Facing Grace in the Gospel – Justification
Once God raised the waters like mountains with a valley of dry ground between to rescue a people He had chosen for Himself. The enemy who sought to destroy them pursued and the watery mountains fell upon them so that they were no more. On the shore God’s people worshiped and praised Him for their release, for the redemption from sure destruction. Where, once a murderous enemy had sought their life, now was the calming, settling sea. In peace they sang songs to their savior. They rejoiced in God who rescued them.
They were now headed to the promised land. There were difficulties along the way. There was sin. There was a lack of faith. There were the faithful and the hopeful and the doubters and the disobedient, but they were always His people. He had promised. Along the way He would bless and chastise. But He never left them, never put them away. To this day they are His people. Across the ages His faithfulness has been tied to His Name. And He has a future and a hope for them and He will bring it about.
In the gospel, Justification is like this. God is declaring us His very own. He will never leave us or forsake us. He declares us “Not Guilty” based on our confession of Jesus His son as Lord. For our belief in Jesus’ death and resurrection God has called us His children, His namesake.
God’s justification of us places us on that shore of long ago. We have only to enjoy the peace and revel in our God. Certainly there will be hardships and sin and difficulties and persecutions along the way but though a thousand years shall pass He will be faithful to bring us to the promise of eternal life with Him.
Justification is God’s declaration of us as “not Guilty” based on the work of Jesus His son. This declaration comes after Jesus has been raised from the dead. Jesus lived perfectly according to the Father’s will. So death could not hold Jesus.
God declares us, “not guilty” because Jesus took our sin upon Himself and took our punishment, and died with our sin removing it from us forever.
God declares us not guilty based on our faith in Jesus Christ. This means that we believe that Jesus is God’s son, that He died on the Cross for our sins and that He rose from the dead three days later.
Romans 10:9-10 says,”That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved! For with the heart one believes unto righteousness. And with the mouth confession is made unto Salvation.”
God declares us, “Not Guilty”based on our faith in Jesus, and that allows Him to join us to Jesus. He changes us so that our spirit is now joined with Him eternally. Our “God Declared” righteousness allows us to now be in the presence of a righteous God. Before we declared our faith in Jesus, we were dead to God because of our sin. Now, because we have declared our faith in Jesus, God has made us alive to Him. Ephesians 2:1-5
Ephesians 2:3–7 (LEB): among whom also we all formerly lived in the desires of our flesh, doing the will of the flesh and of the mind, and we were children of wrath by nature, as also the rest of them were.
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love with which he loved us, 5 and we being dead in trespasses, he made us alive together with Christ (by grace you are saved), 6 and raised us together and seated us together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that he might show in the coming ages the surpassing riches of his grace in kindness upon us in Christ Jesus.
His word has made the waters like mountains and seas like dry ground and His word Has declared that we are forever His own. By the power of His mighty arm of salvation He has delivered us to shores of redemption and He will by no means turn back from it. His strength and power are mighty to save and He will bring the fullness of His being to bear on every moment to ensure that you arrive safely home. He has placed the existence of His Character at stake. If He does not bring you home He is not God.
Jesus told us the way is hard but the burden is light.
Matthew 7:14 says, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life and those who find it are few”
Jesus also says in Matthew 11:29-30, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
He is with us, gentle and lowly, leading and teaching us. He may chastise us. He may let us face difficulties; the consequences of our sins. He told us we would be hated and persecuted; we will be hurt along the way and damaged; we will fail again and again and again and again, but He is with us every step of the way and He will bring us through it all to be with Him. In every moment Jesus’ joy in us is our strength. All we face, and all we endure will bring us to Him in fellowship, we will stand with Him having suffered for His name and we will be the witness and testimony of the surpassing greatness of the kindness of our God.
By His word He has declared you His own, based on your faith not your performance. He has made Himself your God by covenant, sealed by the blood of His only Son and secured by the faithfulness of His name. You are the apple of His eye, the joy of His heart and He cradles you in His mighty hands. Jesus is proud of you because you are His. He rejoices in you. He is in us working through us to do greater things, to live out the hope we have in Him. Like making mountains of water He empowers us and guides us to be monumental in the lives of others. We are justified by faith. And by faith we walk, being blessed and blessing, being loved and loving.
“Be holy for I am holy” This is the standard which God Himself has held out for all mankind. Every commandment in the Old Testament finds its justification from this standard. It is the standard He holds out to humankind still. “Be holy for I am holy”, under the Old Covenant is a commandment, but under the New Covenant it is an invitation. Through the gospel of Jesus Christ, “Be holy for I am Holy” is an invitation to all who would believe in Jesus Christ.
The gospel is not easy nor is it soft, but the gospel of Jesus Christ is strong! It is mighty to save. It does save to the uttermost.it is the power of God unto salvation for all who would believe.
It is stronger than your sin, it is stronger than your rebellion. It will overpower your iniquities. It is stronger than your past. It is mightier than your worst day and greater than your best day. And by it’s might it has secured for you THE day when you will be with Jesus and you will be made like Him by the gospel. So from the shore of His justification rejoice, sing to Him songs of praise. Rejoice in your salvation for the word that parted the seas has declared you, His very own.
