What does it mean to be justified by the blood? (Rom. 5:9). What does it mean to be justified by resurrection? (4:25).
Romans 5:9 says that we have “now been justified in His blood.” Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “was raised for our justification.” How can we tie these two verses together? We need to examine the meaning of “justified in His blood” and the meaning of “raised for our justification.” How wide is the scope of justification in the blood and the scope of justification by resurrection?
Justification, according to the Bible, has two meanings: (1) A believer has been forgiven of his sins, and (2) God sees him as righteous or perfect. Before Adam and Eve sinned, they were not justified by God. Christ is righteous and perfect in God’s sight. God tells every Christian who comes before Him that he not only is a forgiven sinner but he is also righteous. When he comes before God, he is not only free from any defilement of sin, but he is also clothed with the robe of righteousness. Everyone who comes before God in Christ is accepted by God just as Christ is accepted by God.
What are the differences between justification by the blood and justification by resurrection? The problem of our record of sins is resolved by the blood of the Lord Jesus. He shed His blood to nullify our record of sins. At the same time, we are accepted by God through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Many Christians commit a big error in thinking that forgiveness includes everything. We should, no doubt, rejoice in the forgiveness of sins, but God gives us more than just the forgiveness of sins in Christ. Forgiveness alone is not full salvation. Some have said that if they could only reach heaven, they would be satisfied. Others have said if they could only stand at the gate of heaven, they would be satisfied. If this is their concept, they surely do not know what the grace of God is. The Bible tells us that the grace of God includes not only forgiveness of sins but also a most glorious truth: when we come before God, we are accepted in His eyes. Ephesians 1:6 says, “He graced us in the Beloved.” We are not only forgiven; we are also accepted. The thief who was saved at the time of his death was accepted by God as much as the apostles John, Peter, and Paul. In the eyes of God, whoever is in Christ is not only blameless but also without blemish. What is a blemish? Suppose that I cut my hand with a knife. When the wound has healed, a scar still remains. The damage no longer exists, but the scar proves that at one time there was an accident. The Bible tells us that God is able to save us to the point that we do not have any scars. God can save us to the extent that we will not be reminded of our sinfulness or be condemned about it anymore. God’s work is always perfect. He does not merely forgive our sins; He also saves us and makes us righteous.
The blood is for redemption before God. This is the objective side. The blood purifies man’s conscience (Heb. 9:14). Whenever we think of our sins, we can recall that the blood has washed us, and our heart will be at peace. This is the subjective effect of the blood. The Lord Jesus shed His blood to propitiate for our sins before God; this solved the problem of sins. The blood of the Lord Jesus also cleanses our conscience. What is the conscience? When we sin, there is a voice within us that points out our sin and makes us feel uneasy. The blood of the Lord is able to purify our conscience to the point that we no longer have a conscience burdened by sin. If there is a Christian who is constantly living under the accusation of his conscience, this is not humility. Rather, this indicates an unbelief in God’s Word as well as a scorn of Christ’s work. None of us should have a conscience under the accusation of our past sins. We should believe that the blood has washed all our sins away.
Once there was a woman who was over fifty years old. More than twenty years before, she had committed a most disgraceful sin, which lasted for a period of several months. Although she later repented, there was always condemnation within her that the sin she had committed could never be forgiven. Therefore, she had no peace at all. Then she met a preacher and told him how often she felt distressed for that sin and could not have peace. The preacher asked her if she had ever read 1 John 1:7, and she said that she had. Then the preacher said, “Let us read together the last clause of that verse: ‘The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from every sin.’ Besides that particular sin, have you committed any other sins?” She said, “I have indeed committed other sins, but all of them have been cleansed by the blood. However, this sin remains uncleansed.” He said, “My Bible says, ‘Cleanses us from every sin,’ not ‘cleanses us from other sins.’” Then he read verse 9 with her: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” After reading it, he asked, “How does such a faithful and righteous God forgive and cleanse your sins?” She said, “By confessing my sins.” “Have you confessed?” he asked. She responded, “I have confessed tens and hundreds of times.” Then he said, “Well, God says that if you confess your sins, He will forgive and cleanse. You have already confessed, and God has already forgiven and cleansed you.” She said, “I do not feel so.” He asked, “Does it really matter how you feel if God in heaven has forgiven and cleansed you?” She said, “No, it really does not matter.” Later they prayed together, and he said to her, “Prayer is effective only if you believe what is in the Bible; if you do not believe it, it is futile even if you pray.” He then entrusted her to God with a few simple words, asking God to make her believe that her sins had already been forgiven and cleansed. Her prayer declared, “O God, my problem before was that I could not believe in the work of Christ. Now I do believe in Christ’s work. I believe in Your Word. Therefore, my sin has been forgiven and cleansed.” When someone later met this sister and asked her how she was, she said, “Very fine indeed. Very fine!” Since many people have not seen this point clearly, they look daily at their sins instead of the sinner’s Savior. They look daily at their sins instead of God’s grace. They look daily at their sins instead of Christ’s work. Those who are more concerned with their own sins are the ones who sin more readily. If we look away unto the Lord Jesus and believe in the work He has done, we will surely forget our sins. Our salvation hinges upon looking away unto the Lord and not upon our consideration of ourselves. The more we pay attention to a sin, the harder it will be to remove that sin. But if we look away to the Lord, we will be transformed from glory to glory, even into the Lord’s image.
Our justification by resurrection is the positive side of the matter. He resurrected to impart a new life to us. This life is as righteous as the Lord. This life does not sin. When God sees this life, He reckons us as righteous. Christ’s resurrection not only imparts a new life to us; it also hides our life with Christ in God (Col. 3:3). On the subjective side, Christ as our life is dwelling within us. We received this at the time of our regeneration. This life is the resurrection life. On the objective side, we appear before God in Christ and have a new position so that God sees us just as He sees Christ. The way God sees Christ is the same way He sees us. Therefore, when we come before God’s presence, we do not have to tremble. We can say, “Hallelujah!” We may draw near to God with boldness and fullness of faith. We may say to God, “You are our Father, and we are Your children.” It is God who justifies us; who is he who condemns? When we appear before God in Christ, nothing is more beautiful than we are. Hymn #299, stanzas 3 and 4 say,
So nigh, so very nigh to God, I cannot nearer be; For in the person of His Son I am as near as He.
So dear, so very dear to God, More dear I cannot be; The love wherewith He loves the Son, Such is His love to me.
The life within us is given to us by Christ. Our position before God is also given to us by Christ. So many Christians do not grow because they are under the accusation of their conscience, and they have no freedom before God. Once there is a hole in the conscience, faith leaks out. When we pray and our conscience is under accusation, our faith is weakened.
Our justification by the blood resolves our problem with sins. God looks upon us as though we have no sins. Our justification by resurrection means that Christ has become our life within. We occupy a new position in Christ before God, the position which Christ occupies before God.
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