The Flipside of Being Justified (Part 1 of 2) | 02.12.12

I was recently inspired by a Facebook status update from Jonathan Booth, in which he made mention of justification.  What struck me was what I saw in the scripture he cited because I have never before noticed this.  (Sidenote: That happens to me from time to time because--honestly--I don't know it all.  Even though I've been in church all my life, I NEVER profess to know it all.)  Jonathan's status update focused on faith in challenging situations, but what caught my attention was the following passage of scripture:

"But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:18, 21-24 NKJV)

Up until this point, my understanding of justification was one-sided.  I only saw it from the standpoint that I have been justified of my sin (Acts 13:38-39).  Having sat for years under excellent Bible teaching, I learned that being justified puts me in a place where things are "just if I'd" never done them.  Thanks be to GOD for wiping my slate of sin clean!  However, reading those verses of scripture in James allowed me to see the flipside of being justified.  Not only did Christ fix this thing so that the evidence of my past no longer exists, but my present acts of faith position me in such a way that things are "just if I'd" ALWAYS been in right standing with GOD.  Therefore, justification also serves to solidify my identity in righteousness.

It takes faith to please GOD.  And what pleases GOD is obedience, which is why it's impossible to show one's faith WITHOUT works.  Faith is a prerequisite for the work of obedience because the very idea of obeying GOD diametrically opposes the human nature of our carnal mindset.  Understand that the lifestyles we live are a direct indication of who we are.  Yes, GOD loves us despite our faults and shortcomings; but it's pretty difficult to evidence our right standing with GOD when our works and our faith are consistently in disagreement with each other.  Salvation is by grace through faith and NOT of our own works, as it says in Ephesians 2:8; otherwise men would boast in their ability to save themselves from spiritual damnation.  However, once we have received the gift of salvation unto eternal life, the righteousness that has been imputed (or placed upon us) must be evidenced by a righteous lifestyle.  So let's be clear: works DO NOT secure salvation, but they are rather PROOF OF salvation.

TO BE CONTINUED...  Check out Part 2 of "The Flipside of Being Justified"