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September
5, 2004
THE
JUSTIFYING NAME
"But
you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our
God" (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV).
It is
virtually impossible to describe the feelings of apprehension
and anxiety when one is on trial in a courtroom awaiting the
verdict of a judge or jury. One can only appreciate the dread
if one has actually been on trial.
In reality,
we have all been on trial in the great tribunal of the universe.
Since all have sinned and come short of God's glory (see Romans
5:12), we are all subject to divine judgement (see 2 Corinthians
5:10). That's the bad news. However, the good news about the
bad news is that someone has voluntarily taken our guilt,
our condemnation, and our penalty and has set us free to live
victoriously (see Romans 3:24; 8:1). The apostle Paul puts
it in a single sentence, "You were justified in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV).
That precious, wonder-working name is also the justifying
name. In that precious name, God has brought down the gavel
and pronounced that all who trust Him are justified. By grace,
through faith in Jesus, we have been acquitted, vindicated,
and declared righteous--all in the name of Jesus.
In the
wonder-working name of Jesus, God has, as it were, stepped
from behind the bench and paid our fine, realizing we were
too poor to pay the weighty penalty ourselves. The payment
was made when God the Son gave Himself for us on the cross
once-for-all. It is through this name that we were justified
freely, vindicated fully, and restored totally.
In this
justifying name, the repentant sinner is pardoned, acquitted,
vindicated, and restored to favor with God. What a wonder-working
name! "He [the sinner] is justified through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven
as the sinner's substitute and surety."--God's Amazing
Grace, p. 182.
My
Prayer Today: Lord, the wonder-working name of Jesus
has justified me. May that name also keep me right with You.
Amen.
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