Introduction
Justification is a key doctrine in Christian theology, highlighting how believers are declared righteous by God solely through faith. This principle is central to the Reformed tradition, which steadfastly teaches that our right standing with God comes not from our works, but from faith in Jesus Christ. The scriptural exploration that follows will delve into this profound truth, as we seek to understand the biblical stance on justification.
Justification as God’s Gift of Grace
• Abraham’s Faith: Romans 4:3-5 (ESV): “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. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”
This passage teaches that righteousness comes from believing in God’s promises. Paul uses Abraham as an example to demonstrate that justification is not a wage earned by works but a gift for our faith. It is a pivotal concept that sets the stage for the Christian understanding of salvation through grace.
• David’s Blessing: Romans 4:6-8 (ESV): “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.’”
Here, Paul quotes David, affirming that justification is a blessing where sins are forgiven without reliance on works. The blessedness described is not earned but bestowed, highlighting the grace inherent in justification.
• The Promise Secured by Faith: Romans 4:13-16 (ESV): “For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith. For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. For the law brings wrath, but where there is no law there is no transgression. That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspring—not only to the adherent of the law but also to the one who shares the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
Paul argues that the promise given to Abraham extends beyond the Law, secured through the righteousness that comes by faith. This passage emphasizes that faith, not law, is what makes the promise effective, ensuring that it is grounded in grace, accessible to all who believe.
• Righteousness Apart from the Law: Romans 3:21-22 (ESV): “But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:”
The righteousness of God is revealed to be independent of the Law, a theme echoed by the Law and the Prophets. This righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ is available to all, erasing any distinction among people based on adherence to the Law.
Justification Illustrated by Christ’s Sacrifice
• Christ’s Atonement: Romans 5:8-9 (ESV): “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”
This passage points to the ultimate demonstration of God’s love and the means of our justification—through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. His death justifies us, saving us from God’s wrath, and this justification is not our own doing but the result of Christ’s work on the cross. Justification is closely linked with the work of atonement.
• Christ as Our Righteousness: 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV): “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Here, Paul explains the great exchange at the heart of the gospel: Jesus, who knew no sin, took on our sinfulness so that we might be clothed in His righteousness. Our justification is thus rooted in being made right with God through Christ’s righteousness, not our own.
• Grace Abounding over Sin: Romans 5:20-21 (ESV): “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Paul contrasts the reign of sin with the reign of grace. Justification is the arena where grace’s victory over sin is made manifest, securing for us not only acquittal from sin but the gift of eternal life through Jesus.
• Reconciliation through Christ: Romans 5:1 (ESV): “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Justification brings reconciliation, establishing peace between God and the believer. This peace is not earned but given through faith in Christ, highlighting justification as the pathway to a restored relationship with God.
The Role of Grace in Justification
• Undeserved Favor: Ephesians 2:8-9 (ESV): “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
These verses affirm that salvation—and by extension, justification—is entirely a result of God’s grace, received through faith. It is not a product of human effort, underscoring the truth that justification is an unearned gift.
• Grace versus Works: Romans 11:6 (ESV): “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
Paul sets up an exclusive relationship between grace and works in the context of justification. If justification were based on works, grace would not be grace. This verse firmly establishes that our justified status before God is purely an act of His grace.
• Sovereignty of God in Justification: Romans 9:16 (ESV): “So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.”
Justification is rooted in God’s mercy and sovereign will, not in human desire or effort. This underscores the Reformed teaching that God alone is the author of our justification.
• Assurance of Salvation: Romans 8:30 (ESV): “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”
In this chain of salvation, Paul provides assurance to believers that those whom God has justified will also be glorified. Justification is a secure step in the process of salvation that leads to eventual glorification, offering believers a sure hope.
Justification and the New Covenant
The Law Fulfilled in Christ
• New Covenant of Faith: Hebrews 8:6-10 (ESV): “But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault with them when he says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah…I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'”
This text introduces the New Covenant, which Christ mediates, founded on better promises than the old. It signifies a transformation from the law’s external demands to an internal, heartfelt obedience, showing that justification aligns us with God’s laws in a new, living way.
• The Superiority of Christ’s Priesthood: Hebrews 7:22 (ESV): “This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.”
Jesus’ priesthood guarantees a better covenant for believers. His priestly work, culminating in His sacrifice, secures our justification and brings us into this new relationship with God, where His promises are fulfilled in us.
• Christ’s Single Sacrifice for Sins: Hebrews 10:12-14 (ESV): “But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God…For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
The single, sufficient sacrifice of Christ contrasts with the repeated, insufficient sacrifices under the old covenant. By this one offering, Christ has made perfect those being sanctified, pointing to the definitive nature of justification through His work.
• The High Priest of a Good Conscience: Hebrews 9:11-12 (ESV): “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent…he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”
Christ’s role as the high priest is pivotal, as He enters the holy place with His own blood, securing eternal redemption. His sacrifice cleanses our consciences, justifying us and reconciling us to God forever.
Justification and Assurance
Certainty in God’s Promise
• No Condemnation: Romans 8:1 (ESV): “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
This assurance is the essence of justification. For those united with Christ, condemnation is no longer a threat, signifying the believer’s secure position before God.
• The Gift of Righteousness: Romans 5:17 (ESV): “For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
Here, Paul contrasts the reign of death due to Adam’s trespass with the reign of life through Christ’s righteousness. Justification is presented as a gift, bringing life and kingship to believers.
• Preservation of the Saints: John 10:28-29 (ESV): “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.”
Jesus’ words offer profound assurance of the believer’s eternal security. Justification is not a temporary state but is undergirded by the power and promise of God, ensuring that believers are preserved for eternity.
• Sealed with the Spirit: Ephesians 1:13-14 (ESV): “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
Believers are marked with the Holy Spirit as a seal of their salvation. This sealing is God’s guarantee of our inheritance, assuring us that justification leads to ultimate glorification.
Justification and Sanctification
The Interplay of Justification and Holiness
• Justified and Sanctified in Christ: 1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV): “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.”
This verse illustrates the close relationship between justification and sanctification. Both are acts of God’s grace, achieved through Christ and applied by the Spirit, transforming us from our former state into a new creation.
• Faith Working Through Love: Galatians 5:6 (ESV): “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”
Paul emphasizes that in Christ, external religious rites hold no value. What matters is faith which expresses itself through love, an integral aspect of the sanctified life that flows from justification.
• The Obedience of Faith: Romans 1:5 (ESV): “Through him we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations.”
Justification leads to an ‘obedience of faith.’ This obedience is not a prerequisite for justification but a result of it, a response to the grace received in Christ and a hallmark of genuine faith.
• Living in the Spirit: Romans 8:9-10 (ESV): “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.”
Being in Christ means living in the Spirit. This indwelling of the Spirit, a consequence of justification, brings life and righteousness, marking the beginning of a sanctified life.
Justification: The Foundation of Christian Living
Living Out Our Justification
• Freedom from Sin’s Dominion: Romans 6:14 (ESV): “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Justification frees us from the dominion of sin. As people under grace, not law, believers live in the power of the Spirit, overcoming sin’s hold and living in righteousness.
• A New Creation in Christ: 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV): “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
This transformative power of justification is evident in the believer’s new identity in Christ. As new creations, the old life of sin is replaced with a new life of righteousness and holiness.
• Living by Faith: Galatians 2:20 (ESV): “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Paul describes the Christian life as one lived by faith in Christ, not by self-effort. Justification alters our very existence, enabling us to live through Christ’s power and love.
• Good Works as Fruit: Ephesians 2:10 (ESV): “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
While justification is not based on works, it leads to a life of good works. These are not the cause of salvation but its fruit, prepared by God for us to walk in as evidence of our transformation.
Conclusion
Justification by faith is a profound biblical truth that defines the Christian experience. It is the means by which we are made right with God, not by our own merit but through the redemptive work of Christ. These scriptural passages illuminate the multifaceted nature of justification, revealing its impact on every aspect of Christian life. It is a doctrine that not only informs our understanding of salvation but also motivates our response in faith, love, and holy living. As we grasp the depth of God’s grace in justifying us, may our hearts be stirred to live out this reality, reflecting the righteousness of Christ in all we do. For further study on justification explore these resources.
