How is a person justified before God?
Justification before God is by faith, not by emotional experiences, prescribed rules, or haphazard church membership. What matters is genuine faith in the Gospel and a genuine salvation experience. It is not based on feeling a great emotional upheaval or seeing a great light. This justification means there is now no condemnation.
Les explains that since we are justified by faith, God can declare that there is now no condemnation. He qualifies this by saying he is not talking about a haphazard church member who merely walked an aisle or joined a church, but about someone with genuine faith in the Gospel and a genuine salvation experience. Les notes that Scripture does not require an emotional high or a prescribed set of rules; a person may never have a great white light or tremendous emotional upheaval and still be saved. He went through verses in Romans to help people know they are saved and to lead seekers.
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
What does justification do about our enemy status before God?
Justification by faith removes the believer’s enemy status before God and establishes peace with Him. Because God reckons the old sin nature dead and declares the sinner just as if he had never sinned, the slate is wiped clean. The believer is no longer an enemy but now belongs to God, enjoying constant fellowship through the Lord Jesus Christ.
What does God do with the old sin nature when we are justified?
When a person is justified by faith, God reckons the old sin nature dead and gone, declaring the believer just as if he had never sinned. The slate is wiped clean, and the believer now has peace with God through Jesus Christ.