JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

Justification is the act of God’s grace through which one receives forgiveness and remission of sins and is counted righteous before God through faith in the atoning blood of Jesus Christ. Having thus been cleared of every guilt on sin, the regenerated stands before God as though he had never sinned. Now,he’s totally forgiven and the sins forgotten. God looks at the redeemed not on the basis of any personal merit but in the light of what Christ has accomplished for mankind by his substitutionary death on the cross of Calvary."Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law?of works? Nay: but by the law of faith.Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also:Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith” (Romans 3:24-30; Please read Romans 4:6-16).

To actualize the benefits of salvation in Christ Jesus, the sinful man should acknowledge his helplessness and hopelessness in this life, and his desperate need of Savior. As he is incapable to provide solution to his problem of sinful nature or change his eternal destiny of damnation (Isaiah 59:8), the need for justification becomes crystal clear. To meet the price of divine justice, due price needed to be paid. Man lacked both the capacity and purity to afford this. It therefore required the sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God, unstained and without blemish in Himself to pay the necessary ransom with His blood for the expiation of man’s sins. It’s instructive to note that the nature of sins is not such that man could handle on his own or by merit of his good works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Just as water baptism cannot justify the Gentiles so also is circumcision cannot justify the Jew nor water baptism the Gentiles. And by the standards of God’s righteousness and holiness, full church membership or confirmation does not suffice to justify any one. The faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary can assure a repentant soul the full justification through faith by the grace of Jesus.Before justification, sinner had works of the flesh of different category as stated in (Galatians 5:19-21) but as a new creature, he has divine ability to manifest the fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). Therefore, in the lifestyle, conduct, disposition and speech, the redeemed by Christ’s Blood are more like Him, having been quickened by the Spirit of the living God.

The misleading concept of justification by works, as an article’s of man’s religion, is opposed to justification by faith because it denied the grace of God and dishonors the blood of Jesus Christ. The reference in the General Epistle of (James 2:14-26) may the interpreted amiss by cursory reader of the Scriptures, where it asked. “But wilt thou know o vain man, that faith without work is dead? The basic point being stressed by the Epistle of James is that works as referred to in the scenario are a compliment of justification by faith. Whereas, Paul the Apostle in his Epistle to Romans, chapter four is essentially doctrinal, and the practical is based upon the doctrine, that of James is essential practical, the doctrinal element being purely incidental. Hence, a man is justified by faith without works, in another sense, we see “how by works a man is justified, and not by faith only”. This explained the justification by faith before God, and justification by works before men. Properly understood, none really is mutually exclusive.

OUR REDEMPTION BY CHRIST’S BLOOD

Adam and Eve though still physically in the Garden of Eden after eating the forbidden fruit,were consequently spiritual dead and become alienated from God and from the commonwealth of His kingdom. This verdict they could not set aside which emphasizes the insufficiency of man’s works and personal endeavor in gaining salvation,except he’s born again (John 3:3). It needed a Messiah one qualified, sure and a high integrity to meet the divine standard and thus satisfy God’s imperative judgement.

Christ, therefore become the sin bearer, based on the fact of God’s provision and what the scripture says, “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God…And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.For where a testament is,there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth” (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 9:15-17). God’s covenant demanded that someone would die in our place. Christ surrendered His life and died for us so that we could ‘receive the promise of eternal inheritance’.

From the time of the fall of the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, it has been practiced repeatedly that an innocent one must bear our guilt of sin and punishment before we could be pardoned from sin and set free. Redemption alone never brought forgiveness;there must be atonement through the blood. The sacrifices with the blood of animals of the Old Covenant were in practiced until Christ came. Jesus came as the final “Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the whole world” His blood cleanses us from all sin. Remissions of sins and the provisions of the New Covenant are now ours through the Blood of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.He has certified the New Covenant with His own Blood, just as the Old Covenant was certified by Moses with the blood of animals. “And without shedding of blood is no remission” (Hebrews 9:22).Although Christ’s atonement on the cross guarantees universal provision of salvation for all mankind, but could be appropriated only on a personal basis, there is yet a needful element for it to vail one through faith in Christ Jesus.

The sinner who seeks salvation must take the necessary step of faith in the blood of Jesus Christ for atonement.We were to face the judgement of God for the sin we had committed. Through faith in Christ, our sins are forgiven and will never be remembered, our hearts are cleansed and we are made righteous. We have passed from judgement unto life. Christ, through His dead and blood has obtained redemption, remission of sins and righteousness for us. Believe in Christ and be made righteous today.

CONSECRATION AND SANCTIFICATION

God is a holy God. He requires that everyone called by His name to be holy. That means, a holy God with His holy children in a holy relationship. O yes, holiness of life is possible. Otherwise, God in His infinite knowledge and mercy would not require it from His children; He also made provisions for every Christian to live a holy life in our personal relationship with each other on the surface of earth. The book of Hebrews 12:14 declared, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord”. Holiness of sanctification experience is clearly taught in the scriptures, even though many are confused about what Sanctification really means and would not want to bother themselves.

It is a very precious Christian experience, not only to be obtained, but to be kept and maintained for the glory of God. The sanctified life is a shining life here on earth made fit for the glorious abode in heaven. It is the essence and object of God’s calling for us all. “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it (1Thessalonians 5:23-24).

Also, Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for the sanctification of the disciples who were already saved and following him in John 17:14-17.

The disciples, though saved, manifested many times the unsanctified attitudes against one another and the people around them. Generally, the character of the saved but unsanctified included desire to have self-honor, enlarged sense of one’s importance, hypersensitivities to injuries, tendency to magnify the fault of others, inordinate affection of one’s desire, will and plans, sullenness and moodiness, instability, self-seeking, excuse making, suspicion etc.However, sanctification is commanded by God. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16; read Genesis 17:1; Matthew 4:48).We should be sanctified because God commanded it and Jesus died for it.“Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate” (Hebrews 13:12). And without sanctification, we cannot see God.

To receive the experience, there must be; personal dissatisfaction with self’s unsanctified state, great desire for the sanctification experience, persistent in prayer till the experience is secured, confidence in God’s ability and Christ’s atoning blood to do it, and complete consecration unto God (Romans 12:1-).Sanctification is nothing more or less than perfect love for God and man in a clean heart. If we love God with all our hearts, we will gladly keep His commandments and do all His will as He makes it known unto us.

A sanctified person is is rooted and grounded in love and knit together in love with other believers. Nothing is too precious to offer to the Lord by the sanctified. The sanctified is humble (Philippians 2:3-10), Patient in misunderstanding (Romans 12:12), peaceful during trials, prayerful and meditative (Proverbs 15:8), pitiful to the enemies (Luke 23:34), always blessing people in all sorts of ways without at any time knowing it, does not seek great things for himself, not critical purposeful in mind (Daniel 1:8), perfect in motive does not murmur in adverse conditions, evaluates other people’s action positively (Genesis 45:1-8), share and care without ulterior motive, thinks purely (Philippians 4:8), and is selfless ( 2 Corinthians 12:15).Sanctification experience is like being very healthy. It’s possible to remain healthy despite situations around.

A sanctified believer should abstain from evil and corrupting environment in order to retain his sanctification experience. He should avoid unnecessary care and anxiety, Regular prayer and fasting, deep humility before the Lord, Constant reading and meditation on God’s word, There must e sobriety and watchfulness (Ephesians 4:1-3; Philippians 4:8), self-examination in the light of God’s word (Hebrews 2:1), and absolute trust in God.