Basic Training: Justification
Feb 27, 2008 in Basic Training
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:23-24)
When Jesus returns to Earth, there will be a great judgment of everybody who has ever lived. Think of it as a court of law. Those who break God’s laws are guilty, and are sentenced to spiritual death. The bible tells us in the verse above all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Therefore, we’re all deserving of the spiritual death penalty and an eternity in hell.
But, look at the second part of that scripture. It tells us that we are “justified” as a gift by His grace. What does it mean to be justified?
The word “justified” in the greek is “dikaio,” and literally means to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be. That’s a cool definition, because it tells us that through Christ and his blood, we are literally declared righteous, despite the fact that the bible just told us we are all guilty of sin and worthy of death. It’s as if the court has convened, the jury has come back with a verdict of guilty, and when it comes time for sentencing, God can’t see past the blood of Jesus to condemn you for your guilt. Instead, He sits on the His throne and declares you to be innocent and righteous!
“God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— “ (Romans 3:25)
The sacrifice of atonement is the only thing that can cause God to pardon sins. In the Old Testament, the Israelites sacrificed a spotless lamb and sprinkled the blood on the alter once per year, and God forgave them of their sins for that year. Jesus came to be the sacrifice for our sins once and for all, the spotless lamb of God for all eternity.
This verse actually shows us that God, through his forbearance, had left the sins that we previously committed unpunished so that we might have the opportunity to know Jesus. “Forbearance” means that God literally postpones his right to punish us for our sins. What a merciful God we serve!
Self Study: Check out these additional verses and leave us a comment with what you learn from each one. We’re looking forward to hearing your feedback.
Romans 4:1-22
Romans 5:1
Galatians 3:24
Titus 3:7
Check out the other Basic Training Articles: