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How God Justifies Us

August 16, 2026
00:00

When God justifies us, he charges our sins to Jesus and He credits the righteousness of Jesus to us. We aren't justified by our performance, rather by faith, the perfect righteousness of Jesus becomes ours.

Guest (Male): Open the Bible with Colin Smith.

Colin Smith: When God justifies us, he does two things. First, God charges our sins to Jesus, counting them against him. And second, God credits the righteousness of Jesus to us.

When my wife Karen and I were married, my parents paid for a week at a classy hotel in the Lake District of England. There were no charges for us because the cost was absorbed by someone else. It was a gift.

Now, God's gift of forgiveness is ours because the charges that we've incurred have been assumed and paid by Jesus. God credits us with the righteousness of Jesus. He justifies us not because of our performance in the Christian life, but because by faith, the perfect righteousness of Jesus becomes ours.

Guest (Male): Is there someone in your life who needs to know the God of the Bible and might be open to take a journey through the Bible with you? Invite them to openthebible.org.

This transcript is provided as a written companion to the original message and may contain inaccuracies or transcription errors. For complete context and clarity, please refer to the original audio recording. Time-sensitive references or promotional details may be outdated. This material is intended for personal use and informational purposes only.

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About Open the Bible Minute

Open the Bible is the teaching ministry of Pastor Colin Smith. Our mission is to use a broad array of modern media to help people around the world meet Jesus. We do this by opening the Bible for them, helping them open the Bible themselves, and equipping them to open the Bible with others.

About Colin Smith

Colin Smith is senior pastor of The Orchard Evangelical Free Church, a thriving, multi-campus church located in the northwest suburbs of Chicago, and Founder and Teaching Pastor of Open the Bible.

Born and raised in Edinburgh, Scotland, he trained at the London School of Theology where he earned the degrees of Bachelor of Theology and Master of Philosophy. Before coming to the States in 1996, Colin served as senior pastor of the Enfield Evangelical Free Church in London.

He is the author of several books including Momentum: Pursuing God’s Blessings through the Beatitudes; Heaven, How I Got Here: The Story of the Thief on the Cross; Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life; The One Year Unlocking the Bible Devotional; 10 Keys for Unlocking the Bible; The 10 Greatest Struggles of Your Life; as well as others. His preaching ministry is shared around the world through Open the Bible.

Colin and his wife Karen reside in Arlington Heights, Ill., and have two married sons and five granddaughters.

Contact Open the Bible Minute with Colin Smith

Mailing Address
Open the Bible
P.O. Box 3454
Barrington, IL 60011
Telephone
1-877-OPEN-365