The Anatomy of Justification

ROMANS 3:19-28; 4:24-25; 5:1

SUBJECT: SALVATION/ JUSTIFICATION

THEME: God on the basis of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection declares believing sinners justified in His sight. Therefore, we are no longer obligated to sin’s penalty, and we are set free from its guilt to live for God’s glory.

INTRODUCTION:

Justification is a huge topic in the Scriptures, and it with related terms are used with reference to God and people. Large biblical topics are awkward to handle unless they are broken down by some type of anatomy. By anatomy, I am referring to a structure or organization of this great topic, justification, which exposes its constituent parts and their relationship to each other. An anatomy can also disclose the relationship of other grand theological concepts to each other. I shall attempt both approaches here in this article, but my focus will remain on how sinners are justified before a Perfect God-Judge.

Therefore, I will not linger on how our actions justify us before each other. That is a great topic of study, but it is not my focus here. You see the first is soteriological pertaining to salvation and the latter is soteriological pertaining to sanctification and Christian service. I wish to advance understanding for the recent convert and enable intelligent conversation through this anatomy of justification. I also hope to bring peace and assurance to the troubled mind by exposing such hearts to the powerful truths of the Word of God relative to our justification before the Perfect God-Judge.   

LESSON:

I. What is The Procedure for Justifying Sinners? (Romans 3:21-26)

Justification is a legal procedure by a completely just and Perfect God-Judge, and it involves several specific elements. It is essentially the procedure by which sinful humanity is made fully acceptable to a holy and just God-Judge.

Justification. The act of God in bringing sinners into a new covenant relationship with himself through the forgiveness of sins. Along with such terms as “regeneration” and “reconciliation,” it relates to a basic aspect of conversion. It is a declarative act of God by which he establishes persons as righteous; that is, in right and true relationship to himself.^[1]

This is a fuller explanation of what God actually did to save undeserving sinners when we place our full confidence in Jesus Christ, the Lord. The procedure involves…

A.       THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PLAN—We are justified according to a Plan (Vs. 21, 22). Romans 3:21, But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;

The “righteousness of God” is an aspect of God’s nature which expresses his unique moral perfection and his readiness to save sinners. It is made known especially through the gospel of Jesus Christ—the essential facts are that God is righteous in himself AND his method of salvation/justification is rooted in righteousness.

God’s plan for justifying fallen humanity was not only introduced soon after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15), but the plan was formulated in eternity past…before the foundation of the world (1 Pet. 1:19-21; Eph. 1:4-6).  Yes, the Gospel has always been central to God’s redemptive plan from cover to cover in the Word of God. Through this plan God behaves righteously, justifies on a just basis, and affords his own righteousness to repentant sinners who believe the gospel.

B.    THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PROVISION—We are justified by the Righteousness of a Substitute, Jesus Christ (Vs. 22). Romans 3:22, 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:

God’s plan to provide the much needed righteousness involves a Substitute, Jesus Christ, to voluntarily take responsibility for our sins and suffer our punishment in our place at Calvary.

Sin demands judgment and must be dealt with thoroughly and completely. No half measures will suffice.

God’s pattern of bringing people into personal relationship now stands manifest apart from the Law (Rom 3:21–26) in the ministry and death of Christ, whom God put forth as the atoning agent (v 25). Sin is dealt with directly in the death of the sinless one who became sin for us that we might in him become the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). In his substitutionary death he bears the guilt of all humanity so that by responding in trust mankind might know God in true relationship.^[2]

He who was utterly faithful to all the Father’s will freely gave himself that we might receive his righteousness, the righteousness of God, in exchange for our faith in his sacrifice (1 Cor. 15:1-4; 2 Cor. 5:17-21). I am so thankful and humbled by this extraordinary provision by God!

C.    THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A CONDITION—We are justified by Faith (Vs. 22, 25). Romans 3:22, 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:

Again, we receive justification by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ—his person and his work on our behalf. Faith is the condition and channel through which we receive the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus our Lord; salvation is not automatic nor universally applied. Each individual must personally believe the gospel in order to be save.

The doctrine of justification by faith alone affirms the thoroughgoing sinfulness of all persons, their total inability to deal effectively with their own sin, and the gracious provision through the death of Jesus Christ of a complete atonement for sin, to which persons respond in simple trust without any special claims or merit of their own.^[3]

Justification then is purely by faith and not by obeying God’s Law, keeping the Golden Rule, joining a church, being baptized, or participating in a series of rituals and ceremonies. Jesus stipulated faith as the condition for salvation (Jn. 1:12-13; 3:14-18, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; Gal. 2:16).

D.    THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PREDICAMENT—We are justified though guilty (Vs. 23).  Romans 3:23, For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God

This is the incredible situation of every human being ever born on planet earth. We all are sinners and guilty of sin by our very nature and the deeds we have done. There is more proof of this in each of our experience than we care to acknowledge. We lie, we cheat, we steal, we lust, we hurt others, we love things more than people…on the list of charges goes. Our predicament is dire, deadly, and potentially disastrous!

We are also guilty for the deeds we failed to do, but still God requires these duties and actions; his expectations are entirely reasonable. The crimson stain of our sin not only reaches our desires, motives, and actions, but sin has warped, twisted, flavored, and devolved our hearts and minds to the basest forms of depravity. Beyond this the ramifications of our sinful actions not only influence those we love but also mutilates our relationships in the gravest manner.

Sinful and fallen is the predicament of every man, woman, boy, and girl. There is nothing we can do to change our nature to good; there is nothing anyone can do to raise ourselves to measure up to the perfections and glory of God. We are desperate sinners who come far short of what a righteous God requires (Rom. 3:9-20).

E.    THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES GRACE—We are justified freely by God’s grace (Vs. 24). Romans 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Love, mercy and grace are the fascinating motivations in the heart of the Almighty moving him to devise a redemption plan! We are justified before God entirely and freely through the exercise of God’s underserved favor and blessing. The true source of salvation is in the heart of the Almighty.

Justification is by grace alone. Rooted in the nature of God it is also made available through the work of Christ as God’s gift. Thus we have the often repeated confession that Christ died “for us” (Rom 5:8; 1 Thes 5:10), or “for our sins” (1 Cor 15:3). The means of appropriation is by faith and faith alone (Rom 3:22; 5:1). This faith is a simple trust in the sufficiency of the work of Christ, a trust by which one freely and whole-heartedly identifies with Christ, loves and embraces his Word, and gives himself to the value system expressed in the kingdom of God. The basic self-consciousness of the justified person is that his right relationship with the living God has nothing to do with merit or achievement. It is from beginning to end a gift of infinite love. His own powerlessness is resolved in the power of the gospel in which God’s saving work is revealed (Rom 1:12, 17).^[4]

Salvation and justification can never we achieved, earned, or deserved because we are saved exclusively and only by God’s grace. The origin of salvation is in God and not in human beings. There is nothing we can do and there is nothing we need to do to secure our justification except believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. As a result God acts in grace to save us (Tit. 3:5-6; Gal. 2:20-21; Eph. 2:8-9).

F.     THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PURCHASE—We are justified through Redemption (Vs. 24). Romans 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Redemption is an associated doctrine to justification; it is clearly not one and the same as justification. The relationship and association is wonderful though. Redemption refers to paying a price or ransom to purchase a slave with the goal of setting the slave free. We all were subject to bondage and enslavement in the market of sin, but Jesus Christ entered the world (this slave market) and paid the price for our redemption at Calvary. When we believe on him, we are set free from sins enslavement—power, guilt, and eventually presence. This payment provides the key basis for our justification by God. Because Jesus paid this price—he made the purchase, God can graciously free sinners once we repent believing the Gospel. Since we are bought with a tremendous price our entire existence belongs to God; we are free from sin to live for God (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23. See also slave and servant redemption in Lev. 25).

G.   THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PRICE—We are justified by Blood (Vs. 24). Romans 3:24-25, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  25, 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;

This incredible idea of a purchase and payment is echoed in this text! It must be important to our justification. In this instance the price paid is the precious blood of the Son of God.

Nothing But the Blood

What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus;

What can make me whole again?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus. -Robert Lowry.^[5]

The price the Savior paid that we may be justified was his very own blood. This signifies at the very least suffering and shedding his literal life blood unto death as the payment warranted for our sins. The cost to Him was great, but to us it comes freely—through faith in his blood. Therefore, it was of grace and not because we earned or deserve it. If our love for Christ ever grows cold and indifferent, we need to pause at Calvary and note the bleeding suffering Savior paying a price we desperately owed and could not pay! (1 Pet. 1:18-19; Heb. 9:11-14)

Auction of Lady Anna

A street-preacher was preaching on one of London’s sidewalks when a personal servant of the queen, a woman by the name of Lady Anna, passed by in a gorgeous carriage. She stopped to listen.

The crowd turned its attention to her. So did the speaker. In a voice loud enough for all to hear, he exclaimed: “Brethren, may I have your attention a moment. I am going to have an auction. I intend to sell that young lady to the highest bidder. I know of three who want to buy her: the World, the Devil, and Christ.

“World, what will you pay for her? Riches, honor, and pleasure? Not enough. She is worth more. Devil, what will you bid? All the possessions and riches of this earth? Not enough! Riches disappear like the night when the morning sun comes up.

“I hear the voice of the third Buyer, Jesus Christ. What do you bid, Lord Jesus?” “I give her my grace here and eternal glory hereafter, an imperishable, unstained, unchangeable inheritance!”

“Lord, You may have her,” shouted the speaker, “I leave her to You. You are the rightful Owner. May Heaven and earth witness this deal.”

Then, turning to the surprised and embarrassed young lady, the speaker went on: “What do you think of this bargain? Remember, you are eternally the property of the Lord Jesus. He died for you. Can you, will you, dare you, refuse to surrender to Him?”

To her credit, Lady Anna took the words to heart, and lived worthy of her Master.^[6]

H.   THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PROPITIATION—We are justified on a fair basis (Vs. 25). Romans 3:25, 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

Propitiation is likely not a term we use on a regular basis so some explanation is necessary. Generally, it means to satisfy, appease, or placate. Through Christ’s sacrifice, God’s wrath, anger, justice, righteousness, and holiness were completely satisfied. All sin was paid for in full by Jesus our Lord and God was propitiated by this means! That is full satisfaction for all the requirements for atonement through Christ’s sacrifice (2Cor. 5:21). Such involved a double imputation—our sins were imputed to Christ and Christ’s righteousness was imputed to us repentant sinners. This reality gives God a fair basis upon which to forgive and justify repentant sinners (1 Jn. 2:1-2). Forgiveness is releasing from the guilt of sin and justification is a declaration of righteous by the perfect God-Judge.

I.      THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PROPOSAL—We are justified because of Forgiveness of sins (Vs. 25). Romans 3:25, 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;

As previously indicated God has a just basis for remitting sins—affording forgiveness to the sinner who admits his/her guilt. Accordingly, such behavior demonstrates God’s moral righteousness. The proposition of forgiveness is basically releasing the sinner from responsibility for his sins once he/she admits guilt. So in the preaching of the Gospel, the evangelist offers forgiveness of sins and the repentant sinner receives forgiveness of sins from God. This is essentially God’s proposal to sinners. Yet, I am amazed at the number of gospel presentations to sinners that scarcely even mentions the guilt of sinners before God. Everybody is rushing to offer heaven, and very few actually seek to impress the sinner with their guilt before God—their need for God’s forgiveness. It is a holy God whom we all have offended with our entire existence! Using the Law of God in evangelism helps us greatly to show the sinner that he is a sinner. Take the sinner to Moses first and then to Jesus! (Luke 24:44-49; Acts 10:43; 13:38-39; 26:18)

J.     THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PROCLAMATION—We are justified because of a declaration from a just God (Vs. 26). Romans 3:26, To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Since we have by faith received credit for the righteousness of Christ, then we are viewed by God as righteous. We now possess the righteousness of God; full credit has been imputed to the repentant sinners account! Again this action declares the moral righteousness of God for all to see. He is no shady dealer! Remember, before trusting Christ we were utterly bankrupt concerning righteousness. Since we stand before God, the righteous Judge, in the righteousness of His Son then this demands that God justify us! This is not a figurative nor fictitious righteousness, we have the very righteousness of God added to our spiritual account! On this extraordinary basis God declares believers as righteous, and by doing so he demonstrates that he is indeed righteous (Rom. 4:1-12). God eliminates any doubts about his character and places his righteous character on full display through the clear preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beloved, we show ourselves very wise by taking him extremely seriously!

K.   THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES A PROCLAIMER—We are justified by a Just Justifier Judge (Vs. 26). Romans 3:26, To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Once again God painstakingly shows himself to be just and fair in this spiritual transaction. “At this time” God is vindicated through the provision of Calvary and the preaching of the gospel. For as long as this age endures and as often as the gospel is preached, listeners should be impressed with the righteous character of Almighty God. He is just! He has conclusively—even emphatically dealt with sin on the Cross, and he will not overlook anyone who rejects and disregards such gracious provisions.

In common Greek, justification and justify are frequently forensic terms; that is, they relate to the law court and the act of acquitting or vindicating someone. It has to do with the innocence or virtue of a person. But more broadly it has to do with the norm of any relationship.^[7]

This is the perfect Judge remember…there is absolutely zero shady dealing with Him. He can only do what is right and just and according to justice. For sinners who have been credited with His very righteousness it is only fitting that we be proclaimed righteous by the Justifier. Beloved, this is the unstained and stellar moral character of God we are referring to. This is what he is really like. You and I can trust a God like this!

L.    THE PROCEDURE INVOLVES POWER—We are Justified by Power (Rom. 4:24-25). Romans 4:24-25, But for us also, to whom it [righteousness] shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;  25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.

The same power that raise Christ from the dead justifies and identifies the believing sinner to Jesus Christ.  We enjoy a legal status identical to that of Christ who is completely righteous. Remember, Christ’s righteousness is imputed to all who believe on him.

What we believe also matters—God raised up the Lord Jesus from among the dead. This same Jesus who died taking full responsibility for our sin guilt before God; our sins were paid for in full by his sacrifice. Again Christ was delivered to die for our grave offenses against God; Jesus was also resurrected by the Father to the end that we may be justified before God. Therefore, believers also have by faith identified with Christ who has already died for sins, was buried and raised again. Christ has no more obligations to sin or death, nor do we who are identified with Him.

Beloved, we are not justified in a weak system of justice, but in one marked by extraordinary power and force. Our legal status before God is not make-believe, fictional, or a stretch of the facts...nor the overworked product of our active imaginations. Believing in justification by faith alone is not an exercise in mental gymnastics; this is truth! A thousand times no! Our justification is as real as the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If he is alive then so are we alive in him…so are we guiltless before God…so are we declared as positively righteous in the divine court of law. God declares this to be the case and so it is. Beloved, the perfect righteous God-Judge has the final say. (Read Romans 10:8-17)

 CONCLUSION:

God on the basis of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection declares believing sinners justified in His sight. Therefore, we are no longer obligated to sin’s penalty, and we are set free from its guilt to live for God. The Perfect Judge declares believing sinners as righteous! Beloved, He has the final Word in this matter.

Once again an anatomy affords us a structure and some organization of this giant topic in the Bible. Hopefully this article enables conversation on the topic of justification; my aim has been to expose the constituent parts and their relationship to each other. Much like a human anatomy diagram will demonstrate the various internal organs and their approximate relationship to each other. In this anatomy of justification we showed the relationship of other grand theological concepts to each other.

Sometimes a simple question only requires a short answer; other times what was perceived as a simple question may actually require a more comprehensive answer. A simple answer in such instances may be insufficient because it may mislead by giving a false impression, or even be deceiving because it misrepresents the full scope of an idea. This is one reason theology is so valuable…it enables us to catalog, break down, distinguish, bisect, digest, correlate, and assimilate huge topics in the Scriptures. Often the purpose for asking the question can help us determine if a short answer or a more comprehensive answer is required. In this instance...we have the long answer. 

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^[1] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Justification. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1252). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

^[2] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Justification. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, pp. 1253–1254). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

^[3] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Justification. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1252). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

^[4] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Justification. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1254). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

^[5] Logos Hymnal. (1995). (1st edition.). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[6] Tan, P. L. (1996). Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations: Signs of the Times (pp. 1204–1205). Garland, TX: Bible Communications, Inc.

^[7] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). Justification. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 2, p. 1252). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.