The Joy of Our Justification

Who will bring a charge against God’s elect (Rom 8:33a)? Here is one of the most excellent questions in the Bible. The Apostle Paul poses it after having made a lengthy argument for justification by faith. The question is rhetorical, but Paul gives a clue to the right answer, “God is the One who justifies (Rom 8:33b).”

We must remember that Jesus Christ is elect (Mt 12:18; Lk 23:35). He is the Chosen One sent from heaven to redeem God’s chosen people, Israel (Is 49:3, 6; 1 Pet 2:9). He is the Choice Stone whom the builders rejected (1 Pet 2:6–7). God’s elect, however, will stream to heavenly Zion, the city of God, from every nation, tribe, and tongue (Rev 5:9). Simply put, God justifies His elect people, whom He predestined and called (Rom 8:30).

Justification is a legal term. In its biblical use, it means that some people have a legal right to stand before God and to stand before Him with right standing, as forgiven sinners. This is a most remarkable idea. Criminals stand before a judge, as guilty lawbreakers. They must pay for their crimes either with the currency of money or incarceration time. Waesucks! For him who foolishly trusts in his own goodness or good works before the Holy God.

Righteousness is an attribute of God, “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice righteous and just is He (Dt 32:4).” Because God is just, He is the justifier of those who have faith in Jesus (Rom 3:26).

God takes the righteousness (right standing) of Jesus, secured by His perfect life lived without sin (Heb 4:15; 7:26), and He imputes it to the one who has faith in Christ. In other words, Jesus kept the Law to perfection in His life and His death (Mt 5:17; Lk 24:44). For this reason, God approved Jesus, giving Him the name above every other name (Phil 2:9). His stamp of approval is also seen in His raising Jesus from the dead, so that God’s elect, redeemed people might have Christ’s righteousness imputed to them (Rom 4:25).

Peace with God (right standing) comes not to those who work to achieve the standard of the Law (Rom 3:20; Gal 2:16; 3:11, 28), but it does come to those who do not work (Rom 4:5). God justifies the ungodly in one way (Jesus’ death on the cross); and He applies it in one way (the grace of God); and it is evidenced in one way (faith expressed in word and deed).

First, God’s redeemed people are justified by His blood (Rom 5:9). The blood of Christ washes away all our sins (1 Jn 6:11; Rev 7:14) because Jesus’ death on the cross was the payment made for all our crimes (sins) against God’s Law (Jas 2:10). Jesus’ precious blood serves as the propitiation for God’s wrath to be diverted from us to Jesus on the cross (Rom 3:25; Heb 2:17; 1 Jn 2:2; 4:10).

Second, God’s redeemed people are justified by His grace (Tit 3:7). Justification is a gift of God coming through redemption (Rom 3:24). Stated another way, Jesus bought His church back from slavery to sin (see Hosea). Our redemption, even our ransom was paid for in full, with the currency of Jesus’ precious blood (Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45; Eph 1:7; 1 Pet 1:18–19). Justice and grace prevailed in re-positioning Christ’s church, the Israel of God (Gal 6:16), into the kingdom of God’s beloved Son (Rom 14:17; Col 1:13).

As a token of His love, He has given us His Spirit (2 Cor 5:5), who has poured out God’s love (Rom 5:5) and light into our hearts (2 Cor 4:6). The righteous do the good works prepared for them beforehand by God (Eph 2:10; Jas 2:18–26), and through word and deed, the justified believer bears witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8).

Third, God’s people are justified by faith (Rom 5:1; Gal 3:24, 28), which includes the justification of both believing Jews and Gentiles (Rom 3:30; Gal 3:8, 28). Faith is a gift of God (Eph 2:8–9), brought into the justified soul by the grace of God’s Spirit, who grants faith to him who believes (Gal 3:22; Phil 1:29). Faith is heard in the words of the justified (Mt 12:37), whose boast is in the Lord (Gal 6:14).

The Christian is a witness of the One who justified him or her. Further, the Christian preacher of justification is the one who warns people not to trust in their futile attempts at works of obedience to the Law (Rom 3:20; 4:2; Gal 2:16). He declares that only one act of righteousness, by the God-man, Jesus Christ, has brought the justification of life to humanity (Rom 5:18). There is salvation in no one else (Acts 4:12), for “in Yahweh all the offspring of Israel will be justified and will boast (Is 45:25).”

In summary, we have learned that no accuser on the day of judgment will have a case against God’s elect, that is, Jesus Christ (Is 50:8). He is the Righteous One, who has justified the many, having borne their wrongdoings on the cross (Is 53:11). Jesus has justified the ungodly, who were enslaved to sin. He purchased them with the ransom currency of His blood, and with perfect justice, He has mercy on His chosen people, who will be gathered from every nation, in every generation, until the full number have been justified by the blood of Christ, by the grace of God, as manifest by their faith in the one and only justifier of sinners.

In conclusion, we must remember the centrality and importance of the doctrine of justification to the 16th century A.D. Protestant Reformation. Our forefathers joined with both the Apostle Paul and the Apostle James in teaching that God’s holy nation of chosen people have right standing before the Father, not by works of the Law, but by faith in the perfect Law keeper, Jesus Christ.

The righteous, that is, the justified, do indeed live by faith in the Son of God (Gal 2:20), whose Spirit indwells them (Jn 14:17; Rom 8:9, 11). The Holy Spirit is willing and doing God’s good pleasure in them (Phil 2:13), producing good works as a fruit and proof of their justification (Gal 5:22–23; Jas 2:24).

Praise God for making a way for us to stand holy and blameless before Him (Eph 1:4; 5:27; Col 1:22) via the alien righteousness of Jesus Christ. As for the accuser of the elect brethren, may he be reminded that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom 8:1). In this, our Lord has made us glad, with the joy of our justification.

David Norczyk

Spokane Valley, Washington

March 11, 2021