Guilty, but made right

Thursday 19 August 2021

Abram trusted in the Lord, and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. Genesis 15. 6

So, then, declared righteous on the basis of faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5.1

Guilty, but made right

Through all the stories in the Bible, even the saddest ones, God teaches us. That of adultery committed by David with the wife of one of his soldiers is an example (2 Samuel 11). David tries to hide his fault, he sets up a wicked plan for this man to die in war. David is guilty before men and before God. But he recognizes his fault and declares : "I have sinned against the Lord". A servant of God answered him : "The Lord forgives your sin; you shall not die" (2 Samuel 12:13). David suffered the consequences of his fault, but he knew he was forgiven by God. He puts it this way : "Blessed is he whose transgression is taken away and whose sin is forgiven !" (Psalm 32. 1).

Is God righteous in forgiving the guilty ? Yes, because Jesus, "innocent" without sin, took on the cross the punishment I deserved. If I believe it, the culprit that I am is forgiven. My sin is blotted out covered, God considers me clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Abraham was declared righteous because he believed God. The apostle Paul refers to it in Romans 4. 20-24. This "justification" characterizes all who believe in the Lord Jesus and his resurrection. The believer thus justified is declared "blessed" : he is no longer guilty, no one can accuse him any longer. His "criminal record" is definitely empty.

Source (The Good Seed)