4) JUSTIFIED:
"And whom He called, them He also justified." Romans 8v30
So he continues unfolding the links of the chain, forged in the furnace of God's eternal purpose. We were certainly conscious when the call came; we were aware something fundamental had taken place within us, even if we could not explain it; but what we did not know was about this business of justification, because this is a judicial declaration by God about us, which we can only learn after the event. So at the point of salvation we were unaware of it, but we need to become aware of it now, because it is gloriously true.
Justification is a forensic term, a legal declaration by the highest court in the universe. In order to understand it we have to picture ourselves in the dock with criminal charges laid against us and punitive consequences facing us. If we don't understand that, we will not understand justification. Up to this point, that has been Paul's argument concerning the whole of the human race, we are guilty before God and facing the judgment of God. The wise man Solomon put it like this "there is not a just man upon the earth that doeth good and sinneth not." Ecclesiastes 7v20 He has already made clear that thousands of years of human history has proved that there is none righteous in all of human history, not even one, so this applies to every human being who ever lived. The term justification or righteousness just means "straight" and declares that those who are justified are straight or right with God.
He has made it clear that no man is right with God; that no man can be right with God by his own efforts; that no man can be right with God by means of human religion; that no man had been able to measure up to the standard of Divine law. The conclusion therefore is, that if rightness with God is to come, it must come from God Himself, because it is not in the gift of man to attain it. In a wonderful summary of this declaration by God he says in chapter 3 "we were justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3v24 We were justified by His blood "much more then being now justified by His blood we shall be saved from wrath through Him." Romans 5v9 We were justified by His resurrection "He was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our justification." Romans 4v25 and now we are justified by faith "therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Romans 5v1
In summary God has done for us what we could not do ourselves and all we have to do is believe it; but believe it we must, because not to believe it is a rejection of God's way which will result in God's rejection of you. We dare not make light of such statements by the living God. We now come to the wonder of all this, which became the life commitment of the apostles of Jesus Christ "be it known unto you therefore men and brethren, that through this man is declared unto you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses." Acts 13v38-39 but Paul continues with a warning "Beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the prophets behold ye despisers and wonder and perish for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall not believe though a man declare it unto you." Acts 13v40-41
Consider now the meaning of justification; all sins forgiven; all the guilty past wiped out, every thought, word and deed eradicated from the Divine records. God has declared our past to be just that, past. A right standing in the presence of God, no longer viewed as sinners of Adam's fallen race but now sons of God, members of the heavenly family, indeed as we shall see next time members of the aristocracy of heaven; in this, justification deals with our present because, whereas before, all of heaven was against us, now, all the resources of heaven are for us. We stand now in the grace of God. It does now end there, because justification deals with our future and we will expand on it when we consider glorification, but for now in the words of Paul to the Romans "we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."
PAST GUILT, PRESENT GRACE, FUTURE GLORY; that is what it means to be justified. Notice he uses the past tense to indicate certainty. What God has declared about those who believe in Christ, although the judicial action was unseen and unheard, by faith we believe it, and we are free from all condemnation and we are destined for all future blessing.
Since God has acquitted us from all guilt, past, present, and future, the one great eternal issue has forever been settled. If God will not condemn us neither will anyone else in the entire universe and this is the subject matter of verses 31-39. Meanwhile, if you are a believer, don't allow man or demon to condemn you, simply take all your issues to the living God who has declared you to be right with Himself. The practical implications of this are enormous!
O Joy of the justified,
joy of the free!
I’m washed in that crimson tide
opened for me;
In Christ, my Redeemer,
rejoicing I stand,
And point to the print
of the nails in His hand. O sing of His mighty love,
Sing of His mighty love,
Sing of His mighty love,
Mighty to save!
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