What Does Romans 4:5 Mean?

But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Romans 4:5(NASB)

Verse of the Day

The man or woman who is justified by grace through faith in Christ has been declared righteous by God. The only criteria to be justified in the eyes of God, is to believe on the name of the only begotten Son of God Who became the perfect Son of Man, and Who died on the Cross to pay the price for the sin of the world. And He rose again so that "whosoever believes on Him would not perish, but have everlasting life."

All religions and most of humanity try to justify themselves in the eyes of God. They try to work their way to God. They engage in 'good works' in the hope that God will be pleased with them and give them eternal life. They try so hard to keep God's perfect Law and other man-made rules, denominational requirements, and legalistic regulation, but they fail to realise that ALL of man's work, whether good works or evil ones, are filthy rags in the eyes of God.

All men are sinners. All people are ungodly, and no amount of good works from the ungodly will ever be sufficient to meet God's perfect requirement for salvation. Christ's finished work on Calvary is the only standard approved in our Father's eyes, and it is only by faith in HIS finished work alone that we can gain God's approval. It is only the one that does NOT work for their salvation, but believes in the finished work of Christ, who is justified by God and imputed with Christ's righteousness. It is to the one who does NOT work, but who believes in Jesus (Who justifies the ungodly), that their faith is credited to them as righteousness.

God justifies the ungodly forever when they believe in Christ for salvation, and that faith is credited as righteousness. Once we are justified in God's sight, He does not hold our sin against us: "As far as the east is from the west so far has He removed our sin from us." Once we are saved by grace through faith in Him, we are clothed in Christ's righteousness and God will never again hold our sin against us, in time and into eternity.

Christians certainly do sin, and sin separates us from fellowship with our Heavenly Father, but although we may be out of fellowship with Him for a season due to our post-salvation sin, He will never hold those sins against us - for we are justified by grace through faith in Christ, once and for all. We are clothed in His perfect righteousness, not our own, and nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus.

Praise God that we are one with Him and accepted in the Beloved by FAITH, a faith is credited to us as righteousness.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, how I praise and thank You that You have credited me with Christ’s righteousness, by faith in His finished work. I confess that all my works are as filthy rags in Your pure eyes, and there is nothing that I could do to warrant the imputed righteousness of Christ. Thank You that my salvation does not rely on my good works, nor my ability to keep rules and regulations. It is dependent on faith alone in Christ alone, and that by faith in His sacrificial death and glorious Resurrection, I have been credited as righteous through time and into eternity. Help me, I pray, to walk in spirit and truth, to Your praise and glory. In Jesus' name, AMEN.

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