The miracle that hardly anybody speaks about
Justification is a miracle in itself! It is the declaration of your complete innocence and righteousness by God, through the imputed righteousness of Christ, when you believe in God's Son, Jesus Christ, for your salvation (Rom.3:21-28; Rom.5:1-2). This is not the miracle I refer to in this post, but it is certainly connected to what I'm about to share.
The seemingly unspoken miracle that happens after one comes to the knowledge of what Biblical justification really means, is the tangible experience of liberty from a heavy bondage of sin, followed by a slow, but increasing experience of victory over its hold on you, like, the bad habits you were held captive to, the mental prison you endured, the bad language you spoke, anger, lusts, pride, and uncontrollable actions that plagued your life.
I write this, having personal experience of this miracle, and I have heard testimony of others that have had the same experiences in their lives too. Why is it so unspoken? Why don't people perceive it as a miracle? Well, it happens over time. It is not an instant change. In addition, through this whole process, one's mind and attention should be fixated on Christ and His Word, so it is only once you look back on your life that you recognize how it has been liberated, and how it has changed.
How does this miracle work?
This is NOT a sales pitch. The following is a summation formed from verses extracted from the Bible that will help you to understand the gift of justification and how it can change your life. If you are struggling with sin, if you are in bondage to its firm grasp, if you have tried everything without success, you're at the end of your rope, and constantly under condemnation, then the following can help you to break sins hold and find peace with God.
Quit working for justification and believe in Jesus
Rom 4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
There are TWO conditions in the above verse. Let me clarify the second one first, which says, "but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly". In order to have victory over sin, you need the life of Christ. Your sin needs to be nailed to the cross (Col 2:14) so that you can be justified by His righteousness. Jesus was victorious over sin 2000-years ago. His life, and the resulting justification, is a free gift that simply needs to be received (Rom 3:24; Rom 5:16). To do this, you need to believe in Him through receiving and understanding the gospel of Christ.
The second condition says, "But to him that worketh not". This is an instruction to quit working at trying to conquer your sin. The simple truth is that you will NEVER conquer it. It's in you! It's in your flesh, and it can never come out! (Rom 3:10; Rom 3:23) It is a curse within the core of your being! The Bible instructs you to quit trying to beat it because you never can! This is not a suggestion. Just like condition #1, that you MUST first believe in Jesus, so too with this one. You MUST stop with all your attempts to try and win your battle with sin. The more you strive, the deeper you sink into it (Rom 7:14-24).
The miracle you seek does not come with effort. It comes with faith. This point cannot be overstressed. Make sure you stop your fuss and striving. Find a place of rest, then read this part again. Until you can accept that you have no part in this miracle, you can forget about even continuing with this article. If you choose to decline even one of these two conditions, it is fruitless to continue reading.
Rules are the problem. Stop making them
Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
This is another way of understanding that you cannot 'work' at conquering sin. Obeying the law is impossible for human beings. God actually gave the law to show you that you cannot obey it and that you need Him (Gal.3:23-25). Notice, I didn't say you need His help. I said you need Him. This is why the above says, "to him that worketh not". If you ask for God's help, you are still trying to work at it! You get it? Quit trying! You will NEVER get it right. You need Christ. More accurately, you need His life. It is not your life which is sin-laden and in bondage that needs fixing. It must die and be buried so that you can get another life, one that is fixed and has already conquered sin.
In the above verse, God says that, "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified". The law cannot fix sin. It is powerless to do this in 'your' life. In actual fact, it promotes sin and empowers it to work all manner of wrong in you (Rom 7:23-24). Your human nature works in opposite to the law. The law says something is bad and your flesh will crave to do it. So, when you set a law for yourself to stop some sinful behaviour, your sin nature will work against your will to obey that law and, sooner or later, you will give in to that sin, because your flesh is more powerful than your will. Then, guess what follows? Condemnation. You feel bad! You feel like you failed! You feel a million miles away from God. Now tell me that this is not a cycle you have experienced before! You couldn't beat it then, and you never will beat it. It's not a matter of fixing this life. You need to live by a different life! Christ's life.
Believe that you are justified without your own works
Rom 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
This miracle is not yours to earn. It is a free gift that God gives you. This miracle is designed to showcase God's incomprehensible grace and bestow glory and honour upon Jesus Christ. God's grace will not allow the cross work of Christ to be robbed of glory. The very moment you start to work for justification, is the very moment the miracle will fail. Why? Because then you can boast. Then you can claim, "I did it!". No! The glory is Christ's alone (Rom 3:27). Did you die for your sins? Did you get whipped until your ribs were exposed? Did you get nailed to the cross? No. Where is your glory? You have nothing to glory in. However, here is a truth to learn. When you quit your feeble attempts to win over sin, then Jesus shares His victory over sin with you anyways! He gives you His righteousness, and the increase of His Word, which is His Spirit within you, begins to conquer your sins, progressively, day after day.
So, what do I mean by, "believe that you are justified"? The bottom line is this. At salvation, which happens when you believe in Jesus as your Saviour, God declares you absolutely and completely justified. What does justification mean?
It is important to note that this whole legal procedure is done in heaven! You feel nothing. You sense nothing. Your environment does not change. Your flesh does not change. Your thinking does not change. NOTHING in this world has changed. The only thing that has changed is that you now and forever have PEACE with God through the work and glory of Jesus Christ, as the verse above clearly proclaims. Does fleshly feelings matter! Why would one even care, since the flesh is the problem anyways? The flesh has no part in this process. But, if you are looking for an experience that you can witness in the flesh, —that, my friends, will come by the power of the Word, which is discussed later in this article.
Feed your faith, not your fears
Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Justification occurs instantaneously at salvation. It is 100% a work of God. You cannot work for it and you cannot earn it. Additionally, there is no specific experience in the flesh or the mind. It is simply an act of faith, placing your trust in God's grace and in the cross work of Christ.
What happens after justification? Well, not much. You don't experience any miraculous change or warm feeling. In your heart you believe that you are completely justified, however, in your flesh, sin still reigns, and your mind still has all those old habits and thought patterns. It can be quite a vulnerable time when you want to prove yourself righteous and live up to what you think God wants from you, but this is the very time where you must avoid self-righteous works. Remember you cannot put yourself under laws (rules) to try to live righteously yourself, or in your own strength. If you veer off grace and start to set rules for yourself to avoid sinning or falling into those bad habits, guess what happens. You start to feed your fears. Fears? Yep, fear that you will sin again, fear that you will disappoint God, fear that your flesh will gain control. As discussed in previous parts, the moment you start to do something to suppress the flesh, or to control the situation, that doing causes sin to be empowered, and it ends in condemnation. You cannot feed your fears. You cannot digress into making rules to change the flesh or stay justified. It does NOT work.
What you should do is feed faith, continuously! What do I mean by this? You need to get into the Word. Read it, study it, meditate on it, sing it, quote it, dream of it. You need to get the Word into your mind. You need to work on strengthening your faith foundation. The book of Romans is the foundational principles of the Christian faith. The first eight chapters of Romans is the core message of God's righteousness, grace and justification. Read this over and over and over again. Let it settle into your heart and occupy your mind. These few chapters will keep your mind in the truth and will feed your faith, helping it to protect you from the arrows of doubt and lies (Eph 6:16).
Even if you fail, righteousness still wins
Rom 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
Justification does not kill the effects of sin in your flesh. As mentioned in the previous part, you will not 'feel' much at all when you are declared righteous and innocent. Justification is a verdict given by God. It is a change in spiritual status, not a change in fleshly feelings and circumstances. The bottom line is that sin does not go away! You are still in the flesh, and still prone to sin and failure. What is VERY different however is that your sin and failure does not affect your righteousness before God. Why? Well, let me say this in the strongest possible way, "God has imputed to you the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Your failures and weaknesses in the flesh is not going to change the righteousness that God has placed upon you in the spirit. It is not YOUR righteousness or your failures that determines your justification. It is Christ's. Your sin cannot touch that status God has declared over you." Now, stop right here and read that italicized text again. Let it sink in, because this is where people fall off the boat, and where faith is tested! The italicized text is exactly why Paul writes to us and says,
Rom 6:5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: 6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is dead is freed from sin. ... 11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. ... 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. ... 22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
You are human, and you will still fall in sin, but that sin does NOT change your righteousness before God. It is not sin that has died, but it's you that has died to sin. Remember, it is not your righteousness that is judged. You have the righteousness of Christ covering you. Your sins are not counted against you (2 Cor 5:19). Sin has been nullified by Christ's righteousness over you. Even if you fail, His righteousness still wins. This should bring you to the understanding of the keynote verse above, and how it works. There is NO condemnation for them who are in Christ, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. I will define this statement more clearly in the next paragraph, but for now, take note that this is the beginning of this 'unspoken' miracle that entitles this post.
This mindset of liberty, knowing that God is not judging your every move, and the sensation that the heavy burden of guilt that you always felt, is now lifted, is the beginning of the miracle that so few people speak about. The simple fact that you can quit trying to live holy in your own strength and allow the life of Christ to start living through you is the first steps towards a righteous and godly life that defines Christian maturity. You see, it has never been your 'part to play'. So many people fall into the trap of trying to live righteous to God, but they CANNOT! It is Christ that lives through you. It is His Word that renews your thoughts, your responses, your habits, your actions. His life starts to infuse every part of your being, slowly and intentionally conquering sin and changing your life and behaviour. Getting to this point is the beginning of the miracle of growing up in Christ and having Christ formed in you. This is when you start to walk in the spirit as mentioned above. Walking in the spirit is not a ethereal sensation but simply the process of walking in obedience to the instructions of the Word that you have learned and understand. God's Word is his Spirit and His life (John 6:63). Walking by His Word is walking by His Spirit.
When your mind is on Christ, sin loses its grasp
God's regenerating life is imparted into one's spirit, but that life is sustained by His Word. The written Word of God becomes your food and drink, your light, and your spiritual energy. The Word produces faith and gives you understanding into the mind and will of your Father. The most important thing a Christian can do is to fill themselves with the knowledge of the Word. This is the source of faith to empower them to resist sins attacks and break the grasp it has on the mind. The mind is a battlefield. It needs to be occupied. It needs fortification and reinforcement. Whatever you can do to keep your mind filled with God's Word will help you in this time. It's a time of renewing, or could I say, reprogramming.
Phil 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Friends, when you immerse yourself in the Word, there comes a point in your walk when you suddenly realize that a miracle has taken place. This miracle is not an instant display of God's power. It does not explode onto the scene and create hype. This miracle creeps up on you slowly, over a period of time. But one day, you suddenly notice that your life is different. When did that bad habit disappear? What happened to your bad language? Suddenly you don't crave that sinful desire. People start to comment on your appearance and your attitude. Listen to me! This is real! This is the honest truth. When your mind is on Christ, sin loses its grasp and your life changes. In addition to this, you will find God's blessings raining down on you. What you sow, you reap, and since your life is becoming more positive and open, it draws these aspects of life to you. Please know that I'm not preaching a prosperity gospel here! I'm not preaching that you change your life by your own positive attitude and power. No! This message is quite different. It is not your life that is changing! As a matter of fact, your sin life is dying. The change that is happening in you is the life of Christ that is flowing out of you (Gal 2:20). God's Word is starting to shape your life. God's Word is Christ's life in operation, and it is His life in you that God is blessing and approving.
Rom.8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.n18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
As the scripture above subtly alludes to, life has two sides to it. The positive changes in your life will be challenged, but not by sin as much as by a new spiritual dynamic. Suffering. When you start to challenge sin with righteousness, you will find that the darts that were aimed at your mind, those internal and personal challenges, now become external attacks that challenge your life. If the enemy cannot get to your mind, he will target your environment. The true Christian walk is not without various forms of suffering that might come about. However, Paul reminds us that when we are weak, then we are strong (2 Cor 12:10), and through suffering for the sake of Christ, there is a glory that will be revealed in us that will far outweigh the present troubles and hardships that we will endure in this time.
Conclusion
When you believe in Christ for your salvation, you are justified and sealed unto that day of glory. Nothing in this present world can change the imputed righteousness that is placed upon you and that declares you innocent and justified. This is the peace that we can have with God, from this point on (Rom 5:1). This positional stance is settled in heaven. However, while you are still in your mortal flesh, sin still reigns. So, in order to gain victory over this present state, it requires you to renew your mind. The only thing that can do this is the living, spiritual word of God. Get into the Bible. Fill your mind with its contents, specifically the book of Romans, which is the foundation of the Christian faith. The more you fill your mind and thoughts with God's Word, the more it will influence your life and actions. Be faithful in this, and that day will come when you will notice the miracle of victory over your sins and your flesh. Allow Christ to be formed in you, allow His life to fill you, and to mature you. Then press on into the rest of Paul's epistles, studying them in the right context, (2 Tim 2:15), so that you can grow from faith to faith and into adopted sons and daughters of God.
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