Justification is the act of proving yourself to be just, right, or valid.
Yet in a spiritual sense, we cannot bring about our own justification. Only Jesus can do that.
The Old Testament law reveals our sinful nature. Our sin makes us fall short of Father God’s expectations. We miss the mark. We deserve the death penalty for all our mistakes.
Jesus came to earth to sacrifice himself on our behalf. He died so we wouldn’t have to. This great gift to us doesn’t end with his execution. His crucifixion was just the beginning.
Jesus overcame the finality of the tomb and rose from the dead. He defeated death. By overcoming the grave, all who believe in Jesus will be justified. That is, we will be made right with Papa. Then, we too will overcome death through our belief in Jesus.
In this way, we see God’s promise of blessing the entire world through Abraham (Genesis 12:3) coming to fruition through Jesus’s saving power brought on by his death and resurrection. Jesus died so that we might live forever with him.
Jesus brings about our justification with Father God.
Key passage about Justification: For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin:
The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people (Romans 5:15-18, NIV).
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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