Growing In Wisdom, Stature & Favor

JUSTIFICATION How Can I Be Right With God? Justification- the act of God whereby we are accounted as being just, right, free from the penalty of sin. How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Job 25:4 Before diving into the subject of justification, let's take a look at the penal system regarding receiving a pardon. In order to receive a pardon, one must first verify that they are eligible for a pardon. Once this is accomplished they can move forward in submitting a certificate of rehabilitation. Upon completion of the certificate, it goes before the governor for a full pardon. Note that a pardon only restores some of an individual's rights. It does not seal or expunge the record of conviction. The crime is still public record. A pardon works a little differently when dealing with the President of the United States. The President can pardon for federal crimes committed against the United States or offenses that may appear at a future time in relation to the crime. If you ever have an opportunity to see an image of a pardon certificate from the President of the United States, I am sure you will find the document writing interesting. The certificate contains the following words, "A full and unconditional pardon for conviction and for any other offenses that may arise, or be charged in connection with ... . " This is a lot of power to give to someone who does not know the intent and heart of a person. The President can issue a pass on a federal crime and an individual never has to pay for what they did. Wow!! But can I tell you that is what the Lord did for each one of us? He justified us and we do not have to pay for the crimes we committed against Him. We do not have to be eligible for a pardon, He became our eligibility. Thanks be unto our God who has given us a full pardon, with restoration of our full rights and frees us completely from the penalty of sin. We do not have to pay for the things that we have done. Our sin was erased, covered by the blood of Christ and we are new creatures in Him. We receive an inheritance from the most high God. We now have eternal life. This may sound too good to be true. The knowledge of the sins that we have committed, or even thought about, makes it difficult to believe that we could ever be right with God. We know that sin is against the very nature of who God is, therefore in light of our trespasses, how and why would God make us right? How is it that the very thing that God is against, He releases us from and justifies us? The answer to this is that God has always wanted us. In the beginning, God would come down and commune with Adam. The desire to commune with the beings that He formed in His image has never diminished or changed. God yearns to be intimate with us. Agape love calls out to us daily. Man was created in a natural and moral likeness of God. When God formed us, the drive, desire, and passion to be in a right relationship with Him was in us. We were created to worship and commune with our creator. Once man sinned and ate of the forbidden fruit, we lost the moral likeness of God. That part of us which once had the principles of right conduct had now become tainted by sin. The natural parts of us containing emotions, intellect, and will remained. The fall created a great gulf between mankind and God. Eating the fruit was the physical act of a mental decision to disobey the revealed word of God and place belief in the lie of Satan. Man now knew good and evil like God. Genesis 3:22 No longer were things going to be given to man without laboring for it. Genesis 3:17-19 The Lord in His mercy still desired to have a relationship with man. Just like a parent who longs for their child, God longed for us. The Father/Mother God wanted His creation to be near, to commune with Him. His punishment, the separation of communication and relationship was not an eternal punishment. Just like when we break a rule given to us by our parents as children, there is a way to get back in a right position. God had a backup plan, His son, Jesus Christ. The wrong that we made, He was going to make right.