Sinners get justification through grace, blood, faith in Christ

BY CLIFTON D. CAUTHORNE JR.
CALVARY BAPTIST OF CLINTWOOD

In his article on justification in The New Bible Dictionary, J.I.
Packer defines justification as “God’s act of remitting the sins of
guilty men, and accounting them righteous.”

How does God justify sinners? Packer answers that people are
justified “freely, by his grace, through faith in Christ, on the
ground, not of their own works, but of the representative law-keeping
and redemptive blood-letting of the Lord Jesus Christ on their
behalf.”

Do the Scriptures support Packer’s definition of justification? In
Jesus Christ, does a person find all that he needs to take away his
sin and fit him for Heaven?

The Apostle Paul teaches in Romans 3:24 that people are “justified freely by [God’s] grace.” Justification is a free, undeserved gift from God.

Titus 3:3-7 speaks of God’s grace. In verse three, Paul describes
sinful humans as “foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating
one another.” No one deserves any favors from God. Yet, verses four through seven tell us, “The kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; that being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

Due to our sinful nature, we cannot merit salvation through “works of
righteousness which we have done.” Instead, in mercy, God declares us righteous in his sight through the free gift of his Son Jesus. In Christ, he blesses us with the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit, and eternal life.

How did Jesus accomplish our justification? Paul writes in Romans 5:9 that being “justified by [Jesus’] blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.” Jesus exchanged his life of sinlessness for our life of
sin. He then died a bloody death as a divine punishment for our sins.
How does our sin become Christ’s? How does Christ’s righteousness
become ours? Paul concludes in Romans 3:28 “that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” He reiterates in Romans 5:1, “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.”

We receive the righteousness of Christ when we trust that his
sacrifice upon the cross paid for our sins. Hymn writer Augustus
Toplady praises the singular role of Christ in our justification,

In thee we have a righteousness
By God himself approved;
Our rock, our sure foundation this,
Which never can be moved.
Our ransom by thy death was paid,
For all thy people giv’n,
The law thou perfectly obeyed,
That they might enter heav’n.

As all, when Adam sinned alone,
In his transgression died,
So by the righteousness of one
Are sinners justified;
We to thy merit, gracious Lord,
With humblest joy submit,
Again to Paradise restored,
In thee alone complete.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are justified by grace … by blood
… by faith … by Christ alone. Can you testify with the songwriter
Helen Shaw,

I praise the Lord, ‘tis all of him,
The grace, the faith, the blood,
The resurrection pow’r, the works,
I’m justified by God.