Justification by Faith
Please read Romans 3:21-26 as you begin this blog!
Justification by faith! The phrase rolls easily off our tongues, but when did we last seriously considered its meaning and what’s involved! Through the centuries, multiple books of great length have plumbed the depths of this central truth and doctrine of the true Christian faith. Let’s distill this doctrine down to: its central issue, God’s incredible solution and why (along with a way how) we as believers ought to celebrate in our salvation!
The central issue:
Our sin (by nature and by choice) separates us from the one-and-only God who will always remain true to Himself; holy, righteous, just and unable to tolerate sin. But every last one of us is guilty of sin and unrighteousness… naturally depraved and totally incompatible of being justified (in a right relationship) with Him. However well intended we may be, there is no way we can bridge the gap between our sinful selves and God’s requirement of absolute righteousness! We remain separate from Him, helpless and hopeless. Destined for an eternity apart from Him in Hell; a horrible predicament from which there is no escape!
God’s incredible solution:
Despite our predicament, we remain spiritual beings created in God’s image, and He desires to end the separation. So, in His infinite love and wisdom He provided a substitute to bear our well-deserved penalty. That substitute is His only begotten Son, the God-man Jesus Christ, who lived a sinless perfect life and died an undeserved death on the cross while bearing our sin. And God, in His grace, accepted Jesus’ death as sufficient payment for the sin of all mankind! As the incarnate God-man, Jesus Christ (God) chose to step into our shoes and endure the punishment and death that was due to us for our sin! And God accepted Jesus Christ’s death as full atonement (payment) for our sin! But there is more! God did not simply forgive us, “zero out” our account and “send us back to GO”. No! God raised Jesus from the dead, crediting us with the very righteousness of Christ, to fully justify us. We are made right with God by God!
Celebrate being justified by and with God:
An old saying, true more often than not, goes like this: “Be careful of believing anything that seems too good to be true, because it probably isn’t.” Thankfully, this is not the case with God and His offer to justify us! When we truly come to grips with our sin and God’s holiness, any thought of ever being justified before Him may seem unbelievable! But herein lies the greatest irony of all time! God’s provision may seem “unbelievable”, but believing (trusting Him by faith) is precisely the means He has chosen to graciously justify us. The moment we truly place our faith in His provision, God exchanges Christ’s righteousness for our sin and we become forever justified in His sight! We have nothing to offer, we can do nothing to earn our justification. We are justified by/through faith!! We are “right” with God! How can we help but celebrate??
A way to celebrate:
Of the many ways to celebrate our justification, one is to sing with thankful hearts the great hymns of the faith. The possibilities are many, but a few lyrics come to mind:
“Not the labor of my hands, can fulfill the Law’s demands…”
“Naked, come to Thee for dress. Helpless look to Thee for grace… See Thee on Thy judgment throne… wash me Savior or I die…”
“His robes for mine, O wonderful exchange…draped in His righteousness, I’m justified…
“God the Just was satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me…”
“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me… no condemnation now I dread, Jesus and all in Him is mine… and clothed in righteous divine. Bold, I approach the eternal throne, and claim the crown through Christ my own.”
Concluding thoughts:
Hopefully you took time to read Romans 3:21-26. This passage is packed with many doctrines and facets related to our justification. Take a moment to re-search the passage. Do you see God’s righteousness, our sin and unrighteousness, believing/faith, grace/gift, blood/propitiation, redemption, God’s forbearance…? Then the crowning phrase, “that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus”!!! This is stunning! And though the word is not mentioned, the fingerprints of God’s love are all over this passage. Let’s get a grip on that! In His love, graciously God found a way to be true to Himself; to be both just and the justifier!... and we are justified by faith!
Let’s be thankful and celebrate!