“Justification is a forensic term, and signifies the declaring, or the pronouncing a person righteous according to law. Justification is not the making a person righteous, by a real, inherent change from sin to holiness… but it is the act of a judge, pronouncing the partly acquitted from all judicial charges. That the blessing of which we speak does not consist in a real change from sin to holiness, will further appear from considering, that justification is diametrically opposite to condemnation. Now the sentence of condemnation is never supposed to make the person criminal on whom it is pronounced. There is no infusion of evil qualities into the culprit's mind; nor is he made guilty, either in the eye of the public, or in his own estimation. But being arraigned as a criminal, and proved guilty of a capital offence, according to the tenor of that law by which he is tried, he is esteemed worthy of death, and condemned accordingly. So, in justification, the subject of it is pronounced righteous in the eye of the law, is deemed worthy to live, and his right to life is declared. Hence that justification of which the Scripture speaks, and is now the subject of our inquiry, is called the justification of life. (Rom. 5:18) That the words justify, justified, and justification are used by the sacred writers in a forensic sense, and as opposed to the words condemn, condemned, and condemnation, is manifest to every attentive reader.”

I would add that what is equally evident to every attentive reader, who has been taught of God, is that God said: Prov 17:15 He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. Either God hates Himself, or everyone He justifies, forensically or otherwise, is actually holy. We are holy in Christ and partakers of His divine nature according to clear revelation. God’s justice cannot pretend we are holy and justify on that basis. The example given by Mr. Booth fully supports this truth. When under the condemnation of God, forensic condemnation if you prefer, is a sinner actually wicked, or does God just consider him so strictly in a forensic sense? I’ll say it again. If God considers me holy, I am holy. Adding the words “in Christ” to that statement does not make it less so, but more so. Praise Him forever for His marvelous grace!