Justification (def) - the action of showing something to be right or reasonable. The action of God to send His Son Jesus to die for our sins so that we might be "made right" or vindicated for our sins is crazy to a world that denies the existence of God. Those same people, when they face death, have an innate desire to be "made right" before their creator. Huh? That is trying to drink from both sides of the glass or having your cake and eating it, too. If I look at those people from a human point of view, I will say, "No way they get to heaven," but even those who have denied Jesus and the existence of God can turn to him when life is fleeting and spend eternity in glory with Him. God's love breaks every human perspective, and His ultimate expression of love goes far beyond human reasoning. PRAISE GOD!!!
If I try to live life on my own reasoning, I will get in trouble. That is why I have come to the Word of God for my ultimate truth. God's Word and nothing else. This drives me to study and learn of the God I follow, and it also drives me to follow His ways no matter what. This doesn't make me more righteous because my efforts mean nothing in the area of making me more "right" with God. My righteousness efforts are "filthy" at best. This shows just how much God loves me because He sent Jesus to shed His precious blood for the remission of my sins. Remission (def) the cancellation of a debt, charge, or penalty. There is a praise chorus that I love that explains it all in a very clear way. He paid a debt He did not owe. I owed a debt I could not pay. I needed someone to wash my sins away; And now I sing a brand new song, Amazing Grace all day long. Christ Jesus paid the debt that I could never pay. That is some good theology right there, even though the name of the writer is Anonymous, which means the writer is unknown. The author of the truth of that song is very well known, and His name is Jesus. Paul also writes to this truth in Romans 5: 1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
God is producing righteousness in us through the blood of Jesus, and justification is the fuel. When we are born again, we are "made right" with our heavenly Father, and heaven and paradise are our destination. Justification is the result of the payment for our sin debt and Jesus paid it. We did none of it, so we cannot think anything we do from there on is of any worth either. We are "made right" by what Jesus did, and He offers it to us as a free gift. Paul wrote this to the church in Ephesus in Ephesians 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works so that no one can boast. When Jesus was on the cross, His salvation was available even to the thief who was being crucified beside Him. Luke 23:42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Talk about the last moment! The realization of what it means to be made right or justified was found by the thief at the last moment. He didn't even know the meaning of the term justification. He just knew He needed Jesus. Guess what? Jesus came through for him, too. The justification we have in Jesus has a fruit involved, and that fruit has many flavors, as written by Paul in Galatians. Here is the flavor of the law. Galatians 5:16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh.They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. The Spirit frees us to live with a better fruit as written in the following verses in Galatians 5: 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.
Live in the freedom justification produces, and Godly righteousness will be realized as a reality in what you do, speak, and live, and you will see it is from God alone. All of this hinges on the fact that our sin is not held against us anymore when we are born again, and we live Just As If we never sinned, and that produces the righteousness only God can provide. This is what it means to be a child of God. Galatians 3:23 Before the coming of this faith, we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian.
26 So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Today's Message,
David Warren
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