Justified by Grace

We are all guilty before God.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness: Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God.Romans 3:10-19

God is a just God, so he cannot simply allow sin to go unpunished.

God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.Nahum 1:2

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.Romans 6:23

No one can pay for another’s sin.

The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.Ezekiel 18:20

Justification: A legal term related to the idea of acquittal; refers to the divine act whereby God makes humans, who are sinful and therefore worthy of condemnation, acceptable before a God who is holy and righteous. More appropriately described as “justification by grace through faith.” Justification is the opposite of condemnation.

Justification deals with God’s holiness and justice.

Jesus died in my place for my reconciliation.

For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.Romans 5:10

We call this Jesus’ Substitutionary Atonement.

For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.2 Corinthians 5:21

Justification is two-fold.

God’s forgiveness through Jesus’ sacrifice remits our debts and cancels our liability to punishment.

Justification bestows on us a righteous standing before God.

We are declared righteous by

Being justified: Right clothing

Freely: At no cost and for no reason other than grace

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.Romans 5:1-2

By His grace: Based on God’s undeserved favor

Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:Romans 3:24

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.Titus 3:5-7

Through the redemption: Purchased by God

In Jesus: By Christ’s sacrificial atonement

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:Philippians 3:9

Justification is my sin upon Jesus.

Justification is Jesus’ righteousness upon me.

We sometimes refer to this as the beautiful exchange.

So complete was the identification of the sinless Christ with the sin of the sinner, including its dire guilt and its dread consequence of separation from God, that Paul could say profoundly, “God made him … to be sin for us.”