Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

I will admit it, my title today is a play on words. We are justified in the eyes of God by faith alone. It just takes faith in Christ to be justified.

Yesterday I stated that justification is a declared state, a judgment by God in the Word He has given. Granted we have not come to judgment day but the basis for the final verdict has already been established. Because God is not a liar, He will not change His mind, nor the verdict.

Some understand this so well that they feel free to be themselves. Nothing wrong with that, right? If that is true then why do we need the other 23 books of the New Testament beyond the four gospels?

Exodus 32:29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.

Hopefully there will be many days between your new birth and your death. Don’t you want to fill those days with God’s blessings? God does and in order to do that you will need to consecrate yourself to God in order to release those blessing.

Galatians 4:6-7 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

A son (or daughter) and heir is a new position for us who were once alienated from God. We did not know how to feel or act as a son of God because we were not at that time. These other 23 books of the NT teach us how to be the sons and daughters of adoption that was declared in the first 4 books.

Luke 7:47 Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.

The word love here is agapao, not agape. While looking at the definition of agapao I found this descriptor. I thought it was more complete than many of the other definitions.

“In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant “love” and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential “love” in them towards the Giver, and a practical “love” towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver.” Source: Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Terms – Strong’s Number G25

That “perfect Being” is Jesus Christ, agape is a noun, agapao is the verb. What I find interesting in Luke 7:47 is that our ability to express love is tied directly to forgiveness. I find it difficult if not impossible to love someone whom I have not forgiven. I find it even more difficult to forgive someone who is guilty of the sins which I have committed and failed to forgive myself first.

Many focus on the issue of being unworthy objects and never get over that fact. We have to trust God and His Word.

Romans 3:24-26 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Our justification is a declared state, it is because God has judged our quality through the blood of His Son’s sacrifice and not by anything we have done.