Justified

The next word is found in Romans 5:1, ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ That word justified means to be declared just. It is a legal term. If you are tried and condemned in court and the judge assesses the penalty, you must pay. But if someone walks up to the bench and hands over the cash to pay for the penalty, the judge bangs the gavel and you walk out of the room. Your fine has been paid in full and you are no longer condemned.

When you walk out and see a policeman, how do you feel now? It doesn’t scare you or bother you because the policeman can’t do anything to you. They can’t arrest you for the same crime again. You don’t get scared because you have been declared just in the eyes of the law. You are no longer under the condemnation of the law. You have been justified.

Notice that it doesn’t mean you have never sinned. It doesn’t mean that you never committed a crime, but it means you have been declared just. The penalty has been paid. The law has no more pull on you, no more power over you, no more condemning power on your life. The payment has been made; your account is settled. That is what justification means.

So there are two kinds of people God sees. First, there are those who are condemned before an Almighty God because of their sin. The Bible teaches that we are all condemned when we start this life because we are all not right with God. But there are some that God has justified, those whom God has declared just. The penalty has been paid. The condemned has become justified.