Just and virtuous

By the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made virtuous, as if I had never sinned.

Even more so, now that we are justified by his blood, will we be saved by him from anger. (Romans 5: 9)

Where we find the word "right" in the Bible, we can replace it with the word "virtuous". This is the case both in the Hebrew Old Testament and in the Greek New Testament. The translators of the King James Bible translated it alternatively as "just" or "virtuous". They tend to use the word "right" in the legal context and the word "virtuous" in the context of practical life. But it's only one and the same word.

The problem comes with the use of the word 'justified' which is often confined to some sort of legal transaction in the heavenly courts. But this practice amounts to using only half of its meaning. To be justified, means to be made just or virtuous. The word virtuous applies to where we live, our homes, our work, or our personal relationships. Just brings us back to a legal formality executed in a distant yard. Scripture says (and this is a perfectly legitimate and correct translation) that we have been made virtuous by the blood of Jesus. We can not consider ourselves justified if we have not been made virtuous. Justification is more than a legal ceremony or a change of label. It is a change of character and life and it is the blood of Jesus that produces it. We have been made virtuous with an integrity that is not ours but that of Christ.

Prayer of the day :

Thank you Lord for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that by his blood I have been made virtuous, of an integrity that is not mine. By the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made virtuous, as if I had never sinned. Amen.

Derek Prince