The doctrine of justification is basic. It is grounded on the life and death of the Lord Jesus. His great purpose in coming into this world and to live and die here, was that His people should be justified. Justification is more than forgiveness. Christ died bearing the sins of His people. Not only did He suffer death by crucifixion, but the judgement due to His people for their sins. All the suffering thus experienced we can but dimly understand.

Pardon is based upon the atonement made for sin on the cross of Calvary. Forgiveness knows no other ground or basis. This forgiveness is full, because Christ endured the penalty of all the sins of His people. His pardon is not only full, but eternal. Sin once forgiven is forgiven forever. The Divine word is “Their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12). The phrase “no more” means “never more” or “not forever.”

But pardon is only a portion of justification. The Lord Jesus not only died for His people, He lived for them. He, as the Surety of His people, came not only under the penalty set forth in the holy law of God. He came also under its precepts. He led a life of perfection, and thus rendered full obedience to the will of the Father expressed in the law given at Mount Sinai.

We, as sinners, have incurred not only the wrath of God by our transgressions, but we have failed to render obedience to the law of God. The Lord Jesus fully obeyed the law for His people, as well as paying the penalty for their sins. Consequently, when the individual, by Divine grace, accepts Christ as his Saviour, his sins are all forgiven and he has accredited to him the obedience of Christ. Thus we see that justification is pardon plus the righteousness of Christ imputed.

In the Old Testament, Christ was called prophetically, “The Lord our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23: 6). In 2 Corinthians 5:21 it is declared that believers are “made the righteousness of God in Him” (Christ). The removal of, or pardon of our sins, frees us from the penalty of sin, but the imputation of Christ's righteousness to us entitles us to every blessing. God looks upon His people in Christ who put away their sins and brought in an everlasting and perfect righteousness for them. God regards them as if they had rendered personally that obedience which Christ rendered for them. This entitles them to all good and as the Shorter Catechism expresses it, they “have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.”

We do an injustice to the marvellous goodness of God when we equate justification with pardon. There is a splendid definition of this doctrine in the 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 alone.

The word “justify” and its cognate forms are found very often in the Scriptures. This doctrine was preached by the Apostles with power. It was proclaimed passionately by the Reformers. Indeed, this doctrine was basic to that great spiritual enlightenment, awakening and revival known as the Reformation. The Holy Spirit has used this absolutely essential doctrine down through the centuries and is still using it.

Let us not forget that all the people of God are justified. Should a great work of God be wrought in these southern lands or, indeed, in any land, it will be chiefly through the proclamation of this Christ-honouring and man-humbling doctrine. The present weakness of the Churches, which bear the name of Christian, is almost wholly due to the denial, suppression, ignorance or perversion of the glorious doctrine of justification by faith in Christ alone.

Therefore let us seek to know exactly what constitutes justification and the way in which it may be obtained. Some of the blessings of justification are deliverance from “the wrath to come” – due to us for our sins – and reception into the everlasting favour and blessing of God.

Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ … and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.Romans 5:1-2

May the Holy Spirit give that insight, which will enable us to perceive the true significance and value of that perfect and gracious work of the Lord Jesus, which is the ground of justification.