Justification

October, 2025

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 3:23-26

These four short verses expound theological truths that expand to the outer reaches of our understanding. They are the Bing Bang of our salvation. In them we find the character of God, the miracle of Christ’s death and resurrection as well as the eternal consequences that we experience as a result of His gracious propitiation. But perhaps the greatest clarity this text provides is the beauty of justification. How can a righteous God accept sinners like us?

It seems like a catch-22. Will God bend his righteous rules of holiness so that sinners like us can share in His presence, His glory, and His goodness? Or will God cast off His beloved creation and abandon them to an eternal separation and suffering outside of His presence? The answer is that God will do neither, but will be Just – that is, holy – and Justifier – that is, the one who makes us holy. Just and justifier is God through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

In justification, God transfers the righteousness of Jesus Christ, His only begotten Son, to those who are sinners, declaring them to be righteous not on the basis of their own lives of sin and misery, but on the basis of Christ’s life of righteousness and joy. Though we have sinned and come short of the glory of God, He has satisfied Himself through the death of Jesus that our sins have been paid. Instantaneously, irreversibly, and eternally, we are moved from the category of “guilty” to the category of “righteous”. We are positionally secured from wrath and condemnation because the Just Judge of the universe has declared us to be so.

The Justifier has enveloped us in the righteousness of another. He has transferred the merit of Christ to us. God cannot be accused of lowering His standards, because Christ met those standards. God cannot be accused of being unmerciful, because out of His grace He meets the demands of righteousness on our behalf. Because God is Just, Christ dies on a cross. Because God is gracious, Christ justifies the sinner. Just and justifier.

We eat the bread and drink the wine to remember that justification is a gift. It could never be achieved, it can only be received. Received by faith. So taste and see that the Lord is good. Drink of His grace. Remember that you have been declared righteous in the eyes of the only One who matters.