Your Bible Lesson For The Day
What Does God's Justifying Us By Faith Move Us To Do?
When someone is really nice and does something for you, don’t you want to be nice to that person in return? So it is in the kingdom of God. In the previous series of brief Bible studies we learned that God has justified us through faith in Jesus Christ. What is our Christian response to that? Let’s discover the answer to the question: “What does God’s justifying us by faith move us to do in return?”
Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his love endures forever.” And 1 Jn.4:19 says, “As for us, we love, because he himself first loved us.” In response to God’s justifying us by faith, what do these verses tell us that we will do? We will love and thank him.
But how can we love and thank him? Romans 12:1 teaches us, “I urge you, brothers, by reminding you of the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” We can love and thank God for justifying us by offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God to serve and worship him.
Furthermore, John 14:15 teaches us that we can love our Lord by obeying his commandments. The verse says, “If you disciples love me, you will keep my commandments.”
And to love and serve God for justifying us Romans 6:11 tells us, “. . . keep considering yourselves to be dead to sin and living to God in Christ Jesus.” While 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 teaches us, “The love of Christ drives us, because we have come to conclude this, that one died for all; so, then they all died; and he died for all in order that those who are living no longer keep living for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” This verse informs us that Christ’s love for us, and his sacrificial death to save us, move and urge us to serve him.
James 2:17,18 says, “In the same way also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. . . I myself will show you my faith from my works.” This verse teaches us that our holy life of loving service and thanksgiving is the fruit of our faith, the good work we do in response to God’s justifying us.
To answer the opening question, God’s justifying us moves us to live a sanctified life for him in holiness and loving service as a fruit of our faith. And sanctification follows justification, not in the sense of time, but in the sense of a logical sequence, like a cause and its effect.
Psalm 118:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his love endures forever.” And 1 Jn.4:19 says, “As for us, we love, because he himself first loved us.” In response to God’s justifying us by faith, what do these verses tell us that we will do? We will love and thank him.
But how can we love and thank him? Romans 12:1 teaches us, “I urge you, brothers, by reminding you of the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” We can love and thank God for justifying us by offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God to serve and worship him.
Furthermore, John 14:15 teaches us that we can love our Lord by obeying his commandments. The verse says, “If you disciples love me, you will keep my commandments.”
And to love and serve God for justifying us Romans 6:11 tells us, “. . . keep considering yourselves to be dead to sin and living to God in Christ Jesus.” While 2 Corinthians 5:14,15 teaches us, “The love of Christ drives us, because we have come to conclude this, that one died for all; so, then they all died; and he died for all in order that those who are living no longer keep living for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.” This verse informs us that Christ’s love for us, and his sacrificial death to save us, move and urge us to serve him.
James 2:17,18 says, “In the same way also faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself. . . I myself will show you my faith from my works.” This verse teaches us that our holy life of loving service and thanksgiving is the fruit of our faith, the good work we do in response to God’s justifying us.
To answer the opening question, God’s justifying us moves us to live a sanctified life for him in holiness and loving service as a fruit of our faith. And sanctification follows justification, not in the sense of time, but in the sense of a logical sequence, like a cause and its effect.