Justified By Faith

Written by: Johnny Israel

Romans 5:1 says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." What does it mean justified by faith? The word justified means "vindicated" "blameless" or "to be made right." It literally means "without sin." When we receive Jesus as our personal Lord and Savior, the Bible says we are cleansed by the shedding of His blood, and made whole, or without sin. He vindicated us or justified us by our faith in His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Justification is worked by faith. Faith, simply put, means "a firm belief in something said or an act." Jesus died on the cross, yet you or I was not present at the cross to witness His death. We accept this fact by faith. We were not present when the disciples saw Jesus ascend into Heaven. Again, we accept this by faith. By doing so, our faith justifies us from an unrighteous state to righteousness. Justification is empowered by faith. Faith is the unseen force the works justification. You can not be justified without faith, yet faith is the foundation to justification. What does this mean for you and me. We simply acknowlege that Jesus died on the cross for our sin; and by faith we accept His forgiveness for our sin. Then a mighty transformation takes place in our heart and spirit. We become a new creation, the old self has died to sin, the new man, or self is justified or make right, by faith. We are a new creation in Christ Jesus. God's plan of salvation for man is simple, so simple that it bewilders us that He suffered and rose again. The Bible states that righteousness has come upon all men, yet not all men will receive His righteousness. Reach out to Him in simple faith, and He will esteem you as his righteous child. Justified by faith.