The Bible’s Good News is that God has provided salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. Though all deserve condemnation, the believing sinner is acquitted before the bar of God’s justice on the ground of Jesus’ substitutionary death. Because He has paid their penalty at the cross, they are just in God’s eyes, though they are sinners still. But once God has declared them “not guilty,” a real change does begin to occur. Those who are “justified” will gradually become “sanctified” until they are finally “glorified.” On this side of heaven, Christians will never be sinless, but they will sin less. Out of gratitude for what God has done for them, all who are truly saved will inevitably grow in the likeness of their Savior. Micah 6 highlights this truth. When God entered into a covenant relationship with Israel, He accepted them on the basis of grace alone. There was nothing in them which made them worthy of the privilege. But having redeemed His people, God expected them to obey His Word and walk in His ways. Instead, He finds them practicing wickedness, injustice, and idolatry (v 9-16). So “the LORD has an indictment against His people.” Micah is appointed as the human prosecutor who must arise and plead God’s case. The prophet summons the mountains as witnesses, since they were present throughout the generations of Israel’s apostasy (v 1-2). As the Plaintiff in this courtroom scene, the LORD then addresses His people by setting forth His accusations against them. They were claiming that God’s law was burdensome, but He had rescued them from Egypt and redeemed them from slavery. He had guided them through godly leaders, subduing all their enemies. They, in turn, had forgotten all He had done for them (v 3-5). Israel, as the Defendant, arrogantly responds to God’s lawsuit by suggesting the fault is not theirs, but His. “Tell us what we haven’t done,” they say. “We are ready to serve You if you’ll just tell us what You want from us” (v 6-7). The LORD answers by saying that He is not asking for anything new. He is not laying down further religious ordinances. All He asks is what has been asked of them from the beginning, which is “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” This is the beautiful life to which we have also been called. Only Jesus lived this way perfectly. But joined to Him by faith, and indwelt by His Spirit, we are empowered to display this three-fold fruit of sanctification, giving evidence that we do indeed belong to the LORD (v 8). For further meditation: