He Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By His wounds you have been healed.

— 1 Peter 2:24

13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,

14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This He set aside, nailing it to the cross.

— Colossians 2:13-14

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us…

— Galatians 3:13a

24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in Him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,

25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

— Romans 4:24-25

And because of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption

— 1 Corinthians 1:30

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

justification refers to a person being declared righteous and restored to a right relationship with God. Human sin creates a separation from God. Humans cannot repair the separation gap between God and men on our own. In Jesus’s death, He took the penalty for human sins and paid the debt of sin so that believers do not have to bear that judgment. And His resurrection proves His sacrifice was accepted by God and God has to justify the believers.

To overestimate ourselves and reject the righteousness God offers through His Son leaves us with only our sin-stained attempts to be good enough. Ignoring the sin that infects our motives and actions means missing what God requires. We desperately need Jesus’s perfect righteousness which is God’s ultimate gift to us. Without turning to Christ, the peace we long for eludes us. The ineffective game of comparing ourselves with others we deem worse leaves us filled with uncertainty and doubt. (Inspired by BSF’s Study of Romans)