Justification

Still reflecting on the beauty of Spring and the gift of regeneration, I am drawn to the beautiful gift of justification given through salvation.  The gift of justification further displays the love the Father has for his children.

I have often heard the analogy of our entrance into heaven given in terms of a court trial.  God sits in the position as Judge while Christ and Satan present their arguments as to why we should and should not be allowed into heaven.  Satan brings up every sin in our lives, those others are aware of as well as the ones we thought we had hidden so very well from everyone.  We stand before our Judge drowning in shame and guilt at every word Satan speaks.  Then, it is Christ’s turn to tell the Father why we deserve to go to heaven.  Knowing full well there is nothing good inside our hearts, we hold our breath waiting to hear what Christ is about to tell the  Judge.  For those who believe, Christ will tell the Judge that even though every word Satan said about us is true, those sins cannot be held against us because we have been washed in the blood of Christ.  We are forgiven every sin because we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  

Justification is the act of God pardoning the sins of all who believe in Christ.  He accounts for those believers as His own.  He accepts and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, as though we have conformed to all of the strict demands the law requires of us.  Knowing full well in our flesh we are not able to fulfill the law, God looks on us through Christ and declares that we have satisfied the law, not that he has set aside the law and allowed us to cheat our way in to heaven.  Because of our belief in Christ, God looks on us as though we have lived obediently to the law. 

Okay, that is pretty heavy stuff.  Let’s break it down so I can understand it a little better.  When we repent of our sins and believe in Christ, we are justified.  That simply means that Christ has proven that we are right with God.  When we are justified, we get all the benefits of one that would have lived a perfect life, fulfilling every law given by God.  We know that this is completely impossible in our flesh.  Without the sacrifice of Christ and the justification that comes as a gift of that sacrifice, we will never be good enough to enter heaven.

Justification is yet another gift of love given to us from the Father.  It brings us back to the sacrifice that was made for us.  It brings us back to the reality that we have to face, the ugliness of our sin and the separation it causes.  Yet that ugliness is made beautiful in the sacrifice of Christ and the fulfillment of the justification in the life of every believer.  I stand before you now, humbled by the love of my Heavenly Father, grateful for the sacrifice that was given, and excited to rejoice with you in the justification that has been made for each of us.

Justification

Still reflecting on the beauty of Spring and the gift of regeneration, I am drawn to the beautiful gift of justification given through salvation.  The gift of justification further displays the love the Father has for his children.

I have often heard the analogy of our entrance into heaven given in terms of a court trial.  God sits in the position as Judge while Christ and Satan present their arguments as to why we should and should not be allowed into heaven.  Satan brings up every sin in our lives, those others are aware of as well as the ones we thought we had hidden so very well from everyone.  We stand before our Judge drowning in shame and guilt at every word Satan speaks.  Then, it is Christ’s turn to tell the Father why we deserve to go to heaven.  Knowing full well there is nothing good inside our hearts, we hold our breath waiting to hear what Christ is about to tell the  Judge.  For those who believe, Christ will tell the Judge that even though every word Satan said about us is true, those sins cannot be held against us because we have been washed in the blood of Christ.  We are forgiven every sin because we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.  

Justification is the act of God pardoning the sins of all who believe in Christ.  He accounts for those believers as His own.  He accepts and treats them as righteous in the eye of the law, as though we have conformed to all of the strict demands the law requires of us.  Knowing full well in our flesh we are not able to fulfill the law, God looks on us through Christ and declares that we have satisfied the law, not that he has set aside the law and allowed us to cheat our way in to heaven.  Because of our belief in Christ, God looks on us as though we have lived obediently to the law. 

Okay, that is pretty heavy stuff.  Let’s break it down so I can understand it a little better.  When we repent of our sins and believe in Christ, we are justified.  That simply means that Christ has proven that we are right with God.  When we are justified, we get all the benefits of one that would have lived a perfect life, fulfilling every law given by God.  We know that this is completely impossible in our flesh.  Without the sacrifice of Christ and the justification that comes as a gift of that sacrifice, we will never be good enough to enter heaven.

Justification is yet another gift of love given to us from the Father.  It brings us back to the sacrifice that was made for us.  It brings us back to the reality that we have to face, the ugliness of our sin and the separation it causes.  Yet that ugliness is made beautiful in the sacrifice of Christ and the fulfillment of the justification in the life of every believer.  I stand before you now, humbled by the love of my Heavenly Father, grateful for the sacrifice that was given, and excited to rejoice with you in the justification that has been made for each of us.

Regeneration

There have been a few things heavy on my heart for some time now, things I feel a burden to share with you.  I meant to post these before Easter, but I am a slacker and did not get them finished or posted.  So sorry about that.

When I think about salvation, for some reason my mind goes to Spring.  I am convinced there are two reasons for this.  First, we celebrate Easter in Spring.  Salvation would not exist if it were not for the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and His glorious resurrection.  I have a hard time soaking this in every year.  I will never understand why there could not be a different way for us to experience Salvation.  But I will always be grateful that my Heavenly Father was willing to sacrifice His only Son for me, and that Jesus was willing to endure such pain and suffering for my soul.  Such a humbling thought.

Second, Spring brings about regeneration and new life in all creation.  I love to wake up and listen to the birds sing, to walk outside and see flowers bloom, and to see new life.  It is as if all creation is springing to life, singing praise to God for giving them new life.  Spring is quickly defeating Fall as my favorite season of the year.

Salvation brings with it the gifts of regeneration, justification and sanctification.  It all begins with regeneration.  The dictionary provides many definitions for regeneration, all of which are intriguing to me.  Regeneration is defined as: the act of regenerating; restoration; new growth by an organism that has been lost, removed or injured; rebirth; renewal.

When God created the world it was perfect and man walked in harmony and open communication and peace with God.  His intent was to walk intimately with us, free from sin and it’s consequences.  All of earth was created to flow in a sense of unity, providing for and taking care of each other.  The balance of nature was perfect and at peace.  Then, though the disobedience of Adam and Eve, sin entered the world and the delicate balance that once existed was shattered.  Adam and Eve were banned from God’s presence because of their sin, and every generation since has paid the same price.  We are not able to walk intimately with God the way He intended because of sin. 

Because of God’s great love for us, for His creation, He decided to do something radical to bring us back to Him.  Through the sacrifice of Jesus, His one and only son, God made a way to bring about regeneration in all those who believe in Christ.  When we believe in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we are given the gift of regeneration.  We are restored to the relationship God had intended to have with us from the beginning.  What was lost, removed and injured because of sin has been given new growth, renewal and rebirth.  What a glorious gift!

This, my friend is why I think of Spring when I think of my salvation.  God loves us so much that He was not satisfied living a life separated from us.  He loves us so much that He gave His only Son as a living sacrifice for our lives, so that we can walk in perfect unity and harmony with Him yet again.  So the next time you hear a bird or see a new flower, take a moment to reflect on the love the Father has bestowed on you, that you were given new life and are His child. 

Pressed But Not Crushed

Early this morning my oldest daughter came to our bedroom wanting to climb in our bed.  Since my husband does not sleep well when the girls are in bed with us, and had to get up for work today, I told her she needed to get back in her bed.  She came back a while later asking again.  I told her that once daddy got up for work that she could get in bed with me.  She went and laid on the couch, waiting patiently.  I had this tug on my heart to go curl up on the couch with her.  I waited, thinking it would go away, but it just got stronger.  So, we curled up on the couch and she went back to sleep.  As we laid there I was reminded of how comforting it was as a child for me to curl up with mom or dad, especially when I was tired or having a rough day.  Still today, 35 years later, I cherish the hugs I get from my parents.  I pray that as my girls grow they will always run to me for hugs and comfort, at least physical comfort.

The longer we laid there, the more I was reminded of how our Heavenly Father longs to give us the comfort our souls desperately need.  When we are worn down because life has thrown us a few too many curve balls, or drug us through the mud until we feel we are permanently stained, God stands with arms wide open, waiting for us to run to Him.  He knows everything we have gone through and has walked with us every step of the way.  The fact that we are so worn down may be because we have not acknowledged His presence through the journey.  I know this has been my experience more often in life than I wish to admit.  I am learning, but as I told you, I am a slow learner.

What is even better… He knows what is around the corner!  He knows what our next step will be and where it will lead.  He knows if it will provide a moment of peace, or if it will be the one last struggle that we feel will finally break us in two.  In either situation, HE IS THERE!  So many times in scripture we are promised that He will never leave nor forsake us.  He is with us every step of the way.  Again, though, we have to chose to acknowledge his presence, or try to go it on our own.  Trial and error.  I have to say the more erroneous choices I have made in my life are making me look more quickly to my Father. 

So, when life is rough, when you are down and out, when you feel as though you cannot take another step, take that step!  Don’t give in!  Remember, we are pressed but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, yet not abandoned; struck down but never destroyed.