Aug 15
22
The Justification of life
What a glorious work is the work of God’s effectual call. In John 5: 25 the Lord said, “Verily, I say unto you, the hour is coming and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live.” To believe on Christ is nothing less than being raised from the dead. It is to be given a full, free, and complete justification from the sins which bound us in this death to the righteous privilege of walking in the newness of life. There is nothing that the dead can do for themselves. For them to live one with the power and right to make it come to pass must command them to come out of the tomb.
Death is not an unfortunate accident but the just condemnation of God. “By one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned.” (Romans 5: 12) He is the prisoner of justice and judgment, he is the prisoner of the god of this world, and he is a prisoner of his own evil nature. The raising of this man then is not a matter of will or decision but the satisfaction of the law and justice of God. He is a prisoner by God’s just decree and must by a just decree be again set free. “Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.”
The effectual calling of God’s elect is not so much owing to argument and unknown facts as it is to the just decree of God to set them free. This free justification of grace was accomplished over two thousand years ago on Calvary’s cross. It is this same justification of grace set before men from Genesis to Malachi. (see Romans 3:24-26 ) Hear the truth of this doctrine by the words of the Holy Ghost himself, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly place in Christ Jesus: That (in order that) in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus, for by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of works lest any man should boast.” Darvin Pruitt
Justification and sanctification always come together
Let us never forget, that although justification and sanctification are two different things, they always come together. Many try and separate them. They speak of those who know Christ as Saviour, and those who know Him as Saviour and Lord. The Bible makes no such distinction. All who know Him as Saviour also know Him as Lord. Justification is what Christ does for us. Sanctification is what Christ does in us. Sanctification is the necessary consequence of justification.
Remember the teaching of our Lord, that he who is forgiven much (justification) loves much (sanctification) Luke 7:40-47. According to this, the evidence of having been forgiven is loving much. If God’s work of sanctification is absent in somebody’s life, you can be sure that God’s work of justification is absent also. Todd Nibert.