Justification!

(Romans 8:33)  “Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies.”

How often are things said with a boastful confidence, yet if it is with a hint of pride, then we speak not with the Lord’s Authority but as fool’s! Whenever we look for justification because of what we have done, we have entered into error, but if commendation comes from another, then it is God who justifies. We stand and fall before Him and no other! How often will we sit up and listen to fools? How much time do we give to them that do not have it in their power to justify? We take advice from family and friends, yet we look to them hoping to find a way out of some sort of predicament, but what is frightening, this is often our position. Why do we continue to walk in circles? It is as if we want to escape the heat wave but we continue to visit the Sahara! Go figure! We all fall privy to this error in one form or another. Once again this just highlights the importance of God’s Word as it is a lamp for our footsteps; it illuminates the path to righteousness, not only for our ultimate goal, heaven, but also for our journey in the here and now as we run this race. We are warned that not all who run finish and receive the prize. But all who run the race with the Word as their guide will finish and finish well. It is as simple as that, God has promised it and He has sealed it with the Holy Spirit! “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.” (Ephesians 1:13) - He has made a commitment to all His children and all because of Christ and him crucified. Will you believe His promise; we must suppose it with all our hearts, regardless of the trials in life.

Where do my thoughts wonder this morning you may ask? Although I have many considerations happening at the same time, I can thankfully say they do not run to the counsel of the worldly wise for their advice is foolishness when we understand the better and bigger picture, the will of God! We must seek out answers from the Bible and from all those who hold this great book as the final authority to all of life’s questions. Be sure of this, God will only ever sanction what He has penned by men under the divine inspiration of God the Holy Spirit. There is safety nowhere else! You may say God speaks to me, and I am sure He does, but He will never contradict His Word. It is impossible for God to lie! With that in mind – In times past, God did use prophets and visions and dreams, to give direction to those who were seeking His direction and His will for their lives. He even spoke directly, face to face with Moses. But He now has spoken and it is finished in that sense, let me explain.

Yesterdays blog highlighted the importance of faith to the Christians life, without it we cannot please God, it is actually impossible. And without faith it is impossible to please Him, but we must now, after embracing this truth be careful not to run away with ourselves. We must find the correct procedure and application for faith in our lives. We must not look to the mystical realm to find direction as they once did. They looked for proof by way of miracles and signs, I am not suggesting that they were wrong; on the contrary these signs were sanctioned by God. Here is one of the many examples; “behold, I am laying a fleece of wool on the threshing floor. If there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will save Israel by my hand, as you have said”. (Judges 6:37)  - Should we be following the same methodology? No! Why? The answer is a simple one and not complicated at all;  “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high...” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

The Canon of scripture has been fulfilled; nothing we now need is outside of scripture. It is sound doctrine that we must seek out. The Apostles were commissioned by God to pen and instruct all of God’s people; it is a map to equip us for battle and fierce is the mêlée. We needn’t now look for signs outside of what has been written. With all this rain around, we will be bound to see some rainbows, what do you see when you look upon a rainbow? It is no doubt beautiful to behold, it is pleasant on the eye. But is should remind us of the covenant between Noah and God, it must excite us and teach us that God has not forgotten his covenant with mankind; “I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth." And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.” (Genesis 9:11-13)

God gives us his Spirit and the Word to train us for battle, if you need to see Him at work just read through the book of Judges and it is obvious that he does not need our help, only our obedience. Obedience to what you may ask? The Word of course, as it is His Word that will justify! The Word became flesh; the Lord Jesus is the Word! Come what may we must hold onto Jesus Christ our Lord and all of His promises, nothing else will justify us in this life or the life to come. If our minds reason outside of this truth then we are wrong and we must reject all and everything that opposes the Word of God. This is our only imperative!  How then will we be counted worthy? “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness...” (Romans 4:5)

I trust you get the point and it is this, we must look to God’s Word or to others that will seek out the truth of God’s Word so that we may find direction. Opinions will never be justified outside of God’s will, if we are to find His will, it has already been penned in and through His Word, the Bible! 

Signing off

Tyrone