Can You Justify Your Actions?

from the archives: September 2006

thinking a bit about justification...to be proved or acknowledged right, to be acquitted, to be vindicated, to be made right.

sometimes we try to justify ourselves.

"i did not... with that woman, Miss Lewinsky..." (G-rated blog)

it rarely works out. seems like when it comes to defending ourselves, we have very little credibility because we have a vested interest.

sometimes we turn to others to justify ourselves.

"if it does not fit, you must acquit."

this is often slightly more effective, but the level of justification another can give us is directly tied to the credibility of that person. so if the person attempting to justify you has no credibility, tough cookies.

fortunately, our true justification is from God through Christ. fortunately, his credibility is sufficient to ensure that we are truly justified. as i think about this idea (brought on by my on-going study in titus), a few "truths" come to mind:

1) for me to be justified, i must first be accused of something.
2) i am accused of being a sinner. how do i answer? i think those who would argue for the "goodness" of man would struggle with this one. can i plead not-guilty to the charge of being a sinner, just because i occasionally do things with good intentions? even the worst of criminals buys his mother flowers on mother day, does that get him off the hook?
3) as long as i seek to justify myself, i get in the way of God's justification.
4) i really like the idea of being "vindicated" by God. if God chooses to not accuse me, why should i worry when others do?