Justification

Feature 2 – March 2024 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Justification

This important subject is one that has concerned thoughtful people for a very long time. In possibly the oldest book in the Bible, Job twice poses the same question: “How should man be just with God?” (9:2 KJV ) and, “How … can man be justified with God?” (25:4).

The gospel provides the answer! Fundamentally the concept of justification is that it clears sinful me of every charge that the holy God can righteously lay against me. There are two sides to the truth of justification:

• Negatively, God has righteously dealt with every valid charge that was previously hanging over me.
• Positively, God has pronounced me to have a fully righteous standing before Him in Christ (see 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Justified By God
In Your sight no one … is righteous. —Psalm 143:2 NKJV

It is God who justifies. —Romans 8:33

[God is] just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. —Romans 3:26

God will judge all who have sinned against Him. Because God is completely holy and pure, only He can clear us of the righteous charges of which He correctly accuses us. His standards are absolute. God is the personal Justifier of the saved sinner.

Justified By The Grace Of God
Being justified freely by His grace. —Romans 3:24

The righteous God can only justify those who have sinned against Him by means of His free, unlimited grace. God is the source of the justification. His grace – His rich, unmerited favor – is the channel through which this blessing flows.

Justified By The Precious Blood Of Christ
Having now been justified by [Christ’s] blood, we shall be saved. —Romans 5:9

That is, if the righteous claims of the holy God against us are to be fully met, it can only be so because the price of redemption has been fully paid. This was done by the shedding of the precious blood of Christ when He offered Himself without spot to God (see 1 Pet. 1:18-20).

Justified By The Personal Bodily Resurrection Of Our Lord Jesus Christ
[He] was delivered up because of our offences, and was raised because of our justification. —Romans 4:25

The personal, actual, bodily resurrection of Christ has proved the truth of justification to be beyond dispute. We can be absolutely certain that God is fully satisfied with the work of Christ because He has raised Him from the dead. Therefore, we are sure that the price has been fully paid and the debt we owe to God because of our sins has been fully discharged. There need be no lingering doubt in any of our minds. Nothing remains to be done. The work has been fully accomplished. Christ has completed the work. The victory has been openly and fully declared.

Justified By Faith
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. —Romans 5:1

Without the sovereign work of God, there would be no blessing to secure or enjoy. But, now that it has been established, it is to be enjoyed by the apprehension of faith, that is, by simple personal trust in the One who died for your sins! Faith accepts and grasps this wonderful blessing of justification as a free gift, which we could never deserve or achieve by any performance of our own.

Justified From Sin
He that has died is justified from sin. —Romans 6:7 JND

Romans 6:6 states that we were crucified with Christ, and therefore we are dead to sin (v.2). That means we are freed, or discharged, from its controlling power over our lives. Furthermore, it is a complete discharge – we have been justified freely from all things. The law of Moses could never have accomplished this (see Acts 13:39).

Justified In The Name Of Our Lord Jesus Christ And In The Power Of The Holy Spirit
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” —1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NKJV

The first part of the Bible quote is a terrible list of sinful living. The Corinthians had been these kinds of people, but all changed when they trusted Christ as Savior and confessed Him as Lord. The last verse declares the double answer in these two aspects of justification: justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

But the most horrific thing about the list in verses 9-10 is that they are things that we are all capable of doing if the circumstances are conducive and we lose our grip and control of our desires and actions. When we confessed our sins and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ as the only one who could meet our desperate need of salvation, we put ourselves willingly, voluntarily, under the lordship of Christ. We are righteous in the sight of God because we believed the gospel (see 1 Cor. 15:1-4; Rom. 3:21-26). We are saved – and saved forever – because of the value to God of the work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. But if we are to continue to live clean lives, which are well pleasing to God, and witness to unbelievers, we must submit to the lordship of Christ in everything. It is only in the name of the Lord Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit that anything can be rightly done for God.

Justified In The Person Of Christ
Of [God] you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us … righteousness.” —1 Corinthians 1:30

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

These verses present the position of those who are justified. Justification is the way in which God places believers in Christ before Himself. “As He is, so are we in this world” (1 Jn. 4:17). That is, even while we are alive in this life, in this world, we have the full assurance that we are as clear of eternal judgment as Christ is. None would dare suggest that Christ needs to suffer again for sin. That work will never need to be repeated, or added to, because He did it perfectly the first time (see Rom. 6:10; Heb. 9:27-28, 10:10,12).

Justified By Works
If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. —Romans 4:2 KJV

No man is justified by law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. —Galatians 3:11

Scripture certainly affirms that if we are justified at all, we are justified only by faith, that is, by simple trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith is an essential requirement to the reception of justification. But our justification before men is by works approved of the Lord, not deeds which men would necessarily consider to be good. James 2:21-25 identifies actions done by Abraham and Rahab which demonstrated to men that they acted by faith in God.

We are justified in the sight of God by the value to Him of the work of Christ for God’s glory, and on our behalf. That having been settled, once and for all, before God, we are under a moral obligation to practice our faith, which men can observe. Our lifestyles demonstrate the effect of justification in us and proclaim to men the fact that we are justified.

Summary
Justification has at least nine aspects. We are indeed justified, vindicated before God and men.

By God God Planned It Rom. 3:30,25, 4:5, 8:30,33; Gal. 3:8

By grace Grace provided it Rom. 3:24, 4:16, 5:16; Ti. 3:7

By blood Christ’s blood purchased it Rom. 5:9

By the resurrection of Christ Christ’s resurrection proves it Rom. 4:25, 5:18

By faith Our faith possesses it Rom. 1:17, 3:28,30, 4:5,16, 5:1; Gal. 2:16, 3:8,24

From sin Freed by Christ’s death and resurrection Rom. 6:7

In the person of Christ His name authorizes it 1 Cor. 1:30, 6:11; Gal. 2:17

In the power of the Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit empowers it 1 Cor. 6:11

By works Our works proclaim it Jas. 2:21,24-25

A Few Additional Comments
God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. —Romans 5:8-9 NKJV

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us. —1 John 4:17-19

God’s love is the source of our justification. The love of God has reached its object in us believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, who are absolutely convinced that we need have no fear in respect of the day of judgment because He has fully answered God’s righteous demands against our sins. We know that He is now in heaven at God’s right hand because He is personally qualified to be there – because of who He is and what He has done. There is no possibility of any charge being laid against the Son of God that could rightly exclude Him from the presence of God. That we can fully and readily understand, but this verse goes further and states that we have equal title to be in the presence of God as He has. With this difference, our only entitlement to be there is based upon what He has done on our behalf. Wonder of wonders! Our place in heaven is as secure as Christ’s own place there!

By David Anderson