Of course this
consecration must be made before the person can be presented.
[331]Jehovah God is the great wise judge of the universe; and he sits
to determine whether or not one thus presented is right or not. "It is
God that justifieth."--Romans 8:33.
[332]The steps essential now to justification, as shown by the
Scriptures, briefly stated, are these: (1) Faith in God and his
promises, which is exercised and proven by making a surrender of
ourselves to the Lord; (2) receiving the merit of Christ, and his
presentation to the Father; and (3) the determination by Jehovah God
that the one thus presented is right. The following Scriptures show
these points in the order named: By faith are we justified (Romans 5:1);
by the blood of Jesus are we justified (Romans 5:9); "It is God that
justifieth". (Romans 8:33) Christ Jesus is the great High Priest. When
we make a consecration of ourselves, then he presents us to the Father.
(John 6:37) But in order to make us acceptable or presentable to the
Father, the merit of Jesus' sacrifice must be imputed to us. When he
ascended on high, he deposited with Jehovah the ransom-price, the merit
of his sacrifice, as we have seen, pictured by the blood. The second
step, then, is taken when Jesus imputes to the one thus coming to the
Lord the merit of his sacrifice, which makes him presentable to the
Father, Jehovah; then Jehovah, upon the merit, determines, as the great
judge, that the one thus presented is right, is justified, and is
acceptable as a part of the sacrifice of his beloved Son.
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