Justification

I was reading this morning in Acts 13, where Paul gives a sermon to the Jews in Antioch.

He basically summed up the Jews' history, and the Lord Jesus' coming, death and resurrection in a half-chapter, and near the end is verse 39:


"And by him (Jesus Christ) all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

What a wonder is contained in that verse. Paul was teaching a group of VERY learned men, who had fought to keep the Jewish law their entire lives.

Yet, those who were honest with themselves knew they hadn't measured up.

And here comes one of their own, a man with an education and background equivalent or superior to the best of them, and he says, "there's something available to those of us who've failed."

The word "justified" or "justification" is a legal term. It means "to be declared righteous." We teach the concept to children as "justification means 'just as if I'd never sinned.'" But it's so much more than that. If I woke up this morning "just as if I'd never sinned" ... I'd sully that standing before I finish my first cup of coffee!

Rather, this is God declaring me righteous. Not on my own merits (thankfully!) but rather on Christ's. It's such a wonder.

One of the scenes I wish I could peek into history and watch is the faces of those scholarly men, as Paul made this declaration. Some, maybe most, we can tell from the following account, thought they WERE keeping Moses' law, and were righteous before God. But I'm sure there were at least a few, who were acquainted with their own hearts, and knew they fell short. It would have been a glorious thing to watch the understanding dawn on their faces, as they grasped what Paul was saying here!

I'm so thankful that I stand before God justified ... declared rightous ... what a wonder.

Exercise report: none happened. Gee, that was easy to type (and even easier to do!). I went with my Thursday night Bible study to see End of the Spear last night, and when I got home, I collapsed in a chair for a while, and then went to bed.

I enjoyed the movie even more the second time -I found it hard to keep all the people straight the first time, and this time it was easier.

Trinka