“There is none righteous, no, not one,” declares Romans 3:10, establishing that all people are unrighteous and therefore deserving of judgment. But God’s covenant love reaches beyond the fulfillment of justice to establish a bond of fellowship in the blood of Jesus Christ. Because of Christ’s atoning work we now stand before the Father as righteous! This is the essence of “justification.”
Justification is mentioned throughout the New Testament. Paul says that we are justified by faith (Rom. 5:1), we must believe in Jesus and by grace (Rom. 3:24) our salvation is a free gift. James challenges believers (James 2:1) to do good works in order to demonstrate the change that God has worked in our souls.
Christ took our sin and guilt on the cross, erasing all condemnation against us. Faith in His blood not only brings our deliverance from the wrath of God, but also is the means of victorious living through participation in His life.
