The First Healing in the Bible

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NOTE:  An updated version of this post is available on my new website.  It is located here:  http://bornofspirit.net/the-first-healing-in-the-bible/
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When studying the bible, you can find some great truths if you examine the passages where a subject is first mentioned.  That concept is the basis for this article.  We are going to look at the first time divine healing is mentioned in the bible  It is found in Genesis chapter 20.  Here's a link to it on YouVersion.

Here is a brief summary of the story, along with a little background.

• Abraham is married to Sarah.
• Sarah is a very attractive woman.
• Abraham is afraid of someone harming him in order to take his wife.
• On several occasions, he asks Sarah to lie and say she is his sister.  

In Genesis 20, Abraham and Sarah journey to a city named Gerar.  The king of this city is named Abimilech.  Abimilech finds out about Sarah somehow, and he takes her to be in his harem.

Before Abimilech is able to have relations with Sarah, God warns him in a dream that she is Abraham's wife.  God makes it clear that it is in Abimilech's best interest to return her to her husband Abraham, because some bad stuff is going to happen if he doesn't.  In fact, he's going to die, and the women in his land are no longer able to have children

So, Abimilech returns Sarah to Abraham.  Then Abraham prays for healing for Abimilech and everybody else, and God heals them all.

That's it for the summary.  At first glance, it is a strange story that does not go the way most of think it should go.  I want to identify some principles based on this story that carry on throughout the bible and on into the present day.

1 - God works through flawed people.

Abraham is the one at fault here...he lied and caused this whole problem.  Yet, Abraham is the first person that God works through to demonstrate healing power.  This shows us that our ability to avoid sin is not a factor is whether or not we get to operate in divine healing.  Sin does not stop God's power.  God is bigger than our sin.

Sin is bad, don't get me wrong.  But, don't fall for the temptation to think that God won't use you because you aren't good enough.  Divine healing is based on God's divine goodness, not your human goodness.   This is huge, and it is the main point I want to get across in this article. Don't just read past this fact.  Let it take root.  God works through flawed people because that's all He has to choose from.

2 - The person that is ministering healing may be in need of a miracle as well.

At this time, Abraham and Sarah were childless.  They were not able to have children.  But, part of the healing that God ministered in this story was restoring the ability of the women in Gerar to conceive.

If you are fighting some kind of physical condition, don't let that be a roadblock that keeps you from stepping out in faith and ministering to others.  100% perfect health is not a prerequisite to be used in divine healing.  Don't disqualify yourself, and don't disqualify others, just because you (or they) are currently in a struggle with a sickness.

3 - Although the healing may be instant, the physical evidence may show up later.

Part of the healing that took place in this story was the restoration of the ability of the women to conceive.  Because of the nature of the healing, it would be a while before they could tell for sure what happened.  They were totally healed immediately, but they would have no physical evidence until they became pregnant.

Sometimes an action is required on the part of the "patient" in order to fully demonstrate the complete healing.  In this case, each woman would have to have relations with her husband, and then some time would have to pass before they would have some kind of physical proof that the healing was real.

4 - God does things differently than we do.  

I think most of us would expect some kind of punishment for Abraham.  It seems like the wrong guy is getting in trouble (Abimilech).  Now, he is not innocent either, according to our modern moral standards, but it seems like Abraham's dishonesty is the the real cause of all the trouble.  If he would have been truthful, then maybe this whole situation could have been avoided.

But, if you go back a few years in Abraham's history, back to Genesis 12, you will find that God made a promise to him.  God said "I will bless those who bless you, and curse those who curse you."  God is simply keeping His promise here.  This promise wasn't conditional on Abraham's moral behavior.  It was based on the fact that Abraham believed what God said.

This is much like the promise we have from God.  If we will believe the gospel of Jesus, then He will not count any of our sins against us (past, present, or future), He will adopt us into His own family, give us eternal life, and make us a co-heir with Jesus.  And just like the promise to Abraham, this is not dependent on our ability or inability to keep a code of ethics.  It is dependent on whether or not we believe what God said about His Son.

Foolish Galatians

Galatians 3:1-5
1 - O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified?
2 - This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
3 - Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
4 - Have you suffered so many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain?
5 - Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Galatians is a letter that was written to some people that had become Christians as a result of Paul's preaching in their town.  When Paul first came to these people, he told them the good news about Jesus.  Jesus had paid the price for their sins, and now God was offering eternal life to them.  They believed the message, accepted the offer, and were born into God's family and kingdom.

From the context of the entire letter, it is apparent that they also had seen some demonstrations of the supernatural power of God.  And not only had they seen God's power in operation, they were beginning to operate in this power themselves.

At some point, Paul moved on to the next town and some religious leaders came in here behind him and started trying to put additional requirements on these people.  These new believers were being told that they had to keep the rules and regulations of Judaism (a.k.a "works of the law") in order to be in right standing with God.

When Paul found out about this, he wrote this letter that we call "Galatians."  In this letter, he is very upset, and uses some very strong  language.  He is urging these new believers to reject this false teaching.

We get great benefit from being able to read this letter, because there are some very powerful truths contained in the arguments that Paul set forth under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

1 - A person's entry into God's kingdom has nothing to do with any religious activities.

These people simply believed the message Paul brought to them.  That's it.  They weren't keeping the Sabbath, going to church, praying, paying tithes, reading the bible, or anything like that.  They didn't even have a bible because there weren't any bibles yet.  There weren't even any churches there yet.  They probably didn't even know about most of that stuff.  They just believed what Paul said about Jesus.  God was extending peace to these people through an offer that is almost too good to be true.  If they would believe this message about Jesus, God would adopt them as sons and welcome them into His eternal kingdom.

2 - Operating in the power of God is not enhanced by keeping religious rules or traditions.  In fact, it can be hindered by that stuff.

God works through people that exercise faith...people that take Him at His word.  He doesn't require us to be perfect in our behavior and obedience as a prerequisite   Jesus already took care of all prerequisites on our behalf.  We just need to believe it.  Check it out...

2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.  

You see, Jesus has already made amends for all of our failures and shortcomings.  Our failure to meet the standards has already been dealt with once for all time.  So, we are no longer viewed by God as sinners who are trying to get better.  We are viewed by Him in the same way He views Jesus....totally righteous.

With that in mind, take a fresh look at this phrase again from Galatians chapter 3, verse 5. It is a very amazing statement:


He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

God supplies the Spirit to us and works miracles among us as we act in faith.  This is not limited by a person's maturity level, nor is it limited by a person's ability to avoid sin.  It is limited by unbelief.  As far as I have been able to understand, the only thing that can limit God operating in power through us is unbelief.

Unbelief comes in many forms.  Here are a few of the most powerful ways that we can be drawn into unbelief.

1 - Trying to work to earn the right or privilege to operate in the power of God is actually a form of unbelief.  The very act of trying to earn it shows that you don't believe it is freely given.  Ouch.

2 - Trusting in human religious tradition rather than in God is also a form of unbelief.  Here are some examples of what I'm talking about:

• If you are part of an organization that believes that miracles were only for the days of the original apostles, then you will will be tempted to agree with that, and you can find yourself in unbelief towards the power of God working in you or in others today.  
• If you believe that miracles are done through the pastor or the priest or any other title, but not through those without a religious title, then you will also be in unbelief towards the power of God working through you.  
• If you believe God doesn't heal people that have sin in their life, then you will be in unbelief towards the "gifts" of healings.  You will disqualify people based on their addictions, habits, behaviors, sexual preferences, and etc.  You will be trusting in man's ability to perform rather than God's grace to give freely to those in need, and draw them to Himself through His love and kindness.  That is unbelief.

Our main enemy, most of the time, is not the devil, and it is not sin.  It is unbelief.  As Jesus said, all things are possible to him to believes.  We need to believe, and let this foolishness loosen its grip on us.

Radically Good News

John 3:16-18
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

This is a very radical set of statements.  I would like to examine them individually.

v16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

God loved the world before Jesus came and paid for our sins.  He loved the world while our sins were in full view.  He wanted to have fellowship with us.  He wanted us to be with Him through eternity.    

Because of this love, Jesus came on a mission.  God initiated the action, sending His Son to rescue the very people that were sinning against Him.  He paid for our salvation by taking our death sentence on Himself, dying in our place.  The price has been paid once for all time (Hebrews 10:10) for the whole world (1 John 2:2).

And now, everlasting life is given to anyone that believes in Jesus..."whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

v17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

Many people have a picture of God that is something like this:  God is up in heaven somewhere with His arms crossed, looking down on humanity with anger because of our sin.  And, if we beg and plead, and promise to act better, then He may consider letting us go to heaven, but He's still mad at us.

This verse paints a very different picture.  God loved us before we were saved, before our sins were paid for, before we were even looking His way.  He sent His Son on a rescue mission, to save us.  He  wants all of us to be with him (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Peter 3:9).  This was His idea, not ours.  He is coming for us, rather than us begging and crawling to come to Him.  He took care of everything, and now all we have to do is exercise our free will and choose to believe.

v18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If the other two passages were not enough to amaze you, this one should make everyone examine his thinking.

If you believe in Jesus, you are not condemned.

If you don't believe in Jesus, then you are condemned.

Notice that your ability to avoid sin is not a part of the equation.  You do not escape condemnation though good morals and ethics. You only avoid condemnation by believing in Jesus.  We are saved by grace through faith, not by works.

If you don't believe in Jesus, then you are condemned, period.  It makes no difference what else you do.

But, on the other hand, of you do believe in Jesus, then you are not condemned, no matter what else you do.  Sin and bad choices can totally ruin your life, and put you in situations that you will not enjoy.  There are  reasons that sin is called sin.  We should avoid sin.  But sin is not what condemns you.  Unbelief...rejection of Jesus...that is how a person is condemned.

We often think that condemnation comes from God as a result of our behavior.  This is not true.  Romans 8:1 says that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ (see also Romans 8:31-34).  Condemnation only comes if you don't believe in Jesus.   It is not what you do that saves you or condemns you.  It is faith in Jesus.  You must believe that He paid it all for you.  Then you can stop approaching God based on how you feel about your performance, and come to Him based Jesus' performance (Romans 5:19).

God wants fellowship with you.  He has made peace from His side.  We have nothing to offer in return except to believe it.  We should take Him at His word, believe in Jesus, and receive eternal life.

The Purpose of the Law

(NOTE:  Whatever you do, don't just read the first half of this.  Either stop reading now, or make sure you read all the way to the end.)

In the bible, the phrase "the law" is used to describe a very long list of rules (613 of them) that include the 10 commandments, the religious ceremonial laws, and all of the civil laws of the Israelites.  It is basically God's standard for righteous behavior.

It is a flawless and glorious standard, and it demands lifelong perfection with no mistakes.  It divides humanity into two groups.

Group 1 - Those who keep the law perfectly without mistakes for their entire life.
Group 2 - Those who have broken one or more of the laws at some point in their life.

Unfortunately, it is impossible for humans beings to reach this standard, and so Group 1 is empty (except for Jesus).

If you have ever told a lie, or even thought about telling a lie, then you are completely guilty of breaking the whole law.  Just make one small mistake in your entire life, a single wrong thought, and you have fallen short, putting yourself in the same category with murderers and thieves.

If you study the what the law says, you will never find that people are encouraged to try to keep it.  There is no "trying."  You either keep the whole law, or you break the whole law.  To keep it, you have to keep it 100% forever without a single mistake.  Trying is not an option.

The apostle Paul summarizes the purpose and the effects of the law in the following passages.

Romans 3:19-20 - Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

The purpose of the law is to show you that you are guilty.  It shows you where you have missed the mark.  It shows you the hopeless impossibility of attaining righteousness through behavior modification.  It makes you aware that you are guilty before God.

To quote Watchman Nee..."God knows...that I am weakness incarnate; that I can do nothing. The trouble is that I do not know it."  The law solves that problem for us.

Galatians 3:19 (NLT)  Well then, why was the law given? It was given to show people how guilty they are. But this system of law was to last only until the coming of the child to whom God's promise was made....

The law is perfect.  People, however, are not perfect.  The law shows imperfect people their shortcomings.  It shows them in big bold letters that they are in desperate need of help.  They are drowning and they need to be rescued.  They are in a hopeless situation with no way out, unless someone steps in to save them.

That brings us to the good news.  Someone did step in to save.

Jesus kept the law perfectly, and deserved to receive all of the blessings that come from it.  However, instead of receiving these rewards, He took on Himself the punishment that was coming to the rest of us:

Isaiah 53:4-5
4 - Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
5 - But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus got what we deserved for our sin.  And in exchange, He gave us what He deserved for His righteousness.  He took our curse, and gave us His blessing.  He took our sin, and gave us His righteousness.  He took our sickness and gave us His healing.

Now, look at this:

Galatians 3:22-26

22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.
24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.


If you have believed the gospel and received salvation, then the law has done its job, and you are no longer subject to it....it no longer applies to you.

Think about this, and let it sink in.  Christians are not subject to the law.  We no longer have to do the animal sacrifices.  We are not judged by whether or not we keep the 10 Commandments.  We are not cursed if we don't bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.  We are not asked to keep all of the feasts of Israel.

All that the law demands has already been accomplished fully and perfectly by Jesus.  To all of those that believe the Gospel of Jesus, He gives righteousness as a free gift (Romans 5:17).  He did what we were unable to do, and gave us what we were unable to attain.

The Righteousness of God

Romans 3:19-24
3:19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 
3:20 For no one is declared righteous before him by the works of the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin. 
3:21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God (which is attested by the law and the prophets) has been disclosed – 
3:22 namely, the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 
3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. 
3:24 But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 

There are two kinds of righteousness contrasted in this passage.

1 - Our own human attempts at righteousness:  This is based on our behavior as judged by the 10 commandments and all the other instructions in God's law in the Old Testament.  The law judges not only outward actions, but also your thoughts and the things on the inside (Matthew 5:21-26).  Our righteousness is non-existent, because we have all sinned repeatedly and continually.

2 - God's righteousness:  God's righteousness is flawless and beautiful.  It has no lack, and no imperfection in it.

So, what is the point?

Part of the good news about Jesus Christ is that when we believe in Him, God gives us His own righteousness as a gift.  See verses 22 again:  the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.  

This means that we no longer have to depend on our own ability to keep a code of conduct in order to have right-standing with God.  This righteousness from God is given to us freely as a gift that is unrelated to our behavior.  Your behavior and your moral conduct are not part of the equation for receiving this righteousness.  It is only received through faith.  (Note:  I am not negating the value of making good moral choices, I am saying that our morality comes up short every time.)

Romans 4:4-5
4:4 Now to the one who works, his pay is not credited due to grace but due to obligation. 
4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in the one who declares the ungodly righteous, his faith is credited as righteousness.

Your faith in Jesus, not your work, is credited as righteousness.  It is all about who you believe in, not about how well you are able to do everything right.

Romans 5:1-2
5:1 Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 
5:2 through whom we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of God’s glory.

If your faith is in Jesus and what He did for you, then you are righteous in God's sight, and you have peace with Him.  He is not against you, He is at peace with you.  This was His idea, and He is the one who initiated the action.  He came to rescue us because we could not rescue ourselves.

Gifts of the Spirit part 2 - Charismata (grace gifts)

(Note:  It may be good to read part 1 before reading this)


"CHARIS" is a word in the original Greek language of the New Testament.  It is often translated as grace, kindness, favour, blessing, etc.

It means "unmerited favour."  It means "goodwill that is not deserved."

If it is deserved in any way, it is not CHARIS.

If there is anything that you can do earn it, it is not CHARIS.

CHARIS is a very general term.  When it is used in a specific instance, the Greek word is "CHARISMA."  This is often translated "gift."

This is unmerited favor, or grace, made specific.  It is an undeserved gift.  If there is any part of it that is deserved, then it is not a CHARISMA.

Now if you want to make this word plural, you add "TA" to the end and you end up with "CHARISMATA."

CHARISMATA means "free, undeserved gifts."

That brings us to our passage in 1 Corinthians where the gifts of the Holy Spirit are listed

1 Corinthians 12:4-11
4 There are diversities of gifts (CHARISMATA), but the same Spirit.
5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord.
6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

These nine manifestations of the Holy Spirit are gifts that the Holy Spirit gives to people that don't deserve them.  There is no requirement on anyone to receive them.  If there are requirements, then they aren't CHARISMATA.  If you have to attain a certain level of maturity or holiness in order to receive them, then they would be called rewards instead of gifts.

But the word that is used here is CHARISMATA...free gifts that are not deserved in any way.

To bring this point out more clearly, consider the context of the passage that was quoted above.  It comes from a letter (1 Corinthians) that was written to a group of Christians in the city of Corinth.  In this letter they are being corrected for things that would make many of today's believers blush.  Here are a few examples:

• They were getting drunk during communion (ch 11 v 21)
• They were suing each other (ch 6 v 7)
• One of them was sleeping with his father's wife (stepmother), and the rest of the group thought this was something to be proud of (ch 5 v 1-2)
• Some of them evidently didn't know any better than to call Jesus "cursed" (ch 12 v 3)

To sum it all up, read the following passage from chapter 3:

1 Corinthians 3:1-3

1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly--mere infants in Christ.

2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.

3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?

These people are not mature.  Rather, they are immature.  Paul calls them spiritual babies.  They are not ready for meat, they still need milk.  The are carnal and worldly, they are not demonstrating holy living.

However, when you read chapters 12-14, you can see that this doesn't stop the Holy Spirit from operating His supernatural gifts through them in miracles, healings, prophesies, and so on.

Don't get me wrong, sin is bad, and immaturity is nothing to be proud of.  However, sin and immaturity do not stop the Holy Spirit from using us in His supernatural gifts.  CHARISMATA gifts are only given to people that don't deserve them.  What human could work hard enough to deserve any of this?

Never let anyone tell you that you need to reach a certain level of behavior or maturity in your walk before you can move in the wonderful, powerful, and supernatural gifts (CHARISMATA) of the Holy Spirit.  Don't get tricked into disqualifying yourself.  The gifts are free to all that will receive them and use them.  They are given as the Holy Spirit wills, and they are given freely.

He does the keeping

Jude says...
Jude 24 - Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy.....

Paul says...
2 Timothy 1:12 - ...for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

Peter says...
1 Peter 1:5 - ...who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Three different apostles (couriers) from God with same message.

God does the keeping, I do the believing.

My job is to believe.

His job is to keep me.

New Birth - Born of Spirit

It is always good to read scripture in proper context, and I encourage you to do so for any of these that speak to you.

John 1:12-13
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

If you "believe in His name," then you become a child of God, one of His offspring.  Your behavior is not part of the equation, only your faith.

John 3:5-6
Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit

You become a child of God by being born again.  Notice that it is not a natural birth, but a spiritual one.  You are born again in your spirit.  You become a new spirit when you believe.

1 Thessalonians 5:23
Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

A human being consists of a spirit, a soul, and a body.

Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart

Since the spirit and the soul can be divided, they are not the same thing.

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 

This verse is talking about a new creation...your new spirit.

Ephesians 4:24
...and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

Your "new man" was created righteous and holy by God.  In your spirit, you are already righteous and holy, regardless of your performance.

2 Corinthians 5:21
 For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Our righteousness was a gift, and it is not mere human righteousness.  It is the very righteousness of God.  This is the righteous that exceeds that of the Pharisees (Mat 5:20)

Romans 3:21-22
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

This righteousness is not based on the law.  It is not obtained by keeping rules and regulations.  It is a gift that is given by God freely to anyone who puts faith in Jesus.

Romans 4:4-5
Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,

Our righteousness is a result of faith, it is not a result of our work.

Romans 5:19
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. 

We are made righteous because of Jesus obedience, not because of our own obedience.  Jesus was obedient, and I believe it, and according to God, that makes me righteous in His sight.

Romans 8:1
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.

Our Father in heaven does not condemn us.  We who believe will never be condemned.

Romans 8:33
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 

God is not bringing charges against us.  He is the one who has justified us.

Romans 8:34
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 

Jesus is not condeming us.  Instead, He came to die for us, and is interceding for us right now.

Romans 10:3-4
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

It is impossible to establish your own righteousness.  Our righteousness comes from Christ, not from the law.

Romans 10:11
For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

We will never be put to shame.

2 Corinthians 5:19
...that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. 

God is not counting our sins against us, and we have the priviledge of sharing that good news.

Hebrews 10:14
For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. 

We are already perfected.

2 Corinthians 3:18
But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

We are being transformed into the same image...into the glory of the Lord...and it is being done by the Holy Spirit, not by us.

Jude 24
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy...

God keeps us from stumbling.  He also presents us faultless in His presence.  We are not tasked with making ourselves faultless.

Romans 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Your spirit was born again as a new creation.  Your soul and your body were not born again.  The body needs to be put into subjection.  The soul (mind, will, emotions) needs to be renewed by the word of God, getting our thoughts in line with how God thinks...agreeing with Him and believing what He says.  We want our spirit to be in the lead, and our soul and body to follow.

James 1:21
Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 

The word of God is what will rescue the part of you that is called your "soul."  It will help you change the way you think...the way you view the world, and the way you view yourself.

James 1:22-25
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror;  for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was.  But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does. 

We need to look into the mirror (the word) and let it tell us what we look like...who we are in Christ.  We need to remember what we look like, what kind of men we are.  We need to see ourselves the way our Father sees us...righteous and holy, justified, forgiven, etc.