Justified in Jesus – by Desmond Ford

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Apr 13, 2016 2612

The whole world has been justified in Jesus. Sadly, not all the world knows.

The essence of true religion is not to tell people, ‘If you are good, God will love you.’ That’s a hopeless sort of affair. When are we going to be good enough? Is 80 per cent goodness sufficient? 85 per cent? 90, 95, 99.999 per cent? That’s a hopeless thing.

No, no. We are to tell people that they were redeemed 2000 years ago. They have been reconciled to God by the death of God’s Son. Because of that, whosoever will, may come.

We do not come in our own righteousness. We don’t have any. We have only filthy rags for garments (Isaiah 64:6). Our ‘whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores’ (Isaiah 1:5-6 KJV).

If you heard something described like that for sale it would not be a good recommendation for an investment. ‘Nothing good in it from top to bottom. Inside or out!’

The good news of the gospel is that you’ve been reconciled to God! You come to God in the righteousness of Another. Jesus took the sin of others. We take his righteousness. A beautiful, divine exchange!

It’s like a princess marrying a pauper. She gets his debts, he shares in the kingdom! That’s the way the gospel works. That’s what the gospel is about.

– Des Ford. Rom 8:27-32. Adapted from “The Crises of Christ: His Baptism ”