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“Justification [by faith] is the heart of the gospel and unique to Christianity. No other system, ideology or religion proclaims a free forgiveness and new life to those who have done nothing to deserve it.” -John R.W. Stott
Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels
Summary: Justification is God’s legal declaration of “not guilty” over a sinner who believes in Jesus. On the cross Jesus paid for our sin through the shedding of his blood, and when we are united with him in faith we gain his righteousness. On this basis, God declares us fully justified. The only way we access this amazing, undeserved grace is through faith—simple, desperate trust Jesus. Justification is the starting gate, not the finish line, of the Christian life. God declares us righteous on the basis of what Jesus has done, not on our moral record.
It is important to note that God’s verdict “justified” does not automatically change us into better people. It is an event, a declaration over us. However, once justified, we begin the process of being sanctified (made holy). We can’t separate justification from the rest of the Christian life (i.e. being born again, being made holy, obeying Jesus), but it does need to be distinguished from the work God does to actually change us.
Resources to Go Deeper with the Doctrine of Justification by Faith
The following video illustrates that it is not the intensity of our faith that saves us, but the grounds of our faith that saves us: the blood of Jesus. (I was blessed to have Don Carson as one of my professors in Seminary!)
A short explanation of Justification by Faith for visual learners:
Questions:
Summarize justification by faith in your own words.
Is God fair to declare a sinners righteous because of their faith in Christ? Why or why not?
Recall the time when you first understood that your sins were completely forgiven through Jesus. How did it feel?
Respond to this statement by 16th century pastor Richard Hooker: “God doth justify the believing man, yet not for the worthiness of his belief, but for his worthiness who is believed.”
What is at stake if we don’t clearly understand and live in this doctrine? Why?