Calvary Chapel Fort Lauderdale Daily DevotionalSample

Just-as-if-I'd There's a word in the Bible that represents one of the most important concepts connected to the cross. It's the word justified, and despite its importance in Scripture, it tends to be one of the least understood realities in the Christian life. In the original Greek language, the word for "justified" is actually a legal term. Literally, it means "to set right." Interestingly enough, several scholars have noted that the exact opposite of this word is "condemned." It speaks of a condition in court where a person's case is thoroughly examined and they are declared innocent of any charges brought against them. They're "right" or "just" in the eyes of justice. They're justified. Paul takes this term and applies it to our condition in Christ in the Book of Romans. He tells us that when Jesus died on the cross, one of the many things it accomplished was our justification in God's court of justice. As sinners, we were guilty and deserving of condemnation. But through Jesus, who served our sentence and covered us with His righteousness, we have been justified-or literally "set right." When God looks at our lives through the lens of a Just Judge, He doesn't see us as guilty sinners. Do we sin? Yes, we do in the practical sense as we're continually sanctified through the power of His Holy Spirit. But when it comes to our official status before the Almighty Judge of Heaven, we're right and just. As someone once said, "being justified means it is just-as-if-I'd never sinned," and the cross is where Jesus secured our justification. When we put this all together, we see that we who are in Christ have been "made right." "Being justified means it is just-as-if-I'd never sinned,"Jesus secured my justification on the cross. Think about it... What does this passage reveal to me about God? What does this passage reveal to me about myself? Based on this, what changes do I need to make? What is my prayer for today?