Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

Rom.8:30 Whom he predestined, those he also called. Whom he called, those he also justified. Whom he justified, those he also glorified.

What we should see in Paul's words here is that God glorifies those He justifies, but how many Christian's understand what it means for God to justify a person?

Justify: “To declare innocent or guiltless; absolve; acquit.”

God glorifies those person by declaring them guiltless, but can a person do enough good works to be guiltless, or innocent before God? In other words, can a person live a good enough life for God to say: “I declare you guiltless so I glorify you among the angels”.

Christian's must understand the term justified is a legal term, not based upon human emotion, it is based upon God's legal requirements under the Old Law given to Moses. Legally for God to appease His righteous judgments under the law, blood had to be shed for human sin, what does that mean? It means, life is in the blood, hence, it took sacred life to appease the judgment of God under His law, which in, this case of those under the law, was animal blood.

Legally, sin to God is no small matter, it means, for God too atone for human sin another life must be taken. But let us remember, the blood of animals life could not cover completely the sins of humankind, thus, year to year animal life was taken to atone for the nation of Israel sins, that is, individually, and as a nation.

In this manner the nation and person of the nation were temporally justified in God legal requirements. So we can see that the nation and the people of Israel were not justified by the law, or their good works, it was the blood of animal's that justified them, and in this justified legal state God could deal with them individually, and as a nation. Getting this backwards becomes the down fall of that great nation, where their sins could no longer be justified in the blood of animals because the nation became self-justified in thinking by their good works under the law they would cover their sins, but it did not meet God's legal requirements for justification through innocent blood.

The only way the nation could be justified in God's sight was with animal blood prescribe by God's law. This act of justification was given to the nation by Moses in the first passover celebration, where ones could put faith in the blood of the passover lamb; their first born were spared from God's angel of destruction. It was faith in splashing the innocent blood of the passover lamb on their door post that saved the first born of the household, not good works, or obeying the laws of God, but why?

First, let it be noted that it was more then God's chosen people who were spared by the passover blood, it was in fact, all Israel, and Egypt that could be spared by putting faith in God's provision of the blood. If they splashed the blood on the door post; it was their faith which would saved their first born from destruction. They could have been a devout worshiper of God living every aspect of their life by law, and performing many good works, or they could have been a pagan worshiping of the god's of Egypt, however, if they failed to splash the blood of the passover lamb on their door post they were not justified in God's sight, so God could not glorify them in sparing their first born.

In other word, God's justification is not obtainable by self-justification no matter how righteous we think we are, or by the opinion of others.

In fact, our personal standing great or small does not matter. One could been the Pharaoh of Egypt, or Moses, or the lowest slave of both, justification would come to all by faith in God's provided blood. This then is the context of Paul's words in the books and Romans, and any other letters he wrote.

Our justification as God's children come by His provision of blood, in our case Christ Jesus blood as our passover lamb. Thus, if we are justified in God's eyes, by our faith in His Son Christ Jesus, then our good works under the law of love, become meaningful, but they do not justify us in God's sight. Never can we say we are guiltless by any other means accept the saving blood of Christ Jesus. We can preach, teach, and present ourselves as holy in speech, or by any other Christian's teachings, but we are not justified unless it is by God's legal requirements of Christ Jesus blood as our passover lamb.

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

See also: www.nu-truth.com