The commission of Christ as the Servant of Jehovah is also to bring forth justice (the judgment of righteousness) for salvation in truth to the nations (Isa. 42:1, 3b; 49:6d). Justice— the judgment of righteousness—is for God's justification in His salvation based upon Christ's redemption through God's righteous judgment; the light of life is for God's impartation of life in His salvation. God's salvation has two aspects—the aspect of justification and the aspect of His impartation of life. First, God in His salvation justifies us. Then we have His righteousness. Then He imparts His life into us in His salvation. Now we have righteousness and life.
Righteousness in God's justice and life through God's light are the two basic factors of God's salvation (Rom. 1:16-17; 5:18b; Titus 3:7). Romans 1:16 and 17 say that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation, for the righteousness of God is revealed in the gospel. Romans 5:18 says that the result of the one righteous act, the act of Christ, was justification of life to all men. Justification is in the covenant. Life is in the light. Thus, God gives Christ as the covenant to us for justification, and God gives Christ as light to us for life. Titus 3:7 says that having been justified, we have become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Justification brings us life, justification is by the covenant, and the life is by the light.
Christ was commissioned to open the eyes of the blind that they may see the divine and spiritual things concerning God's eternal economy (Isa. 42:7a; Luke 4:18b; Acts 26:18a). If our spiritual eyes are not opened, we cannot see God's economy. We need the spiritual eyes to see all the divine and spiritual things concerning God's eternal economy.
The last item of Christ's commission is to bring the prisoner out from the prison, those who dwell in darkness out from the prison house. I like one of Charles Wesley's hymns concerning being justified in Christ (Hymns, #296). In the first verse of this hymn, Wesley says, "And can it be that I should gain / An int'rest in the Savior's blood?" When we sing this hymn, we can say, "Yes, it can be that I should gain an interest in the Savior's blood." In this hymn, Wesley says that he was in a dungeon, in prison, and in darkness. But one day a quickening ray of light shined into him. He was saved and came out of prison to follow the Lord (see verse 4). Christ brings us out of the prison house that we may be released from the dark kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God's beloved Son.
This message conveys to us the logic and the reality of God's salvation in two aspects—the aspect of Christ as the covenant for justification and the aspect of Christ as the light for life. We are justified unto life. This is God's salvation.