''How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?'' Job 25:4 (KJV).This age-old question from the book of Job is still being asked today, and the glorious message of the Gospel is that God has provided a perfect and entirely satisfactory way of ''justifying'' the ungodly (see Luke 18:9-14; Romans 5:1-11; 3:26; 4:5).
How can we be justified then? The New Testament presents us with a number of facts about justification:
1. We are justified by God
God in His love and mercy makes justification a gift to us.
'' . . . he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man who has faith in Jesus'' Romans 3:26 (see also Romans 4:5, 8:33; Galatians 3:8).2. We are justified by grace
We are justified by grace, which is the principle of the covenant provided by God. This means that we are justified without any merit of our own (see Romans 3:24 and Titus 3:5-7).
3. We are justified by blood
A holy God must have just grounds on which to base his release of sinners. This is found in the sinless blood of Christ shed on the Cross. Sin demands the death penalty (Romans 6:23). Since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), all must die - or a representative man must be the substitute. This perfect provision is made in the death of Jesus, the Son of God. Through Him, all the demands of the Law are met, and a holy God is satisfied (see Romans 5:9).
4. We are justified by faith
Faith is the condition of salvation (Hebrews 11:6). Believing on Jesus is the only condition for being justified before God (see Romans 3:22-28; 5:1; Galatians 2:16).
5. We are justified by the resurrection
The resurrection of Jesus is God's guarantee and the eternal and visible proof that He was satisfied with the complete work of Jesus (John 19:30), and that the way has been opened for all who will believe (Romans 4:24-25).
6. We are justified by works as evidence of our faith
Our good works after we have believed are the evidence of the reality of justification in our lives. Although they, themselves, don't gain anything for us, they are the product of our release into the new life God has for us (see James 2:20-24).
''Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand . . . '' Romans 5:1-2 (see also verses 12-19; 8:30-35).
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Unless otherwise stated, all scriptures quoted in these studies are from the New International Version of the Bible, & copy; New York International Bible Society, used by permission. Other versions referred to are: KJV (King James Version), NKJB (New King James Bible), TLB (The Living Bible), Amp (The Amplified Bible) and The Message. All versions used by permission.
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