“Just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26)

If you’re saved,  even though you were a sinner, you’re now justified freely by grace through the redemption that’s in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24). The blood of Christ has cleansed your conscience, so you no longer try to save yourself by dead works (Hebrews 9:14), and there’s “no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

What a blessing! Your conscience no longer accuses you. God judges for you instead of against you. You can remember past sins, and feel deep regret, but without the fear of punishment. Since Christ paid the last full measure, no saint will be cast into Hell.

It seems to be one of the principles of our enlightened nature to believe that God is just; we feel that it must be so, and this rightly fills us with terror at first; but after we’re saved, it fills us with awe that this very same belief that God is just, becomes for us an unshakable foundation of confidence and peace!

If God is just, without Christ, I deserve Hell, but with Christ, God’s justice says, “he’s free!”. Because Christ took my place, I can shout in glorious triumph, “Who shall bring a charge against me? It’s God who justifies, and Christ sits at the right hand of God, making intercession for me” (Romans 8:33–34).

My Blessed Hope isn’t because I’m not a sinner, but because I’m a sinner for whom Christ died; my trust isn’t that I’m holy, but that being unholy, He’s my righteousness. My faith rests not upon what I am, or shall be, or feel I am, or know I am, but in what Christ is, in what He’s already done, and in what He’s promised to do for all eternity.

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