Justification
by Bryan Carlson
Justification is a term used in Christian theology to describe the process by which God makes a legal declaration of righteousness for those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. “Justification is based on the work of Jesus Christ and is the response of God to repentant faith, where he makes a legal declaration that his elect are forgiven of sin and possess his own righteousness” (Lambert 287). “Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight (Grudem, p. 723, IBCD). This legal declaration is based on the merit of Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to us through faith. Forgiveness of sins is one part of justification, but it is not enough on its own to give us a record of righteousness before God. The other part of justification is the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us, which allows God to declare us righteous in his sight (Roy 27).
The book of Romans provides a clear understanding of justification through faith in Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God. The essence of justification is to be made right with God, and this is possible only through faith in Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life on earth, died on the cross to save us from our sins, rose again, and is seated in heaven, interceding for His saints. The grace of God is shown to us freely and is not a result of our righteous deeds but the mercy of God. Romans 3:23 affirms that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and that there is no one righteous. It is only through the love of God that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8), and we can be redeemed through his blood, according to Ephesians 1:7. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus (Romans 6:23). God sent His son to redeem us from the power and guilt of sin that leads to eternal separation from God. The Son of God humbled himself to take upon himself the sin of man and die a painful death on the cross, but through His resurrection, he defeated the power of death that had held humanity captive. As per Acts 1:9-11, he ascended into heaven and is interceding on behalf of those who put their faith and trust in him.
Sin, according to Romans 3:23, is missing the mark and falling short of God's ideal. In the Garden of Eden, sin first occurred, and since then, every person born on this earth, except for Jesus Christ, has sinned and is deserving of eternal death (Romans 5:12). No person can have a relationship with the righteous Heavenly Father through their own merit. Man is guilty and doomed as described in Romans 2:2, 3:10-18, 23. Sin has a death penalty, and it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that we can escape eternal separation from God.
Faith without works is dead, according to James, and genuine faith produces good works. Our good deeds do not justify us before God, but they prove our faith. The emphasis of justification is on faith in Jesus Christ, as per Romans 10:9-10. It is by grace that we have been saved through faith, and this is not of our own doing but a gift of God, as mentioned in Ephesians 2:8-9. Our good deeds are a result of our faith in Jesus Christ and are not the means to our salvation. “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5).
Heath Lambert, A Theology of Biblical Counseling, 287-289.
Don Roy, IBCD, ACBC Theology Exam Study Guide, 27.
