How often do you feel shame and guilt over your past, unable to focus on the present?
How often do you despair over the person you used to be or over a mistake you recently made that you have already repented for?
Carrying the burden of our sin is not something humans were designed to do, and it is one reason among many that without Christ, our own strength is staggeringly insufficient. That is why, if you follow Jesus Christ, it is wholly unnecessary to continue shouldering this weight.
Yet, how often do we find ourselves wrapped up in soul-crushing self-disgust, dwelling obsessively on the sinful nature Jesus has already saved us from? Church, we have been justified through the blood of Christ. We would do well to consider the implications of this and treasure them in our heart. An education on the doctrine of justification is vital.
What is Justification?
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.“
Romans 5:1
“So that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.“
Titus 3:7
Simply put, the justification of the believer is the instantaneous, divine act that occurs when, upon placing our faith in Jesus Christ, God removes from us the “guilty” verdict our sin brings and declares us innocent through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ: no longer sentenced to eternal condemnation. In the moment we become born again, God declares us righteous in his sight—flawless in his eyes. Theological commentator Philip Eveson even describes it as our acquittal! We are “justified!”
It is as if you stood in the divine courtroom where God is the holy judge, and as he reads off all of your charges, you can do nothing but plead guilty to every single one of them. Then, as God finishes reading all our condemning crimes back to you, he informs you that you have two choices: the first option is taking the sentencing you deserve. At this, a pit of despair forms in your stomach. But the all-righteous judge continues! Alternatively, he says, there is someone who underwent a punishment for your crimes in your stead, and all you need to do is accept his offer to cover for you, and your legal record will be wiped spotless.
It is important to note that justification is completely and utterly a gracious act of God made possible through Jesus Christ. It does not come from the inherent righteousness or goodness of the believer; it comes through the supreme love and mercy of God, indescribably poured out to us through the sending of his son to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sin. It is also not a process that must be maintained through the works and participation of the believer in order to develop and continually cover us from our sin. Justification is an instant union of the believer and Christ’s righteousness that removes the stain of our sin “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.“
Romans 3:28
“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.“
Galatians 2:16
To conclude this explanation, it is not as if or like our sin is gone. Through the justification of Jesus Christ’s suffering on the Christ, our sin is gone. That is not to say we will no longer sin or wrestle with temptation, but it is to say that sin and death no longer bind and shackle us. Our shame is trampled under God’s feet.
It’s Final!
The justified believer does not need to do anything more in order to have intimate community with God or enter into heaven. It is through the believer’s faith, and the justification before God that comes with faith, that we are made to be “without blemish and free from accusation.” (Colossians 1:22) This means that those who are in Christ never need to worry if God will suddenly decide they aren’t “good enough” to go to heaven or continue enjoying a relationship with him. He will never give them up, seeing them as a lost cause that is to be cast aside and never brought to his attention again. When he looks at us, He sees the righteousness of his son instead of the mess and dysfunction of our sin.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
Romans 6:23
So What Now?
Look outward instead of inward: When we forget about our justification, we often spend so much time wrapped up in our shame and retreat from the rest of reality to occupy this small, guilty space in our mind like it’s a full-time job. Church, when we spend so much time focused inwardly, we lose the ability to live and serve outwardly.
We stop focusing on that discipling relationship we’ve been fostering with that person in our community. We lose our ability to pick up on the needs and hurts of others in day-to-day interactions. We no longer pray for our others and for the Spirit to guide us in our ministry because we’re too fixated on how sinful and wretched we are. We are too focused on us. Let this knowledge assure you that you are fully justified before God, with your sins trampled under his feet, eradicating your guilt. Let it free you from your prison of despair so you may go and let God use you to make disciples in the way he designed you to! Your sins are gone; you’ve been set free.
Jailbreak: In most instances, assisting prisoners in breaking out of jail is a highly illegal and ill-advised pastime. There is one kind of jailbreak, however, that scripture fully endorses, and that is helping others break from the prison of their sin.
In any given community, the majority of people do not have a deep, intimate relationship with Christ. They are still bound and shackled by their sin. That is why you, driven by a fervent love and thankfulness for the freedom from sin Christ has given you, are called to go and make disciples of them! You are called to go and tell them of the God who breaks every chain that binds us. So think hard—in what way is God wanting to use you to break others out of prison? Who is there in your life you can invest in? If you can’t immediately discern anyone, pray to God that He would help you. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.“
Romans 3:23-24
Story of Grace 