The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"Justified Freely"
Were it not for the Lord Jesus Christ obtaining and maintaining our relationship with God, our experience of His grace would never have begun, nor would it continue.
"But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Romans 3:21-24).
"Being justified freely" was written by the Apostle Paul in the present passive participle tense of the Greek language, meaning a bestowal of righteousness that began and continues. The believer brings nothing of his own merit to salvation, but rather trusts completely in the person and work of a righteous Christ as our sole hope for relationship with God. "Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us… righteousness" (I Corinthians 1:30). We receive and abide in the gift "freely," experiencing the power of grace as our motivating and enabling means whereby we are "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Philippians 1:11).
Only freely given righteousness in Christ results in the sincerity of heart whereby we do what we do with proper motivation. If we believe ourselves capable of achieving the perfect standard of righteousness required by a perfectly righteous God (or even coming close to such an accomplishment), we end up either lowering the standard to accommodate our error, or being being bludgeoned by it with failure and frustration. Conversely, the "free gift" of favor with God, known and affirmed, results in the proper sensibilities of gratitude, humility, trust, and the confidence that our relationship with Him can continue on the same basis - grace through faith - whereby it began. "As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him, rooted and built up in Him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (Colossians 2:6-7).
Believers rest in Christ's righteousness in order to work the works of Christ's righteousness. We live for God by living from God, or in Paul's terms, we "work out" that which the Holy Spirit "works in" (Philippians 2:12-13). Assurance of our justification, obtained and maintained by the Lord Jesus, results in genuine and heartfelt desire to walk with our Heavenly Father. Thereby, we honor Him, please His heart, and find the power to walk righteously because we live in and from the glory of "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us."
(Titus 3:5)
"The fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth."
(Ephesians 5:9)
Weekly Memory Verses
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2:9-11)
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