This Lord's day comes at the end of all that we have learned and know about the Apostolic confession. A very personal question comes before us. What does it profit you that you believe all of this? The answer is not that we can give account only, but this is the KNOWLEDGE of FAITH within me that I am righteous in Christ!
Meaning: Justification speaks to righteousness. To be righteous is to be fine and right with God and to do good in His eyes and obey His commandments and commands. The manner of being made right with God is justification and takes place ONLY in the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ and can NEVER be found within us. Yet, God grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction and righteousness of Christ! It is as if we have never committed any sin even! Although my conscience bears witness within me that I am a sinner and to my sins. We have fallen short and we have to confess that we have not obeyed His commandments and His law perfectly. There is sin and no one is righteous and perfect in the fact of God by themselves. I am prone by nature and the old man to sin against God. And yet....through no merit of mine, counts you and I righteous !
Manner: According to His grace and through faith! From eternity He has ENGRAVED us on His hands. He has justified us and elects His children through the lines of sin and grace. God imputes that righteousness to us by FAITH! Many want to make faith subjective and that we get something because of what we do, but it is the GIFT OF GOD! Like Nicodemus we are DRAWN to active and living faith. The aptitude is through faith while the consciousness of that faith is brought through the preaching of the Gospel. God put His mark on us BEFORE we were born and puts us under the Gospel of reconciliation. God coordinates this! And, we take hold of Christ which is our complete justification. We grab hold of that and KNOW that we are children of God!
Result: The result is a PEACE as we have peace with God knowing that He has paid the ultimate price for us in His Son! God in Christ redeemed me from sin and the grave and death and I now have complete peace. His Son for our righteousness. Imputed to us through faith!