THE WORK OF CHRIST FOR US
He Justifies Us
The story of salvation begins not with what we do for God, but with what God has done for us in Christ. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). The wonder of the gospel is that we are declared righteous not because of our merit, but because of His mercy. The blood of Jesus speaks louder than our guilt, cleansing every stain and silencing every accusation.
To be justified means that God, the righteous Judge, has looked upon us in His Son and declared us forgiven, accepted, and free. “Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). It is not by our obedience, our feelings, or our worthiness—it is by faith in the finished work of Jesus. The cross was the meeting place where justice and mercy came together. There, sin was condemned so that the sinner might be pardoned.
This grace is not earned; it is received. “By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). Faith lays hold of Christ as a drowning man clings to the outstretched hand that saves him. And once Christ has taken hold of us, He never lets go. “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33). The courtroom of heaven has spoken; the verdict will never be reversed.
But justification is not a cold declaration—it is the doorway into a new relationship. Through the blood of Christ, we are brought near to God. The veil is torn, the distance gone. “We who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ” (Ephesians 2:13). The Father no longer sees us as rebels but as children. The Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we belong to Him. Every day we live beneath that banner: Accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6).
Let this truth humble the proud heart and lift the despairing one. We bring nothing to the cross but our sin. Yet from that cross flows a righteousness we could never earn. Christ has become our peace, our standing, and our song. To look away from ourselves and rest wholly in Him—this is faith’s quiet triumph.
He Changes Us
Justification is not the end; it is the beginning of a new life. The Christ who died for us now lives in us. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Salvation does not merely forgive the past—it transforms the present. The same grace that saves also sanctifies.
Christ lives within the believer by His Spirit, shaping the heart into His likeness. “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Holiness is not self-effort but surrender. The branch does not produce fruit by striving, but by abiding in the vine. “Abide in Me, and I in you; for without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5). The more we abide, the more His life flows through us—quietly, steadily, irresistibly.
The Spirit teaches us to lay aside the old man and put on the new. We are called to “put off…the old nature which is corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind” (Ephesians 4:22–23). The Christian life is a continual dying and rising, a daily cross and a daily resurrection. The world may not understand this inward transformation, but heaven rejoices over every soul conformed to the image of Christ.
And what is the sign of this new life? Love. “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). The Spirit fills us with the very character of Christ: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). These are not duties to perform but fruits to bear, born of the divine life within.
Yet we must guard against the pride that whispers, “You are now strong enough on your own.” Every step forward is grace. Every victory over sin is mercy. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12–13). When Christ is our life, obedience becomes joy. His commandments no longer seem heavy, for love makes service sweet.
To be changed by Christ is to live in constant fellowship with Him. Prayer becomes the breath of the soul, Scripture the food, obedience the evidence, humility the fragrance. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8). This is the secret of spiritual power—not effort alone, but abiding communion with the living Lord.
He Leads Us To Heaven
The Christ who justifies and sanctifies will one day glorify. Salvation’s story will not end in this world of sorrow. Our Redeemer not only saves us from sin but leads us safely home. “I go to prepare a place for you…that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3). The same hands that were pierced for us now prepare our dwelling in His Father’s house.
We walk by faith now, but faith will one day give way to sight. “Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Philippians 3:20). Every trial, every tear, every burden of the present life is shaping us for eternal glory. “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Corinthians 4:17).
He who began the good work in us will not fail to finish it. “He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6). The Shepherd who sought us, saved us, and sanctified us will not abandon us on the journey. His grace will carry us through the valley and into the everlasting hills.
The saints of old longed for this city whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10). We too look beyond the things that are seen, for “the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18). Christ within us is “the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)—the assurance that heaven is not a dream but a destiny.
And when we finally see Him as He is, we shall be like Him. The struggle with sin will end, the battle with temptation will cease, and the heart will at last be pure. “We know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is” (1 John 3:2). Heaven’s joy is not merely escape from pain, but union with the One our souls love.
Until that day, we live in the power of hope. Christ has gone before us as our Forerunner, and His victory guarantees our own. “Because I live, you will live also” (John 14:19). Death cannot sever what divine love has bound. The grave may claim the body for a time, but the soul is already hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3).
Conclusion
This is the work of Christ for us—He justifies, He sanctifies, He glorifies. He is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end of our salvation. Every blessing flows from His cross, every victory from His Spirit, every hope from His promise. “Of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever” (Romans 11:36).
Let every heart, then, make this its confession: I am nothing without Him, but in Him I have all. The sinner finds pardon, the weak find strength, the weary find rest, the dying find life. The secret of peace is not in doing more for Christ, but in allowing Christ to live His life through us. He is the vine; we are the branches. Apart from Him, we can do nothing—but with Him, all things are possible.
The Christian life begins, continues, and ends in Christ. To trust Him is to be justified. To yield to Him is to be changed. To follow Him is to find eternal joy.
Let this be our lifelong prayer:
Lord Jesus, live in me. Be my righteousness, my holiness, my hope of glory. Keep me humble beneath Your cross and joyful beneath Your crown. Let Your will be my peace, Your love my strength, and Your presence my heaven. For from You, through You, and unto You are all things. Amen.
Bryan Dewayne Dunaway
