JUSTIFICATION

Justification (Cambridge Dictionary): 1. a good reason or explanation for (doing) something: It explains how God is right in his decision to acquit the guilty sinner.

JUSTIFICATION is the act of God whereby he acquits the guilty sinner and declares him or her not guilty of sin. How can God be a just judge and let the guilty go free?

God’s decision for acquitting the guilty is based on his or her placing faith in Jesus as savior. God punished Christ in place of the guilty. The just for the unjust as Peter so eloquently put it (1Peter 3:18).

GOD IS JUST:

To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Romans 3:26 (KJV)

1. God is righteous or right, or just in acquitting the sinner; the basis for his just act is the person’s faith in Jesus substitution of the cross. God is both just, and the justifier in this case.

Justification speaks of an act of God, God is the justifier, and the sinner is the one who is justified.

The word “just” refers to the fact that God had retained the integrity of his character as the moral judge of the universe. God has indeed not violated his own moral law by acquitting the guilty, for the reason that Christ satisfied the demands of the law by sacrificing his life as a substitute for the guilty.   Therefore; God is Justified according to his own law, God is just, and God is the justifier of all those which believe in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:25; 26.

JUSTIFICATION: God’s Part Our Part

God’s part in justification is that God is legally justified in his actions. The believer is justified as a recipient of God’s action, not their own action or works.

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified. Gal. 2:16 (NKJV)

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith.
²⁵ Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Gal. 3:24-25 (NIV)

SOMEONE DEFINED JUSTIFICATION THIS WAY:

“Just as if I’d never sinned”

When one places faith in Jesus Christ he or she is born again and receives God’s inputted righteousness (Ro.4:22-24; 6:6).  You are no longer a sinner in God’s sight but are positionally the righteousness of God in Christ.  God no longer views you as a sinner but as a child of God through Christ Jesus; and declares you not guilty of sin (justified).  Now you must become in practice what he has made you in position, this is the sanctification process. I will deal with sanctification in another post.