Justification is Salvation. The one who has been justified
has at that point been saved. He is as saved as he will ever be legally
before GOD. “He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for
he shall bear their iniquities.” (Isaiah 53:11).
Many do not understand this. Our state before GOD prior
to Christ’s atoning work on the cross is that we were constituted sinners.
As such we are unjust persons. This has nothing to do with how we feel,
or what we do. It is our legal standing before GOD. As such the law of
GOD condemns all men to a state of damnation from which we must be saved.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by
sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
(Romans 5:12).
The purpose of GOD in CHRIST was to justify the unjust.
GOD gloriously accomplished this when He made His SON a propitiation for
our sins. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through
faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins
that are past, through the forbearance of God;” (Romans 3:24-25).
Understand this then inquirer, those who were elect of
GOD the FATHER and chosen in GOD the SON were completely and forever justified
from all things that the law had held them accountable for, all things,
by the death of JESUS CHRIST at the cross. So that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us,
the just for the unjust. We were justified before we knew it. “But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners,
Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we
shall be saved from wrath through him.” (Romans 5:8-9).
We by HIS cross were saved 2000 years ago though the experience
of it would follow sometime later. Thus the accomplishment of Salvation
for GOD’S people and the experience thereof are two different things altogether.
Christ is GOD’s salvation accomplished, our experience of it is salvation
applied.
Many people, Protestants, make the great Roman Catholic
mistake of claiming justification in the work of regeneration. That somehow
we who come to believe the message of the Gospel of our salvation are intrinsically
righteous. This just is not so.
Our righteousness, which is the state of being just before
GOD’S law is so far outside our poor wretched selves that we need the grace
of faith to know it’s true. We are not justified by regeneration but by
the blood of Jesus Christ. And the Great work of Sanctification gives us
faith to receive, embrace and believe what Christ did to justify us.
Our justification is in heaven. It’s in the person of
CHRIST, He is the LORD our RIGHTEOUSNESS. “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).
Because of this marvelous truth I beseech you to cease
the futile and endless search within yourselves for a feeling of justification. It’s not there. If you have it at all it’s in heaven to be viewed and lovingly wondered at by faith.
Jesse Gistand, Pastor
Grace Bible Church
San Leandro, CA 94572
Phone (510)-799-7934