By A. T. Jones
"Being
justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
Rom. 5:1.
Since faith
is the depending upon the word of God only, for what that word says, being
justified by faith is simply being accounted righteous by depending upon the
word only.
And since
the word is the word of God, dependence upon the word only is dependence upon
God only, in the word. Justification by faith, then, is justification -- being
accounted righteous by dependence upon God only, and upon him only because he
has promised.
We are all
altogether sinners -- sinful and ungodly. We are, therefore, all
subject to the judgment of God. Rom.
3:9-19. Yet for all of us there is
escape from the judgment of God. But
the only way of escape from the judgment of God is to trust in God.
When David
had sinned in numbering the people and so had incurred the exemplary judgement
of God, the Lord gave him his choice as to whether there should be seven
years' famine or he should flee three months before his enemies or there should
be three days' pestilence. But David would not choose at all. He
deferred it all to the Lord, for Him to choose, saying, "Let us fall now into the hand of the Lord,
for his mercies are great." 2 Sam.
24:11-14.
When
depending upon God alone, in His word, for righteousness, we have peace with
God, because thus we really obtain righteousness and "the work of
righteousness shall be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and
assurance forever." Isa. 32:17.
When
depending upon God alone in His word, for righteousness we have peace through
our Lord Jesus Christ, because "He is our peace, who hath made both" God
and man "one," "having abolished in his flesh the enmity"
"for to make in himself of twain -- of God and man -- "one new man,
so making peace." Eph. 2:14,15.
Further: when depending
upon God alone, in His word, for righteousness, we have peace with God through
our Lord Jesus Christ, because God has "made peace through the blood of
his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself . . . whether they
be things in earth or things in heaven. And
you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet
now hath he reconciled in the body of his flesh through death to present you
holy and unblameable and unreproachable in his sight: IF ye continue in the faith" -- if you continue to depend only upon God alone is His word.
Col. 1:20-23.
When He has
made the way so plain, the justification so complete, and the peace so sure to
all, and asks all people only to receive it all by simply accepting it from him
and depending upon him for it, why should not every soul on earth be thus
justified and have the peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ?
This is "what the Scripture means when
urging upon us the necessity of exercising faith." Are you exercising faith? Are you justified by faith? Have you
righteousness by faith? Have you peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ?
"Have faith in God." Mark 11:22.
RH Feb 14,
1899
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