Smokie Norful - Justified Lyrics
Lyrics
I was preaching a sermon one Sunday and uh
It was about, it was a parable
And it was talking about the uh, the disciples and Jesus
When they were going through a corn field
And they began to pick the corn
And the Pharisees, the legalistics of the day, they came
And they were chastising them that
'Why are you doing this on the Sabbath?'
They had this whole discourse and dialog between the two of them
Jesus was saying, 'Listen, do you, do you not remember that you
You, yourself aren't even worthy
You guys break unleavened bread on, on the Sabbath
And you kill the sacrifice, you clean the sacrifice'
They have a need and it's my job and my responsibility
To meet their need and I'm at their need
I trump the synagogue, I trump the Sabbath
I'm Lord of your life, I'm Lord of everything that is you
I'm Lord of this, this day, recognize who you're talking to
But in the course of the whole thing what I realize is that
The dialog was between the Pharisees or the religious leaders of the day
Was between the dignitaries, the officials of the Church and Jesus
The disciples never uttered a word
He literally started embodying his permanent position in our lives
Because he stepped in between the law and the people
He says, 'No, I'm Grace and because of Me
They don't have to defend themselves to you'
'I'll do all the talking, My blood will speak through all of eternity
I have justified them, even in their wrong, I know that they are wrong
I know that they make mistakes, I know that they are not perfect
I know that they do things that are not pleasing'
'But even in their wrong, My blood will speak on their behalf
And I will just', somebody should have shouted right there
Because He didn't kill you for all the sinful acts that you committed
But he justified you
God bless me with this song, it simply speaks the life of that message
And I'm just excited to be able to share it with you
Hey, justified me, glorified me
Paid my ransom and I've been redeemed by his blood
Go to Calvary, I've been made free
Despite my enemy, I thank God, I'm justified
Paid a price for my life
And all that was wrong, His love made it right
Now what greater sign can any man show?
That know with his own blood He made me whole
He justified me, glorified me
Paid my ransom and I've been redeemed by his blood
Go to calvary, I've been made free
Despite my enemy, I thank God, I'm justified
If my sins had their way I never would have made it
With a debt I just couldn't afford to pay, He came and saved me
When the enemy said that I couldn't, God said go ahead
Because you're covered by me awesome, awesome powerful blood
Though I, I should've been dead and never kept alive
God's grace and his mercy were on every side
When it looks like I can't, God says I can
And he won't let me fall in the enemy's hand
Oh, I'm just glad to know that God saved me
His grace and his mercy
They watched over me all night long
If it had not been, if it had not been
If it had not been, if it had not been
If it had not been for the lord that was on my side
Hey, listen I got some testimonies listen
Just like Nineveh that was headed for destruction
God stepped in and he said
(Not guilt)
You gonna live and you won't see the day of destruction
(Oh oh oh)
Just like Daniel who was condemned to the lion's den, God said
(Not guilt)
You're gonna live
(You're gonna live, yeah)
Just like David who was dearly beloved inspite of God said
(Not guilt)
Yeah
Hey
(Let's talk about you)
If you be honest with yourself tonight
If it hadn't been for the grace of God
You would've been, you could've been
Yeah, listen, hey
To the liar
(Not guilt)
To the cheater
(Not guilt)
To the deceiver
(Not guilt)
Even to the believer
(Not guilt)
There is their point no condemnation to them
(Not guilt)
That are in Christ Jesus
(Not guilt)
Yeah, yeah
(Not guilt)
Hey
Some of y'all got it twisted, listen
(Not guilt)
If it hadn't been for God
(God did it)
You wouldn't have made it
Hey, don't get confused about who kept you
Hey
(God did it)
When the enemy said that I couldn't, God did it
(God did it)
When my haters said that I wouldn't, God did it
(God did it)
Hey, I thought we'd never get out of the poor house but
(God did it)
I thought we'd never see the White House but I'm claiming it
(God did it)
Hey and if you be honest He's been over your house
(God did it)
Every grateful heart just bless his name
(God did it)
Who delivered you?
(God did it)
Be honest about it, who kept you? Yeah
(God did it)
Come on and testify who brought you, hey
(God did it)
Hey, just shout God did it
(God did it)
Point to heaven and give him glory, God did it
(God did it)
Come on and testify, hey
(God did it)
One more time if your praise is ringing say God did it
(God did it)
Hey yeah, yeah, hey
(God did it)
Every time I turn around, it's but God
But God, but God, but God
They said I wouldn't but God
They said I couldn't but God
They say I should've been dead but God
They say I should've been sick but God
They said I should've have never made it but God, yeah
Come on and just shout God did it
(God did it)
God did it
(God did it)
God did it
(God did it)
God did it
(God did it)
Don't believe yourself
(God did it)
Like your grateful self
(God did it)
Yeah, everybody say
(God did it)
Video
Smokie Norful - Justified
Meaning & Inspiration
I’ve spent a lot of my life trying to outrun the shadow of my own mistakes. When you’ve been in the dirt—I mean really down in it, where the shame clings to you like sweat after a long night—you start to think that maybe, just maybe, the judge has a point. You start to believe the accusations being hurled at your back.
That’s why Smokie Norful’s track hits me where I live. He talks about the Pharisees cornering the disciples, all legalistic and rigid, demanding an answer for their behavior. And then he says, "The disciples never uttered a word."
That hit me hard. I’ve spent so many years trying to explain myself, trying to polish up my life, trying to argue with the people who saw me at my worst. I thought I had to defend the mess I made. But hearing that? It’s like a weight falling off my shoulders. I don’t have to talk. He does. When the accuser shows up with a list of all the times I failed, all the times I walked away, Jesus just stands in the gap and says, "Not guilt."
It reminds me of Romans 8:1—the idea that there’s no condemnation for those in Him. But that’s not just a verse you slap on a wall. It’s a literal lifeline when you’re standing in the rubble of your own decisions, wondering if you’ve finally burned every bridge.
Norful says, "I know that they make mistakes... but even in their wrong, My blood will speak on their behalf."
That’s the scandal of it. I keep expecting the bill to come due. I keep expecting someone to tap me on the shoulder and say, "Okay, we’re done here, you’ve hit your limit." But the ransom was already paid. It wasn't cheap, and it certainly wasn't earned. It was a trade. My failure for His standing. My "should have been dead" reality for His life.
Sometimes I sit in my car and listen to the "God did it" part of this song, and I don't feel like dancing or shouting. I just feel exhausted in the best way possible. It’s the realization that I’m not the protagonist in the story of my rescue. I’m just the guy who got found. I’m the guy who walked home smelling like the pigs, and instead of a lecture, I got a robe and a ring.
I’m still figuring out how to live without the defense mechanism of always needing to explain myself. I’m still learning that if the blood is speaking, my own frantic explanations are just noise. I’m justified. Not because I got it together, but because He wouldn't let me fall into the hand of the enemy. It doesn't make total sense to my brain, and some days I still look over my shoulder waiting for the hammer to drop. But then I hear that phrase—not guilt—and I breathe for a second. That’s enough.