Justification refers to the act of God declaring us to be righteous or just in His eyes through faith in His Son. The doctrine of justification by faith is fundamental to all genuine Christian denominations. We may worship differently, sing differently, or preach differently, but we all believe that only one way exists for getting right with God. That is by placing our faith in Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross.
Alas, some churchgoers, trust in their service in church or their church attendance for their justification.
At a previous church I pastored, we used to take to the streets to witness to the lost. Many of those I spoke to on the streets claimed to be saved. When asked for the basis of their claim, however, they most often cited how long they had been attending church, when they got baptized, or how many offices they held in their local church.
The majority of them appeared to be sincere about what they told me. But very few of those I posed the question to could give me a biblical answer for their claim.
The sad truth about this is that the people who attend church believing that they are right with God because of their church activity and affiliation see no need to pursue justification by faith in Christ.
A fundamental difference between Christianity and all cults is that cults embrace the doctrine of justification by works. They have no other choice because cults deny the deity of Christ. If He is not deity, then He is no more than another human being. And if that is the case, He can do nothing to save us because He himself would need a Savior.
Moreover, each man and woman would have to fend for themselves; that is, try to do enough good to be declared righteous by God.
The Liberating Effect of Justification by Faith
I find the doctrine of justification by faith in Christ liberating. How about you? I will be the first to say that I am fallible. I make mistakes, get angry sometimes, and at times I say and do the wrong thing. But I know that I am still a righteous person in the eyes of God because my being declared righteous did not depend upon me always batting a perfect score.
Some Christians are too hard on themselves. Do you beat up yourself every time you miss the mark? Are you having trouble forgiving yourself of some terrible sin or mistake in the past? I say to you by the Word of the Lord that you must place your faith in Christ’s redemptive work on the cross and not in your performance.
Please do not misunderstand me. I know God wants us to walk before Him with a perfect heart. To do that, we must love what He loves and dislike what He dislikes. And when we miss the mark, we should readily ask His forgiveness and make amends.
But we must always bear in mind that we have not been made right with God based on what we did but based upon our faith in what Christ did for us on the cross. Only He could perfectly fulfill the law. And when we place our faith in His work on the cross, God declares us to be righteous.
It just doesn’t get any better than that. Think about it: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21).
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.