Justified

Devotional Reading: who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25 ESV

There are believers who still struggle to fully embrace the truth that God is at peace with them, and this struggle affects their prayer life and their understanding of their relationship with Him as a Father.

In Romans 4:25, it is stated that Jesus was delivered up for our offenses and raised up for our justification. The Greek word for “justification” means to be pronounced righteous or to be discharged. This is why the subsequent chapter begins with the affirmation that we are justified by faith. Our faith rests on the belief that Christ died and was resurrected, and through this belief, we are declared right in God’s sight.

Through Christ, our justification brings us into a state of peace with God. Ephesians 2:19 reinforces this truth, declaring that we are no longer strangers or foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household. Therefore, we can approach God with boldness and gladness, knowing that we are not strangers but rather welcomed by Him.

The apostle John echoes this sentiment in 1 John 5:14-15. We can have confidence in approaching God, knowing that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And when we know that He hears us, we can be assured that we will receive the requests we have made.

This confidence stems from the fact that we have eternal life and are justified through Christ. We can boldly declare that we have whatever we ask for because of our righteous standing in Him.

It is important not to push ourselves away from God by considering ourselves unworthy, for God has made us worthy through the blood of Christ. We can be assured that we are at peace with God and we are not condemned but rather justified in His sight.

Prayer and Confession
I am justified by faith in Christ, having free access by faith into all that Christ has for me. Amen!

Further Reading: Romans 8:1