EPISODE 368 – JUSTIFICATION 1

JUSTIFICATION

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” 

Romans 5:1 (NKJV)

Justification is God’s own action to make you righteous.

Justification is not your performance of righteousness by grace.

Justification is not what you do to be righteous.
It is not how you try to be righteous or morally upright.
You cannot be righteous by your own effort. Your own righteousness cannot be good enough.

Every form of righteousness must be measured by a standard.

You can determine your righteousness by your own laws. But is that not enough to determine the righteousness which God requires?

The Jewish leaders felt righteous in their own eyes. They justified themselves by their own moral standards.

Jesus gave a parable (an allegorical narrative) to explain how Justification works.

“He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves and were confident that they were righteous [posing outwardly as upright and in right standing with God], and who viewed others with contempt: “Two men went up into the temple [enclosure] to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood [ostentatiously] and began praying to himself [in a self-righteous way, saying]: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like the rest of men—swindlers, unjust (dishonest), adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’ I tell you, this man went to his home justified [forgiven of the guilt of sin and placed in right standing with God] rather than the other man; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself [forsaking self-righteous pride] will be exalted.” Luke 18:9-14 (AMP)

We still have these two groups of people. There are some who still think they are righteous or justified by their works or self-efforts.

And others who acknowledge that they cannot be righteous by their works. They look to God for the supply of His mercy. This is true faith.

Faith is not trusting in your effort. Faith is confidence in God’s ability. It is the confidence in God’s endless ability to love, to care, to be merciful, and to preserve.

Therefore, justification is only by faith in Christ Jesus.

God’s requirement of righteousness is perfect righteousness without any stain.

This means, no man by his effort can have this “perfect righteousness”.

That is why God made His provision of righteousness in Christ Jesus. You can only be justified by faith in Christ Jesus.

Justification is not worked for; Justification is imputing righteousness.

To be justified is to be declared not guilty. It means you are acquitted and discharged in the account of what Jesus has done. It is to be declared righteous.

This is not according to what you did, it is according to what Jesus did.

You are not justified by your own perfection. You are justified by the perfection of Jesus. Your boast is in who Jesus is, this is your faith.

Praise the Lord.