September 5 THE JUSTIFYING NAME "But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV). It is virtually impossible to describe the feelings of apprehension and anxiety when one is on trial in a courtroom awaiting the verdict of a judge or jury. One can only appreciate the dread if one has actually been on trial. In reality, we have all been on trial in the great tribunal of the universe. Since all have sinned and come short of God's glory (see Romans 5:12), we are all subject to divine judgement (see 2 Corinthians 5:10). That's the bad news. However, the good news about the bad news is that someone has voluntarily taken our guilt, our condemnation, and our penalty and has set us free to live victoriously (see Romans 3:24; 8:1). The apostle Paul puts it in a single sentence, "You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 6:11, NIV). That precious, wonder-working name is also the justifying name. In that precious name, God has brought down the gavel and pronounced that all who trust Him are justified. By grace, through faith in Jesus, we have been acquitted, vindicated, and declared righteous--all in the name of Jesus. In the wonder-working name of Jesus, God has, as it were, stepped from behind the bench and paid our fine, realizing we were too poor to pay the weighty penalty ourselves. The payment was made when God the Son gave Himself for us on the cross once-for-all. It is through this name that we were justified freely, vindicated fully, and restored totally. In this justifying name, the repentant sinner is pardoned, acquitted, vindicated, and restored to favor with God. What a wonder-working name! "He [the sinner] is justified through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, who stands in the courts of heaven as the sinner's substitute and surety."--God's Amazing Grace, p. 182. My Prayer Today: Lord, the wonder-working name of Jesus has justified me. May that name also keep me right with You. Amen.