Justification Bible Study

What does "Justification" mean?

Definition: To Justify = "to demonstrate or prove to be just, right, or valid",

"to declare free of blame"

Justification = "the act of justifying"

Example: If someone does something questionable, they might then try to justify what they did, or provide justification for their actions. They are trying to give a reason for why it was acceptable for them to do what they did.

Scriptural Terms

First Testament:

qdc (tsiddek) – "to declare righteous" (Genesis 38:26; 44:16; Exodus 23:7; Deuteronomy 25:1;

2 Samuel 15:4; 1 Kings 8:32; 2 Chronicles 6:23; Job 4:17; Job 9:2, 15, 20; 10:15; 11:2; 13:8; 15:14; 22:3; 25:4; 27:5; 32:2; 33:12, 32; 34:5; 35:7; 40:8; Psalm 19:9; 51:4; 82:3; 143:2; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23; 43:9, 26; 45:25; 50:8; 53:11; Jeremiah 3:11; Ezekiel 16:51-52; Daniel 8:14; 12:3)

Genesis 44:16 – "And Judah said, 'What will we say to my master? What will we say and how can we prove our innocence/ justify ourselves/ declare ourselves righteous before God? He found out the sin of your servants. Behold, we will be servants to my master, us and also he who was found to have the cup in his hand."

Deuteronomy 25:1 – "If there is an argument between people and they approach for judgment, the judges will justify/ declare righteous the righteous person and declare wicked the wicked person."

1 Kings 8:32 – "And You must hear from the heavens and You must act and You must judge Your servants to declare wicked the wicked person to give their path on their head and to justify/ declare righteous the righteous person to give to them according to their righteousness."

New Testament:

dikaiow (dikaio-o) – "to declare righteous" (Matthew 11:19; 12:37; Luke 7:29, 35; 10:29; 16:15; 18:14; Acts 13:39; Romans 2:13; 3:4, 20-4:5; 5:1, 9; 6:7; 8:30, 33; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 6:11; Galatians 2:16-17; Galatians 3:8, 11, 24; 5:4; 1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:7; James 2:21, 24, 25; Revelation 22:11)

Matthew 11:19 – "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and "sinners."' But wisdom is proved right/ justified/ declared righteous by her actions."

It is possible that the idea of actually being righteous or being made to be actually righteous could also be true in the use of this term, but whether a person is righteous or is made to be righteous or not, they may still be declared righteous.

What is the basis of our Justification?

Let us take some time now to read through these Scripture passages together and determine what each one is identifying as the basis of our justification. What is it that will be basis for declaring us to be righteous?

Matthew 12:36-37 – "But I tell you that people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted/ justified/ declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned."

Answer: Our words

Romans 2:13 – "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be justified/ declared righteous."

Answer: Our obedience to the Law

Romans 3:20-4:5 – "Therefore no one will be justified/ declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin. 21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified/ declared righteous freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in His blood. He did this to demonstrate His justice, because in His forbearance He had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26He did it to demonstrate His justice at the present time, so as to be just and the One who justifies/ declares righteous those who have faith in Jesus.

27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. 28For we maintain that a person is justified/ declared righteous by faith apart from observing the law. 29Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, 30since there is only one God, who will justify/ declare righteous the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? Not at all! Rather, we uphold the law.

1What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? 2If, in fact, Abraham was justified/ declared righteous by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. 3What does the Scripture say? 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.'

4Now when a person works, their wages are not credited to them as a gift, but as an obligation. 5However, to the person who does not work but trusts God who justifies/ declares righteous the wicked, their faith is credited as righteousness."

Answer: God's grace and our faith in Jesus Christ (see also Acts 13:38-39; Romans 5:1;

Galatians 2:15-16; 3:8, 11, 24 for more on faith and justification)

Romans 5:9 – "Since we have now been justified/ declared righteous by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through Him!"

Answer: The blood of Jesus Christ

Romans 6:1-7 – "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 4We were therefore buried with Him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5If we have been united with Him like this in His death, we will certainly also be united with Him in His resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed/ justified/ declared righteous from sin."

Answer: Our dying to sin by being united with Christ in His death

Titus 3:3-7 – "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so that, having been justified/ declared righteous by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

Answer: The grace of God

James 2:14-26 – "What good is it, my brothers, if a person claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend. 24You see that a person is justified/ declared righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

25In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."

Answer: Our faith in Jesus Christ and our deeds

How does our Justification happen?

Isaiah 53:11 – "After His trouble, His soul will see the light of life; He will be satisfied in His knowledge; My Righteous Servant will be justified/declared righteous for many and their sin He will bear."

2 Corinthians 5:21 – "God made Him who had no sin to be sin/ a sin offering for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God." (see also Romans 8:3; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:22)

As humans, we all sin. We all do things that are wrong. As a result of our sin, God's justice demands that we should be punished. This punishment is Hell. Jesus, on the other hand, never sinned. He was perfectly righteous. As such, He was not in danger of suffering God's punishment. Because He was both human and God, Jesus was able to make the ultimate sacrifice of taking our punishment for us. Because He had no sin of His own to be punished for and because He was God, He was able to die for the sins of everyone else and take their punishment. This satisfied God's demand for justice. Humans, then, have only to place their faith in the saving power of Jesus' sacrifice for God to consider our sin to be have been borne by Christ and for us to be considered under Christ's righteousness. Jesus traded places with us so that on the cross, God declared Jesus to be sinful and now declares us to be righteous.

Actually: Actually:

Disobedient Perfectly Obedient

Guilty Innocent

Sinful Righteous

Considered/ Declared: Considered/ Declared:

Disobedient Perfectly Obedient

Guilty Innocent

Sinful Righteous

This is part of what it means to be "clothed with Christ".

Galatians 3:27 – "For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (see also Romans 13:14)

When God looks at us, He sees Jesus and His righteousness, instead of us in our sinfulness.

Who participates in our Justification?

Romans 8:30-39 – "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. 29For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many siblings. 30And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified/ declared righteous; those He justified/ declared righteous, He also glorified.

31What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? 33Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies/ declares righteous. 34Who are they that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36As it is written:
'For your sake we face death all day long;
we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'

37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

1 Corinthians 4:4 – "My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me/ justifies me/ declares me righteous."

1 Corinthians 6:11 – "…you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified/ declared righteous in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."

God alone participates in our Justification.

The role of God's grace in our Justification

If the only participant in our justification is God, it must be accomplished by His grace. He is not being forced to justify us or to declare us righteous, but He willing and graciously accepts Christ's sacrifice on our behalf.

The role of Jesus' blood in our Justification

Jesus willingly shed His blood and willing died, even though He was completely innocent, in order to take our punishment on Himself. Without His death, without Him taking our punishment, we could not have taken advantage of His righteousness.

The role of our faith in our Justification

Christ's death does not justify/ declare righteous everyone. We must have faith in Christ in order for His saving act to be applied to us. Remember that Romans 8:30 says that it is those people whom God has predestined and called who are justified/ declared righteous. Our faith is also a gift, given to us by God. It is the result of God predestining us and calling us.

The role of our dying to our sins, our deeds, and our words in our Justification

When someone has been predestined and called by God and have come to a point of having true faith, that faith is proven or manifested by the effect that it has on a person's life. True faith affects the way we live. If we have true faith, we realize that we have to die to our sinful nature, that we have to put our old selves to death and live new in the power of Christ. The things that we do and the things that we say change in order to reflect the fact that we do believe in Christ and that we are His followers. If the way that we behave does not change, that proves that we have not been justified/ declared righteous.

The role of our obedience to the Law in our Justification

Up to this point we've been discussing the situation of those people who have faith in Christ. But what about those people who never heard about Christ before they died? What about those people who were not included in God's covenant with the Israelites? This brings us to the idea that Paul was expounding upon when he wrote that some people are saved by their obedience to the Law, rather than their explicit knowledge of the Law.

Romans 2:12-16 – "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. 13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be justified/ declared righteous. 14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, 15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) 16This will take place on the day when God will judge people's secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

People are judged and justified/ declared righteous based on what they know and based on their conscience.

Justification Bible Study

What does "Justification" mean?

Definition: To Justify = ________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Justification = "the act of justifying"

Scriptural Terms

First Testament:

qdc (tsiddek) – ______________________________________________________________________

(Genesis 38:26; 44:16; Exodus 23:7; Deuteronomy 25:1; 2 Samuel 15:4; 1 Kings 8:32;

2 Chronicles 6:23; Job 4:17; Job 9:2, 15, 20; 10:15; 11:2; 13:8; 15:14; 22:3; 25:4; 27:5; 32:2; 33:12, 32; 34:5; 35:7; 40:8; Psalm 19:9; 51:4; 82:3; 143:2; Proverbs 17:15; Isaiah 5:23; 43:9, 26; 45:25; 50:8; 53:11; Jeremiah 3:11; Ezekiel 16:51-52; Daniel 8:14; 12:3)

New Testament:

dkaiow (dikaio-o) – "to declare righteous"

(Matthew 11:19; 12:37; Luke 7:29, 35; 10:29; 16:15; 18:14; Acts 13:39; Romans 2:13; 3:4, 20- 4:5; 5:1, 9; 6:7; 8:30, 33; 1 Corinthians 4:4; 6:11; Galatians 2:16-17; Galatians 3:8, 11, 24; 5:4;

1 Timothy 3:16; Titus 3:7; James 2:21, 24, 25; Revelation 22:11)

What is the basis of our Justification?

Matthew 12:36-37 – "But I tell you that people will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. 37For by your words you will be acquitted/ justified/ declared righteous, and by your words you will be condemned."

Answer: ____________________________________________________________________________

Romans 2:13 – "For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God's sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be justified/ declared righteous."