What does Justify mean? And who can be justified?

What does it mean, and whom can God justify?

That is, what type of person, which persons, what people do you know, and perhaps even yourself, a family member, or a relative, a former friend, a distant friend, co-worker, neighbor, and maybe the most unlikely person you would ever think of. Any and all of these people can be justified.

First of all, what does it mean to be justified? James in his letter, uses the term three times.

Jas 2:21* Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

Jas 2:24* You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Jas 2:25* Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

The word justified is also translated be freed, and be righteous. It's used in the NT to speak of being rendered righteous, or for a person to be such as he ought to be. It's also used to speak of a person being what he wishes himself to be considered. And, finally, it means to be declared, or pronounced to be just and righteous.

James uses the word to speak of Abraham, and then to speak of people in general, and finally to speak of a woman named Rahab, who was a harlot. And, James indirectly spoke of himself, he was the writer of course of the letter called "The epistle of James" and was a younger brother of Jesus Christ.

So, when you start looking at the above list, you realize that anyone really can be justified. Someone in your family, someone like Abraham, ( who by the way, speaking for a moment of his human faults and such, he was known to have delayed in obeying God, he partially obeyed God, repeated the sin of lying and put his wife in mortal danger on two different occasions. He later took matters into his own hands, ( in the matter of having a son, and did not wait for God ). Rahab was a prostitute. Prostitutes were plentiful then, and are the same today. Immorality, destroying marriages, passing on of disease etc, etc.

Finally, you have the very worst person ( by his own account, the chiefest of sinners ) and that would be a man named Saul, who at the same time was a religious person. But, later, he changed his name to Paul, and became an apostle of Jesus Christ. James mentions some of Paul's writings in the 2nd chapter of his letter, in fact, he quoted Paul on the very subject of justification.

So, anyone can be justified. Another way to understand this term, and I love this, is that it means, "It's just as if I'd never sinned, or just as if I'd never done anything wrong". And it also means that all of my sins and transgressions are gone, and remembered no more. And, that I've been clothed by God with the same righteousness as Jesus Christ. I'm righteous and totally acceptable to God and in His sight, in Christ.

Lord, it takes my breath away so to speak, to understand, and accept the fact, that at this moment, before You, it's just as if I'd never done anything wrong. I can hardly believe it, but I do, and I know it's true. It's Your great gift to me. Thank You Father. In Jesus name.

Pastor Bob Grenier

Calvary Chapel Visalia

Application/Promises

1. He can do it for you also.

2. He has done it for countless millions, upon millions,

3. He has made it available for you.

4. He gives it to you by you receiving Jesus Christ.

5. He will do it for the worst person you know.

6. He can do it for your spouse, your kids.

7. He is the great Justifier.

8. He can do it for people who attend church.

9. He can do it for anyone.

10. He wants to do it for anyone who needs it.