The Meaning Of Justification

The Meaning Of Justification

Here is a word that you may hear Christians talk about or may come across while reading and studying the Bible. This word has a great deal of significance for those who are followers of Jesus and those who are contemplating the decision to do so. But even more important to those who have rejected God in the past, this word may be one of the most important to consider. The word is “Justified or Justification”.

Here is the truth about our spiritual condition: 

Ecclesiastes 7:20New International Version (NIV)

Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.

Here is the definition of justification:

Justification:

·        Act of God declaring the sinner (all of us included) "not guilty," placing the believing sinner in a right relationship with God.  

·        Being pronounced or made righteous; the act of God, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, bringing about reconciliation between God and human beings.

·        To be declared free from the penalty of sin.

The Central doctrine of Christianity:

·        Justification by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:1 NIV

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Faith in Christ leads to peace with God. 

So Justification is God’s answer to the most important of all human questions:

How can we be in a right relationship with Him?

Charles R. Swindoll describes it this way:

Justification “does not simply mean ‘just as if I’d never sinned.’ That does not go far enough! Neither does it mean that God makes me righteous so that I never sin again. It means to be declared righteous. Justification is God’s merciful act, whereby He declares righteous the believing sinner while he is still in his sinning state. He sees us in our need, wallowing around in the swamp of our sin.  He sees us looking to Jesus Christ and trusting Him completely by faith, to cleanse us from our sin. And though we come to Him with all of our needs and in all Of our darkness, God says to us ‘Declared righteous! Forgiven! Pardoned!”

How it all works:

·                   We are all under God’s wrath because of our sin.

·                   We must become right with God or perish eternally. 

·                   Because God is Holy, His wrath had to be appeased (The word used is  

           Propitiation: the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing).  

     

·                   God had a plan to save us from His wrath. 

·                   Jesus would take the sin upon Himself and substitute His life for ours.

·                   Jesus willingly fulfills God’s plan and offers himself as the atoning sacrifice 

           on the cross. 

·                   God accepts Jesus’ death on the cross as our atonement for sin.

·                   Through our faith and God’s Grace (unmerited favor) we are saved. 

 Jesus had redeemed us (paid the price) for our sin, setting us free from the

 bondage of sin through His death. (Redemption: to purchase and set free 

 by paying a price, to free someone from bondage)

·                   God has paid the price for our sin through Christ so that our salvation would

            be free.

·                   There is nothing we can do to earn this salvation. It is a free gift from God.

·                   We must understand that faith is the channel by which justification becomes ours.

·                   Faith is not a good work. Faith is God’s gift.

Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

In Short:

·        Propitiation describes what Jesus’ death accomplished in relationship to God: Jesus’ sacrifice satisfied God’s just wrath against our sin.

·        Justification describes what God does for us legally on the basis of Jesus’ propitiation: He declares us righteous. We are now in a right relationship with God even though we are still sinners.

·        Redemption describes what Jesus, our Savior does for us personally: He redeems us from sin (Pays the price for sin), setting us free from sins bondage thorugh His death on the cross. There is nothing we can do to earn this.

This is really “Good News”!

Just Sayin…………………..Dave