Author: Brian Burdett

“For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” – Romans 3:28

To be justified means to be declared legally “Not Guilty” by a judge, in this case, God. We will never, ever be “not guilty” by virtue of doing good things and following countless rules. God knows everything, sees everything, and hears everything. God knows we aren’t perfect, can’t be perfect, and therefore can’t ever be “not guilty” by our own best efforts. Rule following, good behavior, self-discipline, and philanthropy will never be enough to make someone who is imperfect perfect.

However, God in His grace and mercy allowed someone else to pay the penalty for our imperfection, rebellion, and sin. Jesus Christ, God’s eternal Son, was and is perfect. He gave His life as a sacrifice for us, so that God’s justice could be satisfied. Jesus was perfect so we don’t have to be. Instead, we must simply believe in Him. When we believe in Christ’s atoning death and resurrection and confess His Lordship over our life, then God does declare us “not guilty”. In Christ, the perfect judge has declared you to be “not guilty”. If Christ is your Savior, you no longer carry guilt in God’s eyes.

We are justified by faith in Christ Jesus. He’s perfect so we don’t have to be. It’s only on this basis that God can justly declare us “not guilty” though He knows we’re guilty. It’s on this basis that we’re made new through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It’s on this basis that Christ unites Himself with us and God’s Spirit lives within us, empowering us to pursue the perfection of Christ throughout our lives.

“And those servants went out into the roads and gathered all whom they found, both bad and good. So the wedding hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to look at the guests, he saw there a man who had no wedding garment.” – Matthew 22:10-11

In this parable, Jesus presents a bad news – good news – bad news scenario that can only be resolved by Good News! The bad news is that many who were the first to be invited to God’s glorious wedding feast, the celebration of Messiah, would reject Him. The religious leaders and scholars most familiar Scripture and convinced of their own righteousness would utterly reject Jesus, betray Him, and kill Him. They chose not to enter into God’s messianic banquet.

The good news is that God opened His glorious feast to all people, regardless of ethnicity, race, or citizenship. All are invited: high and low, educated and uneducated, rich and poor! God welcomes all who come to His feast.

The bad news is that only those who are dressed for the party will get to enjoy it. Those who try to come in, putting on a show of belonging, but aren’t actually dressed for God’s party will be thrown out into eternal damnation. We definitely don’t want that to happen!

So, how do we dress for God’s party? That’s where the Good News comes in! We can’t dress ourselves for God’s party! There’s nothing we own that is fine enough for this party. All our best efforts to clean ourselves up and make ourselves look good in our own eyes are but filthy rags in God’s eyes. God is perfect and holy and we aren’t and never will be. We can’t ever make ourselves belong at God’s party. Thankfully, God gave His Son Jesus to live the life of perfection we can’t and to die on a cross as a sacrifice to pay for our sins. Jesus rose from the dead so that all who believe in Him are dressed in His righteousness.

When we believe in Jesus, putting on Christ by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, then we’re dressed for God’s party! It’s really that simple. God provides the wedding clothes required to enjoy the feast for His Son. All we must do is put on Christ. Have you?

“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” – Romans 1:18

There’s a seldom-considered and incredibly vital truth contained in the final part of this verse: our unrighteousness suppresses the truth. Not objectively, of course, but in our minds and our spheres of influence. This is an incredibly important dynamic that explains so much of what goes wrong in our own lives and in the wider world!

When humans indulge in any pattern of activity, words, or thoughts contrary to God’s design, we not only sin, we suppress the truth about that sin. We argue whether it’s really sin, we question it’s seriousness, we redefine reality to avoid acknowledging our sin. The more we embrace unrighteousness, the more we suppress God’s truth – in our minds, hearts, words, and actions.

Sin isn’t just denial of God’s authority, it represents a distortion of the truth. Such distortion helps us cope with the evil we’re practicing against God, but it does far more than that! It creates a downward spiral of sin and deception. Suppressing the truth makes it easier to practice more unrighteousness, which suppresses the truth further, which makes it still easier to practice yet more unrighteousness, which suppresses the truth even more…

This dynamic is why we so easily become dis-oriented to the things and will of God. This is how we arrive at a season in which we individually and culturally can declare evil to be good and good to be evil, truth to lies, and lies to be “our truth”. We are already very deep in a feedback loop of truth suppression and unrighteousness!

There are only two ways out of such a downward spiral: repentance or wrath. Either we recognize the truth about the unrighteousness of our ways, repent, and pray for God’s truth to fill and change us in Christ, or we will endure God’s righteous wrath forever apart from Him!

“The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;
he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us;
the God of Jacob is our fortress.”
– Psalm 46:6-7

It’s easy to get swept up in the news of the world. Global politics, matters of war and peace, the rise and fall of leaders and nations. These matters can transfix us, confuse us, or upset us in times like the present. However, God is clear: He is greater and mightier than earthly kings and kingdoms!

Whether you’re exhilarated, exhausted, exasperated, or frightened by the news, always remember that there’s good news that transcends political and military crises. God is with us. The Lord of heavenly armies is our fortress, our protection, our shield, and our strength.

Governments may hate those who follow Jesus. They may hate their neighbors or their own citizens. Governments may fall and nations might collapse, but God Almighty is with His people! All of His people. All of the time. At God’s command the earth quakes, shifts, and melts. At His command, all things eventually bow down.

Our strength and hope aren’t found in political leaders or military power. Our confidence isn’t based on earthly stability. Our strength and hope, even amidst chaos and disaster, is in our God Who loves us and will never leave us.

“And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately they recovered their sight and followed him.” – Matthew 20:34

As Jesus was about to enter Jerusalem, knowing He would soon be crucified, dead, and raised from death, He encountered two blind men. Though physically blind, they clearly see that He’s “the Son of David”, the Messiah, the Christ. Knowing who He is, they ask Him to heal their physical blindness, which He instantly does. In response, they follow Him.

Their ability to see the truth about Jesus despite being blind is in sharp contrast with those Jesus encounters in the city. Though physically able to see, Jesus repeatedly confronts religious elites who are spiritually blind to the presence and work of God. In their blindness, they condemn, arrest, and kill Jesus the Christ. Fortunately, He doesn’t stay dead for long!

Christ’s healing and invitation to follow Him continues to be freely offered to everyone who will see Him as He is – Messiah, Christ, the Son of God. Unfortunately, we live in an age of profound spiritual blindness. For many, their vision is completely filled with self, sex, power, politics, wealth, amusement, status, or fame. Many can see those things while remaining utterly blind to what is ultimately important and eternal. Don’t live that way! If you haven’t yet trusted in Jesus, open your eyes! See Him as He is. Study Him. Believe in Him and make Him Lord of your life. Follow Him. Then, you will truly see!