Let's begin with a definition.
Simply put, to be "justified" in the eyes of God means to be examined and found not to have sinned, and therefore not deserving of any punishment for what did or didn't do. Justification also refers to having sinned, but later having met the Biblical requirements for addressing the sin(s) that one has committed.
As we are about to see, as far as the spiritual realm is concerned, it is the second part of the definition that applies to fallen Man.
No member of the fallen human race could ever be justified on his own merit or behavior, as we have all sinned (Rom. 3: 23), are sinning
(1 John 1: 8), and yes, to some degree, will continue to sin as along as we remain in these mortal bodies (Romans 7: 20). When Paul wrote to the local church in Rome, he spoke of his own ongoing struggle with sin encouraged by the fallen sin nature. This was thirty years AFTER he was born again, and towards the end of his outstanding earthly ministry.
We do not all engage in the same type of sin, but as James 2: 10 points out, that doesn't make any difference. We are all in the same stinking, sinking, boat of sin and are in the same and equal need of salvation.
Once saved, born again believers are in the need (1John 1: 8) of God's ongoing (1 John 1: 9) forgiveness if the type of post (after) salvation spiritual life that God has in mind is going to be realized.
The divine justice of God demands that every single sin of the entire human race be paid for in one way or another.
But there IS good news...
God reduced the number of sins that could result in one spending all of eternity in the lake of fire to only ONE.
God did so when the remaining balance of the enormous world's sin debt was stamped PAID IN FULL with the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross (1John 2: 2).
Q. : When and how did God do this?
A. : God placed the payable sin debt of Fallen Man on the sacrificial Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ as He bled on the cross (Isaiah 53: 5, 6, 12 NASB)."
I say "payable" because by divine design, there was/is no atonement made or offered for the unpardonable sin of disbelief.
"...He was crushed (by the weight of our sin debt) for our iniquities (Isa. 53: 5b NASB italics mine)."
"...But the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isa. 53: 6c NASB.)"
Scripture (Isa. 53:10 NASB) teach that God the Father was, "...pleased to crush Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), not because God the Father enjoyed seeing the pain it caused His Son, but because of the atonement it secured for the world (us) He loved (John 3: 16).
The very moment that one chooses to believe in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, he/she is forever j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d in the eyes of God (Romans 5: 1).
"Therefore having been j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5: 1 NASB)."
The positional peace that a j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d soul receives at the moment of salvation is eternally permanent. If this positional peace is going to be experienced, the born again believer must be in ongoing fellowship (2Cor. 13:14) in a daily, intimate, walk with the Lord. It is sin that has not been addressed (1John 1: 9/John 8: 11) that the devil will use to raise doubts about the integrity of the salvation that a born again believer has already received.
Don't spend (waste) the days of your post salvation spiritual life trying to fix (e.g. your salvation) what is not broken. At the same time, keep in mind that if one is not progressing, he/she is regressing along the road to spiritual maturity. Periods of regression always begin when a post (after) salvation sin is committed, taking the believer out of fellowship (2Cor. 13:14) with God.
Spiritual maturity is measured by a combination of the amount of accurate Bible Doctrine he/she has circulating in his soul structure, AND his/her willingness to apply it when circumstances affords him/her the opportunity.
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Once justified by faith, God cannot then require any further "payment" for a sin debt that has already been stamped in full by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He did so, He would cast doubt on the "finished - John 19: 30 NASB" work that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. Either the sin debt was paid in full, or it wasn't. If it wasn't, we have no Biblical assurance that any one of us is heavenbound.
Eternal security of the sou; does not mean that born again believers are not subject to divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6) HERE on Earth f or the post (after) sins they commit. Such divine discipline can range in anything from having to live with a guilty conscience, up to and including physical death (Acts 5). There is a difference between punishment and discipline. Punishment is the price paid to atone for sin. All the punishment that God requires took place on the cross. Discipline is for the purpose of discouraging future sin of the same type, and to return the back sliding believer to the type of post salvation spiritual life that glorifies God.
By divine design, the ONE and ONLY sin that was not atoned for on the cross was the sin of disbelief (John 3:18). This is what makes THIS sin (of disbelief) THE unpardonable one.
Here in the Church Age, the sin of disbelief involves the rejection of the Gospel Message. This rejection can take place when it is offered, or after it has been presented. God gave each one of us the free will to make that choice, but anyone who leaves this world in the capacity of an unbeliever will spend all of eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), for which there is no chance of escape or release.
There is NO Biblical basis supporting the idea that a departed soul can be prayed into Heaven or out of Hell. There are no after death sacrifices that can be offered to God for this purpose.
This lake of fire is NOT a place of extermination, but one of NEVER ending suffering and separation from God and the things of God.
No "justified" soul will find him/herself in the lake of fire (Romans 8: 1), regardless of what takes place (or fails to take place) throughout the course of his post salvation spiritual life.
"There is therefore (as a result of having been justified) now no condemnation (in the lake of fire) for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1 NASB italics mine).
To be "in Christ Jesus" means to be born again (John 3: 5, 7).
"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have (permanent/positional) peace with God through (the atoning work of )our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1 NASB)."
Other than the sin of disbelief, the sins of the entire human race was paid for by the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross (1John 2: 2). Souls that believe this truth are born again.
Every soul that is born again has received a regenerated spirit (Titus 3: 5), has been permanently sealed (marked for identification/baptized) as a child of God (Eph.4:30), and has received the irrevocable (Romans 11: 29) gift of eternal life (John 3: 16).
One can be "justified" in the eyes of Man and not be justified in the eyes of God, and visa versa (Acts 5: 29).
One can be "justified" in the eyes of religion and not be justified in the eyes of God (John 3: 5, 7).
One can be "justified" in one's own eyes and not be justified in the eyes of God (Proverbs 14: 12).
One would be a fool to expect perfect justice to take place every time here in the devil's (Luke 4: 6) world. As long as fallen Man is at the helm, injustice will always be at least a possibility. To whatever extent God allows injustice to take place, He has a divine purpose and objective in mind.
Funny how people can only see the injustice when someone else prospers, but could care less if the same injustice tips the scale in their favor.
Accepting the adversity that God allows (Job 2: 10) to come upon relatively undeserving victims (Job 1: 2) can be a very difficult hurdle to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity. God's timing and circumstances for some of our loved ones to leave this world can deliver a crushing blow. The wise will appreciate all the people and the things of this world that bring them comfort, security, and/or pleasure, but will not hold on so tightly that they can't let go if called upon to do so in the plan of God. Job lost his wealth, his health, his social standing, 10 children in the plan of God. Oddly enough, the one thing he was not relieved of was his wife. Suffering along with all that Job has lost, all his wife had to offer was her advice for Job to curse God and die (Job 2: 9). I'm sure, this only put salt into the wounds of an already suffering godly man.
The ones who seem to suffer the most are often the ones who express and exhibit the greatest faith.
In His humanity, The Lord Jesus Christ was described as having, "...no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from who, men hide their face, He was despised, and we not not esteem Him (Isa. 53: 1-3 NASB)." He did not experience much earthly prosperity and was crucified around 30-33 years of age. He was totally innocent of all sin (Heb. 4: 15), yet He took on all the punishment that the world deserved (1John 2: 2), in order to justify the fallen human race. If a long, earthly prosperous, trouble-free, life with a peaceful departure is the mark of a godly man, then the Lord Jesus Christ got the short end of the stick.
True discipleship WILL cost something for the one who pursues it (2Tim. 3: 12/Luke 14: 25-33). As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. When the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)speak of being "blessed," it is not speaking of earthly prosperity, but of spiritual prosperity. To the extent that God allows, the devil will diminish the significance of divine blessing, and will promote and parade the earthly prosperity in the lives of those who conduct themselves in the ways of the world.
Keep in mind that God is not the only one who can "bless" people here on Earth (Luke 4: 6) with positional and tangible "prosperity." Dealing with the prosperity of the wicked can be a hard hurdle to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity, especially when one is involved in such sins as coveting, jealousy, and/or envy.
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With the exception of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, every soul that came or comes into this world does so spiritually dead, separated from a spiritual relationship with God. This spiritually dead condition is passed down to each generation at the moment of conception (Psalms 51: 5).
It this exception that qualified the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world (John 1: 29). See The Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union for more details on why and how God accomplished this necessary objective. Without it, the Lord Jesus Christ's incarnation (takng on bodily form) would have failed to qualify as the Lamb of God.
Here in the Church Age, the ONE and ONLY remedy for this spiritually dead condition is the (Titus 3: 5) regeneration that automatically takes place, through the Work of God the Holy Spirit, at the moment one is "born again - John 3: 5, 7 NASB." Religion has engineered and promoted many alternative rituals and procedures as the means to secure only what God can provide.
The Lord Jesus Christ made it perfectly clear to a VERY religious man (Nicodemus), and in priciple to each one of us, that one M-U-S-T be born again (John 3: 5, 7). The one and only way to be born again is to chose to place his/her faith (full trust and confidence) in a presentation of the Gospel Message.
To satisfy the justice of God, ALL sin must be accounted for and paid in full. No exceptions.
God cannot remain true to His own nature and character (Hab. 1: 13) and be in a r-e-l-a-t-i-o-n-s-h-i-p with a soul that is spiritually dead; nor can He be in f-e-l-l-o-w-s-h-i-p (2Cor. 14: 13) with a soul that has a regenerated (Titus 3: 5) spirit, but has sin that has not been addressed (1John 1:9/John 8:11).
The justification and the salvation that a born again believer receives is permanent and eternally secure.
This, however, by no means is a license to sin.
While one's salvation is secure, there is still divine discipline (Heb.12:6) here on Earth, and the loss of rewards (1Cor. 3:14) and eternal privileges (Rev. 2/Rev. 3) in Heaven as a result of post (after) sins of omission and commission.
As (if) a born again believer spiritually matures, he/she becomes more and more aware of what sin is, and an increasing desire to rid him/herself of its impact, both in this life and in the life to come. The advancing disciple will also become more and more aware of the futility of engaging in the alternative rituals and procedure that have been engineered by Man-made religions.
A spiritually mature believer will desire to obey and to glorify God even when it means suffering isolation, persecution, the loss of earthly prosperity, torture, and physical death (Heb. 11: 37). A spiritually mature believer does not expect to be rewarded for merely having done his/her duty (Luke 17: 10). A spiritually mature believer will cheerfully (2Cor. 9: 7) contribute his/her time and resources, but does not "invest" his/her money in the things of God in order to receive a good financial return. A spiritually mature believer does what it right because it is the right thing to do, and leaves the outcome in the hands of the Lord.
God certainly does bless many of His children here on Earth with tangible prosperity . There is no reason not to enjoy whatever good things God gives us. At the same time, if you find yourself among those who do not experience much earthly prosperity here on Earth, you are in good company. Many of God's greatest servants did not and will not receive much in the way of earthly prosperity (Hebrews 11: 37), and paid (or will pay) a dear price for their faith. In some cases, they paid and will pay the ultimate sacrifice.
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Post salvation sin that has not been confessed results in the suspension of intimate fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) with God. For an advancing disciple, who has experienced such fellowship, just the loss of fellowship is in itself enough to motivate him/her to address (1John 1: 9/ John 8: 11) the sin and return to fellowship.
The relationship of a born again believer with God is eternally secure, but one's fellowship with God (here on Earth) is conditional.
Fellowship is suspended when any (James 2: 10) post (after)salvation sin is committed. The period of time that one remains out of fellowship with God can be as brief as the few seconds it takes to confess the sin, or can be as long as the rest of one's life here on Earth.
The restoration of one's fellowship with God takes place when the post salvation sin that was committed is confessed (1John 1: 9).
Restoring fellowship with God does NOT improve one's salvation, but is a basic component of the post salvation spiritual life of an advancing disciple. Confessing sin, but not forsaking (John 8: 11) the sin in the future will result in a post salvation spiritual life in which one goes in and out of fellowship with God and never moving forward in the plan of God. Once God the Holy Spirit brings as area of sin to one's attention, he/she can go no further until THAT sin is addressed, no matter how much one tries to "make up for it" by engaging in other activities.
If a born again believer is not moving forward, he/she is moving backwards on the road to spiritual maturity.
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The dilemma that the human race found itself in following the Fall was that Man was spiritually dead (Gen. 3), and therefore not in a position to be able to do anything about it. It would (and did) take divine intervention. The spiritual issue was how was God to intervene, without compromising His own principle of divine justice that demands that all sin be addressed. If God simply forgave Man, the sin debt would remain unpaid. The sin debt had to be addressed in order for His justice be satisfied. We cannot hang our hat on the love and mercy of God, and disregard His other divine attributes.
If Man could have justified and saved through religious activity, then there would have been no need for the incarnation and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord's suffering, if unnecessary, would have been an act of severe cruelty on the part of God the Father, instead of an expression of His love (John 3: 16).
The answers to Man's dilemma after the Fall is found in the Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union. God the Son, upon taking on and maintaining the type of (sinless) humanity that Adam and the woman had prior to the Fall of Man, became the only One who could satisfy the justice of God by paying the sin debt, so that God the broken relationship between Holy God and sinful Man could be reconciled.
Through the ignorance and the arrogance that the "hostile (Romans 8: 7 NASB)" fallen nature produces, religious authorities has been engineering false religious rituals and practices (Matt. 15: 9, 14), and promoting such things as the means to address the spiritual needs of their followers. In this the devil is well-pleased.
In God's timing, all such lies and liars will be exposed for what they are (Prov. 30: 6).
"Do not add to His words Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
Just as a physically dead man can do nothing in the natural realm, a spiritually dead man can do nothing in the spiritual realm. NO amount of religious activity, good deeds, or promises to be good can atone for ANY sin.
Never-the-less, the devil has a warehouse full of alternatives that he promotes in the name (authority) of religion. Such alternatives appeal to Man, as they appear to address the spiritual needs of Man. Like all counterfeits, they must appear to be the real thing if the deception is going to work.
God's plan for salvation was not a divine "knee-jerk" response to the Fall of Man. The omniscience of God knows of all that has taken place, is taking place, and will take place throughout the course of human history.
Accordingly, the Fall of Man did not take the omniscient God of the Bible by surprise. The plan of salvation had been designed by God, "...before the foundation of the world (Eph. 4: 1 NASB)."
God can only forgive sin (1John 1: 9) and be in fellowship with Man because the sin debt was paid in full (1John 2: 2). It was paid for by Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was what He did on the cross while shedding His blood that satisfied the justice of God. It is on the basis of our faith (trust/confidence) in His Work on the cross that we are justified in the eyes of God.
The justification and the salvation that we as born again believers have already received is NOT a license to sin. True, the oss of salvation is off the table (Romans 8: 1), but there are other consequences for post salvation sin that one would not want to receive. See the Doctrine of Divine Discipline for more details.
Had the justice of God not been satisfied, reconciliation between a Holy God and fallen Man would have NEVER been possible.
Destroying or disqualifying our Lord's Humanity in the capacity of the Lamb of God B-E-F-O-R-E He reached the cross was the devil's primary focus of attention throughout our Lord's time here on Earth. The devil tried to accomplish this directly (Luke 4: 2-9), and indirectly though the plots and plans of Man (Matt. 2: 16/Matt. 12: 14). The devil knew the significance of all the Old Testament prophecies. He knew that the shedding of the Lord's blood PRIOR TO CROSS would have NOT atoned for sin. If the shedding of His blood at any time or in any other circumstances other than while ON THE CROSS could have atoned for the world's sin, then the last thing he would have done would have been to tempt Him to jump off the high point of the Temple (Luk e 4: 9), or allowed Him to be murdered by the plots of Herod (Matt. 2: 16) or the Pharisees (Matt. 12: 14).
Of the Lord's closest followers, one betrayed Him (John 18: 2), one denied Him (John 18: 17, 25, 27), and the rest deserted Him (Matt. 26: 56). The "religious" crowd thought that they were justified by putting a "blasphemer (Mark 14: 64)" to death. The politically oriented crowd among the Jews feared that if they did not address the situation, the Roman occupiers would remove them from their positions (John 11: 48). Pilate thought he found a way to absolve himself (Matt. 27: 24), and desired to quiet down the mounting civil unrest (Matt. 27: 24) for which he was likely going to have to account for in Rome. The death squad of soldiers thought they were merely carrying out one of many executions under the umbrella of capital punishment.
Didn't seem to be much "justice" in view here, but it was setting the stage for our justification with God. All of the above actions played a part in facilitating the very purpose for which the Lord had come to Earth. It was the shedding of His blood while atoning for the world's sin debt ON THE CROSS that satisfied the justice of God, because it was ON THE CROSS that the Lord bore and atoned for the sins of the world.
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There were symbolic animal sacrifices that maintained the Old Testament covenant (contract) between God and ancient Hebrews. These animal sacrifices were "symbolic" because God saw in them the final blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, making atonement (full payment) of the world's sin debt (1John 2: 2) while on the cross.
Here in the Church Age, the Lord's Supper (Communion) is for the stated purpose of bringing into our r-e-m-e-m-b-r-a-n-c-e (1 Cor. 11: 24, 25) the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that He made (past tense), once and for all (1 Pet. 3: 18/Heb. 9: 28), on the cross. The celebration is NOT for the purpose of reproducing His humanity (body and blood), nor is it for the purpose of offeriong additional sacrifices at the hands of a religious priest.
Here in the dispensation of the Church Age, when the Bible speaks of "justification", it is referring to one being declared in "right standing" in his/her relationship with God.
Right standing with God, however, is NOT obtained or retained on the basis of keeping the 619 principles of The Old Testament Law, or any of the 300+ commands found in the New Testament (other than the requirement to believe).
James 2: 10 makes it clear that by violating even ONE of the laws of God, we stand as guilty in the eyes of God as the one who has broken them all!
Scripture is clear that we have all sinned in one way or another (Romans 3: 23).
We ALL sin EVERY day, in one way or another, by what we think, do, say, or by what we don't think, don't do, or don't say.
"Right standing with God can NOT be earned or retained by participating or being put through "religious" rituals/ceremonies, or by doing good human deeds (Eph. 2: 8).
Human souls are "justified" and receive "right standing" with God by making a one time choice to place one's faith (trust) in the atoning WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ that He accomplished while ON the cross.
Having been justified by FAITH in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ forever establishes our relationship with God, but our fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) with God is conditional.
Fellowship requires daily maintenance (1John 1:9/John 8: 11).
When a born again believer is IN fellowship with God, he/she can clearly hear the inaudible voice of the indwelling God the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3: 16) providing divine guidance concerning all that one chooses to think, say, and do. When the same born again believer is OUT of fellowship with God, he/she is vulnerable to the influence of the fallen nature in Man. This nature is inherently "hostile - Romans 8:7 NASB" towards God and the things of God. IN a state of hostility, the back-sliding believer is not going to have the motivation required to walk with God and/or to execute the type of post salvation life that glorifies God.
The devil can do nothing about the fact that a born again believer has been forever saved, other than to raise doubts.
However, if he can persuade a born again believer not to identify and/or pursue the type of post salvation spiritual life spoken of in Scripture, he can deny God the glory that He would have otherwise received. Rejecting the post salvation spiritual life results in the deceived believer forfeiting his/her (1Cor. 3: 12-15) rewards and disqualifies him/her from experiencing the Revelation 2 and Revelation 3 privileges in Heaven.
Trust me, no one with an ounce of spiritual discernment wants to come face to face with God lacking the confidence of knowing that he/she has already been justified in the eyes of the One to whom we are ALL going to give an account (Romans 14: 12). The problem is that until one is born again, he/she does not possess as much as one ounce of spiritual discernment (1Cor 2: 14). In the case of a born again believer, spiritual ignorance is choice that he/she makes. God cannot command us to "grow in his knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18 NASBS)," and then not provided us the means to do so.
Here in the devil's (Luke 4: 6) world on Earth, there are many things that can distract us from the things of God that the devil is more than happy to provide and promote. But when God and the things of God is ALL that there is (when we depart this Earth), having rejected or neglected God and/or the things of God here on Earth will be a decision that both believers (1Cor. 3: 15) and unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13-15) will deeply regret.
Every soul has "everlasting" (never-ending) life. This was the part of us that was created in God's "likeness (Gen. 1: 26)." Therefore, every soul that God creates is destined to live on in ONE of two general ENVIRONMENTS upon departing the body at physical death. One must distinguish the difference between everlasting life (something that every soul has) and eternal life that only those who are born again receive, enabling then to spend eternity with God.
There are NO departed souls in ANY funeral parlor, casket, grave, or urn, etc.. If and when the corpse is available, we bury (or otherwise dispose of the body), but NOT the soul. The soul/spirit departs the body at the split second that physical death takes place. The body is left behind, but the soul and spirit goes on to the eternal future that was predetermined by the choices that each soul made during his time here on Earth.
NOTHING can be done to change either the location or the environment of a departed soul.
Usually during wakes or funerals, there will be those who will try to comfort those left behind by saying such things as, "He/she is in a better place.". While these are words of comfort for the people of faith, they do not apply to everyone.
EVERY departed soul of the Church Age is either in Heaven (2Cor. 5: 8) in an interim body (2Cor. 5: 1) awaiting such things as the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 16, 17, 18) to take place, OR is suffering in the Torments of Hades with NOTHING to look forward to other than Judgment Day for the unbelievers and an eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire Rev. 20: 12, 15).
We could forever debate the nature of the pain and suffering that the souls in Hades are experiencing and will experience when sent to the lake of fire. But, the bottom line is that the suffering to be experienced in the Torments of Hades and later in the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 13, 15) is the direct opposite of all of what God has is store (1Cor. 1: 9/2 Cor. 12: 7) for the departed people of faith.
At our own appointed time and means, each one of us will be among the departed souls in Heaven, the Torments of Hades, or the lake of fire. According to the Bible, the ONE and ONLY way to be assured that we will be among the souls in Heaven is to choose to hear and to respond to a presentation of the Gospel Message. After having read the preceding sentence and seen the link, you can never say to God that you never had the opportunity.
At the appointed times, every soul will come face to face with God. There is an appointed time for believers (2Cor. 5: 8), and there is an appointed time for unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13, 15). Rather or not each one of us will experience this face to face encounter in the capacity of a "justified" believer, or in the capacity of a "condemned" unbeliever, will be the result of a (one) choice we made while here on Earth (John 3: 18).
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because He has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
Simply put, to be "justified" in the eyes of God means to be examined and found not to have sinned, and therefore not deserving of any punishment for what did or didn't do. Justification also refers to having sinned, but later having met the Biblical requirements for addressing the sin(s) that one has committed.
As we are about to see, as far as the spiritual realm is concerned, it is the second part of the definition that applies to fallen Man.
No member of the fallen human race could ever be justified on his own merit or behavior, as we have all sinned (Rom. 3: 23), are sinning
(1 John 1: 8), and yes, to some degree, will continue to sin as along as we remain in these mortal bodies (Romans 7: 20). When Paul wrote to the local church in Rome, he spoke of his own ongoing struggle with sin encouraged by the fallen sin nature. This was thirty years AFTER he was born again, and towards the end of his outstanding earthly ministry.
We do not all engage in the same type of sin, but as James 2: 10 points out, that doesn't make any difference. We are all in the same stinking, sinking, boat of sin and are in the same and equal need of salvation.
Once saved, born again believers are in the need (1John 1: 8) of God's ongoing (1 John 1: 9) forgiveness if the type of post (after) salvation spiritual life that God has in mind is going to be realized.
The divine justice of God demands that every single sin of the entire human race be paid for in one way or another.
But there IS good news...
God reduced the number of sins that could result in one spending all of eternity in the lake of fire to only ONE.
God did so when the remaining balance of the enormous world's sin debt was stamped PAID IN FULL with the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross (1John 2: 2).
Q. : When and how did God do this?
A. : God placed the payable sin debt of Fallen Man on the sacrificial Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ as He bled on the cross (Isaiah 53: 5, 6, 12 NASB)."
I say "payable" because by divine design, there was/is no atonement made or offered for the unpardonable sin of disbelief.
"...He was crushed (by the weight of our sin debt) for our iniquities (Isa. 53: 5b NASB italics mine)."
"...But the Lord caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him (Isa. 53: 6c NASB.)"
Scripture (Isa. 53:10 NASB) teach that God the Father was, "...pleased to crush Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), not because God the Father enjoyed seeing the pain it caused His Son, but because of the atonement it secured for the world (us) He loved (John 3: 16).
The very moment that one chooses to believe in the Person and the Work of the Lord Jesus Christ, he/she is forever j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d in the eyes of God (Romans 5: 1).
"Therefore having been j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5: 1 NASB)."
The positional peace that a j-u-s-t-i-f-i-e-d soul receives at the moment of salvation is eternally permanent. If this positional peace is going to be experienced, the born again believer must be in ongoing fellowship (2Cor. 13:14) in a daily, intimate, walk with the Lord. It is sin that has not been addressed (1John 1: 9/John 8: 11) that the devil will use to raise doubts about the integrity of the salvation that a born again believer has already received.
Don't spend (waste) the days of your post salvation spiritual life trying to fix (e.g. your salvation) what is not broken. At the same time, keep in mind that if one is not progressing, he/she is regressing along the road to spiritual maturity. Periods of regression always begin when a post (after) salvation sin is committed, taking the believer out of fellowship (2Cor. 13:14) with God.
Spiritual maturity is measured by a combination of the amount of accurate Bible Doctrine he/she has circulating in his soul structure, AND his/her willingness to apply it when circumstances affords him/her the opportunity.
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Once justified by faith, God cannot then require any further "payment" for a sin debt that has already been stamped in full by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. If He did so, He would cast doubt on the "finished - John 19: 30 NASB" work that the Lord Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross. Either the sin debt was paid in full, or it wasn't. If it wasn't, we have no Biblical assurance that any one of us is heavenbound.
Eternal security of the sou; does not mean that born again believers are not subject to divine discipline (Heb. 12: 6) HERE on Earth f or the post (after) sins they commit. Such divine discipline can range in anything from having to live with a guilty conscience, up to and including physical death (Acts 5). There is a difference between punishment and discipline. Punishment is the price paid to atone for sin. All the punishment that God requires took place on the cross. Discipline is for the purpose of discouraging future sin of the same type, and to return the back sliding believer to the type of post salvation spiritual life that glorifies God.
By divine design, the ONE and ONLY sin that was not atoned for on the cross was the sin of disbelief (John 3:18). This is what makes THIS sin (of disbelief) THE unpardonable one.
Here in the Church Age, the sin of disbelief involves the rejection of the Gospel Message. This rejection can take place when it is offered, or after it has been presented. God gave each one of us the free will to make that choice, but anyone who leaves this world in the capacity of an unbeliever will spend all of eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire (Rev. 20:15), for which there is no chance of escape or release.
There is NO Biblical basis supporting the idea that a departed soul can be prayed into Heaven or out of Hell. There are no after death sacrifices that can be offered to God for this purpose.
This lake of fire is NOT a place of extermination, but one of NEVER ending suffering and separation from God and the things of God.
No "justified" soul will find him/herself in the lake of fire (Romans 8: 1), regardless of what takes place (or fails to take place) throughout the course of his post salvation spiritual life.
"There is therefore (as a result of having been justified) now no condemnation (in the lake of fire) for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8: 1 NASB italics mine).
To be "in Christ Jesus" means to be born again (John 3: 5, 7).
"Therefore having been justified by faith, we have (permanent/positional) peace with God through (the atoning work of )our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1 NASB)."
Other than the sin of disbelief, the sins of the entire human race was paid for by the atoning work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross (1John 2: 2). Souls that believe this truth are born again.
Every soul that is born again has received a regenerated spirit (Titus 3: 5), has been permanently sealed (marked for identification/baptized) as a child of God (Eph.4:30), and has received the irrevocable (Romans 11: 29) gift of eternal life (John 3: 16).
One can be "justified" in the eyes of Man and not be justified in the eyes of God, and visa versa (Acts 5: 29).
One can be "justified" in the eyes of religion and not be justified in the eyes of God (John 3: 5, 7).
One can be "justified" in one's own eyes and not be justified in the eyes of God (Proverbs 14: 12).
One would be a fool to expect perfect justice to take place every time here in the devil's (Luke 4: 6) world. As long as fallen Man is at the helm, injustice will always be at least a possibility. To whatever extent God allows injustice to take place, He has a divine purpose and objective in mind.
Funny how people can only see the injustice when someone else prospers, but could care less if the same injustice tips the scale in their favor.
Accepting the adversity that God allows (Job 2: 10) to come upon relatively undeserving victims (Job 1: 2) can be a very difficult hurdle to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity. God's timing and circumstances for some of our loved ones to leave this world can deliver a crushing blow. The wise will appreciate all the people and the things of this world that bring them comfort, security, and/or pleasure, but will not hold on so tightly that they can't let go if called upon to do so in the plan of God. Job lost his wealth, his health, his social standing, 10 children in the plan of God. Oddly enough, the one thing he was not relieved of was his wife. Suffering along with all that Job has lost, all his wife had to offer was her advice for Job to curse God and die (Job 2: 9). I'm sure, this only put salt into the wounds of an already suffering godly man.
The ones who seem to suffer the most are often the ones who express and exhibit the greatest faith.
In His humanity, The Lord Jesus Christ was described as having, "...no stately form or majesty that we should look upon Him, nor appearance that we should be attracted to Him. He was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from who, men hide their face, He was despised, and we not not esteem Him (Isa. 53: 1-3 NASB)." He did not experience much earthly prosperity and was crucified around 30-33 years of age. He was totally innocent of all sin (Heb. 4: 15), yet He took on all the punishment that the world deserved (1John 2: 2), in order to justify the fallen human race. If a long, earthly prosperous, trouble-free, life with a peaceful departure is the mark of a godly man, then the Lord Jesus Christ got the short end of the stick.
True discipleship WILL cost something for the one who pursues it (2Tim. 3: 12/Luke 14: 25-33). As the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished. When the Beatitudes (Matthew 5)speak of being "blessed," it is not speaking of earthly prosperity, but of spiritual prosperity. To the extent that God allows, the devil will diminish the significance of divine blessing, and will promote and parade the earthly prosperity in the lives of those who conduct themselves in the ways of the world.
Keep in mind that God is not the only one who can "bless" people here on Earth (Luke 4: 6) with positional and tangible "prosperity." Dealing with the prosperity of the wicked can be a hard hurdle to overcome along the road to spiritual maturity, especially when one is involved in such sins as coveting, jealousy, and/or envy.
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With the exception of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, every soul that came or comes into this world does so spiritually dead, separated from a spiritual relationship with God. This spiritually dead condition is passed down to each generation at the moment of conception (Psalms 51: 5).
It this exception that qualified the Humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Lamb of God that took away the sins of the world (John 1: 29). See The Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union for more details on why and how God accomplished this necessary objective. Without it, the Lord Jesus Christ's incarnation (takng on bodily form) would have failed to qualify as the Lamb of God.
Here in the Church Age, the ONE and ONLY remedy for this spiritually dead condition is the (Titus 3: 5) regeneration that automatically takes place, through the Work of God the Holy Spirit, at the moment one is "born again - John 3: 5, 7 NASB." Religion has engineered and promoted many alternative rituals and procedures as the means to secure only what God can provide.
The Lord Jesus Christ made it perfectly clear to a VERY religious man (Nicodemus), and in priciple to each one of us, that one M-U-S-T be born again (John 3: 5, 7). The one and only way to be born again is to chose to place his/her faith (full trust and confidence) in a presentation of the Gospel Message.
To satisfy the justice of God, ALL sin must be accounted for and paid in full. No exceptions.
God cannot remain true to His own nature and character (Hab. 1: 13) and be in a r-e-l-a-t-i-o-n-s-h-i-p with a soul that is spiritually dead; nor can He be in f-e-l-l-o-w-s-h-i-p (2Cor. 14: 13) with a soul that has a regenerated (Titus 3: 5) spirit, but has sin that has not been addressed (1John 1:9/John 8:11).
The justification and the salvation that a born again believer receives is permanent and eternally secure.
This, however, by no means is a license to sin.
While one's salvation is secure, there is still divine discipline (Heb.12:6) here on Earth, and the loss of rewards (1Cor. 3:14) and eternal privileges (Rev. 2/Rev. 3) in Heaven as a result of post (after) sins of omission and commission.
As (if) a born again believer spiritually matures, he/she becomes more and more aware of what sin is, and an increasing desire to rid him/herself of its impact, both in this life and in the life to come. The advancing disciple will also become more and more aware of the futility of engaging in the alternative rituals and procedure that have been engineered by Man-made religions.
A spiritually mature believer will desire to obey and to glorify God even when it means suffering isolation, persecution, the loss of earthly prosperity, torture, and physical death (Heb. 11: 37). A spiritually mature believer does not expect to be rewarded for merely having done his/her duty (Luke 17: 10). A spiritually mature believer will cheerfully (2Cor. 9: 7) contribute his/her time and resources, but does not "invest" his/her money in the things of God in order to receive a good financial return. A spiritually mature believer does what it right because it is the right thing to do, and leaves the outcome in the hands of the Lord.
God certainly does bless many of His children here on Earth with tangible prosperity . There is no reason not to enjoy whatever good things God gives us. At the same time, if you find yourself among those who do not experience much earthly prosperity here on Earth, you are in good company. Many of God's greatest servants did not and will not receive much in the way of earthly prosperity (Hebrews 11: 37), and paid (or will pay) a dear price for their faith. In some cases, they paid and will pay the ultimate sacrifice.
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Post salvation sin that has not been confessed results in the suspension of intimate fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) with God. For an advancing disciple, who has experienced such fellowship, just the loss of fellowship is in itself enough to motivate him/her to address (1John 1: 9/ John 8: 11) the sin and return to fellowship.
The relationship of a born again believer with God is eternally secure, but one's fellowship with God (here on Earth) is conditional.
Fellowship is suspended when any (James 2: 10) post (after)salvation sin is committed. The period of time that one remains out of fellowship with God can be as brief as the few seconds it takes to confess the sin, or can be as long as the rest of one's life here on Earth.
The restoration of one's fellowship with God takes place when the post salvation sin that was committed is confessed (1John 1: 9).
Restoring fellowship with God does NOT improve one's salvation, but is a basic component of the post salvation spiritual life of an advancing disciple. Confessing sin, but not forsaking (John 8: 11) the sin in the future will result in a post salvation spiritual life in which one goes in and out of fellowship with God and never moving forward in the plan of God. Once God the Holy Spirit brings as area of sin to one's attention, he/she can go no further until THAT sin is addressed, no matter how much one tries to "make up for it" by engaging in other activities.
If a born again believer is not moving forward, he/she is moving backwards on the road to spiritual maturity.
***
The dilemma that the human race found itself in following the Fall was that Man was spiritually dead (Gen. 3), and therefore not in a position to be able to do anything about it. It would (and did) take divine intervention. The spiritual issue was how was God to intervene, without compromising His own principle of divine justice that demands that all sin be addressed. If God simply forgave Man, the sin debt would remain unpaid. The sin debt had to be addressed in order for His justice be satisfied. We cannot hang our hat on the love and mercy of God, and disregard His other divine attributes.
If Man could have justified and saved through religious activity, then there would have been no need for the incarnation and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord's suffering, if unnecessary, would have been an act of severe cruelty on the part of God the Father, instead of an expression of His love (John 3: 16).
The answers to Man's dilemma after the Fall is found in the Doctrine of the Hypostatic Union. God the Son, upon taking on and maintaining the type of (sinless) humanity that Adam and the woman had prior to the Fall of Man, became the only One who could satisfy the justice of God by paying the sin debt, so that God the broken relationship between Holy God and sinful Man could be reconciled.
Through the ignorance and the arrogance that the "hostile (Romans 8: 7 NASB)" fallen nature produces, religious authorities has been engineering false religious rituals and practices (Matt. 15: 9, 14), and promoting such things as the means to address the spiritual needs of their followers. In this the devil is well-pleased.
In God's timing, all such lies and liars will be exposed for what they are (Prov. 30: 6).
"Do not add to His words Lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar (Proverbs 30: 6 NASB)."
Just as a physically dead man can do nothing in the natural realm, a spiritually dead man can do nothing in the spiritual realm. NO amount of religious activity, good deeds, or promises to be good can atone for ANY sin.
Never-the-less, the devil has a warehouse full of alternatives that he promotes in the name (authority) of religion. Such alternatives appeal to Man, as they appear to address the spiritual needs of Man. Like all counterfeits, they must appear to be the real thing if the deception is going to work.
God's plan for salvation was not a divine "knee-jerk" response to the Fall of Man. The omniscience of God knows of all that has taken place, is taking place, and will take place throughout the course of human history.
Accordingly, the Fall of Man did not take the omniscient God of the Bible by surprise. The plan of salvation had been designed by God, "...before the foundation of the world (Eph. 4: 1 NASB)."
God can only forgive sin (1John 1: 9) and be in fellowship with Man because the sin debt was paid in full (1John 2: 2). It was paid for by Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ. It was what He did on the cross while shedding His blood that satisfied the justice of God. It is on the basis of our faith (trust/confidence) in His Work on the cross that we are justified in the eyes of God.
The justification and the salvation that we as born again believers have already received is NOT a license to sin. True, the oss of salvation is off the table (Romans 8: 1), but there are other consequences for post salvation sin that one would not want to receive. See the Doctrine of Divine Discipline for more details.
Had the justice of God not been satisfied, reconciliation between a Holy God and fallen Man would have NEVER been possible.
Destroying or disqualifying our Lord's Humanity in the capacity of the Lamb of God B-E-F-O-R-E He reached the cross was the devil's primary focus of attention throughout our Lord's time here on Earth. The devil tried to accomplish this directly (Luke 4: 2-9), and indirectly though the plots and plans of Man (Matt. 2: 16/Matt. 12: 14). The devil knew the significance of all the Old Testament prophecies. He knew that the shedding of the Lord's blood PRIOR TO CROSS would have NOT atoned for sin. If the shedding of His blood at any time or in any other circumstances other than while ON THE CROSS could have atoned for the world's sin, then the last thing he would have done would have been to tempt Him to jump off the high point of the Temple (Luk e 4: 9), or allowed Him to be murdered by the plots of Herod (Matt. 2: 16) or the Pharisees (Matt. 12: 14).
Of the Lord's closest followers, one betrayed Him (John 18: 2), one denied Him (John 18: 17, 25, 27), and the rest deserted Him (Matt. 26: 56). The "religious" crowd thought that they were justified by putting a "blasphemer (Mark 14: 64)" to death. The politically oriented crowd among the Jews feared that if they did not address the situation, the Roman occupiers would remove them from their positions (John 11: 48). Pilate thought he found a way to absolve himself (Matt. 27: 24), and desired to quiet down the mounting civil unrest (Matt. 27: 24) for which he was likely going to have to account for in Rome. The death squad of soldiers thought they were merely carrying out one of many executions under the umbrella of capital punishment.
Didn't seem to be much "justice" in view here, but it was setting the stage for our justification with God. All of the above actions played a part in facilitating the very purpose for which the Lord had come to Earth. It was the shedding of His blood while atoning for the world's sin debt ON THE CROSS that satisfied the justice of God, because it was ON THE CROSS that the Lord bore and atoned for the sins of the world.
* * *
There were symbolic animal sacrifices that maintained the Old Testament covenant (contract) between God and ancient Hebrews. These animal sacrifices were "symbolic" because God saw in them the final blood sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, making atonement (full payment) of the world's sin debt (1John 2: 2) while on the cross.
Here in the Church Age, the Lord's Supper (Communion) is for the stated purpose of bringing into our r-e-m-e-m-b-r-a-n-c-e (1 Cor. 11: 24, 25) the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ that He made (past tense), once and for all (1 Pet. 3: 18/Heb. 9: 28), on the cross. The celebration is NOT for the purpose of reproducing His humanity (body and blood), nor is it for the purpose of offeriong additional sacrifices at the hands of a religious priest.
Here in the dispensation of the Church Age, when the Bible speaks of "justification", it is referring to one being declared in "right standing" in his/her relationship with God.
Right standing with God, however, is NOT obtained or retained on the basis of keeping the 619 principles of The Old Testament Law, or any of the 300+ commands found in the New Testament (other than the requirement to believe).
James 2: 10 makes it clear that by violating even ONE of the laws of God, we stand as guilty in the eyes of God as the one who has broken them all!
Scripture is clear that we have all sinned in one way or another (Romans 3: 23).
We ALL sin EVERY day, in one way or another, by what we think, do, say, or by what we don't think, don't do, or don't say.
"Right standing with God can NOT be earned or retained by participating or being put through "religious" rituals/ceremonies, or by doing good human deeds (Eph. 2: 8).
Human souls are "justified" and receive "right standing" with God by making a one time choice to place one's faith (trust) in the atoning WORK of the Lord Jesus Christ that He accomplished while ON the cross.
Having been justified by FAITH in the Person and Work of the Lord Jesus Christ forever establishes our relationship with God, but our fellowship (2Cor. 13: 14) with God is conditional.
Fellowship requires daily maintenance (1John 1:9/John 8: 11).
When a born again believer is IN fellowship with God, he/she can clearly hear the inaudible voice of the indwelling God the Holy Spirit (1Cor. 3: 16) providing divine guidance concerning all that one chooses to think, say, and do. When the same born again believer is OUT of fellowship with God, he/she is vulnerable to the influence of the fallen nature in Man. This nature is inherently "hostile - Romans 8:7 NASB" towards God and the things of God. IN a state of hostility, the back-sliding believer is not going to have the motivation required to walk with God and/or to execute the type of post salvation life that glorifies God.
The devil can do nothing about the fact that a born again believer has been forever saved, other than to raise doubts.
However, if he can persuade a born again believer not to identify and/or pursue the type of post salvation spiritual life spoken of in Scripture, he can deny God the glory that He would have otherwise received. Rejecting the post salvation spiritual life results in the deceived believer forfeiting his/her (1Cor. 3: 12-15) rewards and disqualifies him/her from experiencing the Revelation 2 and Revelation 3 privileges in Heaven.
Trust me, no one with an ounce of spiritual discernment wants to come face to face with God lacking the confidence of knowing that he/she has already been justified in the eyes of the One to whom we are ALL going to give an account (Romans 14: 12). The problem is that until one is born again, he/she does not possess as much as one ounce of spiritual discernment (1Cor 2: 14). In the case of a born again believer, spiritual ignorance is choice that he/she makes. God cannot command us to "grow in his knowledge (2Pet. 3: 18 NASBS)," and then not provided us the means to do so.
Here in the devil's (Luke 4: 6) world on Earth, there are many things that can distract us from the things of God that the devil is more than happy to provide and promote. But when God and the things of God is ALL that there is (when we depart this Earth), having rejected or neglected God and/or the things of God here on Earth will be a decision that both believers (1Cor. 3: 15) and unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13-15) will deeply regret.
Every soul has "everlasting" (never-ending) life. This was the part of us that was created in God's "likeness (Gen. 1: 26)." Therefore, every soul that God creates is destined to live on in ONE of two general ENVIRONMENTS upon departing the body at physical death. One must distinguish the difference between everlasting life (something that every soul has) and eternal life that only those who are born again receive, enabling then to spend eternity with God.
There are NO departed souls in ANY funeral parlor, casket, grave, or urn, etc.. If and when the corpse is available, we bury (or otherwise dispose of the body), but NOT the soul. The soul/spirit departs the body at the split second that physical death takes place. The body is left behind, but the soul and spirit goes on to the eternal future that was predetermined by the choices that each soul made during his time here on Earth.
NOTHING can be done to change either the location or the environment of a departed soul.
Usually during wakes or funerals, there will be those who will try to comfort those left behind by saying such things as, "He/she is in a better place.". While these are words of comfort for the people of faith, they do not apply to everyone.
EVERY departed soul of the Church Age is either in Heaven (2Cor. 5: 8) in an interim body (2Cor. 5: 1) awaiting such things as the Rapture (1Thess. 4: 16, 17, 18) to take place, OR is suffering in the Torments of Hades with NOTHING to look forward to other than Judgment Day for the unbelievers and an eternity in what the Bible calls the lake of fire Rev. 20: 12, 15).
We could forever debate the nature of the pain and suffering that the souls in Hades are experiencing and will experience when sent to the lake of fire. But, the bottom line is that the suffering to be experienced in the Torments of Hades and later in the lake of fire (Rev. 20: 13, 15) is the direct opposite of all of what God has is store (1Cor. 1: 9/2 Cor. 12: 7) for the departed people of faith.
At our own appointed time and means, each one of us will be among the departed souls in Heaven, the Torments of Hades, or the lake of fire. According to the Bible, the ONE and ONLY way to be assured that we will be among the souls in Heaven is to choose to hear and to respond to a presentation of the Gospel Message. After having read the preceding sentence and seen the link, you can never say to God that you never had the opportunity.
At the appointed times, every soul will come face to face with God. There is an appointed time for believers (2Cor. 5: 8), and there is an appointed time for unbelievers (Rev. 20: 13, 15). Rather or not each one of us will experience this face to face encounter in the capacity of a "justified" believer, or in the capacity of a "condemned" unbeliever, will be the result of a (one) choice we made while here on Earth (John 3: 18).
"He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because He has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."