What is justification?

Which Bible passages support this answer?

The Westminster Assembly attached these Scripture proofs to answer 33. Read them together and ask what each one shows about the answer.

1. Romans 3:24-25

   ²⁴But they are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. ²⁵God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. (NET)

2. Romans 4:6-8

   ⁶So even David himself speaks regarding the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: ⁷“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; ⁸blessed is the one against whom the Lord will never count sin.” (NET)

3. 2 Corinthians 5:19, 21

   ¹⁹In other words, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting people’s trespasses against them, and he has given us the message of reconciliation. ²¹God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. (NET)

4. Romans 5:17-19

   ¹⁷For if, by the transgression of the one man, death reigned through the one, how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ! ¹⁸Consequently, just as condemnation for all people came through one transgression, so too through the one righteous act came righteousness leading to life for all people. ¹⁹For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were constituted sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be constituted righteous. (NET)

5. Galatians 2:16

   yet we know that no one is justified by the works of the law but by the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by the faithfulness of Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified. (NET)

6. Philippians 3:9

   and be found in him, not because I have my own righteousness derived from the law, but because I have the righteousness that comes by way of Christ’s faithfulness—a righteousness from God that is in fact based on Christ’s faithfulness. (NET)

What does this answer mean?

Justification is an act of God's free grace. He pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in his sight. The ground is only the righteousness of Christ, imputed, or credited, to us, and we receive it by faith alone. God declares the sinner right with him because of Christ.

What can we ask our children?

1. What two things does God do when he justifies a sinner?
2. Whose righteousness counts for us?
3. How do we receive it?