We need salvation from our justification.

What is it that justifies you? What is it that makes you think, “Because of this, I’m all right in God’s sight.” What is it really that makes you think that you are acceptable to God?

Mine could easily be, “I’m laboring for the souls of these people as their pastor! Of course, I’m acceptable in God’s sight!”

Yours could be, “I’ve worked hard to provide for my family. God must accept me for that!”

Or “I’ve kept myself pure and am still a virgin at age 30, while the whole world is sleeping around.”

Or “I’m not perfect, but I’ve tried so hard to stay faithful to God.”

Or “I’ve been so patient with my obstinate husband. God has to see some merit in that!”

Notice that all of these justifications come from what we do. We are trying to justify ourselves so that God will find us worthy and accept us in the end. Now, as a Christian, you know that that is not how you are accepted by God. You are perfectly aware that it is justification by Jesus Christ and His work alone that we are saved. But in everyday life, we resort to our “true” justification (some of which are spelled out above) and make ourselves feel good thinking that we have peace with God because of those justifications.

How do you know whether you are using any other justification than Jesus Christ?  Your mood before God changes so often. One moment, you feel loved and accepted by God; the next moment, you feel totally guilty and abandoned. If our justification was in Jesus alone, we’d know that our standing with God will never change. It is because we have placed our justification on our own works, we feel insecure and our mood changes accordingly.

“Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.” Gal. 2:16

Do yourself a favor and stop trying to earn what God has already given to you.

Check your justification. Let it be Christ alone.

PH