THE ONLY WAY TO BE JUSTIFIED

             THE ONLY WAY TO BE JUSTIFIED

One of the greatest deception in the body of Christ today and the world at large is the erroneous idea of justification which has been taught throughout the ages. The human mind since the time of Adam’s sin up until now is in dire need of justification. From the time man evolved a conscience and discovered the difference between good and evil, his mind has wandered through a lot of thoughts on how to appear innocent and righteous before God. The condemned mind of man has sought justification via several means ranging from setting up several rituals and religious activities to obedience of a bunch of rules and regulations.

Surprisingly, none of these attempts could grant justification. The reason is because God is simply not interested in those rituals and hence was not pleased by any of them. God was looking for something so simple with which He will justify the world. Any man who can find that which the Lord desires would be justified.

What is this simple criteria needed for justification? Let’s see from the scriptures what God requires of us.

^1-2 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What were his experiences concerning this question of being saved by faith? Was it because of his good deeds that God accepted him? If so, then he would have something to boast about. But from God’s point of view Abraham had no basis at all for pride. ³ For the Scriptures tell us Abraham believed God, and that is why God canceled his sins and declared him “not guilty.”{Romans 4:1-3 TLB}

Our father Abraham was justified by faith. God cancelled his sins and declared him “not guilty” by faith. Abraham was not declared righteous because of his good deeds neither was he justified because he obeyed Jewish rules. He simply had faith in God and God cancelled his sins. Abraham could therefore not boast before God since it was God’s mercy that brought him justification.

If we compare this way of justification with what is being preached in most churches today, we would find out that the church has erroneously taught us that the only way to be justified is to obey the Ten Commandments and all other religious rituals. Therefore until a man fulfils all the requirements of the law, he doesn’t feel justified. The few who pretend to have obeyed all the laws are puffed up in pride and boast about their self-justification even though God has not justified them. Why hasn’t God justified them? Well, the reason is because no man can be saved by being good enough. Salvation is a gift from God, it is not the reward for our hard work.

^4-5 But didn’t he earn his right to heaven by all the good things he did? No, for being saved is a gift; if a person could earn it by being good, then it wouldn’t be free—but it is! It is given to those who do not work for it. For God declares sinners to be good in his sight if they have faith in Christ to save them from God’s wrath. {Romans 4:4-5 TLB}

Did you notice that salvation is given to those who do not work for it? God declares sinners justified only if they have faith in Christ to save them. Many people in church today claim to have faith in Christ but always seek justification from keeping Ten Commandments and Jewish rituals. To depend on the law for justification is an act of unbelief and lack of faith in Christ as the justifier.

No man can get justification by hard work. It is given to those who do not work for it but have faith in the justifier.

³⁰ Well then, what shall we say about these things? Just this, that God has given the Gentiles the opportunity to be acquitted by faith, even though they had not been really seeking God. ³¹ But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping his laws, never succeeded.³² Why not? Because they were trying to be saved by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. They have stumbled over the great stumbling stone. ³³ God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said, “I have put a Rock in the path of the Jews, and many will stumble over him (Jesus). Those who believe in him will never be disappointed.”{Romans 9:30-33 TLB}

The same arrogance exhibited by the Jews is being exhibited by most Christians today. Trying to be saved by obeying Jewish laws instead of depending on faith in Christ is the highest level of arrogance and disrespect for the finished work on the cross. No wonder on that day of the Lord’s return many will be disappointed because they have not fully believed in his saving power. Only those who fully believe in Him will not be disappointed.

This justification by faith is not for those who obey the Jewish laws neither is it for those who have never sinned at all. It is for those who still have shortcomings and struggle with different kinds of weaknesses. It is for those who have faith in the saving power of Christ to forgive their sins. It is for those who believe that God’s strength is made perfect even in their weaknesses. It is for those who are humble enough to know that they can’t help themselves. God will justify only those who acknowledge that they need a stronger arm to save them from their flaws. It is only for those to whom the arm of the Lord has been revealed and those who believe in Him. God justifies those who don’t deserve it if only they have faith in Christ.

⁶ King David spoke of this, describing the happiness of an undeserving sinner who is declared “not guilty” by God. ⁷ “Blessed and to be envied,” he said, “are those whose sins are forgiven and put out of sight.⁸ Yes, what joy there is for anyone whose sins are no longer counted against him by the Lord.”{Romans 4:6-8 TLB}

Well, you may not hear this being preached in your church but the truth is that God puts our sins out of sight once we have faith in Him to save us. God no longer counts our sins against us simply because we have met the simple criteria for justification, “faith”. We can enjoy a peaceful relationship with God because his anger has been averted simply because of our faith in what Christ has done for us.

So now, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith in his promises, we can have real peace with him because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ² For because of our faith, he has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to actually becoming all that God has had in mind for us to be.{Romans 5:1-2 TLB}.

Blessed are those who have been brought into this place of highest privilege where we now stand. The Jews sought to stand in this position of highest privilege but they never attained this height. Many religious Christians today are still seeking to attain this height of justification but they cannot. The reason is because no man can be justified by obeying the Jewish laws and Ten Commandments. Only those who are justified by faith have truly attained this privileged position. They are to be envied.

²⁰ Now do you see it? No one can ever be made right in God’s sight by doing what the law commands. For the more we know of God’s laws, the clearer it becomes that we aren’t obeying them; his laws serve only to make us see that we are sinners.

^21-22 But now God has shown us a different way to heaven^[f]—not by “being good enough” and trying to keep his laws, but by a new way (though not new, really, for the Scriptures told about it long ago). Now God says he will accept and acquit us—declare us “not guilty”—if we trust Jesus Christ to take away our sins. And we all can be saved in this same way, by coming to Christ, no matter who we are or what we have been like.{Romans 3:20-22}

No one can ever be justified by doing what the law commands. We are accepted and acquitted, declared “not guilty” only if we trust Christ to take away our sins.

I know some religious minds would want to ask “so do you mean when Christians sin they are still justified? What happens to the sins? What about those of us that have not sinned?” The bible has an answer for your questions:

 ²³ Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious ideal; ²⁴ yet now God declares us “not guilty” of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins.

²⁵ For God sent Christ Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to end all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith as the means of saving us from his wrath. In this way he was being entirely fair, even though he did not punish those who sinned in former times. For he was looking forward to the time when Christ would come and take away those sins. {Romans 3:23-25 TLB}

Anyone who thinks he has no sin is only deceiving himself. The bible says all have sinned. If we say we have no sin we are lying and the truth is not in us. Religious people have a certain wrong idea of what sin is and think that they have not sinned because they have graded sins into categories and are tempted to believe that only stealing, lying, fornication, adultery etc are sins. They forget that anger, malice, unforgiveness, self-righteousness, fearfulness etc are also sins. Even what you were supposed to do but didn’t do is sin. If we really are to look at God’s ordinances, no man can be sinless. Besides the Ten Commandments they are also about 600 more other ordinances that man must obey to be righteous. {613 laws in total}. So anyone who thinks he has no sin is just joking.

The problem now is not the issue of sin. God has solved that problem by sending Christ to take the punishment for our sins and has ended all God’s anger against us. He used Christ’s blood and our faith to save us from His wrath. What God requires now is faith in what He has done. So the real problem now is not sin but unbelief.

I know to some people this seems too good to be true to hear that sin is no longer the problem but lack of faith. It seems unfair to allow the sinner go unpunished even when he is found guilty of the crime. Well verse 24 of romans 3 says “yet God declares us not guilty of offending Him if we have faith in Christ. But in verse 23 He said ALL HAVE SINNED. It was needful for all men to be condemned guilty first so that no man can boast and so that all men can acknowledge the free gift of justification by faith. Therefore if you are waiting to be 100 percent without sin before you can feel justified, you may keep waiting until Christ return and that may never be possible.

²⁶ And now in these days also he can receive sinners in this same way because Jesus took away their sins

But isn’t this unfair for God to let criminals go free, and say that they are innocent? No, for he does it on the basis of their trust in Jesus who took away their sins.

²⁷ Then what can we boast about doing to earn our salvation? Nothing at all. Why? Because our acquittal is not based on our good deeds; it is based on what Christ has done and our faith in him. ²⁸ So it is that we are saved^[h] by faith in Christ and not by the good things we do. {Romans 3:26-28 TLB}

Dear church, Muslims, Judaisers, atheist, moralist etc, there is nothing you can do to be justified except to have faith in Jesus Christ. He alone can justify man and end the enmity between man and God.

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he may be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. {Romans 3:26 Webster’s bible translation}

¹⁶ Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.{Galatians 2:16}

⁴ For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. {Galatians 5:4 NLT}

No matter how much of God’s laws you’ve broken, you too can be justified and declared not guilty. Just have faith in the One who paid for your sins, JESUS CHRIST THE RIGHTEOUS.

22 And because of Abraham’s faith, God counted him as righteous. 23 And when God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. 25 He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God. {Romans 4:22-25 NLT}

REST FROM YOUR LABOUR

REST FROM YOUR LABOUR

Indeed, it is a burden and a labour to want to keep the laws of Moses. You will work your head out only to discover that you cannot obey all of them. When you think you are doing pretty good you will all of a sudden discover that you have faulted one law. You will need to start all over again because the one you faulted nullifies all the other ones you’ve kept. You keep repeating this cycle and you never attain perfection. You are working so hard and never becoming righteous in God’s eyes. The laws and all its rituals is a yoke and a burden that needs to be broken from off our shoulders and necks.

⁵ But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

⁶ And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

⁷ And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

⁸ And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

⁹ And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

¹⁰ Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.{ Acts 10:5-11}

The people of old couldn’t bear that yoke of rule-keeping neither were the disciples of Jesus’ day able to handle the burden of the laws. They laboured, all to no avail.

You were not designed to work forever. Even God rested from all His work. That means that we also are supposed to rest from our labour. The children of Israel struggled so much, labouring to be righteous in God’s sight by keeping the laws of Moses but they were wearied out and still didn’t achieve righteousness. They needed rest just as God rested from His own work.

 And so the whole universe was completed. ² By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. ³ He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation^[a] and stopped working. ⁴ And that is how the universe was created. {Genesis 2:1-4 GNT}

The word rest in the original Hebrew is Shabbat which means to cease or stop, to bring to an end. It doesn’t mean to relax because of tiredness to resume again. God being omnipotent could not possibly have been wearied or tired. His resting on the seventh day as described by other translations is therefore not out of weariness but because He needed to bring to an end the creation process. He had finished creating the universe and had to stop working.

Just as God stopped working so also has He desired us to stop working. He then commanded Moses to tell the children of Israel to set aside a day called the Sabbath day in which they will not work but focus on God alone. That day was to be dedicated to God alone. That means that the seventh day will take their attention from themselves and focus it on God. They would all look unto Jesus on the Sabbath day.

⁸ “Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy. ⁹ You have six days in which to do your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a day of rest dedicated to me. On that day no one is to work—neither you, your children, your slaves, your animals, nor the foreigners who live in your country. ¹¹ In six days I, the Lord, made the earth, the sky, the seas, and everything in them, but on the seventh day I rested. That is why I, the Lord, blessed the Sabbath and made it holy. {Exodus 20:8-11}

¹² “Work for six days and rest the seventh so your ox and donkey may rest and your servant and migrant workers may have time to get their needed rest.{Exodus 23:12 MSG}

The verses above show two types of rest, one means to stop or finish and it is the Hebrew word Shabbat while the other means to just take a break in order to rest and it is the Hebrew word Nuach or Naphash.

Therefore the Sabbath day is Holy and dedicated to God but most importantly it is for the benefit of man. The Sabbath was made for the good of man and for man. The Sabbath is all about Jesus who is the Lord of the Sabbath and the people for which He made the Sabbath. Jesus confirmed this when He said:

²⁷ And Jesus concluded, “The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”{Mark 2:27-28 GNT}

What exactly is the meaning of the Sabbath to man, The Sabbath was just a shadow of something which was to come. That was a day which God will give Humans rest from all their struggles. They will cease labouring to become righteous. His desire is to give rest to His people Israel but they did not understand what the Sabbath meant. He wanted them to be righteous without labouring for it. He wanted to help them achieve that which they’ve laboured in vain for years to achieve but could not achieve. The only criteria needed for them to enter that rest and become righteous was their FAITH.

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ. {Colossians 2:16-17 NIV}

⁴ Even that question wouldn’t have come up except for some so-called “Christians” there—false ones, really—who came to spy on us and see what freedom we enjoyed in Christ Jesus, as to whether we obeyed the Jewish laws or not. They tried to get us all tied up in their rules, like slaves in chains. ⁵ But we did not listen to them for a single moment, for we did not want to confuse you into thinking that salvation can be earned by being circumcised and by obeying Jewish laws.{Galatians 2:4-5 TLB}

Unfortunately when the Lord of the Sabbath finally showed up in Human form to help them enter into rest, they lacked faith and didn’t believe in Him. They were even accusing Him of working on the Sabbath day. They started quoting the Law of Moses to Him. Little did they know that the same God who gave the laws to Moses was standing before their very eyes in human form. They didn’t know He was the One the Law and the prophets bore witness to.

²³ Jesus was walking through some wheat fields on a Sabbath. As his disciples walked along with him, they began to pick the heads of wheat. ²⁴ So the Pharisees said to Jesus, “Look, it is against our Law for your disciples to do that on the Sabbath!”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “Have you never read what David did that time when he needed something to eat? He and his men were hungry, ²⁶ so he went into the house of God and ate the bread offered to God. This happened when Abiathar was the High Priest. According to our Law only the priests may eat this bread—but David ate it and even gave it to his men.”

²⁷ And Jesus concluded, “The Sabbath was made for the good of human beings; they were not made for the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”{Mark 2:23-28 GNT}

The same law from whose burdens He had come to rescue them and give them rest from was what they quoted against Him. They are holding tenaciously to what they need to let go in order to have rest. They didn’t know the true meaning of the Sabbath. Look at this scenario in Luke chapter 13:

¹⁰ One Sabbath Jesus was teaching in a synagogue. ¹¹ A woman there had an evil spirit that had kept her sick for eighteen years; she was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called out to her, “Woman, you are free from your sickness!” ¹³ He placed his hands on her, and at once she straightened herself up and praised God.

¹⁴ The official of the synagogue was angry that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, so he spoke up and said to the people, “There are six days in which we should work; so come during those days and be healed, but not on the Sabbath!”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Any one of you would untie your ox or your donkey from the stall and take it out to give it water on the Sabbath.¹⁶ Now here is this descendant of Abraham whom Satan has kept in bonds for eighteen years; should she not be released on the Sabbath?” ¹⁷ His answer made his enemies ashamed of themselves, while the people rejoiced over all the wonderful things that he did. {Luke 13:10-17 GNT}

Did you notice that these hypocrites are trying to be more righteous than the one who is righteousness personified? They want to uphold the law even when the one who gave them the law is asking them to let go and embrace rest. That is the problem with self- righteous people, hypocrisy. They pretend outwardly that all is fine but inwardly they are heavy laden and burdened. One of the most interesting scenes in the gospels was when the Pharisees brought the woman that was caught in the very act of adultery. 

They said Moses in his laws commanded that she should be stoned. Jesus responded: he that is without sin let him cast the first stone. The bible recorded that they all began to leave from the oldest to the youngest. That shows that they were all guilty of sin despite their pretence to be keeping the laws of Moses. They wanted to condemn a woman to death for the same sin they were guilty of. Jesus came to release them from the yoke of the law that they’ve carried for years making them bent over like the woman who was bent over. The woman was healed and she straightened up but the Jews have refused to be straightened up from the yoke and labour of the law. Jesus is the only one who can give us rest He is the Lord of the Sabbath and if we can come to Him, we would surely get that rest.

 ²⁸ “Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke and put it on you, and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in spirit; and you will find rest. ³⁰ For the yoke I will give you is easy, and the load I will put on you is light.”{Matthew 11:28-30 GNT}

If you read the preceding verses of Matthew chapter11, you would find out that Jesus made this statement after pouring out His denunciation on the unbelieving cities where He did most of His miracles. The people didn’t believe Him despite all the miracles He did. They were priding themselves in their religion, shrugging their shoulders and going their own way. Little did they know that religion was a yoke on their neck that they needed to get rest from. The message translation made it easier to understand.

^28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep Company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”{Matthew 11:28-30 MSG}

ALL MEN ARE GUILTY

ALL MEN ARE GUILTY

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; {Rom 3:23}

The greatest of all the consequences of Adam’s offence in my opinion is that sin entered the world and all men became sinners. This means that even without committing sin man is automatically a sinner as long as he is born of a woman. Man is born with a sinful nature such that whether he sins or not he is tagged a sinner.

 Until a man encounters Christ no matter what he does he is still a sinner. The best moralist, atheist or most principled man on earth is a sinner if he hasn’t met Christ.

 Therefor sin is not what we do but who we are as a result of Adam’s sin. This means that no man can boast before God because all have sinned.

 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, {Rom 5:19a}

In the eyes of God we don’t have to disobey him to be sinners, the disobedience of Adam has already made all of mankind sinners. Therefore whether a man breaks a law or not he is a sinner before God.

¹² 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}

All of mankind have sinned and no one is exempted. We are all guilty of sin even if we don’t commit sin. Adam brought sin into the world and that sin has stained everyone. It is impossible for man born of a woman to be clean. Man can never be righteous no matter what he does. His nature is that of sin. His DNA encodes for sin. He rejoices in iniquity. He drinks it like water. The natural man is filthy and abominable. This is how it is described in the book of Job.

¹⁴ What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?

¹⁵ Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.

¹⁶ How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?

{Job 15:14-16}

Who then can escape? Who can boast about been righteous before God? We all came out of our mother’s womb sinful. Sin is who we are and would always be except we get born again by accepting Jesus Christ. David in his psalms lamented this depraved nature of ours like this:

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. {Psalms 51:5}

Now let’s hear what God’s judgement on mankind is after Adam screwed up our world. This statement was made many years after the fall of man. Not even the Jews were excluded from this judgement. The whole of mankind including Jews and Gentiles were declared sinners by God. Here it is:

⁹ What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

¹⁰ As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

¹¹ There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

¹² They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

¹³ Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

¹⁴ Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

¹⁵ Their feet are swift to shed blood:

¹⁶ Destruction and misery are in their ways:

¹⁷ And the way of peace have they not known:

¹⁸ There is no fear of God before their eyes.

¹⁹ Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. {Romans 3:9-19}

The verdict is that “all the world is guilty before God” therefore every mouth has to be stopped. No one can boast. The tenth verse says there is none righteous, no not one.

 Jews and Gentiles have been proven to all be under sin. Therefore keeping the law makes no one righteous in God’s sight. The natural man has become unprofitable to God. No one does well. Man is full of deceit. His mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. His feet are swift to shed blood. There is no reverence for God in his heart. His heart is desperately wicked. 

Does this describe the mankind you see today? Look at the events happening all over the world today from Boko Haram to Al-Qaida to ISIS to gay right movements and all the present evil that is projected in the media via the movie and music industry. Do they fall into the category of mankind described in the passage above?

Now I want you to know that the man who committed murder is as guilty as the man who stole a pen. The prostitute is as guilty as the liar and the fornicator as guilty as the adulterer. Also the man who has committed a thousand sin is as guilty as the one who has committed no sin if he has not accepted Christ.

 The whole world is guilty irrespective of the offence committed or not committed. No man can boast neither can one natural man point fingers at another. No matter what a man does, God will still not be pleased because His judgment upon all men is “GUILTY” 

Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; {Rom 5:18a}

There is condemnation for all men. God’s judgement is that we are all condemned. The one sin committed by Adam has condemned the whole of mankind. This was how God judged man:

YOU ARE CONDEMNED

YOU ARE UNHOLY

YOU ARE FILTHY

YOU ARE UNRIGHTEOUS

YOU ARE FAULTY

YOU ARE NOT MY PEOPLE

YOU ARE BLAMEABLE

YOU ARE GUILTY

Man now walks around with this sense of guilt and condemnation.  The only thing left for man to do is to look for a way to please God and reverse the judgement. Hence men have set up different means of trying to reach God to win his favour and this is why there are so many religions in the world.

 Everybody is looking for a way to appear righteous before God but all of man’s effort to reach God has ended in futility. No matter what man does he can never please God unless his sinful nature is taken away and a new relationship is made to exist between him and God. Only God can make this possible and He has a plan on how to reconcile man back to himself........