JUSTIFIED BEFORE A HOLY GOD “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” Romans 5:1
The question was asked in Job 25:4, “How then can man be justified with God?” In Romans 5:1 Paul answered the question. What does it mean to be justified? Or someone may ask, “Can you in a biblical way define justification?” I believe I can. Let me begin by showing what it is initially. Justification is the act of God whereby the sinner, upon faith in Christ, is forgiven or cleansed from all sin. Justification is purely legal; it is a word derived from the law courts. To justify signifies to formally pronounce just, or to legally declare innocent. Biblical justification refers not to a change of moral character, but to a change of legal status. It is a legal change from a state of guilt and condemnation to a state of forgiveness and acceptance. “Justification, therefore, is no other than an acquittal from guilt of him who was accused as though his innocence has been proved” (John Calvin 1559). Relatively, justification is a change in a man’s relation or status before and with God. Man’s relation to God due to Adam’s transgression was and remains disturbed by sin, “For ALL have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Mankind stands condemned in its actions and nature (see Romans 3:10-18 & 5:12). Scripturally to be justified is to be declared by the court of heaven innocent and righteous, or according to Romans 4:2-8, to “reckon” one righteous, and according to Psalm 32:2 “…not to impute sin.” “Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity.” According to II Corinthians 5:21, the sins of God’s people were taken from them and charged to the Lord Jesus Christ, and the righteousness of Christ (which is a perfect and God pleasing righteousness) was charged to His people. An old writer writes, “In the great affair of our salvation, our God stands single and alone. In this most glorious work there is such a display of justice, mercy, wisdom and power as never entered into the heart of man to conceive, and consequently, can have no parallel in the actions of mortals.” As to the method and means of Biblical justification; first and foremost in a negative manner justification is not by law works. The burden of the Epistle of Romans is to set forth this great truth, “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin…Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). Salvation is not by character; what men need is salvation from character. Now let me state in a positive manner that justification is by the free grace of God, “Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24). Finally to be justified before God is to be justified by faith, this is experiential justification. To argue for justification from the standpoint of God’s eternal decree and to argue time and eternal aspect upon it is futile. The scripture only speaks of the matter in its particular light, “Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). The publican, in our Lord’s parable in Luke 18:9-14, “went down to his house (from the temple) justified.” Therefore he must have gone up to the temple unjustified.
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