God’s salvific plan in summary. Part 6

“And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” Romans 8:30.

As we saw yesterday, Biblical Justification is an act of God declaring a sinner righteous in His presence not based on any merits or goodness in him or her, but because of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness based on the professed faith and trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ on their behalf. At the moment of accepting one’s sinful nature and confessed faith in the crucified Christ for the forgiveness of all sins, God imparts Christ’s righteousness that makes them perfect. Colossians 2:10 says, “God has made you complete in Christ.” It is done at the time of Justification.

Imputation is a Biblical concept. Romans 5:18-19 says, “just as one trespass (referring Adam’s disobedience) resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act (Christ’s death and resurrection) resulted in Justification and life for all people.  For just as through the disobedience of the one man (the Adam) the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man (Christ) the many will be made righteous.” God imputed the sin of Adam to all of his posterity as he is the representative of all mankind. In the appointed time when God fulfilled the eternal covenant of humanity’s salvation, he imputed humanity’s imputed sins on Jesus Christ by putting him to the cruel death on the cross. As John rightly pointed to Jesus and declared, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The next day John again testified and said, “Look, the Lamb of God.” (John 1:35).

In Justification, God imputes Christ’s righteousness to all who believe in him. The Bible teaches us the root or the foundation of Justification is God’s predestination in the eternity past, which we have seen in earlier daily insights. The effectuality of Justification is God’s divine and irresistible call of all whom He already predestined for salvation and eternal life. The means of Justification is nothing other than faith in Jesus Christ. The source of Justification is God’s grace and compassion. The ground of Justification is the Lamb of God’s (Jesus Christ) death, burial, and resurrection, and the result of Justification is ‘made complete’ or ‘perfect in Christ’ forever. It means a believer in Jesus is declared without guilt and pronounced no more condemned by the forgiveness of all sins-past, present, and future based on Christ’s work on their behalf.

Imputation is also related to the clothing concept revealed in the pages of the Scripture. Adam and Even tried to justify by covering them with fig leaves. However, knowing the futility of the attempt, God clothed them by the skin of an animal to make them justified in front of Him. This was the first glimpse of the future salvations by the temporary arrangement of the shedding of the blood of lambs as we saw in the old testament literature and permanent arrangement by the death and resurrection of Christ. The Bible says in Isaiah 61:10, “I delight in the LORD; my soul rejoices in my God. Why? Because He has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” Zechariah 3 describes the incident of Joshua, the priest before the angel of the Lord, and Satan accuses him because Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes. The Lord commanded to take the filthy garments off and declared, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” They put a clean turban and clothed him.”

In Justification, dirty old cloth due to sin’s effect is taken off and replaced with Christ’s righteousness as new cloth because God takes away the sins from you and makes you perfect forever by the merit of Christ. You are covered with the righteousness of Christ. Galatians 3:26-27 says, Listen! “So in Christ Jesus, you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” You become children of God by how? Read again. It says you are all children of God through faith in Christ. The result is Justification and clothing of Christ’s righteousness.

After acknowledging his sin to the Lord, David received God’s forgiveness. He said this in Psalm 32, “how blessed is the he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered! The sin is covered from the sight of God by the garment of Christ’s righteousness on you.

Beloved, are you justified before the Lord God? God invites you to come to Jesus and believe in him by knowing you would never make it to heaven even with your best efforts without God’s only savior who died in your place to pay for your sins and shortcomings. Don’t you need a lawyer to represent you in human courts? How much more you would need the savior, Jesus Christ, to make you perfect and represent you in the court of heaven, in front of the judge of all?

Would you pray after me? “Father in heaven, I want to be justified. Please cover my sins and transgressions by the savior’s righteousness. Please clothe me with Christ’s righteousness, as you promised. I am sorry for my sins. I turn to you in repentance. Please forgive me. I believe Jesus died, buried, and rose again for my sins. Thank you for declaring me justified. Thank you for saving me and granting me eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”