Thanks to
@Paleouss and
@DaveXR650 for some helpful comments. For the benefit of
@kyredneck I will deal with the texts he has brought up in due course.
Perhaps we can start with a definition, from the Baptist Catechism ("Keach's") of 1690.
Q. What is Justification?
A. Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which He pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in His sight; not for anything wrought in them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by grace alone.
So on that basis, Justiication does not refer to any subjective change brought about in a person's disposition, but is solely a change in his standing to relation to God's law. That to justify cannot possibly mean to
make a person inherently righteous or good can be seen in various Scriptures, e.g. Luke 7:29.
'And when all the people heard [Jesus]
, even the taxcollectors justified God...' Obviously, no one can make God inherently righteous! Rather, they
declared Him to be righteous.
Justification is a legal declaration; the sentence of a judge upon a person brought before him for judgment, the gracious act of God as Judge by which He pronounces a believing sinner to be freed from the penalty of the law and fully restored to divine favour. It is also His righteous act because on the one hand the sinner's guilt has been taken away by Christ (John 1:29), and on the other hand, our Lord's perfect obedience and righteousness are credited to him (Romans 5:18-19).
'For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that We might become the righteousness of God in Him.'
Therefore justification differs from mere forgiveness, though there are several similarities. It is only God who can forgive sins (Mark 2:7), and only He who justifies sinners (Romans 3:30). Free grace is the cause in both (Eph. 1:7; Rom. 3:24), and both are procured by the blood of Christ ((Matt. 26:28; Romans 5:9) and received by faith (Acts 26:18; Romans 5:1).
However, 'God is said to be "justified" (Romans 3:4) but it would be blasphemy to speak of Him being pardoned. A criminal may be pardoned, but only a righteous person can be justified. Forgiveness deals with a man's acts; justification with the man himself. The law does not pardon, for it knows no relaxation, but God pardons the transgressions of the law in His people by providing a satisfaction adequate to their transgressions. Pardon takes away the filthy garments, but justification provides a change of raiment. Pardon frees from death, but righteousness imputed is called "justification of life" (Romans 5:18). The one views the believer as completely sinful; the other as completely righteous. Pardon is the remission of punishment; justification is the declaration that no ground for the infliction of punishment exists. Forgiveness may be repeated multiple times (Matthew 18:21-22); justification is once for all (e.g. Romans 8:33).......... Just as "condemnation" is not the execution of punishment, but rather the formal declaration that the accused is guilty and worthy of punishment, so "justification is not merely the remission of punishment but the judicial announcement that punishment cannot be justly inflicted - the accused being fully conformed to all the positive requirements of the law, Christ's perfect obedience being legally reckoned to his account.' (A.W. Pink).
I think that will do for the moment. Internet reception is a bit shaky where I am at present; but I will hope to write some more in due course.
