Acts to Paul (4)
Pray Psalm 61.1, 2.
Hear my cry, O God;
Attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth I will cry to You,
When my heart is overwhelmed;
Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
Sing Psalm 61.1, 2.
(Quebec: Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts)
LORD, hear my cry, heed my complaint! Hear, for my distant heart is faint.
When from the end of earth I sigh, set me upon that Rock on high.
Read Acts 10.9-16; Rom. 3.21-26; Rom. 8.1-8; meditate on Romans 2.21-26.
Preparation
1. How are we justified before God?
2. Why must our justification be by this means?
Meditation
They only can be redeemed and saved whom God has cleansed. It took Peter’s first-hand experience for him to understand that God can cleanse, justify, redeem, and save even those from nations beyond the people of Israel. God is the justifier of all who believe, granting them forgiveness and new life in and with Him.
He can do this because the sins of the world have been borne by the Lamb of God, Who takes them all away. God, Who is wholly just and will not suffer sin forever, gave His only begotten Son to be the sin-bearer for the world. In doing so, Jesus satisfied the justice of God by bearing His just judgment against sin. The wages of sin is death, Paul reminds us (Rom. 6.23). But Jesus’ justifying death makes it possible for God to justify His chosen people, bringing them, by faith in Jesus, into His eternal family and fold.
The death of Jesus was for the sins of the world. In one important sense, Jesus died for all people, every sinner who has lived or ever will live. His sacrifice covers all their sins as the way to be justified before God (1 Jn. 2.2). Jesus was just in dying, for it fulfilled His love for God and His people. And He was the Justifier of all who would be saved by presenting His sacrifice as the propitiation for our sins.
God is just in requiring payment for all sins. He is Justifier by having sent His Son to pay that debt. In the righteousness of Jesus—as opposed to our sinfulness—and of the holy and just heavenly Father—from whom our sins make a separation (Is. 59.2)—God is, and His Son Jesus with Him, both just and the Justifier of all who believe in Him. There is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who no longer walk the path of sin but live by the Spirit and Law of our just and justifying God (Rom. 8.1).
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
A grievous problem that all seem to face today—right-believers and wrong-believers—is the overwhelming obliviousness of the magnitude of our sin. We are all in desperate need of a Savior; One Who is Just and can Justify us before the Father.
But for some reason we surmise, that because we can all cull truly bad people from the pages of history who were way worse than we understand ourselves to be, we see ourselves as maybe “not so bad after all”.
But that is not God’s perception of us. The truth is this:
“all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3.23).
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’
They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none who does good.
The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand,
who seek God. They have all turned aside, they have together become corrupt;
there is none who does good, no, not one” (Ps. 14.1-3).
“Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications!
In Your faithfulness answer me, and in Your righteousness.
Do not enter into judgment with Your servant,
for in Your sight no one living is righteous” (Ps. 143.1, 2).
“…we are like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses
are like filthy rags…” (Is. 64.6).
Dire straits. We need justification.
Jesus Christ is the only way to get clean.
Truly we must see our condition clearly to appreciate fully
His atonement for our filth.
Unless we grasp this, we will never be able to understand the depth of the riches of His grace;
and we will not be thankful.
JESUS—our perfect and just, Justifier.
“…being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood,
through faith,
to demonstrate His righteousness,
because in His forbearance
God had passed over the sins that were previously committed,
to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness,
that He might be just and the justifier
of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3.24-26).
This is how we are made clean to please the LORD.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God (Rom. 8.8);
but those who are in His Spirit belong fully, justly, cleanly, and joyously to Him.
For “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus,
who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8.1).
Understanding completely our previous wretched condition.
And understanding thankfully what Jesus has accomplished on our behalf:
Through Him we receive “the forgiveness of sins;
and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things
from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses” (Acts 13.38, 39).
We are what God has cleansed (Acts 10.15).
Reflection
1. What does it mean to say that God is just and Jesus is just? Why does this matter?
2. How would you explain to an unbelieving friend what it means that God is the “Justifier”?
3. God acted justly toward us through Jesus. But He also acted in mercy. What is mercy? Why do we need it?
God has manifested his righteousness and given Christ to be our redemption. He has made him our propitiator. If he had sent him as the propitiator at some earlier time, there would have been fewer people whose sins needed propitiating than there are now. For God is just, and therefore he could not justify the unjust. Therefore he required the intervention of a propitiator, so that by having faith in him those who could not be justified by their own works might be justified. Origen (185-254) Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans
Pray Psalm 61.3-8.
Thank the heavenly Father that, in His justice, He sent Jesus to atone for our sins, and in His justifying He included you as redeemed, forgiven, and saved. Commit your day to serving Him accordingly.
Sing Psalm 61.3-8.
(Quebec: Jesus, Thou Joy of Loving Hearts)
You are a Refuge, LORD, for me, towering o’er my enemy.
Let me find shelter ’neath Your wings, dwell in Your tent eternally.
LORD, You have heard what I have vowed; You have on me Your grace bestowed.
You will prolong my years, my life, keep me alive ‘mid trial and strife.
I will with You e’ermore abide; let lovingkindness take my side.
Let truth preserve me all my days. I will forever sing Your praise!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
Other columns of interest this week: Our Read Moore podcast takes up the book Understanding the Times to help us in knowing how to live and proclaim the Kingdom. Our twice weekly column, Crosfigell, is well into a series on the life of Brendan the Navigator, one of the great saints of the 6th century. Our ReVision series, “The Kingdom Economy”, continues to unpack the secrets of the Kingdom. And new in our bookstore, our book, The Ongoing Work of Christ shows us how the book of Acts provides a template and footprint for all who take up the work of building Jesus’ Church.
And please prayerfully consider supporting The Fellowship of Ailbe with your prayers and gifts. You can contribute online, via PayPal or Anedot, or by sending a gift to The Fellowship of Ailbe, P. O. Box 8213, Essex, VT 05451.
Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. For sources of all quotations, see the weekly PDF of this study. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
