Throughout my life, I have always been intrigued by lawyers. I have had friends who have been attorneys and to hear them speak is interesting.
One man shared with me that he represented some of the worst people in our city, who he knew committed horrible crimes. I asked him why he would willingly represent such people and attempt to lessen their crimes. He simply said, “Everyone deserves their day in court”. He was right, everyone will have their day in court.
It is great to be forgiven, but it is even better to be justified. In a human court, justification is a legal verdict.
One is pronounced ‘Just’, meaning they have done everything correctly, properly, or right. Justification is different than forgiveness. Forgiveness means that one admits to doing wrong, breaking the law or not being right.
So, forgiveness and justification are two completely different concepts. When a person’s moral character changes after they receive Christ as their Savior and Lord, that act is called sanctification.
Sanctification is the process of becoming more Christ-like throughout our lifetime. Our sanctification will ultimately lead to our glorification when we move into eternity with Christ.
What is so amazing about justification is the fact that God, when He sees me, sees Christ’s credited sacrifice over my life, and sees me as perfect.
Think of it like this, the U2 front man, Bono, has an eye condition that forces him to wear eyeglasses all the time. Many times, he wars a rose or red tinted glass. When he looks at the world it is tinted.
In the same way, when God, the Father, looks upon your life, he looks through the rose-tinted glasses of Christ’s blood and sees you not only as forgiven, but without any blemish. Perfect. Completely Justified.
Reflections – How does it feel to know you have been freely Justified?
Do we adequately see ourselves and others justified? If not, why?
What area in your life do you need to remind yourself you have been Justified?
By Kris Segrest, The Cross Church
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