How Can Man be Justified with God?

How then can man be justified with God?

or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?

Job 25:4

Although the book of Genesis tells us of the earliest events of history, there is strong evidence to suggest that the book of Job was written before the book of Genesis. In the verse above, Job asks a question that is perhaps the most important question that anyone could ever ask and it comes down to us from antiquity. This question could be stated as "How can man be made just or righteous with God?" or "How can the sin that separates man from God be removed?". It presupposes that man is not naturally just or clean in God’s eyes.

Is there anyone who can be justified with God through his own means?

Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Proverbs 20:9

Millions have recognized that they are not justified with God and have attempted to resolve this by covering up their sin with human religion. The first example of this is the attempt by Adam and Eve to cover that which represented their sin (their nakedness) with their own invention (aprons made of fig leaves). God exposed this folly and replaced man's invention with His own way of resolving this.

Millions have believed that they could be justified with God by doing their best to keep His law:

For they being ignorant of God's righteousness,

and going about to establish their own righteousness,

have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Romans 10:3

Others have even attempted to solve this problem by denying the very existence of God. But God looks down from heaven and with words that echo down through the centuries identifies these people for exactly who they are:

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.

Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity:

there is none that doeth good.

Psalm 53:1

God has pronounced stern warnings against all of man's own ways of answering the question that Job asked thousands of years ago:

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit,

after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,

and not after Christ.

Colossians 2:8

There is a way that seemeth right unto a man,

but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Proverbs 16:25

Millions, perhaps even billions, of people have come up with various ways of answering Job's question. Would it not be wise to go to God Himself for the answer?

Being justified freely by his grace

through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Romans 3:24

And by him all that believe are justified from all things,

from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.

Acts 13:39

Therefore being justified by faith,

we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Romans 5:1