Justified, Grace and Redemption

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Hi, Friends!

Rev. “Connie” Cohen here, reflecting on one of the most famous New

Testament passages. I’m referring to Paul’s Letter to the Romans, Chapter 3 and verses 23 & 24. Here it is: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Don’t we all remember this verse?) But what follows is this: “and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.”

While most of us who are honest can relate to the “all are sinners” statement, we sometimes have a hard time getting beyond that to grasp the full significance of what follows. Essentially, Paul is declaring that we ALL are sinners. ALL of us are standing in a broken relationship with God through our selfishness and pride. But what he continues to say (without even resorting to a PERIOD between the two statements!) is: God has made a provision for our relationship with Him to be restored simply by accepting it!

Maybe we have a hard time understanding what Paul is saying because we’re unfamiliar with those three terms he uses to explain God’s provision, namely, “justified,” “grace” and “redemption.” Let’s look at each in turn.

First, “Justified.” To be “justified” means to be declared “Not Guilty.” Because of God’s marvelous provision, I can stand before God “Not Guilty” of the broken relationship with Him created by my sin! It is “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned!

Second, “Grace.” “Grace” is simply the “unmerited favor of God.” In other words, God has chosen to love and accept me into fellowship with Him because He wanted to, not because of anything I have done to deserve it. Truth is, I can never do anything to deserve God’s love. I can only accept it as a freely-offered gift.

Third, “Redemption.” When something—or someone—is “redeemed,” it means that that something (or someone) is freed from any judgment against it (or him/her) because someone else paid the price! This is the Key ingredient in the “good news” of the Gospel: We are capable of being “justified;” God is free to choose to love and accept us by His “grace;” only because Jesus Christ paid the price to “redeem” us by His death on the Cross! God’s Son took upon Himself the punishment for sin that I deserve—paying my price—and thereby accomplishing my redemption!

So, although I am included in the statement “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” I can stand apart from that reality and the Judgment it implies because—through the acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Savior—I am “Not Guilty” of a broken relationship with God; I am loved and accepted by God’s choice, not my worth; and I am forever free from any penalty for my sin!

If you know Jesus, my Friend, can you say, “AMEN!?”