3 Things to Know About Being Justified
Why good works can’t make you good
“Am I really okay with God? If God has forgiven me, why do I still feel like I’m on trial? If I’ve been set free, why don’t I feel free?”
These are the kinds of questions asked by those who don’t fully appreciate what it means to be justified.
What does it mean to be justified?
To be justified means that God has declared you not guilty of sin. (The original verb dikaioō means “acquitted” or “to render innocent.” See the Grace Commentary entry for Romans 3:24.) You were condemned as a sinner, but by the grace of God you have been declared innocent of all charges against you.
As preachers like to say, “Justification makes it ‘just as if I had never sinned’.”
To be justified means the chains that bound you have been removed, and the prison doors have been opened. The sentence of death has been commuted and you have returned to the land of the living. You have been set free.
So being justified or declared innocent is a very good thing. Here are three things you need to know about being justified.
1. We are not justified by anything we do
One of the great lies of religion is that you can clear your slate. Be good, work hard, and God will accept you. It’s an oft-heard message, but it’s not true.
Your good works don’t make you good.
Some people think they can earn a “get out of jail” card by keeping the Ten Commandments. Nope. “No one is justified by the law before God” (Gal. 3:11).
In fact, trying to earn justification through your good works and morality will only drive you further from salvation (see Gal. 5:4).
Imagine a prisoner on Death Row. Every day, he makes his bed and sweeps his cell in the belief that doing so will earn him a pardon. What a fool! He could have the tidiest room in the prison, but he’s not going anywhere.
In the same way, you may be the most moral or holy person around, but your morality and holiness cannot save you. Like the prisoner on Death Row, you need outside help.
2. We are justified by grace
The pardon you and I both need comes not because we are good but because God is good and he has paid our redemption price. You are not justified by your incomplete works but by Christ’s finished work. You are not justified by your sweat but by his blood (Rom. 5:9).
All are justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24)
Imagine our Death Row prisoner, waiting to die. He has no hope, then one day the pardon comes and his door is opened. He is free to go. He may say, “But I am filthy. I haven’t shaved in days and I stink to high heaven.” These are irrelevant details. The pardon has been given. The matter is decided and the case is closed.
In the same way, you may be the most immoral sinner around, but justification is offered to you as a free gift, paid for by Jesus. There is only one thing left to do.
3. We receive justification by faith
Just as the prisoner must walk through the open door, we must receive by faith the gift of justification. We must abandon all attempts to save ourselves and put our trust wholly in the One who is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).
For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. (Romans 3:28)
Imagine our Death Row prisoner hears the good news of his pardon and says, “I can’t believe it. It’s too good to be true.” Take care Mr. Prisoner, for you are on the cusp of a life-changing moment. Act as though the pardon were a lie, and nothing will change. You will stay in your cell the rest of your days – even though the door is wide open.
So it is with those who insist on “working for God” in a misguided attempt to “prove their salvation.” Freedom has been offered, but they remain incarcerated in unbelief. They may go to church three times a week and tithe all they get, but they are as lost as the most unregenerate sinner.
Your actions reveal your faith. Either you will trust in God’s grace or you will work. Either you will receive the gift he offers, or you will bring gifts for him.
Pro-tip: drop your sacrifices, quit your striving, and say, “Thank you, Jesus. Your blood has redeemed me and your grace has set me free.”
In Christ, you are free. Live free.
This is what it means to be justified by grace.
—
The Grace Commentary is growing fast. Thirteen New Testament books are now 100 percent complete and the others are well underway. Click the graph below for an update on our progress and to see feedback from readers:
Got questions about God, life and everything? Check out our growing list of FAQs.
Get good news sent straight to your inbox. Become a subscriber today:
Escape to Reality 
I’m waiting for this to be available in ONE Book/Document and maybe even a single Online Resource !!!
Hi Matthew, I presume you are referring to the Grace Commentary? It will never be available as a single printed book because you wouldn’t be able to hold it. The existing books in the series are already collectively thicker than a couple of old phonebooks. But the good news is it is already available in a single online resource. Plus it’s completely free.
We must abandon all attempts to save ourselves and put our trust wholly in the One who is “the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Rom. 3:26).
Good point, and excellent article
It has been noted by many commentators that Paul the Apostle does teaching in the first half of his letters, then application in the second half. Unfortunately, he DOES sound as if everything in the “application” part is stuff WE MUST DO to make the “teaching” part work. My thinking is that he is falling back into “Law Speak”, when in actuality he is describing “emergent behavior” (i.e. consequences or “side effects”) that naturally arise from the Internal work of the Holy Spirit.
At least, that is my take. Do you have an article on this?
Like any good new covenant preacher, Paul often begins his letters by reminding his readers of their identity in Christ. “To the church in Corinth, sanctified in Jesus Christ.” He reminds us of who we are before calling us to walk in our true identity. The practical parts of his letters should be read as exhortations, not laws. This is true of all the New Testament epistle writers. For example, when Peter says “Be holy,” he means “Be who you are. You are sanctified in Christ so act accordingly.”
Laws come with penalties for non-compliance and you will not find any NT writer threatening God’s children. If the exhortations of the NT sometimes sound like laws, then part of the blame must go on translators who interpret scripture through law lenses.
“Laws come with penalties for non-compliance and you will not find any NT writer threatening God’s children.”
Ach…totally forgot about THAT aspect of ANY system of laws, religious and secular! I’ll just go find a boa tree, sit thereunder, and think hard, long, and deep on that reminder of what should have been obvious.
Until now I’d never seen how justified was declared innocent, or acquitted fully. 🤗
When people say Once saved always saved (OSAS) Is wrong, I say it’s OBAB..once born, always born…of the Spirit. That never changes, it’s a new creature,as new today as I was on January 2,1974: And He is my Father (my Only F word…🤭)
Love you Paul… thanks for the mention of Joseph Prince too!