Justified From All Things

Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. 

Acts 13:38-39 

How can we be just with God? This is an old question. Job asked it in what is perhaps the oldest book of the Bible. The nature of the question is how can a person be righteous before God? In his message, Paul answers that question. He begins with forgiveness of sins and proceeds to, ‘by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.’ The law of Moses laid down spiritual and moral demands which are humanly impossible to meet. No matter how we attempt to satisfy those demands, we will never succeed. Because we are the sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, we are sinners by nature and by choice. As Isaiah puts it, ‘All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.’  The end of that verse points to Christ as the Bearer of sin. If we want to understand how we can be righteous in the eyes of God we must look to the life and death of Christ. By His life, He satisfied all the demands of the law of God in precept. By His death, He satisfied all the demands of the law in penalty. He has been the righteous person. In order to be declared legally righteous in the eyes of God and of His law we believe in Jesus. God imputes His righteousness to us. He accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ, imputed to us and received by faith alone. Thus we can be just with God.  

Our Holy and Righteous God, 
we rejoice that You have given us Your only begotten Son. 
We praise You that by His righteousness, 
we can be justified. 

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning