BLESSED IS THE MAN
By Glenda Ward
McDowell County
“Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”
Romans 4:7-8
Belief and faith in Jesus is the intervening distinguished, entity through which Justification is founded. Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God sent forth His Son Jesus as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, present, and in the future through the forbearance of God. Christ purchased our freedom with His life. (Reference: Romans 3:24-25). By The One Sacrifice of Himself, the Lord has made us perfect forever. “Nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it:” (Ecclesiastes 3:14).
We through the Spirit gain the hope of righteousness by faith. The Spirit gives victory over sin and the Spirit is against the flesh. Christian character is the possession and proving of God’s grace produced by the Holy Spirit. If you are led by the Spirit; works in the flesh make clear and proves that your Christian characteristics are displayed in your life. Together they present a moral portrait of Christ. This character is possible because of the believer’s vital union with Christ (Reference: 1 Corinthians 12:12-13; John 15:5) and is wholly the fruit of the Spirit. In Christian life, the Spirit is unified in purpose and direction; which, in contrast with the life in the flesh we find inner conflicts and frustrations. We that are in Christ have crucified our sinful afflicted conditions to the Cross! If we live in the spirit, we will also walk in the Spirit, not empty of God’s glory.
Characteristics displayed in the life of a Christian should be justified by our faith in Jesus Christ and faith alone. Christian Justification is to vindicate or to set right, a judicial act of God based upon Christ’s completed work. It is God’s divine declaration of “Not Guilty” in that of a sinner. Requirements of justification are all fully met in Jesus Christ. The act of Justification by God declares one righteous based upon the complete righteousness of Christ. Justification is credited upon the completed work of Jesus, “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The immediate benefit of Justification is the remission of sin. God sees us all through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus. We appear to Him as if we have never sinned. Not only in God’s eyes are we Justified and free from condemnation but we are ushered into God’s eternal Kingdom, as righteous people. Read God’s promise in Romans 8:16-17. Justification brings eternal life for all who believe in our Lord, Jesus Christ. It marks the beginning of the fullness of life spoken of in Scripture. It can be a life in which we can enjoy God’s blessings and His presence forever.
Justification by faith is what separates Biblical Christianity from any other belief system. Only in true Biblical Christianity is a person saved as a result of grace through faith. Justification is a complete work of God and is instant. Justification takes place the moment we trust in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We are at that moment, declared righteous and with it our guilt is removed. Knowledge of Justification and grace motivates good works and spiritual growth in the receiver. Justification leads to sanctification – an ongoing process of growth in which we become more Christ-like (the act of “being saved”). Sanctification occurs after Justification: and Justification being a finished work of God means that Christians have the assurance of their salvation. Without an understanding of Justification by faith alone, we cannot truly perceive the glorious gift of God’s grace. Our Justification by faith helps us maintain pure devotion to Christ. Holding to the promise of Justification by faith; it is only by God’s grace, in response to our faith that God has credited to us the Holiness of His Son. “The Just shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38). “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
The goal of Justification is “peace with God”. And that Justification and peace with God are only available through our Lord, Jesus Christ. Peace comes from God but comes through the sacrificial mission of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Justification Through Christ:
Justification originates in grace
Justification is through the redemption and work of Christ Jesus who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of redemption (redemption purchased by the blood of our redeemer Jesus Christ).
Justification is by faith, not our works.
Justification may be defined as the judicial act of God. He justly declares and treats as righteous the one who believes and puts his faith in Jesus Christ. The Justified believer has been declared by God, the Judge Himself, to have nothing laid to his charge.
Justification is an act of God.
Justification takes place the moment we trust Jesus Christ.
Justification declares the sinner righteous.
Justification removes the guilt and penalty of sin; not the power of sin in this life.
Sanctification:
Sanctification is the proceeds from Justification.
Sanctification makes the sinner righteous.
Sanctification is in us.
Sanctification is a work in progress.
Sanctification removes the growth and the power of our sin.
Sanctification is a lifelong process.
Christ paid the penalty for our sin. God moves into our hearts and lives by the power of the Holy Spirit to make us the kind of people we should be as Christians. God does not leave us in sin when He saves us through His gift of Salvation. The Justified sinner, through Salvation, has died and risen again in faith – in Christ Jesus. However, we never reach the place where we are dead to sin. Satan is still alive and we still have that old sinful nature because we still live in this earthly body that was born into sin! But we do reach a place through Sanctification where we want to live for God in His likeness. This is God’s great truth. “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. (1 Corinthians 1:30). Sanctification is the proceeds from Justification, and both originate in Christ, is crucified in Christ, and are risen in Christ.
Four keywords indicate the believer’s personal responsibility about God’s Sanctifying work.
- Know the facts of our union and identification with Christ in His death and resurrection (Romans 6:3,6,9).
- Reckon or count the facts to be true concerning ourselves (Romans 6:11).
- Yield or present ourselves once for all as alive from the dead for God’s possession and use (Romans 6:13,16,19).
- Obey in the realization that sanctification can proceed only as we are obedient to the Will of God as revealed in His Word (Romans 6:16-17).
Let us rejoice in the “glory of God” and the eventual joy of being in the very presence of our Lord God Himself.
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Glenda Ward is a member of Grand View Baptist Church in McDowell County. She is the mother of five grown children. Glenda is a Christian writer/author of “Something to Think About” – weekly Christian Articles. She writes Church Programs & Bulletins, VBS Material, Christmas and Easter Programs; all material based on the KJV of the Bible. Also testing the field in tributes, individual memorial writings, etc. You can read more good Christian news from Glenda HERE.
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