Question 70. What is justification?

 

Question 70. What is justification?

Answer. Justification is an act of God's grace freely bestowed upon sinners, whereby he forgives them all their sins, and accepts them as righteous in his sight, not by anything they can do, nor by anything they have done, but only by seeing the perfect obedience and complete atonement of Christ, and imputing the righteousness of Christ to them, and receiving it by faith alone.

In order for believers to be justified by God, there must be repentance. There is no salvation without repentance. Repentance is paying a price. Repentance is confessing that one is destined to die to God and must die on the cross with Jesus. Then, God forgives sins and recognizes righteousness. This is the grace of God given to repentant sinners through faith.

To be united with Christ is to be united with his death and resurrection on the cross. According to the doctrine, only by seeing the perfect obedience and complete atonement of Christ, the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them and received only by faith. Obedience is not obedience to the law, but obedience to the death of the cross, and God sees the redemption through that death.

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