JUSTIFIED!

JUSTIFIED

In Romans, chapters 3,4 and 5, the words "Justified, Justification, Justify" are used upwards of ten times in connection with our heritage in Jesus Christ.

The term means to be declared "Not Guilty," "Innocent," "Acquitted," "Righteous," and other such ways of expressing a right standing in the sight of God.

Often times people who are innocent of the crime they are accused of, are "declared" guilty by juries who are deceived. Likewise,people who are as guilty as sin itself, have been "declared" innocent by a jury which was deceived or prejudiced. Man's ability to discern absolute truth and honesty is seriously flawed.

But not so when we are dealing with the Creator of the Universe. He is Omniscient, and cannot be deceived. He has "concluded all under sin" in order that His Love can be extended to everyone alike.

If we were guilty sinners, and we were; there is no way we can be innocent, righteous, as far as human ability is concerned. We cannot be both-- we are either guilty or innocent, righteous or unrighteous.

But, something happened while Jesus was hanging on the Cross. It startled and surprised the man Christ Jesus, and He cried out in anguish, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"

At that moment "He who knew no sin" was stripped of His Righteousness (right relationship with God), innocence, and purity, and the sin of the entire world laid on him.

Jesus had never known what the guilt of sin felt like. It was foreign to Him. He had never known the feeling of the lack of Purity, Righteousness, and Holiness. Suddenly he was in a different "world" than he had ever been in before.

God had to take away the Innocence from Jesus in order to lay on Him the guilt of the world. He could not be guilty and innocent at the same time.

So, at that moment on the Cross, provision was made for every human who will accept the work of Calvary. We may now, by putting our trust in Jesus for the safety of our soul, take advantage of the sudden transfer of innocence and guilt which happened that day.

Jesus offers us a "straight across trade" of our guilt for His innocence and rightness with God.

This is humanly impossible, as we all know. "We can't get there from here." But that is because we cannot perform miracles. God has no such limitations.

Justification is exactly that kind of a miracle, and it is available to any one and every one who will take advantage of it.

Facts are no always Truth. Facts tell me I am guilty. Truth declares me to be innocent. Whom shall I believe-- my knowledge, (facts) or what God says (Truth)?