What is Justification and Why Do I Care?

Recapping Righteousness and Sin

To understand the gospel—the good news of Jesus Christ—we must first grasp the bad news: sin. Sin brings God's judgment and ruins our enjoyment of all things God, where righteousness resides. Righteousness is the expectation of excellence in all we say and do, producing a higher quality of life. Sin is the desire and pursuit of immediate, temporary, harmful, deceptive pleasures, choosing creation over God, even at the expense of our lives.

Righteousness is living within God's defined limits of enjoyment, focusing our enjoyment on Him and His goodness. Sin rebels against those limits, centering enjoyment on what we define as enjoyable. In the Garden of Eden, God created a defined space for enjoyment and relationship. Righteousness was staying within those limits, pointing Adam and Eve to God. Sin was rebelling to define enjoyment their own way.

Righteousness glorifies God by focusing attention on His goodness and greatness. Sin robs God of that glory, attributing it to ourselves.

Romans 3:22-23
There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 5:12-13
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law.

Sin causes death, spreading to all. We are on death row, unable to glorify God or enjoy Him as intended. We have lost fellowship with God, like Adam and Eve. Something must restore that, dealing with sin to avoid eternal damnation. That is justification.

Defining Justification

Justification is what God says about us that changes how He views us, His attitude toward us, and how He deals with us—but does not change anything within us. It is God's declaration about us. Sin provokes God's anger and judgment; justification changes His attitude from wrath to favor.

Imagine standing before your parents, guilty of putting a hole in the wall. They say, "You may go"—no punishment, no discipline. You remain a "hole puncher," unchanged inside, but treated as innocent. God's justification is declaring you innocent of sins deserving eternal death. It is right for God to condemn rebels to hell; shocking that any are saved.

1. Justification Must Be Given

We cannot earn justification; it must be given. We are wicked sinners, impure and disgusting to God.

Proverbs 17:15
He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination to the Lord.

God cannot declare the wicked innocent—that would be an abomination, like calling homosexuality or lying acceptable. Even our "righteous deeds" are filthy rags.

Isaiah 64:6
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.

Nothing we do pleases God. How can we escape eternal torment?

Romans 4:1-4
What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.

Justification is a gift, not wages. Abraham believed God's promise of a son—and ultimately, of Christ.

Galatians 3:14, 16, 29
So that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith... Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring... “and to your offspring,” who is one—referring to Jesus Christ... And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

2. Justification Must Be Granted

Justification is "counted" or credited as righteousness, though we lack it. Abraham believed God's promise of Christ but remained sinful—yet was counted righteous.

Romans 5:1
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 3:21-31 (excerpts)
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law... the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith... so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

God is just and justifier through Christ's propitiation—absorbing God's wrath, satisfying it, restoring relationship. Christ paid our eternal punishment and lived perfectly, crediting us His righteousness. We are treated as if we lived His sinless life and bore His punishment.

2 Corinthians 5:21
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Imagine a perfect brother who obeys fully, bringing joy to your father. He takes your punishment; you receive his reward and pleasure. Christ took our lashes; we take His credit. This sears with guilt yet satisfies with joy—every sin tempts, but reminds: Christ bore this for me.

3. Justification Must Be Grand

Romans 4:6-8
Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.”

Justification brings blessing—happiness, forgiveness, sins covered, not counted against us. It is grand: God declares we lived Christ's perfect life and died under His punishment. It is our salvation, satisfaction, peace now, and eternal life.