Made Righteous

For the next couple of posts, at least, I would like to share my thoughts on three things that happen in us as a result of accepting Yeshua as our Savior. Granted, there are more than three, praise God, however, these three deal with who we are in Messiah: justification, sanctification, and glorification.

In my last post, I talked about how we can know, as believers, that our faith in Him is secure. However, the security of our faith, while important, mentions more of how the Holy Spirit works in us in order to have that secure faith. Now that faith is established, I think it's important to know what else comes as a (positive) consequence of it.

Justification comes by faith.

There are numerous verses in the Bible that talk about justification and being justified, which I personally take as a sign that it's something that God wants His children to understand. If we can't grasp on what occurs in us, how will we be able to explain our faith in the Lord? But, in order to begin, it's vital to know the definition of justification, which is as follows: the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God (Google Dictionary). So then, by faith we receive the fact that Messiah's blood has made us righteous in God's eyes. This is such a wonderful definition because, although it doesn't say, but we are not the ones who do the justifying; accepting Yeshua as our Savior is the 'action' that's involved here. This is seen in Romans 4:25, "who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification." This is talking about how Messiah died for our sins and then God raised Him. This resurrection is what we believe in, thus proving that we are justified because God accepted Yeshua's sacrifice on the cross. So, in turn, we do not have to work  for our justification; it simply comes through faith in the Messiah's death, burial, and resurrection. This is the core of our belief, anyway. I really love that justification just comes with the belief in Him, and that I don't have to do anything extra, to be more or less justified. Once I believe, I am justified; it's that simple. This is an amazing love that the Father has for us as His children, that He sent His Son and then through His sacrifice, accepted us and made us righteous. What an amazing truth to know and acknowledge! Before justification, I was once an enemy to God. Then I believed in this truth, and became righteous to God.

This term is really a truly simple term and it's something that shouldn't be overthought or over-analyzed. We, as humans, tend to take things harder than what God is saying, or at least I do, sometimes. But, to be justified is simply being seen as righteous in the eyes of God. We don't have to prove ourselves to Him or work to obtain justification. This is seen in Romans 5:9-10: "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."  Justification and reconciliation already happened because Messiah died on the cross and bore not only our sins, but also the wrath of God. In the moment of His death, God saw that His sacrifice is perfect to save mankind. The spotless blood of Yeshua is what saves us, it's what cleanses us, it's what purifies us, and ultimately, it's what justifies us.

We are made righteous because the Most Righteous One gave up His life for us.

What a beautiful Savior and message the gospel brings to each of us. God's ways are wonderful and simple, and light. Messiah completed His mission on earth and did the work that was needed to be done in order for us to be justified. It is truly just up to us to decide if we want to receive the justification or not.

I also love that the word "justified" is in past tense, meaning it's a done deal. Because of Messiah's sacrifice, I am already justified, I just have to receive it by faith. Once the process of salvation occurs, that person automatically becomes righteous before God. A.W. Tozer, a self-taught theologian, wrote, "When God looks at an atoned-for sinner He doesn't see the same moral situation He sees when He looks at a sinner who still loves his sin...When God looks at a sinner who has accepted the blood of the everlasting covenant, justice sentences him to live" (pg. 20-21, "The Radical Cross"). This is the way God's justice system works: He sees the sinner who believes and forgives all iniquities. However, when He sees the sinner who still hasn't accepted His gift, Messiah, that person has not yet received the justification. He is still not seen as righteous in God's eyes. However, God is just in both of these things (Tozer). God's system is beautiful for those who accept it, and harsh for those who do not. What will your choice be today? Have you believed that you are justified? Do you live like you know that you are justified? If you have not yet accepted Messiah, will you believe in Him today? Will you take the leap of faith to receive God's precious gift and become righteous in His eyes?

Side note, if you want your views on how important the cross is to our salvation, and in general, I highly recommend the book I referenced, "The Radical Cross" by A.W. Tozer. It will blow your mind away. Other than that, be blessed my beloved friends.