Question 19 :: What does justification mean?

Answer: 

Justification is God’s declaration of a believer’s right standing before Him.  Christians are justified by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.    

Children: 

Justification is by grace, through faith, in Jesus. 

Romans 3:22b-25 

There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. 

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Commentary: 

Our sin separates us from God. Sin cannot be overcome by our own good deeds.  To reconcile us to himself God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for our sins—in his death on the cross. 

Grace is God’s unmerited favor.  A believer receives God’s grace by faith—trusting that Jesus died in my place for my sins.  Jesus is the object of the Christian’s faith. 

Right standing before God is accepted as a gift and not because of any good deed performed. 

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Further Study: 

Luke 18:9-17; Romans 3:21-26, 5:1-2, 15-17; Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 3:22-27, 5:4-5; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 9:22