From The Pastor's Pen - 7/30/12 - The Act Of Being Acquitted

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith;as it is written, the just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:16-17 AKJ).

There's a dual set of vital Kingdom principles here, in these verses from Romans Chapter 1. We should first take note that, Paul is affirming to the fledgling church at Rome, his unabashed proclamation of the gospel of Messiah Jesus by; declaring it to be the very power of God effectual unto salvation, to any and all who believe. And Paul, of course, includes the Jew, as well as the Greek speaking gentile populations of his day, to whom he preached.

Today, however, few within the denominational churches at large, believe that the gospel is in power,

or effectual, beyond a simple born again experience. These are they whom Paul referred to as, "having

a form of religion, but deny the power thereof..." That spiritually bankrupt condition was included in his enumeration of end time signs, elsewhere in his writings. The Apostle then continued writing in the 17th vs. that, "therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith..." That kingdom principle, clearly defines Paul's purpose in these two verses, concluding the teaching by appropriately declaring that the just shall live by faith. That type of faith, to which Paul alluded in the 16th vs., is an ever increasing faith, with limitless possibilities within the context and parameters of the promises of God, and the empowerment of the Holy Ghost to every one who believes.

Yet, many professing believers today miss the mark of their full potential for spiritual power and authority, by subscribing to a weak and watered down gospel, perpetuated and endorsed by the doctrines of men. And to many more, there are continual doubts, and questions, about their own worthiness to qualify for these promises. We therefore need to clarify for ourselves, and others, exactly what it means to be just; and further, who among believers fall into that category of being justified in the eyes of God. Simply put, to be in the state of divine justification, which Paul so matter-of-factly teaches here, one must be in right standing before God. The original Greek. root, from which the King James translators derived the Anglo word "justified" was a legal term which denoted a definitive acquittal of an accused person for a crime or crimes rendered by a court of law. The acquittal, however, was contingent upon an admission of guilt. Once that condition was met, the pronounced acquittal, could never be revisited again. Today, as in Paul's day, all true remnant believers stand in a spiritually equivalent verdict of "not guilty"of our sins, transgressions, and iniquities, by virtue of the divine blood of Messiah Jesus our redeemer. And all the scriptural promises of God are ours by faith!

"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus..." Romans 8:1 AKJ