be justified
Either trust or die, you must decide
Stakes is high- make the right decision
For the Lamb who’s life was given-Christ is risen