the Fourth Week after Easter
free while helping to build churches and support pastors in Uganda.
Click here to learn more!
Daily Devotionals
Grace for Today
Romans 8:33
‘It is God that justifieth’
Read Romans 5:1-21
1. Every believer is eternally justified in the purpose of God. Paul, speaking of God’s eternal decree in predestination, declares that all of God’s elect were justified in his eternal purpose of grace: ‘Whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.’ From eternity God looked upon his Son as our Substitute, and as he looks upon us in his Son, we are, and always have been, righteous in his sight. Thomas Goodwin said, ‘We may say of all spiritual blessings in Christ, what is said of Christ, that ‘His goings forth are from everlasting.’ In Christ we are blessed with all spiritual blessings. As we are blessed with all others, so with this also, that we were justified then in Christ!’
2. All of God’s elect were justified at Calvary. Having lived in perfect obedience to the law of God as our Representative, establishing its perfect righteousness for us, the Lord Jesus Christ suffered and died as our Substitute at Calvary, satisfying the penalty of God’s law and justice against us. In the person of our Substitute, we have satisfied the law’s requirements and its penalty. And now God, in perfect consistency with his justice and holiness, declares that we are forgiven of all sin and justified: ‘Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.’
3. Every believer receives justification by faith in Christ. Christ justified us by his great sin-atoning sacrifice and all who believe on Christ as Lord and Savior receive all the many benefits of his finished work, one of which is justification. It is written that our Lord Jesus Christ ‘was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ Faith does not cause God to justify us. The obedience of Christ has done that for us. But faith, resting upon Christ alone as Savior, obtains peace with God, even the peace of perfect and complete justification.
