Justification In Time

“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. 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 3:24-28)

Eternal justification no more diminishes the necessity of justification in time than eternal adoption diminishes the necessity for the experience of adoption in time. All who were justified in the purpose of God must and shall be justified by the purchase of Christ’s blood and the power of his grace as well.

Justification Finished

All of God’s elect were justified by the blood of Christ when he died as our Substitute (Rom. 3:24-26). When the Son of God cried, “It is finished,” the work of our justification was fully accomplished. When he paid the price of our ransom, we were delivered from the penalty of the law. When he was made to be sin for us, we were made the righteousness of God in him. When he was made a curse for us, we were delivered from the curse of the law. When he was declared to be free from our sins in his resurrection (Rom. 4:25), we were declared to be free from sin!

Be sure you understand this ― We were made righteous by a marvellous transaction of grace called “imputation.” As Christ was made to be sin for us, though he could not and did not sin, by having our sins made his, so we were made the righteousness of God in him, though we have not done and can never do anything righteous, by having his righteousness made ours (2 Cor. 5:21).

Justification Received

We receive justification by faith (Rom. 3:28). When the Bible talks about justification by faith, the teaching is not our faith is the source, cause, or grounds of justification. Faith is the channel through which justification comes, not the cause of it. Faith is the hand that embraces justification, not the hand that accomplishes it! For example, should you ask, “How do you irrigate your garden?” I would probably say, “By the water hose.” But you would know my meaning. The hose is the instrument not the cause of the irrigation. It is only a channel through which water flows to irrigate my garden. The cause of our justification is the grace of God. The grounds upon which we are justified is the blood of Christ. The reception of justification is by faith in Jesus Christ. If you trust Christ, you are justified. Your faith in him is the fruit, evidence, and manifestation of justification.

Don Fortner