A Restored Relationship with God
God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6
After the fall of Jerusalem, Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, was exiled to Babylon and imprisoned. At the time, the king of the Babylonian empire was Awel-Marduk, the son of Nebuchadnezzar. (The name Awel-Marduk actually means the son or servant of the god Murduk.) Out of kindness, Awel-Marduk set Jehoiachin free, placed him in a position of honor, fellowshipped with him daily and provided for all his needs.
This kingly act of grace is an Old Testament type (or foreshadowing) of what has been perfectly fulfilled in Christ. Israel had a covenant relationship with God, which was conditional. Had the people trusted God and been obedient, they would have enjoyed prosperity in the Promised Land. The Lord had said to His Covenant People, “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the one who does this—the person who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps their hands from doing any evil” (Isaiah 56:1-2).
But the Chosen People were unable to keep the Law. The nation divided into Israel and Judah, and because of their disobedience, God raised up Assyria to defeat Israel in 722 bc. Finally, Judah fell along with Jerusalem in 586 bc. Because of Adam’s sin, they had no legal relationship with God, causing them to stand guilty and under condemnation. Sin had severed their personal, moral relationship with Him, causing their nature to be impure and at odds with God’s holiness.
Through Christ and God’s grace, our relationship and right standing with the Lord can be restored. We can be justified by faith. Justification is a judge’s pronouncement of a person’s right standing before the law. We are no longer condemned (see Romans 8:1). When a judge condemns someone, he does not make the person a sinner; rather, he simply declares that such is the case. In justification, God is not making us inherently righteous; rather, He is declaring that we are in a right standing before His law. This change of legal relationship is a gift from God because of Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf.
Out of the kindness of our Lord, our relationship has been restored. We have been set free from our sins. We are no longer children of wrath; we are children of God. We are no longer darkened in our understanding; we have been given the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth. We are no longer spiritually dead; we are alive in Christ. We are no longer hardened in our hearts; we have been given a new heart and a new spirit. We are no longer given over to sensuality; we have been given the freedom to live a morally pure life by the grace of God.
A few questions to ponder:
What is it like to stand before a judge when you both know you are guilty?
Who can rectify a guilty sentence? You or the judge? Why?
Have you ever tried to defend yourself when you knew you were wrong? Did that work in the long term?
What defense mechanisms have you employed to defend yourself (lying, blaming, hiding)?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.