I Am Justified
Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Acts 13:38,39 niv
Not long ago I was thinking about the word justified. I had read it many times in my Bible and realized that in Christ, I am justified; but what does it really mean?
I wanted a deeper understanding of who I am in Jesus and what He has provided for me on the cross. I looked up the word justified in a Bible dictionary, and this is what I discovered:
Justification: “the judicial act of God by which He pardons all the sins of those who believe in Christ, and He accounts, accepts, and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law. In addition to the pardon of sin, justification declares that all the claims of the law are satisfied. The law is not relaxed or set aside, but is declared to be fulfilled in the strictest sense; and so the person justified is declared to be entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law (Rom. 5:1-10).
Justification proceeds on the crediting to the believer by God himself of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ. (Rom. Rom.
The sole condition on which this righteousness is credited to the believer is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is called a "condition," not because it possesses any merit but because it is the only instrument by which the soul apprehends Christ and His righteousness. (Rom. 1:17; 3:25,26; 4:20,22; Phil. 3:8-11; Gal. 2:16.)”
When I read the definition of justification, I was amazed at what Jesus had really accomplished for you and me. When we put our faith in Jesus, the Father justified us. Even though we are guilty of many sins, He judged us as perfectly obedient to the law.
He gave us the perfect righteousness of Jesus. He declared us to be entitled to all the rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law even though we didn’t deserve it. Justified means it is just as if we’ve done everything right in the sight of God. Jesus took the judgment we deserved, and we got the judgment that Jesus deserves. That’s amazing love!
When I was a teenager, I got pregnant before I was married. I was a Christian girl, and I knew it was wrong. The devil began to speak his lies to my heart
“Your marriage will never be blessed because of your sin.”
“You have to pay for your sin for the rest of your life.”
“God is disappointed in you.”
Because I believed the devil’s lies, I lived condemned by my sin. I had a difficult marriage and felt like it was the punishment that I deserved.
Yet, in my journey to discovering who I am in Jesus, one day the Holy Spirit revealed to me that I am justified. When I sat in the courtroom and was being accused by the devil for my great sin, Jesus was my defense attorney (1 John 2:1,2.) He said, “Father, I took the punishment for all her sins. I gave her My perfect righteousness. She is free to be blessed as though she obeyed the law perfectly.”
My heavenly Father who sat in the Judge’s seat slammed his gavel on the desk and said, “I don’t remember a sin she has ever committed. She’s entitled to all the advantages and rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law. She is justified because of her faith in My Son, Jesus.”
I was free from the curse based on the law that was due to me. Jesus had set me free. I was justified. It was just as if I had never sinned. The question was who was I going to agree with: the prosecuting attorney (the devil) or my defense attorney, Jesus Christ, who already paid for my freedom? I chose to believe Jesus. When I began to see myself as righteous and justified, I asked for God’s grace in my marriage. The power of the Holy Spirit healed my heart and God’s blessing began to come on our relationship. Today, my husband and I love each other very much, and our marriage is blessed because I am justified in Jesus.
Is there a sin in your past that you feel you have to pay for? Has the devil been speaking his lies to your heart? You can be free by receiving the gift of justification today.
Agree with what Jesus did for you and live free from all guilt and shame. Speak the truth out loud:
· Jesus took the punishment for all my sins. He freed me from all guilt and shame.
· My heavenly Father judges me perfectly righteous in Jesus.
· He declared me entitled to all the blessings arising from perfect obedience to the law because I am justified in Christ.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for justifying me in the court of law. I know I don’t deserve the blessing for perfect obedience, but Jesus paid the price for me to be declared perfect in Your sight. Thank You for setting me free from all my past mistakes and giving me a new life. I am justified because of Jesus.
A Will, a Testament, a Covenant, is a legal document and that is what we have in the blood covenant! It is irrevocable because of Jesus's blood being shed on the cross! Justification is what happened on the cross for us! Justification is a legal term, a term of the New Covenant signed sealed and delivered!! Praise the Lord!!!!! We are brought back into union and communion with our Father, God!! WOWWEE!!
ReplyDeleteWell said MOM. No document could be greater sealed or ratified than by the blood of Jesus.
ReplyDeleteI love today's devotional — being justified by Jesus!! What a tremendous sense of peace to know that Jesus' perfect obedience sealed our justification with the Father.