Justified

And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified.
Romans 8.30 (NET)

This is a very familiar verse. It comes right after Paul tells us that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to His purpose (v.28). The purpose God called those who love Him to is that we would be conformed to the image of his Son (v.29), that is, that we would become like His Son Jesus. But that is not what I want to think about today. I want to think about what God has done in calling us to be like His Son and according to His purpose. I want to focus on Romans 8.30 and especially on the little word, justified.

Did you know that you are sick? If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you were sick. You were sick with sin so much that there was nothing you could do or ever do to make yourself well. To use the vernacular, you are toast, you are history, your goose is cooked, you are down for the count, you were blown out of the water… eh, just pick one.

The word justified means that you are no longer sick. The word in Greek is a legal term that means a person has been found or declared judicially vindicated as having complied with all the requirements of the law, that is God’s law.

You might say, now wait just a minute! I do not like thinking about it, but I quite clearly know that I have not complied with all the requirements of God’s law. If I do think about it, I realize I have not complied with God’s law in the slightest. How can I be declared justified? Of course, we know as believers that we can be declared justified because we have believed that Jesus Christ died for our sins, taking the just punishment for our sins, all of them, and God has applied Christ’s sacrifice to us, forgiving all my sin. Whew!

Each of the words in bold in Romans 8.30 are all verbs and in Greek are aorist and active. That means those words are actions that have already taken place. The actions have been completed. When it comes to being justified, that means right now I am justified, it is a done deal, it has taken place, it cannot be undone, it is a permanent reality. Even though I sinned last month, last week, yesterday, today, tomorrow, next week, next month and so on… I am justified, declared righteous before God. Couple that with Jesus interceding for me (Hebrews 7.25), my justification is sure and certain. So is yours if you believe in Jesus Christ. Double Whew!

You were sick, you are cured.