- The Nature of Justification
- Definition: "An act of God's free grace wherein He pardons all our sins, and declares us righteous through the righteousness of Christ given to us, and received by faith alone."
- Justification is an act of God
- An act of pure grace
- An act of giving — imputation
- Justification means that God declares — pronounces — regards us as righteous
- Justice and grace contrasted
- Justice demands God's best
- Grace provides God's best
- Justice condemns the best
- Grace justifies the worst
- Justification is an absolute righteousness
- It is the righteousness of God — Rom 3:21
- The justified sinner is declared to be as righteous as God — 2Co 5:21
- It is more than forgiveness
- Justification is an imputed righteousness — Rom 3:21
- It is apart from the law
- It is the gift of God received by faith
- Faith — knowledge of the truth
- Faith — agreement with the truth
- Faith — commitment and trust in the truth
- Justification is a manifested righteousness — Rom 3:21
- In the person of Christ
- In the work of Christ
- Justice is an exclusive righteousness possessed only by believers — Rom 3:22
- Justice is an inclusive righteousness available to all — Rom 3:22-23
- Justice is a gratuitous righteousness — Rom 3:24
- Given freely by His grace
- Nothing in us to deserve it
- Nothing to do with our behavior
- It is entirely free — a free gift to those who deserve exactly the opposite
- The Ground of Justification — Rom 3:24-25
- The ground of free grace — the union of justice and love
- Destroys guilt freely
- Destroys guilt on condition of justice
- The ground of Christ's redemptive work
- Man was in debt
- Christ paid our ransom in full
- The ground of Christ's propitiatory work — Rom 3:25
- Definition of propitiation — to render favorable
- To conciliate
- To render acceptable
- The atonement
- Covers sin
- Bears away sin
- Result
- God is satisfied
- God's justice is satisfied
- Justification Is Our Present Position — "Being Justified"