Justification
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-"But
now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed, and
is attested by the law and the prophets, the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction,
since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they are now
justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his blood,
effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because in
his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it
was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus."-Romans 3: 21-26
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Over the coming 4 weeks, we are going to study an
important section of Paul's letter to the church in
Rome. This section will deal with the issue of
Justification. What is Justification, you ask
yourself? Well, classically it is the understanding of
the means through which we are saved. But recently
there has been some debate over just exactly what Paul
means when he talks about Justification. Does he mean
the personal salvation of an individual through faith in
Jesus Christ, as has been the classic interpretation, or
does he mean the process by which God saves humanity
through the extension of the covenant? This is the
issue.
Don't worry, you are not going to get 4 lectures on
Justification over the coming month in worship. But we
will deal with this important doctrine and see what it
means for us, for the Church, and for our theology. For
your devotional time this morning, I hope you will read
this passage from Romans a couple of times, and reflect
on what Paul is saying. No matter how we interpret the
doctrine of Justification itself, the core truth of it
remains unchanged, that we are all sinners in need of
the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Oh that we
may know this truth in our lives.
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Prayer: Holy God, I am in need of your grace, and I thank
you for sending Christ into the world for me. Help me to understand
his life and death and resurrection, that I might better understand
myself and You. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
[Phillip Blackburn, First Presbyterian Church] |