What Is Justification?

The book of Zechariah has an interesting account of a high priest named Joshua. He was “standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him (3:1).” It is no wonder that Satan, the accuser of the brethren, was ready to indict this high priest. We are told that “Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel (3:3).” Those standing near Joshua were told, “Remove the filthy garments from him (3:4).” Then Joshua was told, “I have taken your iniquity away from you and will clothe you with festal robes (3:4).”

This is a beautiful picture of what happened the moment that we trusted Christ as our Savior. Our sins were removed, and we were clothed with the righteousness of Christ.

Paul explained it like this, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (1 Cor. 5:21).” Some have called this “The Great Exchange.” Jesus, the Sinless One, took our sin upon Himself and gave us the righteousness of God.

This “Great Exchange” is the doctrine of “justification.” Some have said that justification means “just as if I had never sinned.” But that is only half the story. When a person trusts Christ for salvation their sins are removed (expiation) and they have the righteousness of Christ imputed to them (imputation). Justification has a two-fold aspect. We could say that justification equals expiation plus imputation.

Expiation is the negative aspect of justification. It is the principle of subtraction. Dr. Ryrie wrote, “Expiation is the removal of impersonal wrath, sin, or guilt.”

Imputation is the positive aspect of justification. It is the principle of addition. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). We were guilty of sin, and we owed a debt of sin. When we were justified through faith in Christ’s death on the cross, God not only wiped out that debt of sin (expiation), He also added the righteousness of Christ to our account. Dr. Ryrie explains, “The remedy for … sin is the imputed righteousness of Christ. The moment anyone believes, Christ’s righteousness is reckoned or imputed to that individual. As … believers are in Christ, and being in Him means that His righteousness is ours.” It is that basis upon which we are “accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6).”

Blessings,

Bob

***

Accepted in the Beloved

by C.H. Mackintosh

All believers, are accepted—perfectly and forever accepted—in the Beloved. God sees them in Christ, and as Christ. He thinks of them as He thinks of Him; loves them as He loves Him. They are ever before Him, in perfect acceptance in the blessed Son of His love, nor can anything, or anyone, ever interfere with this their high and glorious position, which rests on the eternal stability of the grace of God, the accomplished work of His Son, and attested by the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven.