WOW!

This is the mostest mega-awesome thread ever read. All these posts and comments send chill bumps.

I am here in all of this with you.

Consider 'yours truly' onboard.

ok, now this is kinda' different.
Still it's one of those hart to heart things:
Ps. 42:1,2
Mt. 5:6
Ps. 107:35



There is one special thing that became cause to focus in on our justification. It's a song that triggers recognizing the completeness of our justification more than anything, besides the Bible plainly spelling this out.

Whenever, by whatever means, this melody comes mind, it keeps on running like the energizer bunny. When it is heard by a soloist or group, sung in assembly, or just thought of -i can't help it- but, it keeps on ringing through consciousness even when things get extremely busy. It will take a lickin' and keep on tickin'.
(oh, enough of the advert. hook lines)

Personal opinion sez this hymn is nothing like all the others, that often seem to me like so many different, (as Keith Green would say,) 'funeral dirges'.

This hymn was written by Charitie Lees Smith, born 1841 in The Emerald Isle, the locale of Dublin. She was a minister's daughter in the Church of Ireland.

Not much is known of this woman's life, but it seems she was widowed twice: although she married Arthur Bancroft in 1869, she died under the name Charitie de Cheney in California in 1923.

Charitie published her poetry in leaflet form as early as 1860, and a number of her collected works were eventually published as "Within the Veil" in 1867.

The lyrics to this hymn were written in 1863, entitled, “The Advocate.”

This hymn was seldom sung in most church's i attended growing up. (Maybe being 19th century Celtic Orthodoxy had something to do with that, Evangelicals hardly ever sing the orthodox songs?)

The musical group Selah was noticed singing this hymn a few years back, and their rendering was played here like a broken record.

When my oldest sister's clan came back to the states on furlough from Ireland, at one of our 'smaller' family get togethers, she confided of it's Biblical significance, which very unlike 'mua', had not even been looked into.

i just liked the song because of listening Selah's recording.

The few local families, of this many family tribal get together broke bread in fellowship.

One young neice, God gifts with astounding ability to transcribe songs and play various musical instruments 'by ear' and by sheet. After the meal, she was asked to write it out in two staff cleft so i could tablature it to guitar.

With her lil' task completed (in less than 7 minutes), she scurried to the piano to 'test' it, and continued playing. Soon, all 24 of us joined her there. We all ended up singing along. The house shook briefly for just a moment, and we all looked at each other surprised. The little kids were asking,"what was that?"

Most have passed it off, but everybody wondered then.

We continued worshipping in song together.

The evening concluded in prayer.

Since this hymn was brought to greater attention, many scriptures related to what i often hum have since been recognized.

Although all relative scriptures known are not listed here, included with these lyrics as a starter list for those interested in cross-referencing further.

What was named "The Advocate" when first written has become known as "Before the Throne (of God Above)", and though variations of this song have been heard, this is how it first became known to me:


I.
Before the throne of God above

I have a strong and perfect plea. (Heb 4:15,16)

A great High Priest whose Name is Love (Heb 4:14; I Jn. 4:8,16)

Who ever lives and pleads for me. (Heb 7:25)


Chorus:
My name is graven on His hands, (Isa 49:16)

My name is written on His heart.(I Pet.5:6,7)

I know that while in Heaven He stands(Acts 7:55,56)

No tongue can bid me thence depart. (Rom 8:34)


II.
When Satan tempts me to despair (Luke 22:31,32)

And tells me of the guilt within,(Rev.12:10)

Upward I look and see Him there (Acts 7:55,56)

Who made an end of all my sin. (Is. 38:17; Col 2:13,14)


III.
Because the sinless Savior died(Heb.4:15)

My sinful soul is counted free.(II Cor. 5:21)

For God the just is satisfied(Ps.7:11;Is.53:10,11)

To look on Him and pardon me. (Rom 3:24,25,26,5:9)


IV.
Behold Him there the risen Lamb, (Rev 5:6)

My perfect spotless righteousness, (I Cor 1:30; I Peter 1:18,19)

The great unchangeable I AM, (Heb 13:8; John 8:58)

The King of glory and of grace,(I Tim. 6:15,16; Col.3:4; Rom. 5:15,16)


Finale:
One in Himself I cannot die.(Jn. 3:16,36; Eph 2:5; Tit. 3:7)

My soul is purchased by His blood, (Acts 20:28)

My life is hid with Christ on high, (Col 3:3)

With Christ my Savior and my God! (Tit 2:13)




The Benefits of meditating on justification???

REALIZATION:
Meditating His justification for me
makes it more and more real.

We are His poimea.

Can anybody anywhere find anything at all, in whatever aspect of our lives or far removed from them, that is not covered and paid for in Jesus Christ's self-sacraficial bloody purchase towards our redemption?

He bowed down to become like this very flesh He formed from red dust, and now stands seated as our flesh and bone Salvation. His justification is the beginning and the end in this One Great Work: His work in us onto His work through us.

He is our Living Lord, God, and King over not just this world, but every moment and movement of the whole Universe for all time and eternity.

Our justification in Him speaks that those thinking of even just touching us with harmful intent best beware, cause now we all have a Brother watching over us like a hawk. Yes, we always pray that Our Father will forgive them in the evil and the good recieved, because they just don't understand; but final judgement rests totally in His hands. We were once blind like them and still walk earth in the same type skin, but God gas given us vision and a completely different life. The desire is that all will know the life that he gives through our justification.

When our Abba chose us for adoption, long before we were ever twinklings in our parents eyes, our lifes' courses laid naked in His sight. He knew us and loved us before we ever came to be.

He chose who He would justify.
Praise Him and recognize what He has done for us.


We are part of Our Father's inheritance given to Our Messiah, and He is everything in us. He is everything onto us! Our justification cannot, NO NEVER can be 'taken with just a grain of salt'. Our justification is a matter of life forever with Him, or both the first and second death.
In me, every time the fruit of sin yeilds from walking in my fleshy sinful nature, i picture myself spitting in the face of Jesus on the cross. Those are the times i am the one mocking His justification given through His atoning death.

Justification is hardly a puzzle piece that gets accidentally shuffled under the rug because something else grabs our attention. Just because we can't yet piece this whole puzzle completely together is no reason to give up figuring it out. Doing that, we could end up walking on the key to assembling the whole thing in the first place. That key piece is our justification in Lord Jesus.

Our lives depend on His justification.
Without this, nothing follows.


Wind blown
because of He
who showed me i
was shattered by sin.
i was just a carpenter,
but now i'm a King's kid:
Justified freely by His Grace.



your truly,

gregg

_________________
Travis

What an amazing hymn, thank you for sharing that Gregg.

I also liked this quote, "Our lives depend on His justification. Without this, nothing follows."

_________________
Jeremiah Dusenberry

wanted to share the ending of Thomas Brooks "nine consolations" , his meditation on this is worth the read...

know for your comfort that imputed righteousness will give you the greatest boldness before God's judgment seat. There is an absolute and indispensable necessity of a perfect righteousness wherewith to appear before God. The holiness of God's nature, the righteousness of His government, the severity of His Law, and the terror of wrath calls aloud upon the sinner for a complete righteousness without which there is no standing in judgment (Psalm 1:5). That righteousness only is able to justify us before God which is perfect, and that hath no defect or blemish in it, such as may abide the trial before His judgment seat, such as may fitly satisfy His justice and make our peace with Him. And consequently, by this the Law of God is fulfilled…such a righteousness as He requires, as will stand before Him, and satisfy His justice (Romans 10:3).

This is the crowning comfort to a sensible and understanding soul, that he stands righteous before a judgment seat in that full, exact, perfect, complete, matchless, spotless, peerless, and most acceptable righteousness of Christ imputed to him.

It is a complete and unspotted righteousness, an unblameable righteousness, and unblemished righteousness. And therefore God can neither in justice except nor object to it. In this righteousness the believer lives, in this righteousness the believer dies, and in this righteousness believers shall arise and appear before the judgment seat of Christ to the deep admiration of all the elect angels, to the transcendent terror and horror of all reprobates, and to the matchless joy and triumph of all on Christ's right hand, who shall then shout and sing, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels" (Isaiah 61:10).

Oh, how Christ in this great day will be admired and glorified in all His saints (2 Thes. 1:10), when every saint, wrapped up in this fine linen, in this white robe of Christ's righteousness, shall shine more gloriously than ten thousand suns! In the great Day of the Lord, when the saints shall stand before the tribunal of God, clothed in the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ, they shall then stand, they shall then be pronounced righteous even in the court of divine justice, which sentence will fill their souls with comfort and the souls of sinners with astonishment (Revelation 20:12; 12:10).

Suppose we saw the believing sinner holding up his hand at God's bar—the books opened, the accuser of the brethren present, the witnesses ready, and the Judge on the bench thus bespeaking the sinner at the bar (Romans 7:12, 14, 16; Galatians 3:10): "O sinner, sinner, thou standest here indicted before Me for many millions of sins of commission and for many millions of sins of omission. Thou hast broken My holy, just, and righteous Laws beyond all human conception or expression, and hereof thou art proved guilty. What hast thou now to say for thyself why thou shouldst not be eternally cast?" Upon this the sinner pleads guilty. But withal he earnestly desires that he may have time and liberty to plead for himself and to offer his reasons why that dreadful sentence "Go, you cursed…" should not be passed upon him (Matthew 25:41). The liberty desired being granted by the Judge, the sinner pleads that his Surety, Jesus Christ, hath by His blood and sufferings given full and complete satisfaction to divine justice and that He hath paid down upon the nail the whole debt at once, and that it can never stand with the holiness and unspotted justice of God to demand satisfaction twice (Hebrews 10:10, 14).

If the Judge shall further object, "Ay, but sinner, sinner, the Law requireth an exact and perfect righteousness in the personal fulfilling of it. Now, sinner, where is thy exact and perfect righteousness? (Galatians 3:10). Upon which the believing sinner very readily, cheerfully, humbly, and boldly replies, "My righteousness is upon the bench: 'In the Lord have I righteousness' (Isaiah 45:24). Christ, my Surety, hath fulfilled the Law on my behalf."

His obeying the Law to the full, His perfect conforming to its commands, His doing, as well as His dying obedience is by grace made over and reckoned to me in order to my justification and salvation. And this is my plea, by which I will stand before the Judge of all the world. Upon this, the sinner's plea is accepted as good in Law, and accordingly he is pronounced righteous and goes away glorying and rejoicing, triumphing and shouting it out, "Righteous, righteous, righteous, righteous!" "In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory" (Isaiah 45:25). And thus you see that there are nine springs of strong consolation that flow into your souls through the imputation of Christ's righteousness unto you.

_________________
CHRISTIAN

Assurance.

Before the Throne of God Above is a great song!

Thanks for posting it.

With care in Christ,
Taylor

_________________
Taylor Otwell