Colossians 2:14
"Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross."
Justification is the legal act of God whereby He declares a sinner 'just' (perfectly righteous). It is clear from this Scripture that the believer's justification before God took place on the cross. All charges against us were paid in full by Christ shedding His innocent blood unto death. And those charges were not just dropped, set aside, or suspended, but paid for in full. Therefore, He fully accomplished forgiveness, redemption, and justification at that time, at the moment of His death on the cross at Calvary.
Faith does not complete Christ's work, rather, it is by God's Gift of Faith (the revelation of Christ in a chosen sinner by the Holy Spirit) that they are led to embrace and enjoy, in their experience, what Christ has accomplished for them at the cross! The Peace of mind of the sinner is the result of this revelation of Who He is and what He accomplished for them.
"If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." (Galatians 3:24) The justification of sinners from beginning to end was by the Grace of God (Christ), through His obedient life and death that earned a perfect righteousness, apart from any work, act of the will, or merit in the sinner. In Romans 3:24 we read, "Being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," the word 'freely' in the original means, 'without cause' which tells us it is wholly conditioned upon Christ alone. To make justification dependent in any way upon the sinner's willing, believing, actions, or inactions is to render the death of Christ vain.
The chosen sinner's justification, and their resulting sanctification, was due to the pre-ordained, one-time, once-for-all, exclusive accomplishment of Christ in offering Himself unto death, a Just Payment for sin, "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." (Hebrews 10:10) God the Father accepted His Son's righteous payment, His Sacrifice of His own blood offered up unto death on behalf of those sinners chosen in eternity, and therefore immediately and simultaneously He imputed it to the account of all of His elect at the moment of His Son's death, in this dimension of time. "...Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
Christ and His righteous blood shed unto death,
God's Only Way
for sinners to be saved unto Life!
Praise our Just Justifier!
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