Justification, Reconciliation, Salvation

I was reading Romans 5: 1 – 11, which speaks of justification, reconciliation and salvation. Here are a few verses. Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in hope of the glory of God. Romans 5: 1 – 2. Now we listen to Romans 5: 9 - 11. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life. Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

I encourage you to read the entire passage.

It was as if this was not just a reading, or even just a beautiful Word. It was as if this Word was upon me like; I knew that there was ‘flesh’ here.

There is justification, reconciliation and salvation for us. The Blood of Jesus; the Death of Jesus; the Life of Jesus. Then I began to speak these words as they were spoken in me. I had no control over it. I simply spoke these words aloud, on paper.

I am a death row criminal. I live, but my every day is a march unto the actual time of my execution. The reality is that I live a life of doom, a life that is already on the path to hell. There is no pardon for me, no pleading, no miracles for me, for I am a guilty sinner. I have been tried, tested and found guilty. I am on death row, one deserving of the punishment of death. Yes, I am a condemned criminal on death row, but what makes it even worse, is the fact that I am living in pure ignorance, without a hope of change.

Then one day, I meet this man, a stranger, who comes into my filth and sits inside my confined cell. He comes in and He looks exactly like me, a condemned criminal on death row. He comes even closer to me in my stinking cell, I tell you, and He begins to talk to me as no one ever spoke to me. All I know is that He hit me, not touched me, but hit me straight in the heart, that which I never knew that I had. He did not just speak love, but it was as if rays of warmth simply came from Him and engulfed me. I lost it. I lost it all as I sat there, totally frozen like, totally taken. He was real, yet not real. I saw that He looked like me, yet I knew that He was different.

After a little while, when He spoke of all that He spoke of, He said, “You are free!” I asked, “Free?” I said the word over and over again, “free, free, free.” “What do you mean by I am free?" Just like that? As simple as that? I knew that He was not some crazy, fanatic, religious, sick jerk, who was next to me. I knew that this was no ordinary person, but I did not know Him and could not fathom Him at all. I was doubting, yet believing; I was wanting, yet refusing; I was accepting, yet denying. Yet He just sat there with me, not with a smile on His face, but a picture of pain like, a frown like, which was asking me to accept Him. Honestly, there was no smile, just the pained frown on His brow. Then He said, with words that I will never forget, and with the pained frowned brow all gone, He said,

“I went before you, and took your punishment. I died for you. I did it for you so that the law can no longer condemn you. So yes, you are free from death row, free from all condemnation. Will you come with Me now? I have come to take you out of here.”

I tell you, I died. I collapsed at His feet and died in Him, before Him, by Him. What could I say, when I became so dumb? What could I do, when my hands and feet had collapsed? I was prostrate at His feet and the tears just flowed and flowed silently out of every part of my body. I felt as if every sin, every demon, every evil was literally coming out in those tears. He did not stop them, He did not dry them. He let them flow out at His feet, while He held me. Then He took me and dried every tear, looked me in the face and said. “I love you.” I was not just free, but loved as well. Where was I to go? What was I to do? All my life, I only knew this one life of deceit, being deceived and deceiving, pleasing myself, a doomed life. He also told me that now I am free and no longer under the law of condemnation, I could follow Him and live as He lives. He promised to give me His Spirit, who would be my control, guide, and guard.

As I came out of that confining prison place, I had to walk the road back as I came in. However, this time, He walked the Repentance Road with me.

I remembered Naomi as she too walked her ‘Return Road’, back to Bethlehem. She was now a Mara and she had to face the walk back to the Place of Bread. Grace was abounding for all, even for her, but she had to walk the same path back. And I see it clearly. Love, stubborn Love walked with her.

I am leaving my deserved place. I am leaving my filthy, deceitful place. I am walking out and returning to grace, but I am not alone. Love accompanies me. Love is walking my return road with me. Love is walking my repentance road with me. I am not alone, so that I know, with this companion of Love, I shall make my journey back, and with Love, I shall be okay.

Love came and through faith we accept Love. Blood must be given up. There must be the sacrifice. One cannot blemish the already blemished. Love came and took my blemish. He who never sinned, the sinless, took upon Him my sin to give me justification. To be justified is to be made right, to be put right. It is to be put in the right position. It’s like a turned down cup. No amount of pouring good water on it will fill it. First, you need to put the cup in the right position to receive the water, wine, juice, whatever. You turn it right side up and you 'justify’ it so to speak. To simply put the cup right, is not enough, you need to ensure that it gets back its usefulness. You need to clean the cup so that it can hold what you put in. You justify it, in order for it to hold the grace you have to pour into it. All you are doing is reconciling the cup back to its intended state, so that it will live as it was made to be.

Love does it all, and by faith you believe and receive. Blood, is what puts you in the proper position – the Justification. Death, is what cleanses and frees you so that you have your joined back position – the Reconciliation. Life, is what allows you to be a citizen of the Kingdom, saved by grace - Salvation from the wrath of God.