Hey Friends,

In the Bible, the word “justified” often is translated “declared right(eous).”

In Genesis 15, verse 6, we read:

“And Abram believed the LORD, and the LORD counted him as righteous because of his faith.” (NLT, Bible)

God thereafter changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Today, God still counts a person righteous when that person believes in Jesus Christ as did Abraham many ages ago. Abraham looked forward to God’s promise of a Messiah by faith. Today, we look back 2000 years to Jesus, the Messiah, when He came into the world to take upon Himself a human body to bore our sin on the cross. Yes, He took upon Himself the penalty of my sin when He was crucified for me.

But that wasn’t the end of the story. Sunday came, and on that third day, Jesus arose from the grave, having defeated death and removed our sin. When one believes as did Abraham in God’s planned provision for salvation, namely His only Son, Jesus Christ, God accounts that believer as righteous. Jesus not only died to remove from my account the spiritual death I owed God for my sinful condition but also to add to my account His righteousness so that when I pass from this earth, I’ll stand before Him not guilty. My standing will be solely because of the absolute effectiveness of the saving work of Jesus Christ accomplished by His death, burial and resurrection.

As an accountant, I love the language of this following verse. It expresses THE transaction of all eternity. The transaction was “booked” to Abraham’s account in Genesis 15:6 when Abram believed God’s promise of salvation to Abram. The transaction is there for all but to be recorded to one’s account before God, he or she must believe God as did Abraham.

This is that transaction. It is recorded in II Corinthians 5:21:

“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (NKJV, Bible)

Easter isn’t just another occasion. People shout still today, 2000 years later, “He is risen” because His resurrection means a sinner can be declared righteous by a Holy God.

In conclusion, consider Romans 4:25:

“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.” (NIV, Bible)

Justified — to be declared righteous — during this season, we think upon the awful death Jesus suffered to redeem man but then we celebrate  what His resurrection means to us who take God at His Word concerning the Christ, just as Abram did as recorded in Genesis.

My posts about Jesus from time to time reflect the gratitude in my heart for what He’s done for me and how He has made me aware of the value of every other life. You’ll read the word “friends” in my post often. Indeed, I value you and appreciate your support (and encouragement) and taking the time to read. May God bless you and I hope you have a wonderful Easter in 2022.

Paul