Justified By Faith

What does it mean to be justified? Bible justification is to pardon, to absolve or acquit and clear from guilt, merited punishment and to accept as righteous. One is justified by Christ's atonement as God declares him to be righteous and sinless based on God's standard of law and justice. Justification is not possible by personal merit or by good works. Justification is a gift from God that is received by faith alone. Man has two sinful conditions that require justification, his nature and his conduct. God did not create man as he is today. Man was created in the image of God. Adam was made to be the righteous head figure of mankind but he transgressed God's Law. Adam's transgression was a crime worthy of death that changed man's nature and disposition from right to wrong and brought the curse of sin and death upon everyone. Romans 5:12-21 explains in detail how by Adam sin entered into the world and how death by sin passed upon all men and how God's gift of grace which came by Jesus Christ has abounded unto many leading unto "justification." Because man inherited his sinful nature from Adam, his conduct is wrong and he easily commits sin by his own wrong doing. God knows man needs help with his wrong nature and with his wrong conduct and He offers the solution for both which is justification by faith in the completed work of the Son of God. For the Scripture says, "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 KJV] Note the following verse says man is not justified by his works according to the law, but by the faith of Jesus as we have believed in Jesus that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. It is not our faith in Jesus that justifies us, it is by the faith of Jesus that we are justified. Our faith in Jesus brings us to Christ but it is by Jesus' faith, what He has done, that can make us right with God.Galatians 2:16 KJV16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Paul clearly states that justification is by faith alone and not by works. The act of being justified is beyond the reach of man apart from God. When Paul speaks of works, he is talking about conduct motivated and proceeding from personal effort and merit. If we try to be right with God apart from faith in Jesus' atoning work, we remain under the curse that came upon all of mankind by Adam's sin. We should take to heart what is said in the following verses about justification by faith and not by attempting to keep the Law.Galatians 3:10-11 KJV10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.Galatians 3:24 KJV24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.Romans 3:28 KJV28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.Romans 5:1 KJV1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: We must place the emphasis on how we have been freely justified by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. The blood of Jesus is more than enough to justify anyone who will come to God in faith and receive God's gift of justification. Note that the following verses are all one sentence and must be read in context. These verses tell us how the sinner is justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus." [Romans 3:21-26 KJV] Jesus became the propitiation for the sinner by faith in His blood. Propitiation is the act of securing favor for someone who has transgressed the law. In other words, Jesus' blood made it possible for the sinner to be freely justified by God. For the Scripture says, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." [Romans 5:8-9 KJV] "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." [Hebrews 11:1 KJV] Faith is the substance of our justification; faith gives evidence of what we do not see. We are justified by faith in His saving work alone!