We are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, by faith, and not for our own works or
deservings. Wherefore, that we
are justified by faith, only, is a most wholesome doctrine, and very full of
comfort.
Recent events have undeniably reinforced the fact that if you have
the right connections, justice will work in your favor. Even if you’re actually guilty, if you have
the right friend(s) the judge will rule that you’re innocent.
Which brings us to the doctrine of justification.
According to Baker's
Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, the word justification means “the declaring of a
person to be just or righteous. It is a legal term signifying acquittal.”
Heaven is a perfect and hoy place for those who are perfectly
holy. To earn access into Heaven you and
I would have to prove to God that we are perfectly holy.
Only Jesus has ever successfully won that argument. He lived on earth without breaking any of God’s
laws---- not one. He was in all points tempted as we are, yet
without sin. (Hebrews 4:15).
By nature and by works, Jesus deserves Heaven and the Father’s
favor.
We don’t.
God personally described Job as a blameless and upright man,
one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8) The Lord basically
called Job the best man on Earth.
But even Job had to admit, “Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be
righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, he could not answer
Him one time out of a thousand.” (Job 9: 2-3)
The very best of us could not produce good works enough to successfully
win a ruling of righteous before God. We’re all screwed.
Our works, everything we have said, thought, and done, testify against
us in the court of God.
And that’s why people will go to Hell instead of Heaven: our
works, far from winning our acquittal, prove our guilt.
And I saw the dead, small and
great, standing before God, and books were opened.
And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were
written in the books.
The sea gave up the dead who were
in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they
were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast
into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of
fire. (Revelations 20: 12-15)
The evidence from our works is too overwhelming. We cannot win in a fair trial.
But thank God for favoritism in the court.
The prophet Zechariah had a vision of Divine justice under the
influence of Divine nepotism.
Then he showed me Joshua the high
priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right
hand to oppose him. And the
Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen
Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this
not a brand plucked from the fire?”
Now Joshua was clothed with filthy
garments, and was standing before the Angel.
Then He answered and spoke to those who
stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him
He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you
with rich robes.”
(Zechariah 3: 1-4)
Did you see what happened there?
Satan, the prosecutor, had all the evidence necessary to convict
Joshua and have him sentenced to Hell; but the Lord (Jesus) spoke to the Lord
(God the Father) and asked for acquittal.
No counter evidence. No
cross examination. Just a request from
Lord to Lord.
And the Lord God ruled Joshua innocent. He acquitted him of all charges, expunged his
record of all previous iniquity, and awarded him a rich new set of spiritual
robes.
Was that fair?
No. That was favor, but not
favor earned by the accused. That was
favor given because of the nepotic relationship between the Lord God the Father
and the Lord Jesus His Son.
Our only hope for acquittal from our sins is to get in on Jesus’ sinlessness. We need God to treat us like He treats Jesus.
Therefore we conclude that a man is
justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law (Romans 3: 28).
Through faith in Jesus, we are made friends and adopted
brothers. Jesus’ rich Daddy becomes our
rich Daddy, too. Not because we deserve
it, but because Jesus asked the Father to take us.
That’s nepotism and favoritism on an eternal scale.
Thank God for that!
---Anderson T. Graves
II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry,
and rural leadership development.
Rev. Anderson
T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church (5220 Myron Massey
Boulevard) in Fairfield, Alabama; executive director of the
Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO); and director of rural
leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Support by
check or money order may be mailed to
Miles Chapel
CME Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al
35064
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