Yes, western Christianity prides itself a lot on numerous theologies that proclaim that Christians have been justified by faith. Pardoned? Forgiven? Acquitted? Just-as-if-I never sinned? All accurate biblically but grossly misunderstood by many.
Justification or acquittal are legal terms. What should be added to the preaching is what justified or acquitted IMPLIES, not just what it means!
An acquitted criminal is EXPECTED not to commit THE SAME CRIME ever AFTER ACQUITTAL. Otherwise, he faces an EVEN MORE SEVERE sentence than the first time!!! Are you listening?
Now apply this to salvation by grace through faith = as preached, "justified by faith". What was our "crime" prior to our salvation that needed to be "justified by faith"??? Are you listening???
Here they are:
- We behaved like the world.
- We disobeyed God routinely
- We displeased God in what we think or say or do
- We depended on our self-effort for any problem basically ignoring God.
- We did not care about intimate personal relationship with God.
- We were slaves to the sin nature, we were under the dominion of our sin (human) nature.
- Have we become Christlike or do we still think and behave like the world or our "old self"?
- Do we now obey God routinely or do we exert much effort just to obey the word of God?
- Do we now please God in everything we think or say or do?
- Do we know live in the resurrection power of the Holy Spirit or do we still depend on our wisdom and self-effort?
- Do we "talk to God without ceasing", Is he the first thing we deal with when we wake up and the last thing we deal with like "we were in love"? or do we still take him for granted most of our day?
- Are we now freed from the bondage of sin (human nature) and are we now slaves of righteousness? or do we always say, "I am only human" (OH, SUCH SLAVERY and we do not even see it!)
- Have we ceased from our "criminal" behavior and activities as listed above?
- Are we no longer slaves to the sin (human) nature, OR DO WE DESERVE A MORE SEVERE SENTENCE?
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