Intro: Salvation is given men by God's grace when men repent and accept Christ's atonement (by faith). Salvation, then opens the door to many gracious and wonderful acts of God in behalf of the saved: Justification, adoption, sanctification, etc.

There is nothing more wonderful than for a sinner to be justified with God. Should a man be justified with God? (Job 9:2) - He spoke of the problem of the ages, the problem that has puzzled man ever since he became a sinner.

Man realizes certain things:

[1]. He has sense of God, he knows there is a Supreme Being (though he may not know Him personally) all men worship some god (Rom. 1:19).
[2]. He has a sense of sin; from experience he knows he has sinned (Rom. 1:20-21).
[3]. The conscience of man tells him that by nature he is always choosing wrong instead of right (Rom. 2:15).
[4]. Therefore: he has a sense of guilt in relation to God; and he feels the need of being put upon a just and right relationship with God.

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH is a weighty phrase, for we find it in Scripture and in history:

It is the main theme of two New Testament books: Romans and Galatians. If a man has chosen nature for a God, he spends his time trying to pacify his God by good works to nature.

It was the war cry of the reformers of the 1500's.

 I. What is Justification:

ANSWER: It is the act of God (act of a judge) whereby those who put faith in Christ, are declared righteous in His eyes and are free from guilt and punishment.

SCRIPTURE ANSWER: ROM. 4:5 - "Counted" or reckoned, or imputed.

Deut. 25:1 - To legally declare innocent or righteous.

Psalm 32:2 - "imputeth", attribute another's righteousness in place of the guilt that is there.

INVOLVED IN DEFINITION:

- It is a change in man's relation of standing with God.

- Man's nature is changed at regeneration.

- Man's standing (relationship) with God is changed in justification.

- Justification does not reform, renovate, renew the old and make it to be holy: for the heart is not involved.

- The Heart and nature of man is changed at regeneration, but justification places man in a new standing before God - as one innocent and without guilt.

TWO ELEMENTS THEN:

[1]. Sin is forgiven, and guilt and punishment removed (Acts 13:38,39; Rom. 8:1,33-34). God sees the believer as without sin and guilt; for God sees us in Christ.
[2]. Christ's righteousness is imputed to us, we are restored (2 Cor. 5:21; James 2:23). From the moment of conversion to the end of the earthly life justification remains the same. The believer may need to be forgiven as a criminal before God.

II. How Can God Justify The Guilty?

[1]. By Grace (Rom. 3:24)
[2]. By the instrument of faith (Rom. 5:1) - we are justified FOR faith, God does not give us justification because we have faith. Faith appropriates what grace provides. Thus, we are justified by faith.

III. How To Be Justified Then:

[1]. Not By The Works Of The Law - We cannot be justified by "doing good", obeying the law, etc. (Rom. 3:20) tells us this: Future obedience cannot atone for past sins and no man can perfectly obey. The law brought a knowledge of sin, opened the sinner's eyes, but could not remove guilt.
[2]. Justification is Possible Because of The Blood of Christ - (Rom. 3:24; 5:9; 2 Cor. 5:21) The only grounds and basis that God can have to declare a guilty person as "not guilty', is for the guilt to be laid on another. Christ took our place, our guilt, and we, His Righteousness!
[3]. Condition - By Faith (Rom. 3:28; 4:5; 5:1) - In faith accepting God's method of justification. As all men need to be saved by faith in Christ whether they are so called "good" or "bad" then, all men are justified in the same way - one common way, Faith in The Finished Work of Christ.

IV. The Results Of Justification -

[1]. Freedom from condemnation (Rom. 8:1) - The guilt is removed, punishment is set aside for Christ took our place.
[2]. Peace with God (Rom. 5:1) - Not the "peace of God" which is the daily experience of the believers in trusting in God's way for our lives, knowing that His way is the best way always; but judicial peace knowing that guilt is not charged against us.
[3]. Assurance of future glory (Titus 3:7) - For justification gives the believer the right and assurance that all the promises of eternal life are secure and that nothing can take them away.