ESOCS Devotional 27 May 2024 – Christ: Our Sanctification and Justification
MEMORY VERSE: “Everyone has sinned and is far away from Gods’ saving presence. But by the free gift of God’s grace all are put right with Him through Christ Jesus who sets them free.” Romans 3:23-24 GNB.
TEXT: ROMANS 3: 21-31
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
27 Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. 29 Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, 30 since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
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As declared by Saint Paul in Romans 3:23-24, the entire human race has fallen short of the glory of God. But God the compassionate Father has justified us freely by His grace, through the atoning sacrifice of His Only Begotten Son. Christ took what is ours – our sinfulness, and gave us what is His – His righteousness. In other words, Christ took our punishment, and died in our place for the remission of our sins.
Furthermore, through the gospel of Jesus, God has shown us the way to be made right with Him, without keeping all the requirements of the law. In practice, we are made right with God by placing our unshaken faith in Christ, the Redeemer. The righteousness of God is now made manifest in us. This is the justification of God that is revealed in order to save humanity, regardless of our inability to keep the law (Romans 1:17, Acts 15:11). It is the righteousness which is accredited to those who seek God by faith (Romans 4:3).
In Genesis 12:3, God had promised that He would send the Saviour into the world for the benefit of all humanity. Through the law and the prophets, these promises were re-echoed. Then by the faithfulness of God the Father, these promises were accomplished. The promises were not fulfilled because of man’s keeping of the law. They were rather fulfilled because of the grace of God (Galatians 3:15-18).
It is also important to add here that the righteousness of God that leads to the justification of mankind required two conditions to be met. One is the faithfulness of Jesus in going to the cross. The second is man’s faith response to the cross of Christ. These two conditions were necessary in order to accomplish God’s eternal plan to reconcile fallen man to Himself through Jesus, the Messiah.
Christ, our Redeemer, has accomplished His own part of the bargain in all faithfulness (John 17:4, 19:30). What about you? Yes! Grace is free, but faith is sharpened by works (James 2:17-18). Or, shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? (Romans 6:1). God will not sanction that.
- Human salvation is an accomplished project. So, we can live as we like. Comment.
- Thank you, Father, for the gift of free grace. Give us the grace to also show working.
Further Reading: 2 Kings 6:8-23; Isaiah 43:1-12; Mark 1:1-11
ESOCS Devotional 27 May 2024
