Through Faith Alone

Romans 4:6-8 David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the one whose sin the Lord will never count against them.”

Continuing through this short Bible Study of the doctrine of Justification that I am reading, they stated that we must be declared righteous to endure God’s judgment against our sin and enter into eternal life in heaven. The basis for the declaration of justification is only the righteousness of Christ and that faith alone (that firm belief of God's testimony, and of the truth of the gospel, which influences the will, and leads to an entire reliance on Christ for salvation) is the instrument by which this righteousness is imputed to us, or put on our record.

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Justification is based on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness through faith alone. That imputation is one side of the double exchange that happens in justification. Positively, the perfect obedience of Christ (the Lamb of God, without blemish) is credited to us. Negatively, sin is taken away from us. In justification, God credits us with a righteousness that is not our own but is Christ’s, and He takes our sin and puts it on Christ, who bore the divine judgment against it on the cross. Romans 5:9 tells us, “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” Jesus; Redeemer and Savior.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

It is not that justification means we are not sinners, rather, it means that the Lord no longer holds our sins against us. Jesus Christ bore our sins and paid for them on the cross to redeem us. Romans 3:23-24 explains, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” In our redemptive forgiveness God does not change us with what we owe. He does not count our sins against us. If He did, no one (except Jesus) would ever escape His just wrath. No one but sinless Christ would be able to stand before God’s judgment. This all by God's love and grace.

1 Corinthians 1:30 “It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.”

Nothing can change the fact that we have sinned against a just and holy Creator God. In justification, our sin and guilt are removed and transferred to Jesus Christ, and in His blood we are covered by Christ’s perfect obedience, enabling God to declare us righteous in His sight. If we are in Christ, our sins will never be held against us on the Day of Judgment. In Christ, we are truly free of condemnation. That is a cause for great rejoicing and joy. Hallelujah! 

Titus 3:5-7 “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.”

Blessed in Christ