Ransomed

“To declare, I say, at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26)

The sentence of this verse actually begins three verses before, in verse 23 where all men are declared sinners and found deficient and destitute of God. And so, we look at our past, at that time when fear reigned in us because God is just. He must execute justice for our transgressions and iniquities. Condemnation loomed over us. Guilt riddled the peace we sought in everything. And it could not be found. We groped in the darkness for answers, and none came. We cried for help and found only hopelessness.

But God... God in His mercy and love sent a Savior, Jesus our Lord to be our substitute. (Verse 24, 25) Jesus became the ransom needed to liberate us from the condemnation and from the guilt. (Matthew 20:28) “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.” (Romans 8:33) We are the justified, the ones who have received of God’s mercy. God is not a man to lie. (Hebrews 6:18) His Word stands firm in heaven. (Psalms 119:89) It is a Truth. There is no more condemnation. (Romans 8:1) There is no more guilt. There is no more punishment to come. Our fear has turned into trust.

We trust in the righteousness of Jesus. “But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even Thy God, hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of Thine hands:” (Hebrew 1:8-10) Jesus is the Son of God made man. He is God with us. (1 Timothy 3:16) It is God the Son Who came to redeem us, to liberate us from the bondage of sin and Who took our place in death and the punishment that was ours because of our sin. He took our sin. And in exchange Jesus gave us righteousness. “For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2Corinthians 5:21) And in Jesus we have eternal life. “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” (1John 5:11-12)

And now we live our lives for His glory without fear of death, without guilt and without sin, pure and holy before God the Father. “But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:” (1Corinthians 1:30) Although we are all becoming perfected through the process of sanctification, meaning that our flesh and minds are needing to come to complete obedience, God is working in us to perfect us or bring us to the point of being more like Jesus. “Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2) Our lives have become lives living in the faith of Jesus. We depend on Him, step by step. This is the trust and confidence we have in Him. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)

And the best is yet to come. We look and wait for the appearing of Jesus. “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;” (Titus 2:13) When Jesus is revealed in His glory, we also will be revealed with Him in glory. “When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4) It’s still a mystery to us how it all will be, but we believe God’s Word as sure as we believed for our salvation. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.” (1John 3:2) Peter tells us that we are to receive a crown at our appearing with Him. We will be revealed as His kings and priests. “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1Peter 5:4) No more forever the stain of our former lives remembered.