"What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness" (Romans 4:3-5).
Through Christ's act of propitiation, God showed us that he is just. He dealt with our sin. He didn't ignore it or sweep it under a heavenly carpet. He judged it, he condemned it, and he punished it. All obligations were fully satisfied. But that was not the end goal.
God is both just and the justifier. He freely justifies "those who have faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26). That includes you.
God didn't just take away your sins - he also declared you to be righteous. This is the proof that your sins have been forgiven and that God is fully satisfied with you. This means you are in right standing with God. You didn't work your way to that status. God justified you freely by his grace.
Let's think about how this truth plays out in daily living. We still sin, don't we? And each sin we commit, no matter how big or small, deserves punishment. That punishment is death. Romans 6:23 tells us "the wages of sin is death". This is the punishment we deserve. Yet God says to those who are in Christ, "Your sins have been forgiven." How do we know punishment is not waiting for us sometime in the future?
Justification is God's answer.
God justifies sinners and declares them right in his sight on the basis of Christ's finished work on the cross. Paul amplifies this point in Romans 4.
What does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness (Romans 4:3-5).
Jesus doesn't want us to be afraid of him when problems arise. He wants us to trust in him and depend on him. When we do, we can watch him work all things together for our good. We can trust him because he satisfied the law on our behalf. His punishment was our punishment. In exchange, his righteousness became our righteousness. So as we've seen, God is both just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus Christ.
The fact that God has declared us righteous in his sight is proof that all our sins have been forgiven. When I say all, I mean sins of the past, present, and future. They have been sent away from us as far as the east is from the west, and righteousness has been credited to our account. On the basis of Jesus's shed blood, God treats us as if we had never sinned.
Aren't you glad Jesus died for all your sins? His blood satisfied the law for every sin you have committed or will commit. Jesus took them all.
As a result, God says to you, "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death" (Romans 8:1, 2 ESV).
Taken from: SIMPLE GOSPEL, SIMPLY GRACE, Copyright ©2015 by Bob Christopher, Published by Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon 97402, www.harvesthousepublishers.com
In Him,
Bob Christopher