He Covers Me! The Glory of Justification by Faith Alone.

Why Is Being Covered With Christ’s 

Righteousness So Important? 

Satan is called the accuser of the brethren. John, in Revelation 12:10 says, “…for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down” This evil and sinister enemy of God and of God’s people is described by the apostle Peter as a formidable foe that we should recognize as an ever present danger. In I Peter 5:8 the apostle says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking him he may devour.” How does this dangerous enemy attack God’s people? First, the devil and his fallen angels (demons) will tempt us and harass us seeking to destroy our resistance to sin. He will use our fallen flesh and the world around us to get us to willfully violate the laws and commandments of God. Once we have sinned the devil will be quick to throw back into our face that we have sinned against a holy God. The devil will use what we know about God to cause a deep sense of guilt and shame and fill our hearts with sorrow. This skillful enemy knows that there is real guilt that comes as a result of sin. But this terrible foe does not remind us that if we have been justified that all of our sins, past, present and future have been forgiven. The devil uses half truths and lies to wage war against God’s children. He will say things like this,  “God is angry with you. How could God ever forgive you now? You are a hypocrite. You are a worthless and guilty person. You are deluded if you think that God will forgive you and your many sins. God may forgive others but your sins are so much worse than anyone else’s sins. God could never forgive you. You are lost. Your prayers and faith are meaningless.” Over and over the enemy of our souls will condemn, attack, and insinuate the most horrible things against us. He tells us that our heavenly Father is our enemy and that He will send us to Hell. Satan does not remind us of any of these verses:

Psalm 103:8-13, “The Lord is is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in  mercy. He will not always strive with us, nor will He keep His anger forever. He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy  to those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father pities His children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame, He remembers we are dust.”

Psalm 130:3-4, “If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But there  is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.”

Romans 5:1, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Romans 5:20, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.”

Hebrews 10:17, “…their sins and lawless deeds will I remember no more.”

I John 2:1-2, “My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

This spiritual enemy ignores these precious promises of total forgiveness. Instead he attacks, accuses and fills our heart with doubts concerning God’s love for us. The doctrine of justification by faith  is important to our walk with God because the devil knows that a Christian without a full assurance of salvation will be confused, weak, and tormented by doubts. Such a Christian will lack joy, peace, and will be of little use in the kingdom of God. Many believers suffer through a life of torment and doubt because of these sinister accusations that are continually thrown in their face. The answer to these satanic attacks is to rush into the arms of our Savior and claim the blessings and peace that  come from being justified in the courtroom of heaven. O dear child of God, never forget that you are completely forgiven and that the holiness of Jesus Himself is laid on your precious soul. We are covered by the righteousness of Christ. We have peace with God right now. This is a peace that will never end. God will never turn away His precious children because they have God’s own Son standing as an advocate for them in His presence. The Lord Jesus holds up His wounded hands and cries, “Father look at My hands, My feet, My brow, My side! I paid for their sins in full by My own death on Calvary. Father forgive them for my sake! Have mercy on them for Me! Father this was our agreement. If I lived the life they should have lived and died the death they should have died You promised that You would have mercy upon them. O My Father, forgive them and see them covered with My righteousness.” How wonderful to know that the Father will never turn away the prayers of His Son who stands before the throne of God in heaven and pleads on our behalf forever. This is why justification is so important. There can be no joy or peace with God if we don’t keep this precious truth always in our minds. So we must look at this doctrine of justification very carefully and learn to understand the precious treasures and blessings it has for each of us.