Justified by Faith, Raised With Christ

Uniting Heaven and Earth

Christ in Philippians and Colossians 

Living with Christ

Lesson 11 - Friday Further Thought 

Justified by Faith, Raised With Christ

One of the most freeing truths in Scripture is found in Epistle to the Romans:

“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).

To be justified means to be declared righteous—not because we earned it, not because we improved enough, but because we trusted Christ. That promise is not theory. It becomes deeply personal the moment you realize you no longer have to carry the crushing weight of proving yourself to God.

What Has It Meant to Be “Justified by Faith”?

In real life, justification by faith changes how you wake up in the morning.

You stop living in quiet fear that you are not good enough.

You stop bargaining with God after every failure.

You stop assuming His love fluctuates with your performance.

When you believe you are justified by faith, shame begins to lose its grip. Guilt may still convict you when you sin, but it no longer defines your identity. Your standing with God rests on Christ, not on your emotional highs or spiritual consistency.

Epistle to the Colossians reinforces this assurance:

“And you, being dead in your sins… hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses” (Col. 2:13).

“Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us… nailing it to his cross” (Col. 2:14).

Justification means the record of debt is canceled. Not minimized—canceled.

That changes everything.

Linked to Being “Raised With Christ”

Now here’s where it gets deeper. Paul doesn’t stop at forgiveness. In Colossians 3 he writes:

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above” (Col. 3:1).

“For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God” (Col. 3:3).

Justification deals with your past.

Being raised with Christ defines your present.

When Christ died, your old condemned self died with Him. When He rose, you rose to a new kind of life. That’s not just symbolic language. It’s identity language.

You are not merely forgiven; you are re-positioned.

Epistle to the Ephesians echoes this:

“Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ… and hath raised us up together” (Eph. 2:5–6).

This means your life is no longer anchored to your former failures, addictions, habits, or shame. You are spiritually relocated. Your citizenship has shifted. Your mindset is called upward.

And here’s the key: you cannot consistently seek “things above” (Col. 3:2) unless you first believe you are already accepted above.

Performance-driven religion keeps you earthbound.

Justification by faith lifts your eyes.

How This Changes Daily Living

When you truly grasp that you are justified:

Obedience becomes gratitude, not fear.

Repentance becomes honest, not defensive.

Worship becomes joyful, not anxious.

Growth becomes possible, because you’re no longer pretending.

You fight sin not to earn acceptance—but because you already have it.

Paul connects this directly in Colossians 3: because you are raised with Christ, you are told to “put off” anger, malice, and deceit (Col. 3:8), and to “put on” mercy, kindness, humility, and love (Col. 3:12–14).

Notice the order:

Identity first.

Transformation second.

Trying to reverse that order leads to frustration.

A Personal Reflection

If you are honest, there have likely been moments when you struggled to believe God truly accepted you. Perhaps after repeated failure. Perhaps after years of carrying regret.

The promise of justification by faith confronts that insecurity directly: Christ’s righteousness counts as yours. Period.

And because you are raised with Him, your life now has upward direction and eternal security. Your failures do not have the final word. Christ does.

That is not shallow optimism. That is resurrection reality.

Prayer

Father,

Thank You that I am justified by faith and not by my own works. Thank You that my debt has been nailed to the cross and that I stand accepted in Christ. Help me truly believe this promise, especially when I feel unworthy. Teach me to live as one who has been raised with Christ—seeking what is above, setting my heart on eternal things, and walking in gratitude and obedience. Let my life reflect the peace and freedom that justification brings. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

More on Lesson 11: Living with Christ

This Quarter's Sabbath School Lessons Here: Christ in Philippians and Colossians