What Is Justification?

Justification is a term that describes the event whereby persons are set or declared to be in right relation to God.

It is God’s legal declaration that a sinner is righteous before Him because of faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work, not because the sinner earned righteousness through works.

Justification means:

• Right standing with God

• Declared righteous

An Old Testament Picture of Justification

Zechariah 3:1–7 NLT

Jeshua the high priest stands before the angel of the Lord while Satan stands beside him, making accusations against him.

“And the Lord said to Satan, ‘I, the Lord, reject your accusations, Satan. Yes, the Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebukes you. This man is like a burning stick that has been snatched from the fire.’”

Zechariah 3:2 NLT

A Brand Plucked From the Fire

The Hebrew imagery behind “a brand plucked from the fire” is that of a burning stick being snatched from destruction.

Jeshua did not rescue himself.

God plucked him from the fire.

The Filthy Garments

“Jeshua’s clothing was filthy as he stood there before the angel. So the angel said to the others standing there, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ And turning to Jeshua he said, ‘See, I have taken away your sins, and now I am giving you these fine new clothes.’”

Zechariah 3:3–4 NLT

Jeshua’s defiled clothing represents uncleanness and unholiness.

This matters because a priest had to have clean, sacred garments to minister before the Lord.

“Make sacred garments for Aaron that are glorious and beautiful.”

Exodus 28:2 NLT

See also Exodus 29:4–9, where the priest is washed and clothed before ministering.

Jeshua is standing before God in garments that make him unfit for his position. But notice what God does.

God does not tell Jeshua to clean himself.

God says:

“Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then:

“I have taken away your sins.”

And then:

“I am giving you these fine new clothes.”

The New Garments Speak to Right Standing

“Then I said, ‘They should also place a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean priestly turban on his head and dressed him in new clothes while the angel of the Lord stood by.”

Zechariah 3:5 NLT

The new garments speak to right standing.

The priestly turban represented:

HOLINESS — HOLY TO THE LORD

Now Jeshua is in the right position to minister before the Lord.

He did not earn or do anything to put himself in that position.

God plucked him.

God gave him new clothes.

God made him holy.

Cleansing Comes Before Obedience

“Then the angel of the Lord spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards. I will let you walk among these others standing here.’”

Zechariah 3:6–7 NLT

Pay attention to the order.

God does not say:

Obey Me, and then I will cleanse you.

Instead:

God cleanses him.
God restores him.
Then God tells him to obey.

His obedience comes after his standing has been changed.

Key Truth

Justification isn’t God pretending your garments were never dirty; it’s God providing a righteous standing you could never provide for yourself.

A New Testament Picture of Justification

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

Christ is the basis of our right standing before God.

We are made right with God through Christ.

The Woman With the Issue of Blood

Mark 5:24–34 NLT

The woman in Mark 5 had suffered from constant bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered under many doctors, spent everything she had, and grown worse instead of better.

Under the Law, her condition meant that she was ceremonially unclean.

“If a woman has a flow of blood for many days that is unrelated to her menstrual period, or if the blood continues beyond the normal period, she is ceremonially unclean. As during her menstrual period, the woman will be unclean as long as the discharge continues. Any bed she lies on and any object she sits on during that time will be unclean, just as during her normal menstrual period. If any of you touch these things, you will be ceremonially unclean. You must wash your clothes and bathe yourself in water, and you will remain unclean until evening.”

Leviticus 15:25–27 NLT

For twelve years, she lived with the reality of being considered unclean.

She heard about Jesus, came through the crowd, and touched His robe.

“For she thought to herself, ‘If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.’”

Mark 5:28 NLT

Immediately, the bleeding stopped.

Jesus then said to her:

“Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace. Your suffering is over.”

Mark 5:34 NLT

Truths About Justification

1. Justification Occurs Instantaneously

“being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;”
Romans 3:24 NASB1995

Justification is not a process of gradually becoming more accepted by God.

The moment a person places faith in Christ, God declares that person righteous.

Key Truth

We do not become progressively justified.

Justification is an immediate change in standing before God.

At salvation:

Guilty → Justified
Condemned → Righteous
Enemy → At peace with God

Key Terms

Gift — Something received rather than earned.

Grace — God’s undeserved favor toward us.

Redemption — Deliverance or release secured through the payment of a price. Our redemption is found in Christ Jesus.

2. Justification Gives Us Access to Grace

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Romans 5:2 NLT

Because we have been justified, we now have access to a new position before God.

Paul describes it as:

“This place of undeserved privilege where we now stand.”

We do not move in and out of God’s grace based on whether we performed well enough that day.

Through Christ, we have been brought into grace.

Key Truth

Justification does not simply change what happened to our past sins.

It changes where we now stand.

Through Christ:

Faith
↓
Justification
↓
Access to grace
↓
A new place where we stand before God

Grace

Grace is God’s unearned and undeserved favor.

We did not earn our position.

Christ brought us into it.

3. Justification Changes Your Position From Guilty to Righteous

“For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 NLT

Justification involves a change of position.

Before Christ:

Guilty

In Christ:

Righteous

We are made right with God through Christ.

Made the Righteousness of God

Jesus was sinless, yet He became the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God.

The basis of our righteousness is therefore not ourselves.

It is Christ.

Key Truth

Justification changes the verdict attached to our standing before God.

Old position: Guilty and condemned
New position: Righteous and justified

This connects directly to the courtroom language of justification.

4. Justification Is Grounded in Christ’s Work

Justification is not merely God overlooking sin.

Sin had to be dealt with.

“He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
Romans 4:25 NLT

Jesus was:

Handed over because of our sins

and

Raised to make us right with God.

Our justification rests upon what Christ accomplished.

Romans 5:1

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”
Romans 5:1 NLT

Notice the foundation:

“Because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.”

Our peace with God is not based upon:

• Our goodness

• Our performance

• Our ability to perfectly obey

• God pretending our sin did not matter

It rests on the finished work of Christ.

Key Truth

God did not simply ignore the guilty verdict.

Christ dealt with the reason for the verdict.

Our sin was real.

Our guilt was real.

The judgment against sin was real.

And Christ’s work was sufficient to deal with it.

5. Righteousness Is Not Earned

“So it is clear that no one can be made right with God by trying to keep the law. For the Scriptures say, ‘It is through faith that a righteous person has life.’”
Galatians 3:11 NLT

No one is justified by successfully keeping the Law.

We cannot earn a righteous standing before God through our performance.

The Contrast

Works say:
“I have done enough to deserve righteousness.”

Faith says:
“Christ has done what I could never do for myself.”

“So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.”
Romans 5:18 NASB1995

Paul contrasts two acts:

Adam

One transgression
↓
Condemnation

Christ

One act of righteousness
↓
Justification of life

Our justification is connected to Christ’s righteousness and obedience, not our ability to earn righteousness ourselves.

Key Truth

Righteousness is received through faith, not achieved through works.

6. Righteousness Is Not a Feeling, but a Position

“But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.”
Romans 4:5 NLT

Notice the language:

“Counted as righteous.”

Righteousness describes what God has declared concerning the believer.

It is a position, not merely an emotional experience.

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”
Romans 5:2 NLT

Again, Paul uses positional language:

“Where we now stand.”

Key Truth

I may not always feel righteous, but my feelings do not establish my standing before God.

God's declaration does.

This connects back to condemnation:

Condemnation is a verdict, not primarily a feeling.

Likewise:

Righteousness is a position, not primarily a feeling.

Feelings vs. Position

Our feelings can change. Our position in Christ is grounded in what Christ has done.

7. Righteous People Act Righteously

“Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous.”
1 John 3:7 NLT

Being justified does not mean our actions no longer matter.

The order is important: We do not live righteously in order to earn justification.

Instead: Because we have been made righteous, righteous living should begin to flow from our new identity and position.