What is Justification according to the bible?

Beloved in Christ, it is utterly impossible to read the epistles of apostle Paul, without coming across the legal term justification. The apostle being a learned man was inspired by the Spirit of God to exegete in great detail, the meaning of justification in relation to our salvation. The biblical doctrine of justification is at the very heart of the gospel and it carries deep theological significance. Every Christian must understand this doctrine inside out because it is central in our creed. 

According to church history, the reformers rediscovered the gospel of justification by faith, and that led to a major theological revolution around the world. They broke out from the Roman Catholic Church whose teaching was in antithesis to the biblical doctrine of justification by faith alone. Their break away and radical preaching of justification by faith alone led to the salvation of countless souls. The doctrine of justification by faith is the gospel, and am glad to give you an in-depth exposition. 

What is Justification?

Justification is a legal term which means to be declared not guilty. To be justified is to be declared righteous, to be acquitted and discharged of all accusations and charges leveled against you. Justification is the judicial act of God by which he once and for all time declares a sinner righteous by reason of his faith in the person of Christ. Let us look at the Westminster confession of faith on Justification: ''Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accept us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone''. It is God who justifies, for no man can justify himself in the sight of God.

How can God justify a sinner and yet remain just?

The bible describes the whole human race as sinners: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3: 23). We have sinned against God and broken his holy laws. We stand guilty before him and God will still be just, if he should cast us into hell and be forever separated from him. So the question is this, how can a holy God justify a sinner and still remain just? The answer lies in the cross of calvary upon which our blessed Lord was crucified. Jesus Christ stood as our substitute and bore all the punishment that we deserve, and made complete satisfaction for our sins. 

Every sin we have ever committed, and will ever commit have been paid in full by our substitute. God's justice demands that sin be punished, and Jesus was punished in our stead. He exhausted the wrath of God against sin in himself out of his love for you and I. Because our debt have been paid in full, God justifies and accepts as righteous the ungodly who puts his faith in Christ for salvation.

 God did not set aside his justice to make room for his mercy, but both his justice and mercy were harmoniously reconciled at the death of Christ on the cross. God graciously pardons our sins and declares us righteous, because another has paid the debt we could never pay of ourselves, even the Man Jesus Christ. God therefore remains just and yet the justifier of whoever that puts their faith in Jesus Christ, because of his substitutionary sacrifice on the cross  

Is Justification by faith or by the works of the law?

I have never seen written anywhere in the bible that justification can be achieved through human efforts. If justification can be obtained by works, then there was no need for Jesus to come and die, his death would have been of no use to us. But because God cannot justify us based on the merits of the law, Christ was delivered for our transgressions, and was raised for our justification, see (Romans 4; 25). 

Apostle Paul taught extensively in his epistles that justification is not on the basis of our obedience to the law, but on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ: Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified (Galatians 2: 16). 

Unfortunately, we see many people who rejects the gospel of justification by faith in Christ and rather seeks to be justified by works to their own eternal disadvantage. Justification was by faith even in the old testament: But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness, Just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works (Romans 4: 5-6). 

No sinful man in human history have been able to fulfill the law perfectly. The law was impotent to justify anyone and this weakness was not in the law, for the law was only weak through the flesh. If even a single person could have kept the entirety of the law, then justification could be by the works of the law. The way of justification, the only way to receive the verdict of not guilty is to humbly call on the name of the Lord Jesus and you shall be freely justified.

Another gospel 

''I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed! (Galatians 1: 6-9). 

Apostle Paul taught the Galatians that justification was by faith alone, but certain Judaizers came and distorted the gospel by preaching that faith in Christ was not enough, but they must also observe the law before they could be justified. Such teaching was of course in direct contradiction to the gospel they had received by the ministry of the apostle by the Spirit. The apostle then pronounces a double anathema (curse) on anyone whose teachings is contrary to the biblical doctrine of justification by faith. Justification by faith is the gospel, and we must be jealous for the gospel, and to see to it that we teach it, and also defend it with our very lives. God bless you 

A thought to ponder 🤔 

If justification can be obtained by works, then there was no need for Jesus to come and die, his death would have been of no use to us

We defend and exposit the truth of the gospel