Today's Reading:
Rom 4: 1-12
"For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.” (v. 2)
The well-known doctrine of “Justification by Faith” says that mankind is justified (absolved) from sin by faith in Jesus. This implies that Justification cannot be earned through other means such as: keeping the rules (Law) or through good works, but only through Faith in Jesus Christ. This appears contestable to the ordinary man, but this is why it is so: Justification means the declaration of a person to be just or righteous or legally acquitted. To be justified is to prove or show to be just or right; to vindicate; to absolve. To be just is to be righteous; fair; impartial. A justifier defends or vindicates; a person who pardons and absolves from guilt and punishment. The greatest justifier is God.
In the context of the said doctrine above, therefore, Justification can be said to be the action of declaring or making righteous in the sight of God, by faith. It is the pronouncement of a sinner to be righteous, because of his/her faith (in Jesus Christ). This then means that a man cannot be justified by other things/means such as obedience to or keeping rules e.g. Laws (Rom 3:20), good works, and so on, except by faith. This is clearly stated in our Today’s reading, in verse 2, in which it says: if Abraham, one of the great fathers of faith, was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God! This is so because, in Gen. 15 verse 6, it is recorded that Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So the two key issues are; “believe in God”, not self or works or anything else; and righteousness. But why righteousness?
Righteousness is the quality of being right in the eyes of God, in character (nature), conscience, conduct (action), and word. It is important to note that Abraham’s righteousness was not earned, but accounted to him because he believed God. This is so because it is too hard for mankind to be righteous by God’s standards. It is said in Rom 3 verse 10 that there is none righteous, not one; and in Ecc. 7 verse 20, it is said that there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin. Rom 3 verse 23 says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Isaiah, in chapter 64 verse 6, stated that we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is like filthy rags. It follows, therefore, that since man cannot be righteous, then he cannot rightly be justified. However, seeing this state of man, God in his graciousness and infinite mercies, decided to impute righteousness to man on account of Christ’s righteousness (Rom 4:5). Therefore, man is declared to be righteous because God made him (Jesus Christ) who had no sin to be sin for him, so he can become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). This was made possible by the sacrificed death and Christ’s blood (Rom 5:9). Furthermore, man is declared not guilty before God and treated as holy. So God sees man as perfect and unblemished (Titus 3:14), and free from condemnation (Rom 8:1). It is the gift that has come to all men, resulting in the Justification of life (Rom 5:18).
Even though Christ accomplished the above for all mankind, He, however, expects the sinner to be made right in God’s sight when he/she believes in him. He wants the sinner to confess him with his/her mouth and believe in the heart that God has raised him from the dead, then he/she will be saved (Rom 10:9). Gladly enough, he/she is justified, declared righteous, at the moment of his/her salvation. So, he who believes in Christ, even though sinful, is viewed as being righteous, because in Christ he has come into a relationship with God.
It is obvious from the foregoing that no amount of good works, or anything else, can replace faith, in man’s justification before God. Good enough, it is freely given based on God’s grace and by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from the deeds of the law (Rom 3:25). David describes a blessed man as he whom God imputes righteousness apart from works (Rom 4:6-8).
CHRISTIE KUPOLUYI
Prayer:
Father in heaven, we cannot thank you enough for giving us your Only Begotten Son to be sin for mankind.
Precious Lord Jesus, thank you for giving us your righteousness, so we can be justified before the Father.
Father, as we have been justified, by faith in Christ, please increase our faith so we can live right for you.
Lord Jesus, please open the eyes and hearts of men, so they can come to you for salvation.
Father God, as the time is ticking off so fast towards the end, please wake the church up to propagate the Gospel and harvest the souls of mankind.
Comments