Definition of Justification
What is justification? Justification is when God 1.) thinks of a sinner as forgiven in Christ’s atoning sacrifice, and 2.) God thinks of a sinner as righteous in Christ’s righteousness.
Justification is a judicial, legal transaction, like a judge acquitting a criminal. God creates a divine loophole wherein a sinner is seen as Christ and Christ is seen as a sinner. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Without Justification
Imagine a divine court case and God is the Judge. Like all good judges, He has done His homework, and has before Him a Book on everyone’s history. In this Book every sin of mine and yours against His Law is written: every white lie, every false motive, every indignant thought, and everything done in secret or out in the open. By the Standard of that Law which has either been communicated to us through the Bible, moral teachings, or has been written on everyone’s conscience so that none are without excuse, by that perfect Standard God will judge you and me.
At first thought, one may contemplate ‘every sin’, and rationalize, “I’m not that bad. I’ve done reasonably more good than bad, so I should fare better than most”. That thought is not abnormal, and in fact it’s true: you and I probably will fare better than most. It is important though, to consider the actual severity of our sins against a holy God.
The question comes down to: Why is justification so essential? In other words, how will you and I be judged without justification?
Apart from justification we will be judged not only by the bad we decided to do but also by the good we decided not to (James 4:17). In addition, we will be judged harsher or softer in proximity to our judgement of others and our knowledge of the rules. Finally and most terrifyingly we will be judged not simply by the sins we have committed but by the infinite worth of the One whom we’ve committed them against.
Imagine meeting the president of the United States. He knocks on the door to your house one night, and greets you, “Hello, _____(insert your name). It’s great to meet you! May I come in?” he asks you in a spirited voice. In return you welcome him with a sock to the stomach, and then steal his wallet. That’s bad. No, that’s really really bad. But why? Why is this act in particularly more offensive than lets say kicking and stealing from some random dog on the street. It’s because crime is measured not only by the offense done, but also by the worth of the one to whom the offense was done to.
In other words, our sin is no trivial matter in this court case: The one whom we’ve sinned against is not the president of the United States, who is of marginal human worth—oh how I wish it was only that—but of a holy God who is of infinite worth, and thus regards sin an infinite offense. If we think about the universe, imagine the power of the Creator, imagine the holy God who is himself blameless, imagine the He who sustains every life and every breath at every moment, and we should not be encouraged by the level of sin in our life, but instead—distraught. We sinned against Him?
As human beings, no matter the quantity: we have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and are guilty in this court case. No one is a ‘good person’ and Romans 3:11-12 makes that painfully clear. Everyone’s plight according to the Bible, without justification, will be a frightening silence of confession; we have no defense, we are truly guilty. It’s a more than terrible fate that is likened to “fire”, “darkness”, “gnashing of teeth”, “vengeance”, and “wrath”. Essentially the Bible writers are trying to attach words to a fate that is so terrible, it is difficult to accurately describe with words.
With Justification
The Gospel is justification: that is the ‘good news’ that we are forgiven of all our sins and crediting with the beautiful righteousness of Christ!
Justification is essentially a divine acquittal: It is the wonderful freeing from the dreadful plight of guilt before a holy God, and is the hugest act of mercy: forgiveness and restoration to a righteous standing in God’s sight. The justification of a man who breaks every human law in the courts of men, pales in comparison to the justification of a man who breaks every divine law in the courts of God.
In the simplest form, justification is ‘getting right with God’ by dealing with the ‘sin problem’. “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”(Romans 8:1).
As John MacArthur reminds us, “Justification is… a completed fact for the believer; it is not an ongoing process.” It is a once and for all, crediting of a sinner as justified before God’s sight.
Justification ‘in Christ’
There is only one condition that must be met to be justified: ‘in Christ’.
That is how one is justified, ‘in Christ’! One is baptized (literally ‘placed into’) Christ by faith in the Gospel (Romans 6:3-4; Colossians 2:12).
Justification by Grace through Faith
“Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:1-2).
One is truly justified not by good works, but by grace through faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Implications of Justification
A puritan once put it: “Faith justifies the person, and works justify his faith.” In other words, God justifies us not because we have done good works, but so that we may be able to do them (Titus 3:4-7). Sanctification is then, not an option for genuine justification, but a necessary product of a life spiritually placed in Christ. It is imperative that once we believe we have been justified we make sure to check that we are being sanctified. “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead”(James 2:17).
Justification in My Life
I was justified in God’s sight after REVIVAL 07 when the grace of God gave me a new heart to repent of my sins and put my faith in the Gospel. Justification in my life was an instantaneous event and it can never be taken away from me. Sanctification is an on-going event and it’s existence proves my justification. In other words, the reason I know I was justified is because I began to be sanctified.
Praise God, that he made me right before His sight, when I deserved to be punished for my sins!
