A primary reason why many of us feel that we need to earn God’s favor is because we do not have peace with God.   The Apostle Paul declares in the book of Romans that you can have peace with God,

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (Romans 5:1)

The word “justified” conveys the idea of declaring one to be righteous.  We may erroneously believe that keeping the law of God enables us to be  justified in God’s sight – we think that if we just perform (or pay enough penance) then we will have peace with God.  The truth is no one can keep the law, rather the law points out our need for a Savior,

nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.  (Galatians 2:16)

Justification reveals that we have been reconciled to God through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross with the result that the enmity and wrath of God has been turned away,

Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.  (Romans 5:9)

There is however another dimension to justification.  Justification not only saves us from the penalty of our sin but it also enables us to receive the benefits of a child of God.

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.  (1 Corinthians 6:11)

We see this concept of justification delineated in the following verse as Christ bore the weight of our sin so that we might become the righteousness of God – God not only loves us, He likes us!  God fully accepts us based upon the righteousness of Christ.

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 Corinthians 5:21)

Are you experiencing your birthright as a child of God?  You can have victory over sin!  You don’t need to be in bondage to habits of the “old man” – the person you used to be before Christ came into your life.  God has declared you righteous, so see yourself as God sees you, and start living in accordance with you new, true identity!

Associate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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