Who You Are in Christ You are Justified

The Bible uses illustrations from every aspect of life to try and help us understand who we are in Christ. Today’s concept comes from the legal profession. It has to do with a court of law.

I’m sure you’ve seen a movie or two that had a courtroom scene in which a judge or a jury is getting ready to declare the innocence or guilt of the defendant. The next words that come out of the head Juror or  judge’s mouth is going to determine the defendant’s fate.

If the defendant is found guilty, he’ll pay for his crime. If declared innocent, he’ll go home free from the charges against Him and they can never be used against him again.

If you’ve accepted Jesus Christ as Lord then you are justified. God has declared you not guilty because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ.

The word justify means “to acquit,” or “to pronounce righteous.” Therefore to be justified means to be acquitted and declared righteous before God. Because you’ve placed your faith in Jesus Christ, God declares that you are acquitted from your sins and are declared righteous. It’s as if you never sinned. Your past sins cannot be used against you in a court of law every again.

One of my favorite books to study the meaning of Hebrew and Greek words is Larry Richard’s Expository Dictionary of Bible Words. In it Richard’s describes justification as follows:

• Humanity's only hope is a righteousness that comes apart from human actions.

• Through faith we are declared righteous and stand acquitted of every charge that might be brought against us.

• Through personal relationship with Jesus, the believer not only is declared to be righteous but also becomes righteous by God’s working within!

• Reliance on God both for salvation and for power to live a righteous life is the only option the believer has.

Praise God that you stand before Him righteous. He doesn’t see you as a sinner. He says you are justified. When God sees you, He sees you through the blood Jesus . You are spotless before Him.

You’re a saint of God (remember day 3). Too many believers see themselves as sinners who are weak and unable to overcome sin. But that is not how God sees you.

Stop finding your identity in the things you do and find them in the things Christ has done. See yourself through the eyes of the Lord. Titus 3:5-7 says:

   5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

I want to encourage you to remind yourself and the devil that you’re a child of God made clean by faith in Jesus Christ. You’re not trusting in your own ability or works to be righteous, because you already are. You’re trusting in Christ and it’s Christ who’s at work in you.

Remind yourself that Romans 5:1 says you have been justified by faith, and you have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. Start seeing yourself as God sees you, cleansed by the blood of Jesus.

Listen to the words of Romans 5:8-10 and stand strong in the reality that you’re justified by God and empowered to live life as an overcomer:

8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. 10 For if while 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.

Thank God for His righteousness and walk in a manner worthy of the Lord.