Romans 8:30 says in part “…whom he called, them he also justified:” and in 8:33 God asks this question “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.” Whatever justification is, one thing is clear from these verses: it is God who is doing the justifying! Dictionary.com defines justify as (theology) “to declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.” Justification doesn’t mean we are innocent of sin, it means we have been declared innocent by the power of God. We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:24.) It is free in that the merits of Christ have been offered freely to us, meaning that it is Christ’s righteousness not our own, as He is “just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Rom 3:26). Jesus is just (He never sinned), and Jesus is the justifier in that He paid the price for our sin.
In Lewis Sperry Chafer’s Systematic Theology he lists four great supporting realities regarding the Christian: #1 He is a new creature (2 Cor 5:17) #2 He is made the righteousness of God through being in Christ (1 Cor 1:30) #3 He is perfected forever in position though not yet in daily life (Heb 10:14) and # 4 He has the fullness of Christ. (John 1:16. Chafer continues saying “It is this complete standing which belongs to every believer, which position God recognizes whether anyone on earth recognizes it or not. We are justified freely, not hoping to be because of a good manner of life.”
Somewhere along the way at the feet of Buddy Frankland, I gathered this: “Justification: God is the author, Blood is the element, Grace is the basis, Faith is the attitude of the believer,
Resurrection is the proof, and Works are the evidence.” And the main thing is that Christ’s death is the payment. It is all the work of God based on us putting our faith and trust in the LORD Jesus Christ.
Galatians 2:16 says it ever so clearly, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”
Jesus paid it all, and Jesus justifies all who believe in Him and His payment! How can we not have a good day!
Love and Prayers to you all,
Pastor
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