Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Justification

Matthew 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

So often as Christian's we repeat words that seem to have little or no meaning to us in our daily lives, these words have become religious thoughts, such as the word justification. However, justification should stand out in stark contrast in a Christian's life, because its is a fundamental stone of our faith in Christ Jesus.

As human we justify ourselves daily, we are ask to justify our work by an employer, our family, and friends, so what is justification in real terms? Justification is something we say, or perform excusing our conduct, and here is a simple example.

We are late for work, we slept in, we are ask by our boss to justify why we are late, we can tell the truth: “I sleep in”, or of course we can make up a story, a lie! “I had a flat tire, my alarm didn't work, and so on . . .

Also, we can be justified by our work when completing a job on time, and meeting the standard of work for the person hiring us, we can say: “I did the work please pay me so and so.” Hence, the work justifies the our words, and actions, hence, we received deserved payment.

Thus, justification is away of life for sinners, we are in a constant state of selling our value to others by justifying ourselves by many means, our history, our faithfulness, our works, our words in not lying, we must justify our worth, because no one else will in this world.

Justification a Work of Law

Work of law; once again we have a term so often used by Christian's, but have you ever thought of "justification" as a work of law? Yes, a work of law is a justification, but how? Will, let us uses the example of being late for work again; but this time we have proof of our being late was legitimate. There was a wreck that tried us up, and we have proof of wreck at the time we started to work.

We are justified in being late, in our breaking the a law of our employer, our justification is based upon circumstance out of our control, so we are justified in his eyes for being late. Our lives are controlled by many laws written, and unwritten rules of law, in all our relationship, even in our religion. These rules either accuse us, or excuse us for our conduct. Hence, or very conduct becomes a work, a work of laws, done either right or wrong. Have you ever thought of a work of law in this manner?

1 Corinthians 4:4 For I know nothing against myself. Yet I am not justified by this, but he who judges me is the Lord.

A person can be performing a work of law by preachings, the rules of preaching are set out by our religion, our preaching can accuse us, or excuse us creating a work of law in obeying or disobeying the groups guild lines we have agreed to. Hence, for us to untangling this thought of a work of law, in helps us understand God's word the bible, to where we no longer consider it an ancient archaic book used by attorneys of religion written thousand's of years ago, lets consider a work of law like this . . .

A work of law is any work obligating us to performance by another that we allow over us. It is by our actions or words we are justify if we did or did not do the obligation for the person, a religion, a organization, which places the law over us.

Romans 3:28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

Justification is simply our actions or words said in defending a work of law excusing us, and/or convicting us of wrong doing, in our meeting the rule of the law.

Work of Law Justification Obligation

A work of law is an obligation we must meet to be justified, it is a tangible asset we possess in which we pay a price for something we want in return. Our labor is a justification for work of law, if we work we are justified in a payment for our work, which obligates the employer to pay us according what his own work of law pays as a fair wage.

Obligation are not to be confused with love by Christian's. Many Christian's believe that if they do something, a work for God, it obligates God for a payment, or doing us some good, but unwittingly, they have performed a work of law, which cannot please God.

Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Many of us have done or practice such false religion, we don't think of it in these terms because we have been religiously educated into obligating ourselves by our religion by works of law, thinking it is God asking us to perform an obligation for him.

Justification as Biblical Term

For us to understand the biblical justification often used by Christian's we must first separated it from our human justification spoken of above, because God's justification is one-hundred and eighty degrees the opposite of human reasoning, so what exactly does this mean?

Romans 3:28 We maintain therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.

God does not justify our actions by rule of law, did you get that? Yes, as shocking as it is to Christian's thinking the bible does not justify us at all! In fact, the bible tells us we are not justified, we cannot meet God's standard of law, by any human means, but why?

It is because we are sinners, and this truth should be profound to our faith in God,why? Because once we have sinned, we cannot do a work of law found in the bible to rid ourselves of the disease of sin its incurable by human mean, there is no cure for sin by meeting a commandment found in your bible by sinful humans!

Romans 5:18 So then as through one trespass, all men were condemned; even so through one act of righteousness, all men were justified to life.

Justification by Biblical Works of law

Many of us have been taught that if we do a work of law by God's law we are justified, hence, removing a sin from us, do you believe that? In other words, its a twist on words, we cannot be justified by works of law, but if we do a God law, we are justified! Here is the faulty thinking that has cause the enslavement billions to false religion. Here is the faulty thinking: if God is good and His word is good than if we perform a work it must also be good, making us good, right?

Galatians 5:4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

But the biggest part of the equation was left out, do you know what that part is? We are sinners, hence, we cannot be justified by God's commandments, Christ commandments, or even our bibles by doing good works. How does one measure an imperfect object against perfection without making the objects imperfections stand out more? We cannot remove sin by our good efforts, we cannot make up for a sin by good works, hence, we cannot be justified by a works from a sinner, works of what, laws written in our bible or our religion.

Romans 5:1 Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

With this fundamental truth changes our complete thinking from human fleshly thought into God's righteous thoughts, all from the study of justification found in every bible found in our world!

A Price for Justification

As stated above justification is a tangible asset we have through our labors of meeting rules and law. Thus, there is a price paid for justification even in our world of sin. Subsequently, God justification must be paid for, the problems is what human posses enough righteousness to pay the price for our own justification before God? God's standard of justification cannot be paid for by performing a work law, as sinner, which means againg meeting his commandments, or Christ commandments or laws found in our bibles. The bible or God's commandments are not a life for us, did you know that, instead they are death, so without life how can we be justified before God?

Romans 3:4 May it never be! Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, "That you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment."{Psalm 51:4}

We cannot create life, so we have no justification to before God, for us to say: “here is a life to justify my sinning against your laws, because I could not meet your righteous law and here is my payment my sinful life, which is dead, for not meeting your righteous laws.”

Psalms 49:7 none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him.

So the question than begs if we cannot pay the price who will? Moreover, if someone pays the price for us, why do we look at the sins of others making them justify their sins by meeting our rule of law?

1 John 3:10 In this the children of God are revealed, and the children of the devil. Whoever doesn't do righteousness is not of God, neither is he who doesn't love his brother.

1 John 3:12 unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

The Perfect Payment

Now let us as Christian's be honest here, such a payment would have to be judge perfect by God's standard of payment, not ours for it to justify our sinning against his law correct? In other words, it could not be our standard, in saying: “look how much I preached today, or look at the money I gave to the poor, or look at how many times I went too meetings to worship you!”

Proverbs 16:2 All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but Yahweh weighs the motives.

Proverbs 20:9 Who can say, "I have made my heart pure. I am clean and without sin?"

The payment must meet the laws requirement, if God's law was perfect as we all teach, than the payment must also be perfect for it too meet the price, or payment for our breaking a perfect law of God. Now really think about this for a moment. Here we've sinned, daily, and sometimes minute to minute because we our born into sin, thus, our very thoughts are imperfect, so we take up God's word, which is perfect, and than think, because we our using biblical thoughts, that is, God's word the bible it cleanses us from sin making us perfect before God?

But have we paid the perfect price for our sins, or are we using a work of law to justifying our judgment in using God's word the bible? Isn't it God that must provide us a gift of His love, isn't it God that must justify us by His undeserved kindness paying the price for our sins?

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Self-justification

There is a work being done under the Sun of fruitless efforts for God, a work of Christian's standing before man justifying their works by God's word the bible believing its leads them into life. They've missed the true meaning of justification, they have reverted to the world thinking in performing works of law in every action, and in every thought; trading God's justification for the world standards justification, thinking works of law using God's word will justify them before God.

Romans 5:15 But the free gift isn't like the trespass. For if by the trespass of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God, and the gift by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.

Galatians 5:4 You are alienated from Christ, you who desire to be justified by the law. You have fallen away from grace.

No price has been paid with such unrighteous thinking, the price paid is in reality our own imperfect life, using a sinless word of God, and our believing that such works of law redeems us from sin. We are offering our sinful selves as a sacrifice for our sins, by works of law. Hence, God's standard of perfection has not been meant by such imperfect thinking.

Romans 6:14 For sin will not have dominion over you. For you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 2:23 You who glory in the law, through your disobedience of the law do you dishonor God?

Because God's perfect laws, commandments and/or the bible cannot be meant by a sinners, once a sinner always a sinner, unless God provides a price to be paid for our sins. Now we have uncovered works of law at there core, the core is human under sin which means, not one is righteous by any action they can perform or say, they are in death having no way out by any good work or desire they have in pleasing God.

Rom.7:10 The commandment, which was for life, this I found to be for death;
7:11 for sin, finding occasion through the commandment, deceived me, and through it killed me. 7:12 Therefore the law indeed is holy, and the commandment holy, and righteous, and good. 7:13 Did then that which is good become death to me? May it never be! But sin, that it might be shown to be sin, by working death to me through that which is good; that through the commandment sin might become exceeding sinful. 7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am fleshly, sold under sin. 7:15 For I don't know what I am doing. For I don't practice what I desire to do; but what I hate, that I do.
7:16 But if what I don't desire, that I do, I consent to the law that it is good.
7:17 So now it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me.
7:18 For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. For desire is present with me, but I don't find it doing that which is good. 7:19 For the good which I desire, I don't do; but the evil which I don't desire, that I practice. 7:20 But if what I don't desire, that I do, it is no more I that do it, but sin which dwells in me. 7:21 I find then the law, that, to me, while I desire to do good, evil is present. 7:22 For I delight in God's law after the inward man,
7:23 but I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity under the law of sin which is in my members. 7:24 What a wretched man I am! Who will deliver me out of the body of this death?

Faith Not a Work of Lawlessness

Faith is not a work of law, we do not put faith in meeting laws that condemn us a sinners. In other words, life does not come from putting faith in laws which declare us unrighteous and dead, our needing a price to be paid for our sins. When faith become a work of law we are deceived by self-righteousness, which is a great darkness hard too come back from!

Romans 3:10 As it is written, "There is no one righteous; no, not one.

Romans 1:17 For in it is revealed God's righteousness from faith to faith. As it is written, "But the righteous shall live by faith."{Habakkuk 2:4}

When we are told from the bible to obey a commandment, we honestly have but two choice we can put faith in the bible, meeting the commandment declaring ourselves righteous thinking by this human justification we have meeting the commandment, or put faith in the price God has paid for us freely in Christ Jesus, whom actually meant the commandment for us. Those are our real life choices from the moment we accept Christ until we die, there is nothing in between these to points.

Faith by works of law is a lie, a lie proven in the life of Christ, the whole purpose of God sending us his son in the first place. If any human could have paid the price by doing good works of meeting God's righteous standards than they would have entired into life by their own merit. But none could redeem themselves, nor a brother, so the call went out into all the earth for thousand's of years, and not one person from Adam could justify themselves by doing a good work before God in removing Adam sin from their life.

1 Timothy 1:9 as knowing this, that law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Faith Justification

Many people including Christian's have faith in something, but does this faith justify us? Christian's put faith in their bibles, a religious organization, and/or some government,or those they associate with in their faith, in icons, building, even in truth's uncovered by their group from the bible, but do these works of faith(s) justify our sin before God?

1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one lead you astray. He who does righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

Shocking as this question might be to some, it is a terrible things being done under the Sun when such truths are not even known among most Christian's. Where their believing faith in people, place, things, or in using God's word the bible justifies them with God, but such is the biggest lie every perpetrated upon mankind.

Acts 4:12 There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"

It is faith in Christ Jesus that justifies us in truth, do you really comprehend this? Christ was good enough, he meant the righteous requirement of God's law. Because the law rewards all those meeting its requirement with the gift of life, Christ become our life, buying us as his own, as our new father. No other faith will stand, or will be declare righteous justifying us before YHWH.

John 3:15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:36 One who believes in the Son has eternal life, but one who disobeys{The same word can be translated "disobeys" or "disbelieves" in this context.} the Son won't see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."

John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself.

Hence, any other justification for our actions/words, oh! by the way, which justifications are dead in Christ. Hence, dead works of what law, and/or self-justification; will not making us righteous.

Revelation 22:19 If anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, may God take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book.

Dead! Yes, our works are dead, they are works from the old personality dead in Christ Jesus, we have become his life, a new life because Chirst is life by his meeting the works of law through his own merit purchasing us from sin. If we do not put faith in this alone we are not pleasing God, nor can we know God as love.

1Cor.3:11 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 3:12 But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; 3:13 each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is. 3:14 If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 3:15 If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.

It is our trust in God's promises too us that we are in truth justified before him by the perfect blood he paid in justifying us from breaking HIs perfect standards found in our bibles, and Christ Jesus commandments. Moreover, any other laws created for sins in our flesh.

Rom.8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.{NU omits "who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit"} 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death.

When we justify ourselves, by quoting a bible verse, or attending a meeting we our in dead works, meaningless works proven by God's as of no value at all, but when we rest from these works that we all do ever day, rest in Christ righteousness, which is, what he did for us, we are justified before God.

Rom. 8:3 For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; 8:4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 8:6 For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace; 8:7 because the mind of the flesh is hostile towards God; for it is not subject to God's law, neither indeed can it be. 8:8 Those who are in the flesh can't please God.
8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if it is so that the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if any man doesn't have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his.

Galatians 2:17 But if, while we sought to be justified in Christ, we ourselves also were found sinners, is Christ a servant of sin? Certainly not

Love Puts Fear Outside

Our works of self-justification leaves us in a state of fear, and darkness, because we are not the light no matter how much we use the word of God, or go perfectly to religious meetings. Our personal love for God and Christ will not make us holy, and righteous before God, it is rather our faith in God's promises in Christ that that we stand right before our creator.

1Cor.1:30 But of him, you are in Christ Jesus, who was made to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 1:31 that, according as it is written, "He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."{Jeremiah 9:24}

How do we come by this faith? One more shocking thoughts for most Christian's, it is by Christ Jesus life we are given free that we receive faith from!. Christ paid our price for our sinning, he purchase us into his life, we no longer live in our old life. We are in a new life, Christ Jesus life, the life which earned merit meant God's law for us. We cannot have some of Christ by his teaching, and be justified. We must accept the life of Christ by our faith, which give his body faith as a gift of God's Holy Spirit. This love, Christ Jesus love, not our own love, justifies us in God's love, by Christ faith found in his body puts fear of judgment outside, and not our good efforts.

Rom.12:3 For I say, through the grace that was given me, to every man who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think reasonably, as God has apportioned to each person a measure of faith. 12:4 For even as we have many members in one body, and all the members don't have the same function, 12:5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 12:6 Having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, if prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith;

Do you really understand this? If you are angry, depressed, fighting in your heart and mind always justifying yourself before others using God's word the bible you are trying to earn salvation by some other means than Christ Jesus life.

We are putting faith in works of law to justify ourself before men and God, which is impossible to do, and a lie. Our faith, love, and our zeal is not enough to put fear outside of being judged good enough. We cannot be good enough to put the fear of our personal judgment outside of ourselves sold under sin. It require God's love, God's paying the price for our sins to justify us. Hence, Christ Jesus is God's love too us, do you really grasp this? It is not our love in trying to act fearlessly bold in the face of doing something for God, by a work of law, no!

1 John 4:17 In this love has been made perfect among us, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment, because as he is, even so are we in this world.

1 John 4:18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear has punishment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

The apostles Peter found that no good thing dwelt in him when trying to walk on water, finding out that works of law in himself did not justify him before God, which only caused him sinking into the water. Do you think such an example is written for us as entertainment? No! We all accept Christ words to come to him, than we sinking into the wicked sea of sin, and doubt by works of law, that is, our thinking we can walking on water by some self-effort in good works toward God, and/or our religion. Finding instead we need Christ to help us over ourselves and the many sins found in our thoughts, through our fallen flesh.

Revelation 2:4 But I have this against you, that you left your first love.

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice{"atoning sacrifice" is from the Greek "hilasmos," an appeasing, propitiating, or the means of appeasement or propitiation--the sacrifice that turns away God's wrath because of our sin.} for our sins.

Christ commandments are based upon faith, his goodness, not our own goodness, we must have this faith to be saved, when you doubt, and fear as we all do, we are putting faith in our own efforts, but knowing within our heart, we are good for nothing man, needing Christ Jesus as our miracle for walking upon sins that we cannot stop practicing by our own self-effort.

1 Peter 3:21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you--not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion of Matter

Religion has been steep into works of law, it does not matter if it is Christianity or any other great religion of our world. Each of them offer salvation by performing a work of law towards mankind, and/or God or god's hence, proving oneself righteous in our sinful flesh.

Salvation in its purest form is Christ Jesus as our truth, which is eternal life for the human race, our resting upon his good works, paying the price of our lives lost to sin. We have no other way to become approved, but by faith in those words just spoken. Hence,our words spoken between us and God, unseen, and unheard, by any human ear. Whereas, self-justification in its purest form is our trying to justify what God has done for us by works of law before men.

No matter how righteous we feel in our attending meetings, boasting in some good work we have done for God, and Christ such things do not justify us before God. If such conduct is left unchecked, and not corrected by a religion those fleshly teachings will grow into a self-center, self-absorb religion whereby each thoughts is about doing something for God to be found clean befor him. Hence, denying the very truth of the life of Christ.

One cannot over emphasis the finish works of God in Christ Jesus, those works are God's greatest love too mankind, when we let Christ finish our works by his life. we rest in the great sabbath day of our Lord, we desist from justifying our goodness, by bible, commandments, good deeds, or any other thing coming from our sinful flesh; thus, claiming such works as God's. We instead put faith in Christ Jesus, not in wording of his name, but his life, as the living truth in dwelling us with his righteousness, letting his righteous works in us sanctifying us from dead works; glorifying God for his great mercies in undeserved kindness, in the unmerited free gift of Christ Jesus.

Completed: September 15, 2013