Justification is a Gift
In the New Testament, righteousness and justification derive from the same Greek word. To be "justified" means to be declared righteous.
Justification is no small matter; it is an essential aspect of the gospel. The Bible divides humanity into two groups of people--those who are unrighteous, and those who are justified, or declared righteous, as a free gift (Romans 3:23, 24).
Without this gift, or imputation of righteousness, which has not been earned by the mortal recipient, we languish in an abyss of despair over impending judgement. It is not as though a few of us have done a pretty fair job on our own but just need a little help scaling that last bluff before the peak. It is not simply a case of "nobody's perfect".
Romans 3:10 explains, without qualification, that "there is NONE righteous,..." then, just in case the reader doesn't get it, proceeds to explain in verses 11-18 just how unrighteous everybody really is. In Ephesians 2:1-4 Paul's unflattering assessment of the human condition is "dead", and those not justified by grace are referred to as "children of wrath".
Paul does not really break new ground in these descriptions, as he points out himself in Romans 3:10. The Romans 3 passage quotes from various Old Testament Scriptures, including Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3. The prophet Isaiah offers his concurrence in 64: 6-7, indicating that even the so-called "righteous" deeds of corrupt human effort are like a filthy garment. Whoa. But what about that little spark of goodness we've been told exists in every human? Sorry, Isaiah had his lips purged by a burning coal back in 6:7 and now he can only tell the truth.
Also, Jesus declares in Luke 18:19 that NO ONE is good--except God. Since Jesus is God, He is good, and His righteousness can be freely given to those who believe in Him (Romans 3:24, 5:9).
Jesus atoned for the sins of the elect on the cross. He paid the penalty we owed, and suffered, as our Substitute, the wrath and punishment we deserve. But our faith in Him results in more than forgiveness for sins, as immense and vital as that gracious provision is.
It also results in the gift of righteousness, a foreign righteousness, undeserved, freely given to those who were previously the very opposite of righteous. This righteousness is given by the God Who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5), not because of human works, efforts, or deeds, but by faith (Romans 3:28).
It is the very righteousness of Christ Himself, Who perfectly and flawlessly kept the entire Law, perfectly obeyed every commandment down to the last stroke of the last letter, and lived every second without any blemish in deed, thought, or motive. He fulfilled every obligation and every requirement. He never did any wrong and never failed to do any good.
It is a gracious credit to the believer's moral account which had previously been infinitely overdrawn but now has been infinitely and eternally credited with righteousness.
All this to explain why I call this blog "Essentially Justified".
Justification is no small matter; it is an essential aspect of the gospel. The Bible divides humanity into two groups of people--those who are unrighteous, and those who are justified, or declared righteous, as a free gift (Romans 3:23, 24).
Without this gift, or imputation of righteousness, which has not been earned by the mortal recipient, we languish in an abyss of despair over impending judgement. It is not as though a few of us have done a pretty fair job on our own but just need a little help scaling that last bluff before the peak. It is not simply a case of "nobody's perfect".
Romans 3:10 explains, without qualification, that "there is NONE righteous,..." then, just in case the reader doesn't get it, proceeds to explain in verses 11-18 just how unrighteous everybody really is. In Ephesians 2:1-4 Paul's unflattering assessment of the human condition is "dead", and those not justified by grace are referred to as "children of wrath".
Paul does not really break new ground in these descriptions, as he points out himself in Romans 3:10. The Romans 3 passage quotes from various Old Testament Scriptures, including Psalm 14:1-3 and Psalm 53:1-3. The prophet Isaiah offers his concurrence in 64: 6-7, indicating that even the so-called "righteous" deeds of corrupt human effort are like a filthy garment. Whoa. But what about that little spark of goodness we've been told exists in every human? Sorry, Isaiah had his lips purged by a burning coal back in 6:7 and now he can only tell the truth.
Also, Jesus declares in Luke 18:19 that NO ONE is good--except God. Since Jesus is God, He is good, and His righteousness can be freely given to those who believe in Him (Romans 3:24, 5:9).
Jesus atoned for the sins of the elect on the cross. He paid the penalty we owed, and suffered, as our Substitute, the wrath and punishment we deserve. But our faith in Him results in more than forgiveness for sins, as immense and vital as that gracious provision is.
It also results in the gift of righteousness, a foreign righteousness, undeserved, freely given to those who were previously the very opposite of righteous. This righteousness is given by the God Who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5), not because of human works, efforts, or deeds, but by faith (Romans 3:28).
It is the very righteousness of Christ Himself, Who perfectly and flawlessly kept the entire Law, perfectly obeyed every commandment down to the last stroke of the last letter, and lived every second without any blemish in deed, thought, or motive. He fulfilled every obligation and every requirement. He never did any wrong and never failed to do any good.
It is a gracious credit to the believer's moral account which had previously been infinitely overdrawn but now has been infinitely and eternally credited with righteousness.
All this to explain why I call this blog "Essentially Justified".
posted by herewegoagain at 10:42 AM
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