Justified by the Grace of God
?Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God? (Rom 5:1-2).
Sometimes, people may struggle with the word ?justify?. One may understand that when someone justifies his/her actions, he/she is trying to make excuses for them. In the context of the above mentioned verses, that may not really make any sense. By means of technical analogies, we can understand the use of the word ?justify? in the context of Romans 5:1-2.
Often, when you look at a page of typed text, you will see that the left hand margin is straight and the right hand margin is uneven. When you work on a computer, you can change the alignment of the text so that the right margin is also straight. You will see an example of this if you look at your Bibles. When you align the text to have both margins straight, this is called ?justifying? the text. What it actually does is to automatically put some spaces on the line between words so that the last letter is against the right margin. Now, the analogy goes like this: There is a line (the plumb line) that has been put in place by Jesus Christ. He set the example; this example is the right hand margin. We are all lines on the page, we all try to reach the right hand margin but all of us fall short. Some of us by a long way, others by only a short distance, but God will justify us through our faith so that we all reach the line. We do our part and He does his part, it is a two-way thing.
We have to be careful though that we do not become too confident. We know that we cannot attain salvation by ourselves and that if we have faith we will be justified and saved by grace. This could tempt us to go through our lives without really trying to live in obedience to God or, to quote from Romans 6, ?Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?? Living a life where we are not attempting to be obedient to God is not a life in the direction of the kingdom. In that situation we have turned away from God and so He will have turned away from us. You cannot justify a line that is printed the wrong way on a page. You can?t do anything with it, just as God will not do anything with someone who is not trying to reach that line set by Christ.
Moreover, each and every Christian ? not only Sunday church-goers and denomination fanatics ? should remember:
?Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him? (James 1:12).
?No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it? (Heb 12:11).
It is a training, an opportunity for spiritual growth. Scripture tells us how Christ was made perfect through his tribulations, ?In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering? (Heb 2:10).
Bro. Karegeya Deogratias (Rondebosch, South Africa)
