JUSTIFICATION is the judicial act of God whereby those who put faith in Christ are declared righteous in His eyes and free from guilt and punishment." Such is the definition.

Now just what does that mean to you.? You answer: "Yes, just what does it mean to me?" Justification is the universal desire. "How a man be justified before God?" is a question in the minds of all people. It is what they are all striving for in some way or other. Try as man will, he just cannot get away from that inner consciousness of his need of justification. Even the "A.A.A.A." members reveal an inherent, though perhaps unconscious, need, in spite of their laud acclaim (and the louder they "crow" the deeper that need becomes) — "There is no God." Why then their intense hatred toward God if it is not that they try to find "justification" in the avowed denial of God.? But of the majority of people we may say: They, like the Jews (as Paul writes in Rom. 10:13) "being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness (i.e. justification), have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God" (that they might be justified).

Now we can best answer the question, "JUSTIFICATION, WHAT IS IT?" by showing the HOW of it. Perhaps is would be well, first, to show you man's NEED of justification and when the need is shown and that need apprehended by him, we are sure he will be, interested to know HOW he can be justified: and coming into the knowledge of this, naturally he will know what Justification really is in the Bible meaning of the term. Throughout this discussion let it be remembered that "faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the "WORD of GOD."

FIRST let it be known how man is NOT justified, in spite of the fact that the vast majority of people are seeking justification by such a method and stoutly maintaining "it to be THE RIGHT WAY. But, just here, we would say with the Psalmist, "Thy Word is true from the beginning and every one of Thy righteous judgments endureth forever." Listen then to the Word (Rom. 3:20), "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight." This assertion at one stroke sweeps away all the meritorious works of men for all time — good deeds, works of the law, and trying to "live up to our light." It is here we see the hopelessness of man's case in trying to justify himself. There is a reason why he cannot justify himself; why the law cannot justify (God says: "Come now and let us REASON together," so let us BE reasonable) and it is this: "For by the law is the KNOWLEDGE of sin" (Rom. 3:20). From Gal. 3:10, "For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them," we see the ONLY thing the law can do is, "that every mouth may be stopped, and ALL THE WORLD may become GUILTY before God" (Rom. 3:19). For of us all it is written, "There is none righteous, no, not one... for there is no difference: for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:10, 22, 23). RESULT: Thus are we all shut up to judgment. We have broken the infinite, holy law of God and our sin demands penalty. Now God MUST punish our sin. He can- never put it away unpunished. God's holiness and justice must be met and satisfied as regards our sin. So if anything GOD MUST DO IT HIMSELF.

NOW let us go back to our definition, "Justification is the judicial act of God, etc." Let us sec it is not possible to show you, from the Word of God, the truth of this. Yes, here it is; get this — -"But now APART FROM THE LAW ('not by the law but by another way,' Conybeare and Howson) God's righteousness hath been manifested" (Rom. 3:21). Man, having been proven destitute of righteousness, God's righteousness now has the unrestricted right-of-way; and it is brought, now, before us. These words, "apart from the law," warn us against mixing or confusing God's righteousness with anything human. THIS IS HIS. Sinful men must not imagine that they have any right or title to it, apart from His freely choosing to offer it to them. Men cannot buy it or merit it in any way. Men must not mix their "good" works with it, — "All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags." They must by simple faith accept it as a FREE GIFT or never have it — that is all.

Justification, as we know, is a court word; it is an act of the judge. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? ". Yes, in God's court a sinner may be brought in guilty before Him (Rom. 3:20) and declared righteous, or as the Scripture puts it, justified. By this, do not think God is condoning sin or overlooking it. Rather the opposite is true. It has been already FULLY DEALT WITH upon the Person of another— "The Lord hath laid on Him (even Jesus at the Cross) the iniquity of us all"

When a man has been found guilty in human courts, he is sometimes "recommended for mercy." His attorney may succed in securing a lighter sentence for him, or by appeal to the Governor a pardon may be secured. But mercy shown by the court or even the pardon granted by the judge docs not constitute ju<;tification. Though mercy be shown the guilty one, yet he will never, can never, be justified 'n the Bible sense of the term. His penalty has merely been remitted, NOT EXPIATED. It has not been borne; no one has fulfilled the obligation of the guilty one. You see, he was merely "let off." That is as far as man can go. But, in God's court we are told that He is able to "justify the ungodly" who believe. That is. He can, and does, declare the ungodly man RIGHTEOUS when he relies upon the Person and the Intoning Work of the Lord Jesus. This righteousness is Christ Himself, Who is ours, by the act of God called IMPUTATION. "But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is MADE UNTO US... RIGHTEOUSNESS" (I Cor. 1:30).

IT WAS that God might be just Himself, and yet justify believing sinners, that He showed His own Personal Righteousness in the setting forth of Christ our Propitiation. God might have damned the race forever when it sinned. That would have shown His righteousness; but God desired not only to show Himself just, but to justify and save us guilty sinners as well. So He sent forth His own. Son to bear our sins' guilty This means infinitely more than the mere pardon of the human judge.

You see. Justification has to do with relations that have been disturbed by sin, therefore, it is a change in  man's relation to, or standing before God. It is a change from guilt and condemnation to acquittal and acceptance. Yes, Justification means much more than mere acquittal, because the repentant sinner receives in his pardon the full rights of citizenship. Justification really an act of God as Judge; on the basis of His Sons death, declaring a believing sinner righteous. Here we see the EFFECT of God's righteousness upon the believing sinner. He is set forth as righteous, declared righteous in a legal sense, and put in a right relationship with God. This is a NEW standing which in God's court is given to the sinner, even the standing of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who "became sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. So then, ALL our sins are forgiven, and the guilt and punishment thereof removed (Acts 13:38-39 and Rom. 8:1). God sees the believer as WITHOUT sin and guilt in Christ— HALLELUJAH! (Rom. 8:33-34

Christ's righteousness is "unto all and upon all these that believe." Sinners are received upon a ground which fully answers every claim or desire of God's own nature character, attributes, and purposes in "Jesus Christ the righteous." As such the Holy Spirit declares Him to be unto us, Christ Jesus Who was made our righteousness (I Cor. i: 30). And the fact is so real that when H is thus made our righteousness, we are said to be "the righteousness of God in Him" (II Cor. 5:21). The justified person is thus accounted as Christ Himself before God, because righteous in the SAME righteousness Christ became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Now God commands us to believe what He say about Christ's sacrifice, that He. in it HAS REDEEMED US from the curse of His broken law; and through this redemption He is now able, since our sins were put away in the blood or by the death of Christ, FREELY to JUSTIFY US. Let me, just here, bring to your attention a word in Rom. 3: 24. It is the Greek word "dorean," translated "freely." What a blessing it brings to every soul that will accept it. In John 15:25 the same word is rendered "Without a cause." Jesus said to His disciples, "They hated me without a cause." There was no cause in our Lord why men hated Him; the cause was in their own hearts — THEIR SIN. Just so, God justifies the sinner "dorean," without a cause in the sinner why he should be justified; the cause is in God — in His love.

God asks us to believe that He has made Christ the propitiation for our sins. He commands each of us to APPROPRIATE this by believing it true CONCERNING HIMSELF, and say: "Christ died for my sins; God's wrath against ALL MY SINS is FOREVER satisfied. God says so. I BELIEVE GOD, Won't you?" This is the faith that justifies. When we step out on the promise of God and reckon on God, God reckons righteousness — His righteousness — to us. Thus we are justified.

Paul was no more justified at the close of his life of devoted service for Christ than he was that day at Damascus when he first believed. The weakest believer in Christ to-day is as much justified as Paul ever was. The feeblest saint stands in God's eyes as acceptable as the mightiest saint. Bath have Christ, are equally in Christ, are equally accepted in Him.

DEAR reader: Do you think any one can be really happy as long as he does not know — is not SATISFIED that his sins are forgiven? When one is not fully satisfied about his sins he just keeps on seeking, working, praying, worrying, "trying" to please and satisfy God.

Our one supreme question now is: Have YOU taken this step of personal faith as to your sins having been forever put away at Calvary? If you have not — if you are not sure, take the step immediately! You have no right to doubt. "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which He hath testified of His Son" (I John 5:9). Believe, just now, by faith "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto RIGHTEOUSNESS; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Rom. 10:9-10, 13). If you have this IN YOUR HEART; if you really BELIEVE it, you may praise God that at least one SAVING TRUTH has been revealed to you by Him.