What is Justifying Grace?
Justifying grace refers to the grace of God that brings justification and forgiveness of sins to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. It is the act of God declaring a sinner righteous through their faith in Christ. Here is an explanation of this important biblical doctrine:
Justification Means Being Declared Righteous
To be justified means to be declared righteous in God’s sight (Romans 3:20-24). Even though we are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory and standard of perfection (Romans 3:23), God declares those who put their faith in Christ to be justified, as if they had never sinned at all. This justification is made possible through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, where he bore the punishment for our sins (Romans 5:9).
Justification Is By Faith, Not Works
This justification comes to us freely through faith in Christ, not by any good works or merits of our own (Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16). If we had to earn justification through obeying the law, no one would make it, for all have sinned and fall short (Romans 3:20). But God in his grace freely justifies the ungodly who have faith in Jesus (Romans 4:5). Good works and obedience to God’s commands are the result of justification, not the cause of it (Ephesians 2:8-10).
God’s Grace Initiates Justification
Justifying grace emphasizes that God is the initiator and author of our justification. Sinners do not somehow earn or merit this justification, but God mercifully grants it to them freely. He predestined and called them for this purpose (Romans 8:30). God’s grace takes hostile, rebellious sinners and transforms their hearts to believe the gospel of Christ, granting them saving faith (Acts 18:27). Salvation is entirely by God’s grace from start to finish.
The Means of Justification: Faith in Christ
While God’s grace is the initiator of justification, the means by which we receive this justification is through faith alone in Christ. We are justified by faith in Jesus (Romans 3:22,26, 28, 5:1, Galatians 2:16). When we hear and believe the gospel message that Christ died for our sins and rose from the grave, and entrust our lives to him as Lord and Savior, God credits Christ’s righteousness to us (Romans 4:23-25). Our faith is the instrument by which we lay hold of Christ for salvation.
Faith Is Crediting Christ’s Righteousness
This faith involves more than mental acknowledgment. It entails active trust in the person and work of Christ, crediting or imputing his righteousness to us (Romans 4:5-8). Just as Abraham believed God’s promise and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6), we believe God’s testimony about his Son and his work on the cross, and God credits righteousness to us. Though we are ungodly, Christ became sin for us so that in him we might be made righteous (2 Corinthians 5:21). Our faith receives the benefits of his righteousness.
Holiness and Obedience Result From Justification
This justification is not a license to sin. Rather, those who have been justified freely by God’s grace are regenerated and made new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God purifies their hearts by faith (Acts 15:9) and begins the process of sanctification, causing them to bear good fruit in their lives (Matthew 3:8). Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control blossom from a justified heart (Galatians 5:22-23). Obedience to Christ’s commands also flows from justification as the natural response (Romans 6:17-18).
No One Can Be Justified by the Law
The New Testament emphasizes repeatedly that no one will be justified by the works of the law (Galatians 2:16, 3:11, 5:4 Romans 3:20). The demands of the law are so exacting that no one can hope to obey them perfectly. The sacrifices of animals under the Old Covenant could not ultimately make people perfect or remove their sin guilt either (Hebrews 10:1-4). The law shows us our sin but cannot save us from it. Only faith in Christ does that.
Abraham Was Justified by Faith Before Circumcision
Paul demonstrates from the Old Testament that Abraham was justified by faith before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-12). Circumcision was a sign and seal of the righteousness he already had by faith. His faith was credited to him as righteousness when he was still uncircumcised. This shows that justification has always been by faith, not by works of the law, throughout salvation history.
David Speaks of Justification Apart from Works
King David spoke of the blessing of justification apart from works, saying, “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin” (Romans 4:6-8, Psalm 32:1-2). Though David was guilty of adultery and murder, God forgave and justified him when he confessed his sins. David knew he had no works to merit this forgiveness. It came only by God’s mercy and grace.
Peace With God Through Justification
The result of justification is that we now have peace with God through Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1). No longer enemies of God deserving of wrath, we are now loved and accepted asadopted children into God’s family (Romans 8:15-17). Reconciliation has occurred. We rejoice in the hope and glory of God (Romans 5:2, 11). This peace is a key benefit and fruit of justifying grace.
Grace Reigns Through Righteousness Leading to Eternal Life
Moreover, just as sin once reigned in death by condemning those under the law, now God’s grace reignsthrough righteousness leading to eternal life through Christ (Romans 5:21). Sin’s dominion to condemn us has been broken, and now God’s abundant grace overflows to justify us and give us eternal life. Grace triumphs and has dominion for those who receive the gift of righteousness by faith.
The Wages of Sin Versus the Free Gift of Grace
Paul summarizes it beautifully: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23). In ourselves, we earned eternal death because of our sin. But God in his grace freely justifies us and gives us eternal life. This is the glory of justifying grace – that condemned, helpless sinners are graciously given righteousness and life as a free gift through faith in Jesus.
Justification Apart from the Law Realized in Christ
What the Old Testament law and prophets longed to see realized but could not fully accomplish has now been accomplished through Christ’s redemption (Romans 3:21). Christ has vividly put on display and made effective the righteousness of God apart from the law – namely, God’s justifying grace (Romans 3:21). Those who have faith in Jesus are now justified freely by God’s grace because of Christ’s sacrificial death for sins.
Christ Bore Our Sins on the Cross
On the cross, Jesus bore the curse, condemnation, and penalty of the law that we deserved because of our sins (Galatians 3:13, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 8:3). He fulfilled the Old Testament sacrifices that pointed to the removal of sins. We broke the law, but he took the rap. God’s righteous wrath was satisfied in Christ’s suffering, so that by grace he might justify the ungodly who believe (Romans 3:25-26). The atoning cross work of Christ is central to justifying grace.
One Act of Righteousness Leading to Justification for All Men
When Jesus bore the sins of the world and perfectly fulfilled the demands of the law through his sinless life and atoning death, he accomplished and finished justification for all who believe (Romans 5:18). God demonstrated his righteousness through Christ’s one act of righteousness leading to justification for all who put faith in him (Romans 3:22, 26). Jesus’ righteous life and sacrificial death accomplished all we need for justification.
The Obedience of Faith
This saving faith that embraces Christ’s righteousness is an obedient faith (Romans 1:5). Not perfect, flawless obedience to God’s law. But a posture of submitted humility to God, yielding and surrendering to his will and ways in our lives, affirming our love for him and desire to obey his commands. We are justified not because our obedience merits it, but because we humbly receive and follow Christ who alone merits justification for us.
Justification Is a Free Gift for Christ’s Sake
God justifies us freely as a gift by his grace because of what Christ has done, not because of any goodness or obedience we achieve (Romans 3:24). His death turned away God’s wrath from us. Because our debt of sin is fully paid by Christ’s sacrifice, God counts Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us. He freely pardons and forgives all our sins. Our justification comes to us solely for Christ’s sake. It is his work on our behalf that makes justification possible.
The Spirit of God Works Faith in the Justified
Furthermore, the faith by which we are justified is itself a gift from God worked within us by his Spirit (Ephesians 2:8). The Holy Spirit renews and rebirths the elect to believe God’s testimony concerning his Son and trust in Christ alone (Titus 3:5-7, John 1:12-13). God not only supplies the righteousness we lack through Christ but also creates the faith in us to receive Christ as our righteousness, showing our justification is all of his grace.
Justification Is a Forensic Act of God
Justification involves God as the righteous judge declaring or pronouncing the guilty sinner to be righteous (Romans 4:5). It is not an internal, transformational act of making the ungodly person righteous in character and conduct (that’s sanctification). Rather, God legally and forensically declares them righteous – acquitting them of all charges because their sin debt is paid in Christ. It is a courtroom verdict of innocent for those who trust in Christ alone for salvation.
Abraham Believed in Him Who Justifies the Ungodly
The object of Abraham’s faith was God himself, specifically the God who justifies the ungodly (Romans 4:5). Abraham believed in the God who can take spiritually dead, sinful people and graciously justify them simply by faith in Christ’s redemptive work. He believed in God’s ability and willingness to acquit guilty sinners and credit Christ’s righteousness to those with genuine faith. This God-focused faith is what justifies.
Christ Became Sin So that We Might Become Righteous
Here is one of the most succinct statements of justifying grace in Scripture: “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). What beauty of grace! Though we were guilty sinners, Christ took our sin upon himself on the cross, so that in turn we might receive the very righteousness of God as a gift imputed to us by faith for our justification.
Israel Did Not Pursue Righteousness by Faith But by Works
In contrast to Abraham who believed, Paul explained that Israel as a whole failed to pursue God’s righteousness by faith, but instead sought it by works of the law (Romans 9:31-32). They stumbled over Christ because they were not willing to believe that God would justify ungodly sinners simply through faith, not meritorious works. Works-based justification is an obstacle to receiving justifying grace.
God Credits Righteousness Apart from Works
As Paul summarized this doctrine, “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:4-5). When we work, we earn wages that are owed to us. But justification does not come to us as a wage, but as an unmerited gift of grace that is credited to us through faith alone. God declares righteousness apart from works.
Justification Is a Declaration that a Person Is Righteous
Wayne Grudem summarizes justification as follows: “Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which he (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ’s righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight” (Systematic Theology, p. 723). It is a one-time declaration or pronouncement of right legal standing before God through faith in Christ’s finished work. It is not a process of gradually making unrighteous people more righteous.
No Condemnation for Those in Christ
One of the fruits of justification is that there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Whereas before we were under God’s wrath and condemnation because of sin, now in Christ we are judicially declared righteous and accepted by God. The guilt of sin is removed because our sins are laid upon Christ. This is the legal declaration pronounced in the court of God upon those who receive justification by faith.
Righteousness Will Be Counted to Us Who Believe
Paul emphasizes that “faith will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification” (Romans 4:24-25). God credits the righteousness of Christ to those who believe in the death and resurrection of Jesus for salvation. This imputation of righteousness comes by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone and his finished work.
The Words “Justify” and “Righteous” Appear Over 150 Times
Many theologians have noted that the words “justify” and “righteous/righteousness” and their derivatives appear over 150 times in the New Testament, especially in Romans and Galatians. The emphasis on this doctrine could not be clearer. Justification by grace alone through faith alone is at the heart of the gospel. It is how sinful people are reconciled to a holy God.
Double Imputation: Our Sins to Christ, His Righteousness to Us
In justification, a double imputation happens: our sins are imputed (credited) to Christ, and his righteousness is imputed to us. He assumes our legal guilt, and we assume his legal merit (2 Cor. 5:21). Our sins become his, just as his righteousness becomes ours. This is the blessed exchange happening in justifying grace – the innocent dying for the guilty to bring reconciliation.
Justification Is Not a Process But a One-Time Pronouncement
Jonathan Edwards explained that justification is not a process of gradually making a person more righteous. Rather, “it is one single immanent act or work of God, pro-
