Justification provides the answer to our problem. We were dead in our trespasses and sin, but Jesus paid the price to set us free from the power of death. Before we knew Him, God was righteous, holy, and just and we were not. We could not come near him because we were separated by our sin. The justice of God demanded the punishment of total annihilation! But because of the cross, Jesus opened a way for us to be right before God by placing His righteousness on us and slaying our sin nature through His blood shed at Calvary. Because Jesus died in our place, God counts us as righteous-not because of anything we’ve done-but simply through faith in His Son, Jesus.

Our societies’ understanding of the meaning of salvation is completely wrong. It’s not based on anything scripture teaches, nor is it rooted in Christian history. The idea that works play a role in salvation has never been orthodox, but today it has crept into modern theology in many forms and disguises. To solve this problem we often have to make a distinction between being saved and feeling saved, but only if we let go of feels and make an honest assessment based on what scripture actually says.

Are you justified through faith alone? Does works naturally arise out of a relationship with Jesus? How does what Jesus did on the cross affect your life today?