What is justification? Can God declare a guilty man not guilty? How? I updated this post.

in this post justification is God’s declaration of his righteousness over us. Being justified means to be declared righteous, not guilty, and acceptable in God’s sight. We receive this marvelous gift by faith in Christ. This is not a legal fiction because when we put our faith in Christ, he changes us. we are in union with him.

Clarity: God’s declaration is based on his Son’s work during his life and particularly on the cross and on his righteousness. It is not based on our own works and personal righteousness.

How does the Bible explain and support this basic truth that is necessary for salvation and right standing with God?

For definitions of the key terms in Greek and Hebrew, click on this post:

Justification: What It Is and What It Is Not

Scroll down to the first point.

I. The Foundation for Justification

A. It is based on Christ’s righteousness.

In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul teaches that Christ has become our justification. It is as if he stands in for us and puts his robe of righteousness on us. He is the source of justification.

³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. (1 Cor. 1:30)

B. It is based on Christ’s perfect obedience.

Romans 5:19 says that in Adam many (i.e. everyone) was made sinners, so by Christ’s obedience many (i.e. everyone) will be made righteous. Adam’s disobedience was transferred or passed on to everyone, by virtue of all of us sharing in his human nature. Christ’s obedience is transferred or passed on to everyone who places their faith in him.

¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Ron. 5:19)

2 Corinthians 5:21 proclaims that God made Christ who knew no sin to be sin for us (the sin offering in Lev. 4:1-5:13), so we may become the righteousness of God. “To be sin” is done vicariously or representatively. This is the Great Exchange. He takes our sin, and in exchange he gives us his righteousness. And we become a new creation in Christ (v. 17), so once again this declaration is not a fiction.

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (1 Cor. 5:21)

Hebrews 4:15-16 teaches that he did not sin, so this opens access to God’s throne of grace with confidence.

¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Heb. 4:15-16)

In 1 Peter 2:22-24 Peter tells us that at Christ’s trial, he did not open his mouth to defend himself, but was like a sacrificial lamb. Verse 22 quotes from Isaiah 53:9 and v. 25 quotes from Isaiah 53:4, 5, 6. This is he who is heading towards his perfect obedience on the cross. He also was without sin, so this too means he was perfectly obedient to his Father’s will.

²³ When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly. ²⁴ “He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.”

C. It is based on Christ’s death on the cross.

Romans 3:23-25 are three of the greatest verses on this topic of justification, and perhaps the theologically richest in the whole Bible. We have been justified freely by his grace through Christ’s redemption because God presented him as an atonement through the shedding of his blood on the cross. All of this received by faith. Atonement means Christ’s sacrifice expiates (lifts or removes) guilt and satisfies God’s justice-wrath. He was punished in our place for our sins, to take away the penalty of our sins.

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,  ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. ²⁵ God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate is righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—  (Rom. 3:23-25)

Romans 5:9 clearly teaches that we have been justified by his sacrificial death, so we are saved from God’s justice-wrath. That means his blood covers us, invisibly to us, but visible to God. Christ is the fulfillment of all the animal sacrifices in the Old Covenant.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  (Rom. 5:9)

God’s wrath is not what critics and pop culture say it is. Click on this link and look at the two images:

Do I Really Know God? He Shows Wrath

Wrath is judicial and comes from God’s goodness and justice and love. It is not an outburst of irrational anger or uncontrollable rage.

D. It is based on Christ’s resurrection.

Romans 4:25 is wonderful, for it says he was delivered over to death for our sins, but he was not left in the grave, and was raised to life for our justification (God’s declaration of our righteousness). So once again we learn that he is our substitute who took the penalty of our sins.

²⁵ He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification. (Rom. 4:25)

E. It is based on God’s grace.

The redemption that came by Christ Jesus speaks of purchasing people by his death on the cross. Grace is free to us but costly to God and his Son.

[…] ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:24)

Titus 3:17 says the same:

.[…] ¹⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, […] (Titus 3:17)

II. Two Kinds of Justification

A. They must be distinguished.

1.. Judicial (forensic or juridical or declarative) justification

2.. Moral or ethical justification.

B. Forensic justification

1.. It is based only on God’s grace through our faith in Christ

Here are sample verses:

Romans 4:3 says we believe and then God declares us righteous. Credited means “imputed,” which in this context illustrates transferring money to our empty, bankrupt account. He transfers his righteousness to us and covers us with it. We transfer the penalty of our sin over to him. This is the Great Exchange.

³ What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. (Rom. 4:3, quoting Gen. 15:6, 22)

Galatians 3:6 repeats the same truth:

⁶ So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Gal. 3:6, quoting Gen. 15:6, 22)

Romans 3:26 says we are justified by faith in Jesus:

²⁶ he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. (Rom. 3:26)

C. Ethical or moral justification

1.. The Spirit continues forensic or declared righteousness by the process of sanctification (literally “making [you] holy”).

Sample verses follow:

John 3:3 says new birth is caused by the Spirit, who launches on the lifelong journey of sanctification.

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again. (John 3:3)

1 John 3:9 speaks of born-again believers not doing unconfessed, habitual sins:

⁹ No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. (1 John 3:9)

2 Corinthians 5:17 says we are made new creatures or creations:

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17)

Philippians 2:12-13 says we work out our salvation. Paul wrote that we already received salvation by faith in Jesus, not by works of the law (Phil. 3:9). Now we work it out by obedience with fear and trembling.

¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. (Phil. 2:12-13)

James also quotes from Genesis 15:6, but adds works to complete the declarative justification. The audience of the world and even the church are watching how faith and forensic justification work themselves out in the believer. The phrase “is considered righteous” means the audience sees the good works. Before this audience we confirm and demonstrate our saving faith by doing good works. Good words do not cause our saving faith.

²³ And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. (James 2:23-24)

Galatians 5:6 challenges us to go beyond faith and let love work. For Paul in this context, circumcision represents works of the law and a sign of the covenant.

⁶ For in Christ, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has power in anything but faith working itself through love. (Gal. 5:6)

D. Summary

1.. It is vital to distinguish forensic justification and ethical or moral justification

2. The distinction is more logical than temporal. God’s salvation brings all sorts of blessings at the same time, like these: new birth, forgiveness, conversion, adoption, new creation, the two kinds of justification, cleansing, washing, sanctification, and so on.

3.. To be clear, forensic justification logically precedes ethical justification. (See more about this in the Addendum.)

4.. If there is confusion between the two kinds, then Christianity becomes like numerous other religions which mix faith and works together. You work your way up to God by being righteous enough, by doing enough righteous deeds.

5.. Admittedly, sometimes it is difficult to distinguish between the two kinds of justification in various Scripture verses because salvation is multifaceted.

6.. This post focuses mostly on forensic justification.

7.. Sanctification is covered in another post:

Bible Basics on Sanctification and Holiness

III. The Manner of Receiving Justification (or not)

A. We cannot earn it by our obedience.

Romans 3:28 teaches us that we receive justification by faith and not by law keeping. When Paul uses the word “faith,” he stands it in contrast to law keeping, even without saying it sometimes. It is implied. Here he states it.

²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Rom. 3:28)

Romans 9:30-32 teaches that Paul’s fellow Jews pursued righteousness by law keeping, but they did not achieve it because they did not get it by exercising faith in the Messiah (v. 33), but by works of the law.

³⁰ What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; ³¹ but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. ³² Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works.  (Rom. 5:30-32)

Galatians 2:15-16 is clear: we are justified not by works of the law, but by faith in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵ “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Gal. 2:15-16)

In Philippians 3:8d-9, Paul prays that he would have righteousness that is not his own, not by law keeping, but it comes by faith in Christ. This is called alien righteousness because it is a gift of God and not in us by nature.

[…] that I may gain Christ ⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil. 3:8d-9)

B. We receive it as a gift of God’s grace.

Romans 3:23-24, particularly v. 24, says that the atonement is to be received by grace, not by law keeping.

²³ for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  (Rom. 3:23-24)

According to Romans 4:16, Abraham was justified by faith in God and his promise to the patriarch (Gen. 15:6, 22) before the law of Moses. To say that we are Abraham’s offspring means that we Gentiles are heirs to his faith in God and his ultimate descendant–Jesus the Messiah. We are grafted in (Rom. 11:17-18) to the flow of God’s salvation plan stretching all the way back to the patriarch.

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6)

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all.  (Rom. 4:16)

Romans 5:15-17 says that many died by the trespass of one man (Adam), so God’s grace goes in the opposite direction—from the grace of Jesus overflows to the many (i.e. everyone) who believes in him. The word “overflows” is important. A super-abundance of grace!

¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! (Rom. 5:16-17)

Galatians 2:21 teaches us that if righteousness could be obtained by law keeping, then Christ died in vain—uselessly. He had to shed his blood to die so that all the Old Covenant could be fulfilled and so that the remission (release from guilt and the penalty of sins) and forgiveness of sins through his shed blood could be applied eternally.

²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Gal. 2:21)

C. We receive it by repenting.

Luke 18:13-14 tells the quick parable of a self-righteous Pharisee who did not repent, while a socially despised tax collector repented with great sorrow. The tax collector went away justified, not the Pharisee.

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14)

God declares us righteous in Christ the moment we repent of our sins and have saving faith in Christ. On our repentance and saving faith, we are born again. Repentance and new birth are the work of grace and the Spirit. So God is not declaring the guilty not guilty without a basis, but he declares the repentant not guilty as they have saving faith in him when they are now in union with Christ. As for paying for the penalty of our sins done in our past life, Jesus paid for this just penalty on the cross. He died in our place, where we should have died for our own sins. He is our substitute.

¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:13-14)

What Is Penal Substitution?

D. We receive it through faith.

In Acts 13:38-39, particularly v. 39, Paul is preaching in the synagogue at Antioch in the province of Pisidia, and gives an overview of Israel’s biblical history. Then he drives home the point that David is dead, so the biblical prophecies about him living and his body not suffering decay can only refer to his main descendant—Jesus. Everyone who believes in him is set free from every sin, which is justification that his Jewish audience was unable to receive under the law of Moses, by law keeping.

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39)

Romans 3:22 says that righteousness apart from the law is given through faith in Jesus Christ.

 ²² This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. […] (Rom. 3:22)

Romans 3:26-28 offers a profound biblical truth that when Christ offered himself as an atoning sacrifice, God could justify us sinners and still be just—Christ paid our penalty that God’s justice demanded of us.

²⁶ […] he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. ²⁷ Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. ²⁸ For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. (Rom. 3:26-28)

Romans 4:10-12 says that Abraham received justification (credited righteousness) by faith before circumcision, which was a sign of God’s covenant to him. And circumcision was a work, not an act of faith. It was a sign of the old covenants beginning with the Abrahamic covenant and the Sinai covenant. Paul argues that it must not be a sign of the new covenant.

Once again, Genesis 15:6 is the background:

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6)

Here are the related verses in Romans:

¹⁰ Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before! ¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Rom. 4:10-12)

As we saw earlier, Galatians 2:16 says we must accept the premise that faith in Christ justifies us, not law keeping. Verse 15 is talking about “we Jews.” Paul continues:

¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (Gal. 2:16)

Galatians 5:5 teaches that by faith we eagerly await the righteousness for which we hope. So in the future God’s righteousness, which is alien to us, will be worked out throughout all of our lives until it is complete. We are not only declared righteous, but we will one day be perfectly righteous.

⁵ For through the Spirit we eagerly await by faith the righteousness for which we hope. (Gal. 5:5)

Once again, Philippians 3:9: says that Paul himself wants righteous ness based on faith in the Messiah, not the kind that comes from law-keeping.

⁹ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil. 3:9)

E. Faith must be a saving, living faith.

James. 2:14-26 teaches us that faith without works is dead, and by faith alone no one is justified (v. 23). At first this appears to contradict Paul, but a closer look shows that James is talking about a barren faith, not a saving faith (v. 20). Barren faith is useless because even demons believe that God exists (v. 19). Then James says Abraham’s faith was completed by works, not initiated or enhanced or secured by it (v. 22). A living, saving faith will overflow with good works. He says that as the body separated from the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead (v. 26). Works demonstrate a saving faith, not cause it.

Here is James 2:18-19 to illustrate:

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. (Jas. 2:18-19)

See this longer discussion:

Paul and James on Faith and Works, for more information.

IV. The Results or Benefits of Justification

A. We become the children of God.

In Romans 4:11-12 Paul asserts that Abraham is the father of all who believe before circumcision, so Gentiles are admitted into he family of God without the need to be circumcised. “Credited” (v. 11) means transferring God’s Son’s righteousness over to our morally bankrupt account. Now our righteousness is based on his righteousness because we have the faith of Abraham.

¹¹ And he received circumcision as a sign, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them. ¹² And he is then also the father of the circumcised who not only are circumcised but who also follow in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised. (Rom. 4:11-12)

Romans 4:16-17 says that since Abraham believed and it was credited to him as righteousness, so we too who believe in Christ become his offspring by his faith and adoption.

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who have the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls into being things that were not. (Rom. 4:16-17)

B. We are redeemed.

Once again, Romans 3:24 teaches us that we are justified freely by God’s grace through the redemption that came by Jesus. His redemption opened the door to our justification, and now we have both.

²⁴ and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. (Rom. 3:24)

C. We receive forgiveness of sins.

For the context of Acts 13:38-39, see Roman Numeral III and the fourth point (the letter D). We are set free from every sin by believing in Christ Jesus.

³⁸ “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. ³⁹ Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses.  (Rom. 13:38-39)

D. We receive hope for eternal life.

Romans 5:17-18, once again, reiterates that condemnation by God’s justice-wrath comes by one man (Adam), so God’s abundant provision of grace comes by one righteous act of Jesus and resulted in justification and life. In this context, life in Christ is always eternal—it never ends.

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. (Rom. 5:18-19)

Romans 6:22 is a great verse. We have been set free from sins and have become slaves to God. The benefit is holiness, and the result is eternal life. This is moral justification.

²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:22)

Romans 8:10 says that our body is going towards death because of sin, so the Spirit gives life to our body because of righteousness—not our own righteousness but Christ’s. And this is eternal life in Christ.

¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.  (Rom. 8:10)

Titus 3:7 teaches us that after we have been declared righteous by his grace, we are heirs, having the hope of eternal life. Here Paul says we have life, but we will experience it ultimately and fully in eternity for eternity.

¹⁷ so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. (Titus 3:17)

E. We are blessed by God.

Romans 4:6-9 says that David is blessed because his sins were forgiven and never counted against him. To credit something (v. 9) is a business term. You credit money into an empty bank account of your friend. Spiritually It means to transfer Christ’s righteousness to our morally empty bank account. Now we are righteous based on his Christ’s righteousness, as a free gift, on our repentance and declaring Jesus Lord. 

⁶ David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works. 

⁹ Is this blessedness only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. (Rom. 4:6-9)

Galatians 3:9 says we are blessed with Abraham because he believed, and that’s how we were counted righteous, as he was, by faith (Gen. 15:6).

Once again, Genesis 15:6:

⁶ Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. (Gen. 15:6)

Now Galatians 3:9:

⁹ So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Gal. 3:9)

Galatians 3:14 teaches us that Christ redeemed us through his death, so the blessing of Abraham—righteousness by faith—might be extended to Gentiles. They too can be included in God’s family of faith, not by law keeping.

¹⁴ He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Gal. 3:14)

F. We are considered to have kept God’s law, but only in union with Christ.

Romans 8:3-4 tells us that God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering (Lev. 4:1-5:13), so that means the righteous requirements of the law have been fulfilled in our union with Christ.

³ For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh,^[b] God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, ⁴ in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. (Rom. 8:3-4)

As I noted before, 2 Corinthians 5:21: says he became a sin offering, so now we do not have to be present ourselves as a sin offering at judgment. “To be sin” means he did this vicariously or representatively. Through his sacrifice which puts us in good standing with God, after we receive it by faith and become a new creation.  we become the righteousness of God. Based on our own righteousness by law keeping, we would or could never measure up.

²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor. 5:21)

This is the Great Exchange.

G. We become free from the law.

In Galatians 5:1, yes, we are free from the law, and this means law keeping.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. (Gal. 5:1)

H. We have peace with God.

Romans 5:1 says that justification through faith brings us this peace through Jesus Christ. We have been reconciled to God. Peace goes in the opposite direction from hostility towards or alienation from God.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  (Rom. 5:1)

I. He clothes us with the robe of righteousness.

In Zechariah 3, Satan stands next to Joshua the high priest who is wearing filthy clothes. God orders an angel to take off the old robes and put on him the clean one. Now he is ready to serve God. Christ also clothes you with his robe of righteousness.

Here are vv. 3-4:

³ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. ⁴ The angel said to those who were standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes.”

Then he said to Joshua, “See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.” (Zech. 3:3-4)

J. We share in Christ’s sufferings.

Philippians 3:10 says that after we receive righteousness by faith, we can share in his sufferings. Paul was in prison in Rome, when he wrote this epistle.

¹⁰ I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,  (Phil. 3:10)

K. We have union with Christ.

Galatians 2:20-21 says that “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”

So this union with Christ means that God’s declared righteousness is not make-believe or a pretense. Since Christ lives in us, he declares us as we really are in our new life in him and our new, divine nature.

²⁰ I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. ²¹ I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (Gal. 2:20-21)

L. We are freed from condemnation.

Romans 8:1 says there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. The last verse in Romans 7, v. 25, proclaims that Christ has delivered Paul and is consequently free from the law of sin and death. Now he rejoices with this verse:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, (Rom. 8:1)

Romans 8:33-34 reassures us that no one can justly condemn us because it is God who justifies or declares us righteous after we are in Christ..

³³ Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴ Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. (Rom. 8:33-34)

M. We go on to live a holy life.

Romans 6:19 says that just because we have been declared righteous does not mean we can be slaves of unrighteousness, as we used to be. We have to become slaves of righteousness, leading to a holy life. This is ethical or moral justification.

¹⁹ I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. (Rom. 6:19)

According to Romans 6:22, as noted, above, we have been set free from sins and have become slaves to God. The benefit is holiness, and the result is eternal life.

²² But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom. 6:19)

Galatians 2:17-19, once again, are interesting verses. When Jews are justified by faith in the Messiah (Christ), they might find themselves among sinful Gentiles. Therefore, God promotes sin, right? No. These verses explain why some theologians (in their New Perspective on Paul) believe that justification includes breaking down and eliminating the wall of separation between Jews and Gentiles and the markers that separated them, like circumcision. This is partly true, as long as this idea of breaking down the wall is placed in the aftermath of declared righteousness.

¹⁷ “But if, in seeking to be justified in Christ, we Jews find ourselves also among the sinners, doesn’t that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! ¹⁸ If I rebuild what I destroyed, then I really would be a lawbreaker. ¹⁹ “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. (Gal. 2:17-19)

N. We will someday be glorified.

Romans 8:10-11 says that the Spirit makes our bodies alive because of Christ’s righteousness. This revivification of our bodies is a great benefit—today—not someday. Of course, eventually our bodies wear out, so the Spirit does not make them live forever. Instead, we will receive a new body when we are raised from the dead, and all because of justification.

¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Rom. 8:10-11)

O. We are saved from God’s justice-wrath-judgment.

Romans 5:9: see the Roman Numeral I, the third point. A much-neglected biblical truth is God’s justice-wrath-judgment. Wrath is methodically judicial, not an emotional outburst. It simply means that God has to evaluate us and pass sentence. Justification means that we will be declared “not guilty!” because Jesus will stand next to us and point to his robe of righteousness he had placed on us.

⁹ Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! (Rom. 5:9)

Wrath is not what critics and skeptics say it is. See this link and look at the two images:

Do I Really Know God? He Shows Wrath

God’s wrath is judicial and based on his goodness and justice and love.

How does this post help me grow in Christ?

Your salvation works out like this:

1.. The gospel goes forth, and you hear it.

2.. The Spirit energizes it, and the gospel of grace is sufficient to produce saving faith in you—not only intellectual assent (or agreement), but saving faith.

3.. You respond with saving faith and believe in Jesus Christ—fully placing your trust in him. Faith is a total reliance on God.

True acronym:

F-A-I-T-H

=

Forsaking All I Trust Him.

4.. He credits your faith with the gift of righteousness. This crediting is the same as declaring you righteous. It is a legal declaration before the heavenly tribunal. He places his robe of righteousness on you.

5.. You have union with Christ, so God’s declaration is true and not a fiction because Christ in you is righteous and you have a new nature (Titus 3:4-7; 1 Pet. 1:4).

6.. But this declaration is not based on your own righteousness, but on Christ’s work and righteousness–and being in Christ means God can declare you righteous.

7.. Christ in you is working on you to be more like him in his character (moral justification = sanctification). Through his transforming power and life, you live a holy life, day by day, little by little. If you stumble and repent, he gladly forgives. Now pick yourself up and keep going in him.

8.. God declares us righteous in Christ the moment we repent of our sins and having saving faith in Christ. On our repentance and saving faith, we are born again. Repentance and new birth is the work of grace and the Spirit.

9.. So God is not declaring the guilty not guilty without a basis, but he declares the repentant not guilty as they have saving faith in him when they are now in union with Christ.

10.. As for paying for the penalty of our sins done in our past life, Jesus paid for this just penalty on the cross. He died in our place, where we should have died for our own sins. He is our substitute.

11. Now sanctification is the outworking of God’s declared righteousness over you.

12.. Please note: even though I numbered my point, all of salvation happens at the same time, for salvation is multi-faceted. Forensic justification is logically prior to moral justification.

Addendum: Summary

Just so we’re clear …

When a man genuinely repents and confesses his sins and declares with his mouth that Jesus is Lord and believes in his heart that God raised him from the dead, and on the basis of grace, puts his faith in Christ, various blessings occur at the same time (so not necessarily in this sequential order listed here): his sins are forgiven, his conversion, God’s consecration of him, forensic justification, ethical justification, regeneration by the Spirit which brings the fruit, including righteousness, inner washing, reconciliation, adoption, new creation, the infilling of the Spirit, union with Christ, transference from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son, and so on. All this comes under the heading of salvation, in my opinion.

I don’t believe that the Scriptures clearly puts these blessings in a neat and tidy sequential timeline, once thing after another. The Scriptures affirms all those events in verses scattered throughout the New Testament. For me, it is impossible to line them up like ducklings in a line. Scripture is not as systematic I would like.

So here’s how I have sorted out (so far) forensic justification and ethical justification.

Of those two blessings, the order is really logical, not sequential in time. That is, logically, legal declaration by God comes before the Christian practices holiness and righteousness. Logically, he receives righteousness as a free gift before it is infused in him by the work of the Spirit. If his personal righteousness logically or practically were to come before God’s gift of righteousness, Paul would say his theology was turned upside down and out of order. Therefore, logically, your personal righteousness never launches God’s declaration of your right legal standing in God’s heavenly court, or else Christianity would resemble other religions, particularly certain strands of Saul’s / Paul’s old Judaism.

Just the opposite is true.

Your repentance and your saving faith by grace and God’s declared righteousness–all of this at the same time–launches your sanctification process. Logically, declared righteousness or forensic justification is prior to the many works of the Spirit in the Christian. Then, and only then, does righteousness become a fruit (of the Spirit), as we grow in love and knowledge and insight and discern what is pure and blameless in Christ (Phil. 1:10-11).Then, and only then, does God infuse righteousness into the Christian. Justification and sanctification are linked, but distinct.

Therefore, to say it the other way around, infused righteousness logically comes after the free gift of righteousness. Ethical justification logically comes after juridical justification.

RELATED

Justification: How It Was Done, How We Get It, and Its Results

Justification: What It is and What It Is Not

Being Justified in Paul’s Epistles

What Is Biblical Forgiveness?

What Is Repentance?

Regeneration: What Is It and How Does It Work?

SOURCES

Works Cited

At that link, look for the NIV Study Bible.