on
Christ: "To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth
the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."--Rom. 4:5.
Consider the simple but vital teaching of this passage: He justifieth
the ungodly. How? "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood ... to declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness, that he might be _just_ and the _justifier_ of him that
believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:25, 26); "being now justified by his
blood."--Rom. 5:9. And He justifies us from all sin, "Our Saviour
Jesus Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from
_all_ iniquity" (Titus 2:13, 14); redeems us from the curse of the
law (Gal. 3:13), redeems us from under the law (Rom. 6:14), and this
makes us God's children (Gal. 4:4-7).

Consider further: He justifies _the ungodly_. If He justifies the
ungodly then all efforts to become godly _in order to be saved_, are
worse than wasted and are in rebellion against _God's plan for men_.
"When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the
_ungodly_."--Rom. 5:6. "God commendeth his own love toward us, in that
_while we were yet sinners_, Christ died for us."--Rom. 5:8. "_When we
were enemies_ we were reconciled to God by the death of his
Son."--Rom. 5:10. Why? Because Christ justifies the ungodly. The
Saviour did not say to Nicodemus, "Whosoever becomes godly should not
perish," but "Whosoever believeth on him." Why? Because He justifies
_the ungodly_. Paul and Silas did not say to the jailor, a hardened
sinner, "Become godly and thou shalt be saved"; but "Believe on the
Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved." Why? Because He justifies _the
ungodly_. On what condition does He justify the ungodly? "To him that
_worketh_ not, but _believeth_ on him." Here is the work of the soul
to be saved; Paul says to cease working at the task, and believe on,
depend on, Him--He justifies the ungodly. God gave men ten
commandments to keep. God's word says, "The man that doeth them shall
live by them."--Gal. 3:12. But all men have failed to keep them; "all
have sinned and come short of the glory of God."--Rom. 3:23. To
illustrate: A father gives a little boy ten rows of corn to work out
and says to him, "Willie, if you will work out the ten rows of corn
to-day, I will pay you five dollars; but it will take steady work all
day." About nine o'clock some boys persuade Willie to play, and he
plays with them for two hours. Now he cannot get th