Have you ever stopped to think about if every wrong thing you ever done in your life was found out? Or if you received your just due or the consequences for those actions? What would you lose if people knew every bad, demented, wicked or unrighteous act you did , evil thoughts or sin you took part in? I would be lying if I said that thought never crossed my mind. But in juxtapose, I also am overwhelmed with enormous gratitude that there is One that does know all those things and loves me anyway. He not only loved me but sought to free me from the eternal consequence of said actions.
Introducing Jesus-The Justifier.
Romans 5:1 says "Therefore having been justified by faith, we have PEACE with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we also have obtained our INTRODUCTION by faith into this grace in which we stand. That verse blows me away.
It literally tells us that we are introduced to God's grace by our first faith and belief in Jesus Christ.
Before Jesus came mankind was under the law, which put us in eternal enmity with God. God was our enemy so to speak , because of our sin, which separates us from Him.
But this Holy God made an infinite plan before the foundation of the world, that HE himself would set us back into right relationship with Him through His Son Jesus.
Verse 3 of the same chapter goes on to say because of this great grace and faith deposited into us , we can exult or have peace even when we go thru trials, temptations and tribulations. Those things are designed to strengthen this faith, prove our character and to see the goodness and love of God.
Jesus by His blood justifies us- meaning He satisfied our sin debt. God now sees His Son's covering over us when we accept Christ as paying the full atonement for our sins. We are not only reconciled back to God, but He gives us faith, gifts of the Spirit, talents, anointing and His favor as a deposit or down payment of the gift of eternal life with Him.
This is the gospel of reconciliation- the good news!
Any person facing prison or death for crimes he committed, would be overjoyed and elated if the judge told him your offenses are forgiven, someone else has paid for your crime- you may go... yet this is what the Father has done.
When we come to know Jesus as not only our Savior but also the ultimate Justifier, we will be compelled to put Him first, praise Him, do good works and spread the gospel.
Sacrificing time to pray and seek Him will not seem so demanding of us.
Praying and forgiving would not vex you so or interrupt your day.
Putting Him first would not seem so trivial.
No, realizing His saving grace would make us want to worship Him in Spirit and Truth, make us treat our fellow brothers and sister right, and give us a jealous want for the world and sinners to be saved.
Today, I invite you to just sit and think about all Jesus has justified you from, cleansed you of, and freed/redeemed you out of.
Colossians 3:2-4 states Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Realizing that we are justified by faith gives us a brand new way to look at our salvation and sanctification. One is complete, the other is ongoing as the Holy Spirit continues to make us into the image of Christ.
I pray you are as thankful as I am once you see yourself the way God now sees you thru the eyes of His Son.
2 Cor. says For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. So once in Christ, God not only doesn't see our sin, He now declares us righteous.
Be blessed this week, and every time the enemy attempts to remind you of your past, stand boldly in faith and tell him you are JUSTIFIED!
Keep shining,
Kee Isadore
Study Scriptures:
Galatians 2:16
2 Cor. 5:21
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