On account of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the demands of the law of God are met, and believers are granted the status of being righteous in the sight of God.
Justification is grounded in the death of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ's death shields believers from God's wrath
Romans 5:9 See also Romans 3:24, Romans 4:25, Romans 5:18; 1 Peter 2:24
Therefore, since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from wrath through Him!
Jesus Christ's death fulfils the demands of the law of God
Romans 8:3–4 See also Romans 3:25–26; Galatians 3:13; 1 John 2:2
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
Justification is grounded in the resurrection of Jesus Christ
Romans 4:25, Romans 10:9–10 See also Acts 2:22–39, Acts 4:10–12, Acts 17:30–31; 1 Peter 3:18–21
He was delivered over to death for our trespasses and was raised to life for our justification.
that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved.
Justification means believers are reckoned as righteous through the death of Jesus Christ
Romans 5:19; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21 See also 1 Corinthians 6:9–11; Philippians 3:8–9 The term “imputation” is used to refer to the process by which God treats believers as being righteous in his sight on account of Jesus Christ's death.
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God: our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.
God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Justification is received by faith
Romans 1:17 parallel Galatians 3:11 See also Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 5:1; Ephesians 2:8
For the gospel reveals the righteousness of God that comes by faith from start to finish, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
The example of Abraham
Genesis 15:6 See also Romans 4:1–5, Romans 4:9–22; Galatians 3:6–9, Galatians 3:16–18
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
The example of David
Apostolic teaching on the need of faith for justification
Acts 13:39 See also Romans 3:22, Romans 3:25, Romans 3:27–30, Romans 4:5, Romans 5:1, Romans 9:30–32, Romans 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:8, Galatians 3:14; Ephesians 2:8
Through Him everyone who believes is justified from everything from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Justification is a gift of God's grace
Romans 3:24 See also Romans 5:15–17, Romans 8:33; Titus 3:7
and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Not by works or the law
Galatians 3:11 See also Romans 3:20, Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16, Galatians 2:21, Galatians 3:2–5, Galatians 3:24, Galatians 5:4–6; Ephesians 2:8–9
Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because, “The righteous will live by faith.”
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.