FACTS VERSUS TRUTH

FACTS VERSUS TRUTH

When I was a small child, my school teacher drilled into us the phrase, "you stay by facts, and facts will stay by you."

I found this to be a very good principle in every phase of life except one. It will not work in our relationship to God. GOD DOES NOT OPERATE IN THE REALM OF FACTS. They will serve only to foul us up in our walk with Him.

GOD DEALS IN THE REALM OF FAITH AND TRUTH, and we have to deal with Him on this basis. Consider:

Abraham and Sarah were both too old, it was PHYSICALLY IMPOSSIBLE for them to have a child. This FACT is irrefutable. But by FAITH IN THE TRUTH OF GOD'S WORD it was done. Also consider: 

I had committed many sins before I was drawn to Jesus by His Spirit. They are FACTS, and many of them linger in my memory yet, even though I have made my Peace With God, and have been forgiven by Him.

But one day I discovered the word "justified". It sent me on a search for a simple meaning which I could understand. It means to be ACQUITTED, or DECLARED INNOCENT, such as jury would find or declare.

I was in a dilemma. FACT insists I am GUILTY of the things I had done. TRUTH declares me to be INNOCENT. I CAN NOT BE BOTH GUILTY AND INNOCENT AT THE SAME TIME. Which one is correct--FACT OR TRUTH?

I chose to put my confidence in TRUTH. It brought Peace to my soul.

JUSTIFICATION IS ONE OF THE MIRACLES OF GOD'S GRACE. IT BLOTS OUT THE FACT OF GUILT, AND ESTABLISHES THE TRUTH OF INNOCENCE.

Jesus was stripped of His righteousness, and laden with my sin on the Cross. When it happened, He cried in anguish, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken Me?" He carried my guilt when He died. He died a sinner in my stead. He has imputed His innocence to me by the miracle of Justification by Faith.