Mark Vestal Proud of nothing of myself. Freed by Christ who did it all!

When Satan attempts to blame us before God for our sins, Christ 'stands up for us' as our advocate and proclaims that we belong to Him because of the protection we have under His shed blood by faith. It is then Jesus Christ who justifies us before God through having this faith alone in Him. This is why the resurrection of Christ is so important. Without His resurrection we would have no one to justify us before God that our sins stayed in the tomb of Christ. However, because Christ lives we have an advocate through Him that we too defeated sin with Christ upon our faith in His shed blood, burial, and resurrection for us (1 Cor 15:1-4)! 

We cannot justify ourselves or be our own advocate. We must place all accountability of the work that God required (that we are incapable of doing) on that of Jesus Christ. We therefore take ZERO credit for Christ's accomplishment for us. This is why salvation is the free unmerited gift of God and not something that we can earn by our own merits or works. It is truly what it means to have a savior in Jesus Christ (Eph 2:8-9).

Are believers trusting in their own efforts to be accepted by God, or are they trusting in what Jesus Christ completed for them on the cross as their means of acceptance? It is Jesus Christ in whom God is pleased, but we please God and are in fact "made the righteousness of Him" (2 Cor 5:21) by placing our faith in Him and His finished cross-work performed for us and nothing of ourselves (Eph 2:8-9, Heb 11:6).

When Satan tries to blame you before God would you try to defend yourself by replying "but I did all of this and that for you, God", or would you instead proclaim that "God did it ALL for me through Jesus Christ!"?

Rom 3:23-26
"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 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;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

Rom 10:3-4
"For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

January 04 2024 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report