Jesus acrostic

JESUS

The name of our beloved Savior serves as an outline for my brief message in an acrostic.

J Justified freely. Someone has said that “justified” means “Just as if I’d never sinned”. It focuses on our sins but, but particularly on guilt. Justification is a legal term that pardons us from the legality; the punishment; and the penalty of sin. We need not feel guilty about our sin any longer, but confident that the Lord has removed us from it, and it from us, and declared us free from sin and guilt.

E Eternally secure. Never having to worry about the reproaches of sin again; no “double jeopardy” in the court of our Lord. We are not called to account any longer “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” (Romans 8:1)

S Saved by the blood of Christ, and the grace of God through faith in Jesus. A God-given grace given to us in measure, as a free gift to every man, according to the capacity that the Lord allows us. We are to focus this faith on Christ, and not on self or the worldly provisions available to us. Faith grows through exercise, and though we cannot initially produce faith on our own, we can allow it to grow within us, by adding to it. We are saved to the utmost degree “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25)


U Unconditionally saved. No stipulations; all men are saved the same way, and all begin at the same point, as lost and dead in trespass and sin. Nothing can be done by us to merit faith, and no one can “help” faith save us but the Holy Spirit of God.

S Sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Set aside for a special duty--that being to glorify the Father, and the edification of man. A call to service which is earmarked by obedience to the faith, making us a “peculiar people”.

Recap:

Justified
Eternally;
Saved
Unconditionally, and
Sanctified.

Indeed, “Just as if I’d never sinned”.