#23 - Joby Martin // Understanding Righteousness - The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Summary4 min read

Podcast Summary: The Daily Blade #23 - Joby Martin // Understanding Righteousness

Release Date: January 31, 2025

In episode #23 of The Daily Blade, hosts Pastor Joby Martin of the Church of Eleven22 and Kyle Thompson of Undaunted.Life delve deep into the theological concept of righteousness, drawing extensively from Romans 3 to elucidate how believers can attain and live in true righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ.

1. Introduction to Righteousness

The episode opens with Pastor Joby Martin setting the foundation by emphasizing the inescapable truth that "none is righteous, not even one" ([00:20]). He underscores the futility of attempting to achieve righteousness through the works of the law, asserting that "it's not what you do for God, but what he has done for you at the cross of Jesus Christ." This pivotal shift from self-effort to divine provision forms the crux of the discussion.

2. The Role of Propitiation in Divine Righteousness

Joby delves into Romans 3:25, focusing on the term "propitiation." He explains that "propitiation means a payment that satisfies," highlighting that Jesus' sacrifice was the ultimate payment to satisfy God's justice ([00:20]). By referring to Jesus as "the propitiation by his blood," Joby emphasizes that Christ's death fully "satisfied the law of God, the justice of God, the wrath of God." This act not only appeased divine justice but also demonstrated God's righteousness.

3. Balancing Justice and Mercy

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the balance between God's justice and mercy. Joby articulates that "all sin must be paid for" because "God is just." He uses a poignant analogy to illustrate this point:

"Imagine if somebody sinned against your loved one... if that judge overlooks the sin, you would see them as unjust." ([00:20])

This analogy serves to clarify why God cannot simply overlook sin without compromising His just nature. However, Joby also highlights God's "divine forbearance" and "mercy," explaining that "God delayed the payment for sin" to allow humanity a chance for redemption ([00:20]). This delay is what makes it possible for believers to experience salvation today.

4. The Assurance of Justification Through Faith

Building on the foundation of propitiation, Joby explains that God's actions aim 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." In simpler terms, through faith in Jesus, believers are justified—declared righteous—because "the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to you." This means that despite human flaws and sins, believers are viewed as righteous in God's eyes solely based on Jesus' sacrifice.

Joby reinforces this by referencing the profound declaration during Jesus' baptism:

"When Jesus was baptized... God the Father says out loud about his son, 'Behold my son, in whom I am well pleased.'" ([00:20])

He points out that at that moment, Jesus had not yet performed any of His miraculous works, emphasizing that God's approval is based on His inherent righteousness, not on human achievements.

5. Changing Our Perspective on Divine Satisfaction

One of the most impactful segments of the episode addresses common misconceptions about God's view of humanity. Joby cites A.W. Tozer, stating:

"The most important thing about you is what you think when you think about God." ([00:20])

He challenges listeners who believe God is "frustrated with you" due to human shortcomings. Instead, Joby assures that "if you are in Christ, then God is not dissatisfied in you." This assurance stems from the fact that "the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to you," meaning God sees believers through the lens of Christ's perfect righteousness, not their imperfections.

6. Illustrations of Righteousness in Action

To further cement his points, Joby employs vivid illustrations:

The Prodigal Son: He compares believers to the prodigal son, stating that just as the father "wraps the robe of righteousness" around his returning son, God covers believers with Christ's righteousness ([00:20]).
The Breastplate of Righteousness: Using the metaphor of a Roman breastplate, Joby explains that when believers "put on the breastplate of righteousness," they see the "perfect pecs and abs" of their spiritual armor, not their underlying flaws ([00:20]).

These illustrations serve to visually and conceptually reinforce the transformative power of Christ's righteousness in a believer's life.

7. Living in the Assurance of God's Pleasure

Concluding his theological exposition, Joby exhorts listeners to "live that way," emphasizing the transformative impact of understanding and accepting Christ's propitiation. By internalizing that "God is pleased in you" through Christ, believers are empowered to live confidently and without fear of divine dissatisfaction, regardless of their imperfections.

Conclusion and Final Encouragement

As the episode wraps up, both Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson encourage listeners to share the podcast and leave positive reviews to "help, equip other men for the fight." The overarching message is one of empowerment through understanding divine righteousness, ensuring that believers live out their faith with confidence and assurance in God's justice and mercy.

Notable Quotes:

Joby Martin ([00:20]):
"None is righteous, not even one."
Joby Martin ([00:20]):
"If you are in Christ, then God is not dissatisfied in you."
Joby Martin ([00:20]):
"When Jesus was baptized... 'Behold my son, in whom I am well pleased.'"
Joby Martin ([00:20]):
"Let me tell you why this matters. If you understand that Christ is the propitiation for your sin, how it will change everything about your whole life."

This episode serves as a profound exploration of righteousness, urging believers to anchor their understanding and assurance in the finished work of Jesus Christ. Through theological depth and relatable analogies, Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson equip listeners to live out their faith with renewed confidence and clarity.

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Transcript3 lines

[00:01]
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Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.
[00:21]
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Here we go. Wrapping up. Romans 3 again. We have established that none is righteous, not even one. We've established that by works of the law no one can be made right with God. It's not what you do for God, but what he has done for you at the cross of Jesus Christ. We have reminded you that the entire Old Testament, the law and the prophets, the Hebrew scriptures, all point to the coming righteousness of God, the person and work of Jesus. And then we establish that for anyone who believes, then you are made right with God. Now we'll pick it up. In verse 25 he says, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood. That God put forward Jesus as a propitiation by his blood. We're going to come back to that word, propitiation 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. Let me explain what those last couple verses mean. It means this, that all sin must be paid for. Why? Because God is just. For God to overlook sin would make him an unjust judge and he will not do it because that would be out of character with who he is. I mean, imagine if somebody sinned against your loved one. Imagine if somebody molested and raped your daughter and then they caught the felon. They take him to the courthouse and on the day of judgment, the judge looks at this person that has hurt your family and he says, you know what? Nobody's perfect. Don't worry about it. You would look at that man as a judge and you would say, you are an unjust judge and you are unfit for the role that you play. Well, God is a just judge. Because of God's justice, all sin must be paid for. God can over. He cannot overlook sin because that would make him an unjust judge. So because of God's justice, all sin must be paid for. He goes on to say, in his divine forbearance he has passed over former sins. Because of God's mercy. God delayed the payment for sin. This is why you and I are able to listen to the Daily blade today. Because if he enacted his judgment the first time you ever sinned, then you and I would never have made it out of the crib. Because God is merciful. He delays the payment for sin. But the best part of all, because of God's grace, He makes the payment on our behalf. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that God must be the just and the justifier for anyone who has faith in Jesus. You see at the cross of Jesus Christ, not only do you see the justice of God poured out on sin by the wrath of God being poured out on His Son, for He was pleased to crush him. But you also see the mercy, the love and the grace of God. Because that sin covers the sin, the that that sacrifice covers the sins of everyone who would believe. But what I really want us to lean into is this theological term, the propitiation, he says, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood. That word propitiation means a payment that satisfies. And here's why this matters. That when Jesus Christ died on the cross, for anyone who would believe Christ's sacrifice, life, death and resurrection at the cross and through the empty tomb was the propitiation for your sin. That means that Christ's payment fully and finally satisfied the law of God, the justice of God, the wrath of God. When Jesus puts up on his nail pierced feet, he says tetelesta means paid in full. And men, let me tell you why this matters. Let me tell you why. If you understand that Christ is the propitiation for your sin, how it will change everything about everything about everything about your whole life. AW Tozer says the most important thing about you is what you think when you think about God. And a bunch of you think that God is really frustrated with you. And the reason you think that is because you're frustrating. That you're late and you're lazy and you break promises and you never live up to the things that you say you're going to do. And we think that God looks at us with a furrowed brow. But pay attention to this. If you are in Christ and Jesus is the payment that satisfies, then God is not dissatisfied in you. You hear that, that if you are in Christ, the righteousness of Christ has been imputed to you. And of course you screw up and of course you sin. And of course you fall short. So run to him, quit running from him. And when he sees you, he sees the perfect blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. We see this in the prodigal Son where the dad wraps the robe of righteousness around his son. We see this in the breastplate of righteousness. When you put that on, you do not see the flab that's underneath the breastplate. You see the perfect pecs and abs of a Roman breastplate. So I tell that to tell you this. God is not dissatisfied in you. What I want you to remember is that when Jesus was baptized that he comes up out of the water and God the Father says out loud about his son, behold my son, in whom I am well pleased. And pop quiz. How much ministry had Jesus done At that point? The answer is none. He hadn't walked on water, hadn't turned water to wine, hadn't preached the sermon, definitely had not been crucified, dead and resurrected. And before he did anything, God placed His pleasure on him. If you were in Christ, then God is pleased in you. Now I dare you to live that way. Peace.
[06:02]
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Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.