Daily devotion – Wednesday 12th January 2022
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through His blood.
Our enemy Satan never stops in seeking to condemn us and to whisper in our ears that we are still guilty in God eyes even after we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour. The problem is many times we agree with his words instead of the Word.
How do we deal with Satan’s continual lies that so often cause people to again come under condemnation even though they have bowed their hearts and lives to Christ?
Paul uses this amazing word justification that is one of the building blocks of doctrine that can shield and free us from under the sway of the enemy. Justification is more than just a cardinal doctrine of Christianity because it distinguishes it as a religion of grace and faith. Both grace and faith are the cornerstones of the doctrine of justification.
What does justification actually mean? To justify means to declare righteous. It is a courtroom concept so that to justify is to give a verdict of righteousness. It was Job who asked the question – “How can a man be in the right before God?” – Job 9:2.
In ancient times, the accused in a court would stand before a judge to hear whether the verdict was guilty or not guilty – condemnation or justification. So when Paul wrote the phrase – Rom 3:24 “being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” Paul was saying that God makes a legal declaration that you as a believer are righteous because of Christ’s blood.
Justified means that God treats me, a sinner, just-as-if-I’d never sinned! Thinking of being justified in this way (just-if-I’d) will help you remember its basic meaning.
In his letter to the Church in Rome, Paul had just made it clear that every one of us falls short of God’s standards – Romans 3:23, so the idea that God declares someone righteous once he or she trusts in Christ, and then treats them as if they actually are righteous, is staggering.
How is God doing that? “Through redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Where as justification is a legal term, redemption comes straight from the slavery block. To redeem someone referred specifically to a prisoner or slave being transferred to a new owner.
Jesus redeemed fallen mankind, enslaved to sin, because “God set (Him) forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness” – Romans 3:25
Propitiation is another one of my favourite words of the Gospel. It means “appeasement” or “satisfaction”.
What Jesus did on the Cross appeased God’s wrath, satisfied the requirements of lifeblood as the penalty for sin. It was something only Jesus, in His perfection, could do for us.
So to summarize all this – you have fallen short of the glory of God – the mark of perfection. Everyone has. But because you trust in Jesus Christ, God legally declares you righteous; all the purity and righteousness of Jesus Christ is now credited to your account.
Jesus redeemed you, buying you back from the slave market of sin by His blood, which satisfied the penalty of God’s wrath!
As redeemed believers in Jesus Christ, with His life in us, we have also been set free from the consequences of sin and are free to really live.
Rom 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
So when the enemy whispers in your ear that you are guilty – remember God’s Word says you have been set free, and God sees you now as if you had never sinned! That’s the real truth of the matter!