Young People's Group

HAVING A DEEPER APPRECIATION OF OUR SALVATION

by Pastor Mitch
March 23, 2008

Appreciating Being Justified In Christ

Every Easter is a time of re-appreciating the salvation that we have in our Lord Jesus. Sometimes, we can go through the motion of just celebrating Easter, and we do not go deeper in our understanding of what Christ has done for us. Through the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, we who believe are now justified by grace.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” 
Romans 5:1

The word “justified” means “to be declared righteous”. When we have genuine faith in our Saviour, God takes the righteousness that is of the Lord Jesus and imputes that righteousness upon our lives. We have been declared righteous before God. We now have peace with God rather than being under His wrath. The Lord Jesus brings about a special status of peace between us and God. We must not take our spiritual status before God for granted. Let’s appreciate it in a deeper way.

Two Wonderful Effects Of Being Justified

There are two wonderful effects that come through being justified in the Lord Jesus.

1. Having Access To God And His Grace

“Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand”
Romans 5:2

Through the Lord Jesus, we have a special access to God. We can now gain entry to the “secret place”, the holy of holies. Through faith in the Lord Jesus, we can come boldly to the throne of grace where we can find mercy and grace to help in our moments when we need help and strength. The Lord makes His great grace available to us. It is by this grace that we can stand and be strong in life. It is such an awesome privilege to have access to the presence of God. By faith, we must learn to appreciate this access with a greater regard and use it every day.

2. Rejoicing In The Hope Of Reflecting God’s Glory

“And rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” 
Romans 5:2

Through the Lord Jesus, we can also rejoice in the hope that is found in God. The word “rejoice” in the Greek means “boast”. We can greatly rejoice and boast in this definite hope of reflecting the Lord’s glory in our life. From glory to glory, the Lord will change us. We can become more like Him and show forth His glory through our lives. The Lord will work on our lives through the challenges and difficulties of life and this hope that we have in Him will not disappoint. Young people, let’s rejoice that we have this hope that God will change us bit by bit. Let’s not be in despair when we find it hard to change from time to time. There is still hope in the Lord Jesus. He will bring about that transformation in our lives.

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