JUSTIFICATION
i'm actually reading through a devotional entitled "diary of a desperate man", who suggests that all man is desperate in his need for salvation, for a saviour, to be precise. and today's thoughts were on Luke 10:29, which reads of a rabbinical scholar, "But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, 'And who is my neighbour' ?" the verse sets the scene for the telling of the samaritan story, and is preceded by the sending out of the seventy-two
the word justify comes from the Middle English, along the lines of describing the act of administering justice to. the word traces its origins through Old French "justifier" to Christian Latin "justificare" 'do justice to' from Latin 'justus'. Was the rabbinical scholar trying to justifiy himself before Christ? to administer justice to HIMSELF in the presence of He who will come to justify us all and bring justice to those who deserve punishment?
in the early months of second year at ACJC, we went for a radio show about the position and influence of the media. it was a 93.8 broadcast, and attending it, amongst others, was the Editor-in-Chief for FHM. i remember Lifeng getting up, wresting the microphone with a glint in her eyes and amidst applause from the audience (and a member of the panel,) pinning the Editor against the wall for justifying the aims and intentions of the magazine. she roared over the applause, "it sounds like the language of equivocation to me" on live national radio, re-telecasted the evening after.
how often do we do the same things before God? how often do we justify our sins and employ human rhetoric and smarts to sneak past the judgement seat? how often do we, more likely actually, equivocate our positions and actions before those closest to us? our family, parents, friends, loved ones and basically, those we hurt? human pride and the desire to evade the wrath of justice compel us, time and time again to resist god's forgiveness and grace, especially in thte context of a fellow human accuser.
when we justify ourselves, we shove God off his judgement throne, and reject His righteous authority over our lives. let us be humble to apologise and seek forgiveness. justification breeds pride, and pride denies us forgiveness, denying redemption, and redemption denies grace. it's a clear cut practical application, and yet, difficult to comprehend.
the word justify comes from the Middle English, along the lines of describing the act of administering justice to. the word traces its origins through Old French "justifier" to Christian Latin "justificare" 'do justice to' from Latin 'justus'. Was the rabbinical scholar trying to justifiy himself before Christ? to administer justice to HIMSELF in the presence of He who will come to justify us all and bring justice to those who deserve punishment?
in the early months of second year at ACJC, we went for a radio show about the position and influence of the media. it was a 93.8 broadcast, and attending it, amongst others, was the Editor-in-Chief for FHM. i remember Lifeng getting up, wresting the microphone with a glint in her eyes and amidst applause from the audience (and a member of the panel,) pinning the Editor against the wall for justifying the aims and intentions of the magazine. she roared over the applause, "it sounds like the language of equivocation to me" on live national radio, re-telecasted the evening after.
how often do we do the same things before God? how often do we justify our sins and employ human rhetoric and smarts to sneak past the judgement seat? how often do we, more likely actually, equivocate our positions and actions before those closest to us? our family, parents, friends, loved ones and basically, those we hurt? human pride and the desire to evade the wrath of justice compel us, time and time again to resist god's forgiveness and grace, especially in thte context of a fellow human accuser.
when we justify ourselves, we shove God off his judgement throne, and reject His righteous authority over our lives. let us be humble to apologise and seek forgiveness. justification breeds pride, and pride denies us forgiveness, denying redemption, and redemption denies grace. it's a clear cut practical application, and yet, difficult to comprehend.
posted by leb at 10:59 AM
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