Justification

Devotional Reading: Christ was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. Romans 4:25

Justification is a legal term which means a decision that someone is not guilty of what they have been charged, or the formal dismissal of a charge by some other legal process. It is a declaration by God that we, though sinful and guilty as charged, are ‘Not guilty’ because Christ took the punishment that our sin deserves. He took our condemnation and gave us his righteousness.

Yes! It is true that we were sinners, it is true that we were rebels, it is true that the wages of sin is death, but it is also true that someone paid for our sins. He died the death we ought to die so that we will not die again.

In Christ, we receive justification; the guilty is declared righteous. This is not at the merit of what we have done but what Christ did on our behalf. In other words, we do not earn this, it is the gift of God.
Justification is all God’s work. It also affirms that God is just and the justifier. If God pardoned our sins on no basis, He would have been unjust because the wages of sin is death. But instead, God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with Him.

The aforementioned makes it clear that it is only those that believe in the person and works of Christ that are justified. Justification is not for those who are not in Christ. Hence, in order to stand justified, you must repent and believe the Gospel!

Prayer and Confession
I declare that I am righteous and that no guilt find space in me. Lord, may I see more clearly the beauty of the cross and the exchange You did on my behalf!

Further readings: Romans 3:23-26, Romans 4-5, Romans 6:23, 2 Corinthians 5:21, John 3:18