01.02.08 - Justification

8. Justification: Justification teaches the way God now relates to us, no longer as those who are stained by and steeped in sin, but as those who have been made truly righteous, justified and washed clean from sin through the blood of Christ, having placed our faith in Him for eternal life.

He (i. e., our Lord Jesus) was handed over on account of our transgressions (i. e., to redeem us from sin), and was raised up on account of our justification (i. e., so that we too could be raised, having been justified by His death). Romans 4:25.

Thus, justification is also for believers, we who have responded to the redemption provided by Jesus’ sacrifice, and who now look forward to sharing in His resurrection, having been justified by faith. In Romans chapter eight, “justification” is the decision-making step in God’s plan of salvation for individual believers wherein our decision to choose to come back to God through the blood of Christ, accepting the redemption He has made available, is validated. And we know that everything works together for good for those who love God, for those who have been called according to His plan. For those whom He foreknew, He also foreordained to share the likeness of His Son, so that He might be the Firstborn over many brothers [and sisters]. And those whom He foreordained, these He also called [to salvation], and those whom He called, He also made righteous (i. e., through faith in Christ; cf. Romans 4:1-5, Romans 4:25; Romans 5:1), and those whom He made righteous, these He also glorified (i. e., our future resurrection and eternal life). Romans 8:28-30. The doctrine of justification expresses the righteousness we now possess positionally, that is, by virtue of our being united to Jesus Christ, not our own maculate pseudo-righteousness, but God’s own perfect righteousness credited to us on account of our being washed free of all taint of sin through acceptance of Jesus’ work of redemption on our behalf. For all sin and fall short of God’s glory, [but we are all] justified without cost by His grace through the redemption (lit., “ransoming” from sin) which is in Christ Jesus. God made Him a means of atonement [achieved] by His blood [and claimed] through faith, to give proof of His justice in leaving unpunished in divine forbearance [all] previously committed sins, so as to prove His justice in the present, namely, so that He would be [shown to be] just [in this] and [justified] in justifying the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:23-26. As these verses show, it is because all sin has been expiated by Christ’s sacrifice that God can justly pronounce us “righteous” when we believe in Jesus and are now one with Him. Instead of residing under God’s condemnation, we who believe have now been “justified”, are made righteous and are considered righteous in God’s eyes through our acceptance of the work of Christ and our union with Him. So now, there [awaits] no judgment of condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the Law of sin and death. For what the Law could not accomplish (i. e., solving the sin problem) because it was weak on account of [its dependence on sinful human] flesh, God [did accomplish]: having sent His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the purpose of [expiating] sin, [God] rendered summary judgement on [all] sin in [Christ’s] flesh, so that the [perfect] righteousness which the Law demands might be fulfilled in us – we who walk not according to the [sinful] flesh, but according to the Spirit (i. e., believers). Romans 8:1-4. As the final verse of the passage shows, justification also challenges us to live up to the new status of perfection we now possess in principle (i. e., “positionally”, that is, by virtue of being “in Christ”), walking in a godly Christian way (Romans 8:4; cf. Romans 6:4, Romans 6:13-20; Ephesians 5:8; 1 John 2:6), appropriating the experiential forgiveness that attends our “righteous” status by confession of our sins when we do fail (1 John 1:9 cf. Zechariah 3:3-4; 1 John 1:7; Revelation 3:18), and by producing a crop, the “fruit of righteousness” (Php 1:11; cf. Romans 7:4; Ephesians 5:9; Colossians 1:10; James 3:17), in loving response to our Lord. For whereas without justification everything reputedly done “for God” is in fact tainted by sin and therefore completely unacceptable to Him, we have now been cleansed from our sin, justified and made righteous in Jesus Christ through sharing His righteousness, and are thus now free to produce good works of Christian ministry which are acceptable to the Lord (cf. Ephesians 2:10).

[Jesus Christ] who gave Himself on our behalf to redeem us from all lawlessness (i. e., sin; cf. 1 John 3:4) and to cleanse for Himself a people [to be His] own unique possession, zealous for good works. Titus 2:14.

Justification is thus the judicial pronouncement of forgiveness for all who believe. God examines us, and despite our prior filthiness, He now sees us “dressed in white” (as we ultimately shall always be: Revelation 3:4-5; Revelation 4:4; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 19:14), cleansed by the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14; in contrast to the unbeliever: Matthew 22:11-14).

“Come now, and let us consider your case (i. e., judicially examine you)”, says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they will be like [white] wool.” Isaiah 1:18.

“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes (i. e., was not clothed with the righteousness that comes through faith in Christ). ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ “For many are invited, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:11-14 NIV

“These people dressed in white robes – who are they and where have they come from?” And I said to him, "My lord, you know.” And he said to me, "These are the ones who are about to come forth from the Great Tribulation. And they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Revelation 7:13-14.

Though we were fundamentally unrighteous at birth, condemned to death and alienated from God through sin and with no means of cleansing ourselves, by believing in Jesus Christ who released us from our sin through His death, we have now received God’s righteousness in place of our own intrinsic unrighteousness, and have thus been “justified by faith” (Romans 1:17; Romans 3:22-24, Romans 3:28; Romans 4:1-25; Romans 5:1, Romans 5:9, Romans 5:16-21; Romans 8:30; Romans 9:30; Romans 10:4-6; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 2:16; Galatians 3:24; Titus 3:7). The sentence of death hanging over our heads has been quashed, for the penalty of death has already been carried out against the Person of our Lord, and we have gratefully accepted His death in our place. Since the Father’s justice is completely satisfied with the substitution of His Son’s condemnation on our behalf, He declares us righteous, justified not by any “works of righteousness which we have done” (Titus 3:5), but through faith in the Righteous One who became sin for us. For we were also once mindless, disobedient, wandering [pointlessly] astray, enslaved to all sorts of lusts and pleasures, living our lives in wickedness and envy, loathsome and hating each other. But [in spite of our prior sinfulness], when the goodness and benevolence of God our Savior appeared [in the flesh], not on account of [any] works which we had done in [so-called] righteousness did He save us, but through the washing [away of our sins which leads to our] rebirth and [to our] new beginning from the Holy Spirit whom He poured out upon us bountifully through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that [now] having been justified [in this way] by His grace, we might become heirs in regard to the eternal life for which we hope. Titus 3:3-7.

Therefore while propitiation expresses the payment for our sins by Jesus Christ, and while redemption illustrates the breaking by His death of sin’s stranglehold on us, justification consists in our cleansing from sin whereby we are now clean in God’s eyes. For through Christ’s vicarious death on our behalf and our embracing of it, we are now considered righteous in the judgment of the justice of God.

Don’t you know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor practitioners of homosexuality nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And this is [exactly] what some of you were – but you were washed [clean], but you were made holy, but you were made righteous by [faith in] the Person (lit., Name) of the Lord Jesus Christ, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. This “cleansing from sin” aspect of justification whereby all the charges against us are dropped because of Christ’s sacrifice is ubiquitous in scripture (e. g., Isaiah 43:25; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Colossians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:2; Hebrews 9:13-21; Hebrews 12:24). This was the primary message in water baptism, otherwise known as “John’s baptism”, a symbolic washing away of sins following true repentance in turning back to God (Acts 19:4; cf. Acts 1:5; Acts 11:16). After the cross, rather than a solely symbolic cleansing based upon what God would do, we now have genuine cleansing and forgiveness as a result of what God has done in judging our sins in Christ and forgiving us based upon the cleansing power of the blood of Christ.

God, from antiquity having communicated to our fathers in the prophets at many times and in many ways, has in these last days communicated to us in a Son, [the One] whom He has appointed heir of all things, [the One] through whom He created the universe. He is the shining forth of [the Father’s] glory, the precise image of His essence, the One who sustains the universe by His mighty Word. When He had accomplished the cleansing of [our] sins, He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:1-3.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence in this entrance of ours into the [heavenly] holy of holies by the blood of Jesus, an entryway through the [heavenly] veil [of separation] which is new and alive and which He has consecrated for us, that is [through the sacrifice] of His flesh (cf. Hebrews 10:10, Hebrews 10:18), and since we have [this] Great High Priest over the household of God, let us approach [the throne of grace (cf. Hebrews 4:16) to pray] with a truthful heart in complete faith, our hearts sprinkled [clean] of [any] bad conscience and our bodies washed with pure water [of the Word (cf. Ephesians 5:26)]. Hebrews 10:19-22. This is the “new covenant” God has made with us “by sacrifice” (Psalms 50:5), forgiving us and considering us righteous by virtue of what Jesus did in dying for us (when we embrace that work and the forgiveness that attends it).

“For I shall have mercy upon their unrighteous deeds and shall remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 31:34).” In mentioning a “New [Covenant]”, He has rendered the Old one obsolete. And that which is obsolete and antiquated is close to disappearing. Hebrews 8:12-13. In short, justification means having God’s righteousness as far as He is concerned, not based upon anything we have done, but upon Christ’s work on our behalf. We are justified, rendered and considered righteous as those who are one with Jesus Christ when we believe in Him. Justification is the first blessed benefit we seek and receive when we set ourselves to come to God through Jesus Christ. For, once we are considered righteous by the justice of God, the door has been opened through Jesus to all the blessings heaven contains. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33 KJV But whatever I had gained [in my former godless life], compared to Christ I have come to consider these things as losses. Indeed, I consider everything to be a loss compared to the surpassing importance of knowing Jesus Christ my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of everything, and consider [everything I have lost] as garbage, compared to gaining Christ, and being found in Him – not having a personal righteousness [developed] through [following] the [Mosaic] law – but having that righteousness [that comes] through faith in Christ, that righteousness [that comes] from God based on faith. Php 3:7-9.