02-Justification Defined

Justification is a declaration or pronouncement that someone is righteous; for example, in court after due trial (Deut. 25:1). Such declarations are made in everyday life, also. For instance, when the tax collectors ‘justified God’ (Luke 7:29), they declared him righteous.1 Justification, I repeat, is a declaration. To ‘justify’ does not mean ‘to make righteous’. This is most important. Judges do not make defendants righteous or wicked – they declare them so (Deut. 25:1). The Spirit did not make Christ righteous – he declared, demonstrated him righteous (1 Tim. 3:16).