I must not entertain a shortsighted view of justification by faith. I must believe in justification by life also. Too often I have held the opinion that justification only has to do with my sins, whereas the Bible very clearly says, “The just [one] shall live by [his] faith” (Hebrews 10:38, KJV). That means more than just the initial act of faith whereby I come alive in Jesus Christ and my sins are justified in God’s sight. True enough, thank God, but there is more! I am called upon by God to justify more than my sins; I am called upon to justify my way of life before men.
It is relatively easy to justify my sins. One believing look at Calvary’s cross is sufficient for that. But God calls upon me to keep believing on Him as I believed at Calvary so that He can effectively demonstrate in me that He is capable of handling my life. By continually trusting His Word with wholehearted reliance, I justify God before the eyes of the world. Too often I have been lulled into the temptation to trust God to pardon my sins, only to refuse to trust Him in the mechanical, everyday matters of my life—whom do I marry, where do I work, what should I buy, how shall I serve, what should I do with my leisure, and hundreds of similar details. In short, I have justified my sins but I do not justify my life by faith.
Justification by life works both ways, manward and Godward. Can I justify before God my worry, my anxiety about money matters, my fretting about the future, or my frustration about my children? Or does my simple reliance on Him and His Word make my life “justified,” that is, God saying yes to every attitude and bent of mind? “Justified by faith,” yes, but not once and for all but every day and in every way. The result of justification by life is, “The Lord … delighteth in his way” (Psalm 37:23, KJV)
“What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14).
Daily with the King 