Justification

"Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3: 19-24 KJV)

"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." (James 2: 10 KJV)

"For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel." (Romans 2: 12-16 KJV)

In order to understand what the Bible teaches about "justification" one must also understand something about what it says about man's "guilt" and "condemnation." In order to understand man's guilt and condemnation one must understand the divine law which man is "under" (or 'subject to'). For one to understand salvation one must understand sin and the fall of man into it.

Sin is defined in the Bible as the "transgression (or 'violation') of the law." (I John 3: 4 KJV)

To be "justified" means to be "cleared" or "exonerated" by the law. To be justified signifies that the one justified is no longer subject to the law's penalty. A justified person is one who's legal debt has been paid and has thus "satisfied" the law; he is also a person who has had guilt removed. He is one who has been legally pardoned.

A person who keeps the law of God is "righteous" and "just." Yet, no one has kept the law of God. Therefore none are righteous and just. All are guilty sinners. All are condemned and sentenced to eternal death.

The verses above state emphatically that no man is saved or justified by his keeping the law. The only thing the law does is to condemn the guilty. The law provides no atonement. It is by the law that men come to know that they are sinful.

"Indeed I would not have known what sin was except through the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, "Do not covet." (Romans 7: 7 NIV)

The above verses show that the law of God is written in the nature of man, and impressed upon his native conscience. When a man feels guilt for wrongdoing and for evil deeds, he is giving evidence of the law being written in his conscience. God's law was designed to demonstrate to man his alienation from God and righteousness, or as Paul said, "by the law is the knowledge of sin."

It is for this reason that the law of God is compared to a mirror. (James 1: 23-25) The law reveals the depraved nature of man. Thus, the law condemns and never justifies.

Christ, said Paul, is "the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." (Romans 10:4) No sinner goes to heaven or is justified because he has or does keep the law. The law demands perfection. Rather he goes there because Christ kept the law perfectly on his behalf, and the Father accounts the righteousness of Jesus as the righteousness of the sinner.

"Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified." (Psalm 143: 1, 2 KJV)

No man is justified by his law keeping or because of his "doing good," or for his supposed "good deeds," for as Paul said, "there is none who does good, not no one," the law's verdict not allowing for a single disobedience, for "he who offends in one point is guilty of all." No man living is justified by his own righteousness as judged by the strict application of the law. Unless Christ has borne the penalty due the sinner, and unless the Father imputes the righteousness of Jesus to the sinner, the sinner will never be justified or made righteous.

Jesus is the only one who kept the law perfectly, the only one who did not sin. The law accounted him righteous. The Father had mercifully provided that the righteousness of Jesus be imputed or accounted to sinners who believe in Jesus. The law too is satisfied in the case of these sinners. For not only is the righteousness of Jesus imputed to the believer, but the believer's sins are all imputed to Christ, who suffered the penalty due to them when he died as the sinner's legal substitute.

"What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." (Romans 4: 1-5 KJV)

"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid." (Galatians 2: 16, 17 KJV)

"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." (Galatians 3: 10-12 KJV)

These verses reiterate the fact that no man can be justified before the just law of God. His present good deeds are no atonement for past evil deeds. Besides, there is "not a just man upon earth that does good and sins not." (Ecclesiastes 7: 20 KJV) All men sin, even God's born again santified people. God does not accept an imperfect righteousness. Thus, only the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer will avail anything towards his justification. Those who do not accept Christ and his atonement for sin, and who do not have his righteousness imputed to them, will be judged by the law and all found guilty, will remain under the "curse" of the law.

"Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster." (Galatians 3: 24, 25 KJV)

Every man who sees the purpose of the law, and who sees his just condemnation under it, is ready to behold Christ, God's way of justifying law breakers without sacrificing the justness of his law. In Christ's vicarious atonement God is both just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus, as Paul said. The law points to Christ as the sinner's only hope of justification and pardon.

"Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (Galatians 5: 4 KJV)

Every professing religious person who is seeking justification apart from Christ is doomed to fail. The law will condemn him. His good deeds will not be accepted as any atonement at all. Those who think that they will be justified by their righteous conformity to the law are trusting in the law, and in their own merits before it. Such as not trusting in grace and mercy, but in themselves.

"That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3: 7 KJV)

Justification is by grace because it is based upon the work of Christ, upon his fulfillment of the law, upon his being penalized for the sins of others.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life...But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. " (verses 8-10, 15-19)

"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Romans 4: 25 KJV)

The above verses teach that justification comes to men in the same manner in which condemnation comes to them. All men stand condemned, not for violation of the law of Moses, but for Adam's violation of the law given to him respecting eating of the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil. Both Adam and Jesus did not act strictly for themselves.

Adam's sin is the sin of the race of unbelievers. Jesus' obedience, as the second Adam, is likewise the obedience of the race of believers. Men are condemned for what someone else did, and they are saved because of what someone else did.

"And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18: 9-14 KJV)

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5: 1, 2 KJV)

"For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." (Matthew 12: 27 KJV)

"And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses." (Acts 13: 39 KJV)

The immediate verses above speak of justification and its relation to faith. The verses before these emphasized the fact that the sinner's justification was by grace, and by the blood and death of Christ, and by an act of the Father's will. All these items are but varying causes of justification. The act of the Father is an act of grace and mercy, and this is the moving cause of any sinner's justification. The death of Christ on behalf of believers is the procuring cause of any sinner's justification. And faith is the instrumental cause, the means by which justification is received and experienced.

Justification is experienced when the sinner comes to Christ in faith and repentance as did the publican in the temple. They come to know the joy of pardon received.

"For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified." (Romans 8: 29, 30 KJV)

Any man is who justified by believing in Christ can only thank God for it. He sees that his coming to faith in Christ is the result of his being chosen and predestined to it before the world began. He also learns that just as surely as he is justified, he will also be glorified, or finally and eternally saved.

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 21-26 KJV)

The faith that justifies is no dead faith. A true believer will act out his faith, but an hypocrite or pretender will not. The works of Abraham demonstated the reality of his faith. So too do works justify the believer relative to his profession.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (I Corinthians 6: 9-11 KJV)

Every Christian rejoices greatly to know that is one of those described by Paul! That he is one who is washed from the stain of his sins, that he is sanctified and made holy before God on the basis of Jesus' perfert holiness, and that he is justified for Jesus' sake and by the work of the Spirit in his heart.

Do you believe in Jesus? The promise of eternal justification is to all who by simple faith believe in him for justification.