…and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. Acts 13:39

What is justification? Justification Is an act of God, by His grace.

Romans 3:24 …being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…

Justification is a legal declaration by God that the guilty are not guilty in His sight. How can this be? When God justifies a sinner, He counts Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross as “payment in full” for that sinner’s sins. At the same time God declares that sinner “righteous,” imputing (transferring) Christ’s righteousness to the sinner’s spiritual account. Jesus receives our unrighteousness and we receive His righteousness.

How does one receive this grace from God? Justification is received by faith alone, not by anything we might do of ourselves.

Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

We say “faith alone” because as Paul writes, it is “apart from the deeds of the law,” meaning we contribute nothing to it. It is by God’s grace alone received through faith alone.

But isn’t it then our faith, and doesn’t our faith originate in us? No, even the faith to believe is a gift of God so that there is nothing we can take credit for, or “boast” in.

Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works [any effort on our part], lest anyone should boast.

Next time: When does justification take place? In one sense the redeemed were justified in the mind of God from before time began. In another sense, justification took place when Jesus died and rose again 2,000 years ago. But in the strictest sense, we are justified when we believe.