“JUST AND JUSTIFIER”

 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Romans 3:26

If we do more good than bad, should God give us a pass and let us into heaven?

In yesterday’s blog, we mentioned that because God is holy, He wants His people to reflect His nature. Let me now give you my concluding message

If God is love, why can’t He just ignore our sins?

Because God is holy, He will not ignore “small sins.” It would be unjust if He did so. Besides, violating even the least significant commandment makes us transgressors. For God to be a good judge, He must punish sin, which He did by sending Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to die on our behalf.

In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul explains how Christ's death declares God's righteousness. This is so because He demanded the full penalty of sin. Jesus bore in His body the full weight of sin, so that once and for all, all who come to Him might receive forgiveness. He paid it all for us.

Now, God can justify sinners without calling their sin into account or compromising His own righteousness because a perfect Substitute took the guilt, shame, and penalty of sin.

My friend, let me remind you that no amount of good work can ever make up for our transgressions against an eternally holy God. We can’t take something and then compensate by giving. It doesn’t work that way. Since God is holy, sin must be dealt with accordingly.

You and I deserve to be punished for our every sin. But God is gracious; He saves us because He is good. Neither is it about doing more good than evil. In that regard, salvation is not about doing good. We are, first and foremost, fallen beings. Because of sin, we are separated from a holy, righteous God. Because of this fallen state, we have no capacity to produce anything acceptable to God. Therefore, forgiveness must come from outside of us; it should come from God Himself.

Thankfully, Jesus volunteered to take our punishment. His perfect life is now credited to us if we come to Him in repentance and faith. Have you done this?

Pursue the Savior today!

Photo by Mizanudin on Unsplash