Doctrine
of Justification
Justification
speaks to the issue of God’s justice.
How can God, a holy and righteous judge, accept sinners into His
presence?
How
can He clear the guilty forgiving their sins and still remain just?
How
can God as judge impose the penalty that the offense requires and at the same
time let the guilty one go free?
These
issues are all dealt with by the BD of Justification.
Rom
What
does this word justify mean?
Justify
and righteous are directly linked.
Could
translate justify as “to declare righteous” and be right on track, perfectly
accurate.
Justification
deals with our positional standing before God.
(still have an sin nature and will sin,
sanctification deals with our conduct before God in time after salvation.)
On
what grounds or what is the basis for God being able to declare the sinner
righteous?
Rom
3:24 “being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which
is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood...”
* It is on the basis of the shed blood of Jesus Christ, His cross death while bearing our sins, that God the
Father finds the grounds for justifying the sinner.
* Christ’s death meets the demands of god’s
righteousness and thus frees God to justify those who believe in Him.
* It is the accomplishments of the death of
Christ that forms the sole grounds on which God can extend forgiveness and
salvation to any person.
Rom
- Faith refers to our attitude toward the cross
work of Jesus Christ.
When
we believe, it says we view the cross as God the Father views the cross.
- He views it as a complete and adequate
solution to the problem of man’s sin and we need to view it likewise.
- When we do then we also view the death of
Christ as adequate to solve the sin problem and we rest in that for our personal salvation.
- This is in harmony with the fact that
Salvation is by Grace.
- Rom
- Also Rom 5:1 “Therefore
having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Again
from Rom
- the word “gift” helps
us to understand “by His grace.”
The
word (dwrean) emphasizes that it is freely, without payment.
- We do not merit justification, and we cannot
merit justification, it is a gift, given freely, it is by grace.
- This is God’s principle of dealing with man.
- here Paul reminds the
Corinthians that they, “...were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in (by) the Spirit of our God.”
- To summarize:
It
is the Father who initiates justification;
It
is the Son who executes justification;
And the Holy Spirit who applies justification.
“He (God/F) made Him (God/S) who knew no
sin to be sin on our behalf (BD substitution), that we might become the righteousness of God, (BD of
justification) in Him.”
* The last two words, “IN HIM” show the position
we gain in justification.
Due
to our union with Christ, His righteousness is imputed to us, credited to us.