FAQ: What is Justification?
What is Justification?
Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. 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 Y’shua Messiah 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 Messiah Y’shua: 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 Y’shua. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Romans 3:20-28 KJV)
According to Webster’s 1828 Dictionary, justification is remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment; or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on account of the atonement of Messiah.
In short, justification is YHWH seeing us for what Y’shua has done for us and not for what we’ve done. Justification is an act that is not connected to us in any way shape or form. The Greek understanding of the word is that it is a legal term. As if the judge makes a ruling and pronounces the person right. Not that he is necessarily right, but then again, he is right because the judge said he is right. So theologically speaking, we are all wrong and fall short…we all have sinned, but because of the blood of Y’shua we are justified, or declared to be righteous and treated as such by the Almighty Judge.
Our initial salvation includes this justification. As forgiven, believers in the Messiah Y’shua, we are justified. YHWH doesn’t see our past sins, He sees the blood of Y’shua.