Oh, the dreaded two words: jury duty! The letter arrives and voila, you have been summoned to court, destined to sit all day in an overcrowded room of mumbling peers, waiting to be called, questioned, and then either dismissed or selected to serve on a jury. I have been called to that civic duty three times in my lifetime, and although I was apprehensive at first, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of courtroom drama-listening to the prosecutor painstakingly lay out his case, observing the body language of the accused, weighing the defense attorney’s attempts to vindicate his client, all while calling to mind the judge’s instruction that the accused is innocent until proven guilty.
Justification, a Biblical legal term, is a pivotal doctrine for believers. God’s grace-laced justification is a judicial declaration, instantaneous and complete, pronouncing the sinner not guilty before the bar of God’s justice in spite of our iniquity, our missing the mark with God. Due to the sinless life of the perfect Lamb of God and His once-for-all sacrifice at Calvary, we can through faith be declared righteous before the scrutinizing eyes of the ultimate Judge. And we are more than pardoned, we are reinstated from the position of a ruthless criminal to one who has never broken the law at all.
When we leave the courtroom, we enjoy full acceptance and fellowship with God, holding in our hands the inalienable title to eternal life. But that’s not all, “Being justified by faith we have peace with God.” We have peace, the Hebrew term shalom, complete freedom from any conflict with God. This peace remains undaunted during trials and tribulations. This justification is ours through child-like faith in the price paid by the sinless One. The alienation from God initiated by Adam’s sin in the Garden and passed on to all humanity is now replaced by reconciliation through to God through Christ. Have you received His pardon, available to you at the foot of the cross? If you have, take a moment today to praise and thank Him. Thanks to His sacrifice, you are declared not guilty!
Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Not guilty! Praise God for the gift of peace that is ours through the finished work of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. Help me never to lose sight of that sacrifice on my behalf.