Justification

According to the Westminster Shorter Catechism, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins and accepteth us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith above.” In justifying us, God is not only saying that we are not guilty, but also that we are righteous. We have sinned against and insulted God. So how does God do this?

He does this by taking our guilt and imputing it to Jesus who has already died to pay them. This makes us blameless. But God also takes Jesus’s righteousness and gives it to us. Note that this is an act of God, which means it is done instantaneously and only once for those whom God has elected.

Isn’t God’s handiwork wonderful? He has made his people righteous even though we rebelled against him! And knowing we are justified by him frees us from continual vain attempts to justify ourselves.

by Trevor Wallace