I spent so many years as a Mormon trying to work enough so that Jesus would save me- and I was always unsure, always anxious, always falling short of an impossible standard, always broken, always hopeless, never enough. This doctrine was one of the most liberating and beautiful truths I discovered when I encountered the real Jesus just six month ago. This video is helpful and I love that it’s succinct, clear, and full of scripture. I’ve shared it on my social media accounts and praying all my LDS loved ones take the 5 minutes to listen.
Yes 🙌🏽 God justifies us by grace through faith in Christ, we now have peace with God (Romans 5:1). Like Joshua the priest, we have been stripped of our “filthy clothes” (Zechariah 3:4), and, like the prodigal son in the parable, we are now clothed with “the best robe” (Luke 15:22). God the Father sees us as perfect and unblemished, and we are to be devoted “to doing what is good” (Titus 3:14).
To understand justification you have to understand Gods view of us as sinners before we are to understand this doctrine. He views sinners as deserving of death and full of iniquity and sin. As a judge who would view a criminal who committed a horrible crime He views sinners as such. When Christ takes our place and received all the wrath that the criminal aka we deserved then God was satisfied and His wrath and righteous anger was put to peace. After we receive Christ as our Lord and Savior then God no longer views us as criminals but as His children. He adopts us into His family.(this is a separate doctrine). We as children of God are now justified in entering into God’s presence whenever we want to ask for grace and mercy. I hope this cleared any doubts!
justification (greek: diakoo, to declare righteous). Due to the fact that all have sinned, God has sent his son, who through his death satisfied the wrath of God and in his life provides us the positive merit to make us holy before Him in his court. By faith, God declares us righteous through Jesus Christ. He gets our sin, we get his righteousness, thus we are without sin and truly holy.
What's not mentioned here is what he (and they, he's in John Macarthur's camp) really believes. He believes that God magically selects you (but not some others) to be saved, for no known reason, and regenerates you and after that you have faith. It's NOT the gospel. It's Calvinism. 'For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.” (John 6:40, NASB) Nothing about the calvinist version of 'the elect' in there. Not here either 'They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (Acts 16:31, NASB). And when non calvinists bring this up in this way calvinists say well if you had to believe then you did it, it's a work. But Paul says - 'For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” (Romans 4:3, NASB) Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. (Romans 4:4, NASB) But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, (Romans 4:5, NASB)
