WHY YOU NEED JESUS IN YOUR LIFE (PART 3)
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" - Romans 3:24 (KJV)
In part 2 of this series, I made it clear that the entire human family is in dire need of redemption because "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). But in the next verse to Rom 3:23, something new is introduced! It's about God's intervention through Jesus Christ, His Son. It says,
"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" (Romans 3:24).
Again, we have it said elsewhere:
"Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Romans 5:9).
It's wonderful to know that in Christ Jesus, we stand before God justified. To be justified means to be made just or righteous. There's another way to understand the meaning of being "justified". You can interpret it thus: just- as- if- I’d never sinned. Why? I am justified because I have been made righteous with a righteousness that is not my own, but the righteousness of Jesus Christ. The Bible says that the Lord is our Righteousness (Isa 45:24 ,54:17; Jer 23:5-7,33:16; 1 Cor 1:30; 2 Cor 5:21) This righteousness is a state that is gifted to us in Christ. There's nothing you can do to earn it or to increase it. It becomes yours automatically as you come into Christ. In Christ Jesus, God imputes unto us the righteousness of His Son in place of ours which is like filthy rags (Isa 64:6).
In consequence thereof, as God is pleased with Jesus (Matt 3:17), so He's pleased with us because now, we're accepted in the Beloved (Eph 1:6).
In our new state in Christ Jesus, no record of sin is kept before God. All is forgiven! We are now new Creatures in Him (2 Cor 5:17). To buttress this point, let's look at Romans 3:23-25 from another translation:
"All have sinned and fall short of God’s glory, but all are treated as righteous freely by his grace because of a ransom that was paid by Christ Jesus. Through his faithfulness, God displayed Jesus as the place of sacrifice where mercy is found by means of his blood. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness in passing over sins that happened before,"( CEB). Like I said, no one earns all of these, but we've been gifted freely with it by God in Christ Jesus. It's a complete exchange of our sinful life with His sinless Life. 2 Cor 5:21 says it all in the King James Version: “For he hath made him [Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
Through the blood of Jesus, God now looks at me justified, made righteous, just - as - if - I'd never sinned. This is awesome!
The spiritual implication of this for us in Christ is this: having responded positively to God's redemptive plan in Christ, we are free from condemnation with the world (Jn 3:17-18, 5:24, 8:11; Rom 8:1).
Jesus died and made atonement for the sin(s) of the whole world (1Jn 1:7, 2:2, 4:10, 14 ; 2Cor 5:18; Rom 3:25; Jn 1:29,4:42). But many will still go to hell for rejecting God's atonement through His Christ. The sin that’ll send a man to hell is nothing else, but the sin of not accepting the payment for his sin(s) by God through Jesus (Jn 3:17-18). Everything revolves around how you respond to Jesus! Everything revolves around what you do with God's offer for redemption in Jesus Christ. This becomes the game changer, your sin(s), notwithstanding!
Do you now feel the need for Jesus in your life? Will you accept Him into your life right away? If so, pray along with me.
PRAYER:
Dearest Heavenly Father, I believe that You sent Jesus to be the propitiation for my sin(s). I receive Him into my life right now. I confess Him as the Lord and Savior of my life. Thank You for making me righteous before You.