Luke 1:6: (Talking about Zechariah and Elizabeth) And they were both righteous (just) before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Our justification has to do with our walk; it has to do with our lifestyle.
Galatians 2:16-17: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Justification is defined in Romans 8:33 which says, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth”. Justification means to stand unchargeable. Notice that it is God who justifieth. That’s a present, active, participle. What that means is that it’s an ongoing process. Present tense, you draw a line. It’s not an event; it’s an ongoing process. That ongoing process is sinning. When we sin, we are chargeable. When we confess that sin, what happens? We are not chargeable.
Did you know that there are some sins in our lives that we will not repent of and we will not confess? Do you know what that means? When you stand in his presence, you will be chargeable for that sin of lawlessness.
1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”. If we do not confess our sins, he is faithful and just to charge us with unconfessed sin, and we will have to deal with that at the Judgment Seat.
[Galatians 2:16a; knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law] The word “justified” is present, passive. In other words, it is the works of the law acting on us. It is a continuous process. This justification is on the basis faith, which is also a continuous process. You and I both can make shipwreck of the faith. We can depart from living by faith. If we depart from faith, the justification process comes to a screeching halt. Why? Because we are not pleasing God. That’s what justification is all about, hearing, “Well done thou good and faithful servant”.
Then, notice what Paul says, “Even we have believed in Jesus Christ”. This word “believed” is in the aorist tense. Paul says, “We have been saved”. “That we might be justified by faith.” The word “might” is included. The implication is that we might not. The implication is that we might make shipwreck of the faith. We might stop pleasing God, and then, we become chargeable. We might be justified by faith, pleasing God, by a lifestyle that does not fail.
“And not by works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.” I included verse 17 because of the word “seek”. We are seeking to be justified. “Seek” is in the present tense. It’s something we need to be doing always. We need to be seeking to please God all the time.
We do that by being faithful to him. Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him”. Faith is the essential ingredient for us to please God. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. Faith (that which pleases God) gives substance to things that we hope for.
What is the hope of a Christian? Do you hope that you are saved? The hope of a Christian is to have a heavenly inheritance; it’s to have glory and honor in his coming Kingdom. What faith does is that it gives substance to that inheritance and to that glory, and because it gives substance to good things that are coming, because Jesus Christ is our high priest of good things to come, according to Hebrews 9:11, it will produce evidence in our lives. Faith will produce evidence. What kind of evidence? Obedience. A lifestyle of obedience is the evidence that it should produce of things not seen, yet hoped for. In order for us to have a heavenly inheritance, we need to live by faith, and that would be the evidenced in our lifestyle.
Galatians 3:8: And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Emphasizing that justification is a process: [would justify – is justifying; present, active, indicative]. God is in the process of justifying those of us who are willing to live by faith. This is a continuing process.
Acts 13:39: And by him all that believe [present, active] are justified [present, passive] from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
In other words, we do our part, and God does his part in forgiving, and cleansing, and restoring our fellowship with him. That’s the passive part of justification. Once again, being justified is not an event; it’s an ongoing process. Those who believe in the present tense (those who are faithful) are the ones who are being justified.
Galatians 3:11: But that no man is justified [present, passive] by the law [ceremonial law] in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just [saved, yet obedient] shall live by faith.
The just are saved and they are obedient. Obedient to what? They are obedient to the moral law. When God did away with the law, it was the ceremonial law that he did away with, not the moral law. It’s the just who live by faith. If you’re not obedient to the moral law, you can’t live by faith. If you’re living in sin, you can’t please God. Romans 14:23 tells us that whatsoever is not of faith is what? Sin.
Spiritual salvation is an event: Believe and you will be saved.
Justification is not an event; it's an ongoing process.
