This morning, Tim Keller opened up our U.S. National Staff conference with a focus on the gospel. The focus was on what Christians need to remember about the gospel. Tomorrow, his talk will be geared toward the gospel and unbelievers.

Keller began his talk with an analogy. He said people are like coke machines, and the gospel is the coin. Often times, the coke machine doesn’t work the way it should. The coin is put in, and it gets stuck. It doesn’t drop. A little banging on the coke machine is needed in order for the coin to drop and the coke pop out.

Keller explained that as Christians, there is a sharp edge of the coin that we dull and blur, making it easier for the coin to become stuck. Keller points to Romans 3:21-28:

“But now the righeousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it — the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

Free justification is the sharp edge of the gospel that we tend to dull. Without full understanding, and until we accept Christ’s righteousness as our free justification, the coin of the gospel, so to speak, may not drop.

So this is crucial to understanding the gospel. There are two things that we need to understand about justification. The first is why it is needed, particularly in this meritocratic society we are in. The second is that we must understand what free justification is.

Why is free justification needed?
We live in a society that is becoming more and more meritocratic everyday. In a meritocratic society, nobody inherits anything. The culture rewards you with money, position, and social status based on your merit. In this type of society, you need a VPR (Validating Performance Record). To get the job, you need a resume proving that you are worthy of the job. To get into the university, you need to have a transcript proving that you are worthy of acceptance. This is great for capitalism. But because of this, there has never been a more works-based society than the one we have now.

Think of the term ‘righteousness.’ In our culture, the word ‘righteous’ is now used more with a negative connotation to portray a self-righteous person. Seldom does a gospel presentation use the term righteousness. Mainly because righteousness has become a VPR for many. It’s become part of our meritocratic society.

“I’m worthy because I’m righteous.”

“I want God to bless my life because of the good person I’ve been.”

Even in our gospel presentation (i.e. – the Four Spiritual Laws), we imply that as long as we are sorry and truly sad about our sin, we’ll then be rewarded. The sinner’s prayer has become a Validating Performance Record.

“Are you a Christian?”
“Yeah, I said the prayer.”

We are NOT justified by what we do! As much as we want to earn our own way, we can’t. That is not the gospel. The reality is that God gives His righteousness to us.

For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
- Philippians 3:8,9

The gospel is freeing! It is the end of the struggle for validation. It is the end of the works-based salvation that only ends in exhaustion and failure.

We must accept the righteousness of Jesus.

What is free justification?

Secondly, Dr. Keller teaches that it is important to understand what free justification is. The best way to understand free justification is by understanding what it isn’t.

Free justification is not forgiveness.
It is distinct from forgiveness. Justification does not mean that our sins are forgiven. It’s better than that! In comparing the two, forgiveness is negative, while justification is positive.

Forgiveness: You are in prison for a crime you have committed. The Governor pardons you. “You are free to go.” There is still a problem. You leave the prison, you have no friends, no job, no home.

Justification: Same scenario, except the Governor comes in and gives you the Congressional Medal of Honor. Now anyone, everywhere you go stands in attention to the Medal you wear.

See, the gospel is not just that you have been let out of jail. You have been given the medal of honor! You have been given the righteousness of the Son of God who bravely came to earth, lived a perfect life, and willingly suffered the wrath of God upon a cross only to defeat death and sin and Satan three days later when He was raised from the dead.

Secondly, free justification is not inner moral goodness.
Dr. Keller poses that there are three types of people: wicked people who don’t believe they are wicked, wicked people who know they are wicked, and wicked people who say they are wicked but in saying so, feel that they are humble, and are now not so wicked in their humility. This last group of people feel that they are now more deserving of justification. In a way, their inner moral goodness becomes part of their justification.

Romans 4:5 disagrees:

And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness…

At the moment we are justified, we are wicked and ungodly.

The other problem with this is that the heart behind moral goodness is unselfishness. But if your moral goodness is your ticket to heaven, then it is no longer moral goodness. It is a selfish motive. It is a self-centered perspective rather than a servant-hearted perspective.

Making the Coin Drop
So, how do we penetrate someone’s heart with the gospel without producing a works-based righteousness? Many would answer that showing someone their sins first is the most effective way. “Have you ever lied? Have you ever stolen anything? Have you ever cheated on a test? Have you ever lusted after a woman?”

Dr. Keller suggests something different. He recommends not looking at their sins, but rather looking at what they boast in.

If you start with someone’s sins, you are starting them down a path of works-based righteousness. The Pharisees never had a problem repenting of their sin. They never repented of their boasting.

Understanding free justification and the truth of the gospel puts an end to all boasting. The true gospel expels all competition, comparison, pride, etc. The result of this free gift of God’s righteousness is found in Colossians 3:3: “your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

The only opinion that counts in all the universe is God’s, and He delights in you!