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As rational human beings, we justify ourselves (to judge to be right or appropriate) throughout our accountable years. There are also times during those years that we take account of our actions and conclude that we have acted inappropriately or, speaking from a spiritual standpoint, sinned. God created us such that we rationalize (justify) our actions, or our consciences disapprove of our actions. These mental transactions are related to the subject matter of this series, i.e. justification.

There is another level at which justification can take place, but unlike the level of which we are currently speaking, there can be no deception when it comes to God's assessment of our thoughts and actions. Unlike rationalization (justification) at the human level, justification at the Divine level is not subject to biases, misinformation, or misunderstanding. Justification at the Divine level will be addressed in the later part of this series of articles.

As to how we justify ourselves, it is, to say the least, a complex process. However, we do not have to understand everything about it to understand some things about it. One important factor that we have previously established is the fact that self deception can be a part of the process. Self deception is insidious in that it hides itself deep in the recesses our our souls and refuses to be rooted out except under the most painful and painstaking of circumstances. It is my opinion that self deception is frequently involved when we believe that we must be right about all essential points of doctrine in order to go to heaven. This was the lie under which I labored for many, many years.

A portion of our efforts thus far have been to show that self deception exists and to present it in a manner to which one can relate. Self deception is insidious in that, like the alcoholic who can quit drinking anytime he wants to, the self deceived in the spiritual arena have a “support system” that props up the lies that are told and masks them so that they are not easily discovered and uprooted. This results in a sense of well-being which feels and seems to be genuine. When the demons which lie at the root of this issue are near exposure to light, they create fear in the heart of the afflicted; fear that God's mercy and grace must be abandoned to find solace. However, the fears that are involved in defeating this enemy of true righteousness are baseless! God's mercy and grace are of such proportions that they can easily take care of the issue of self deception and the false system of self justification that results from it. Shakespeare didn't get everything right, but he certainly was correct when he wrote, “The quality of mercy is not strain'd, It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven, Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.”

What is difficult for us as the creature is truly effortless in the arena of the Creator. What we cannot begin to grasp, He mastered before it was ever an issue for us. To put this in context, we refer to a portion of a conversation that occurred in Jesus' ministry. “But Jesus answered again and said to them, 'Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches [the self deceived] to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.' And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, 'Who then can be saved?' But Jesus looked at them and said, 'With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.'” (Mark 9.24-27).

Hope dies hard in the human heart, but the good news is that it never need die! Grace nurtures it back to health even when it appears that its last breath has been taken! (Continued)

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

Things that go bump in the night