Justification and Reconciliation

Definitions

Justification

Justification is the doctrine that God pardons, accepts, and declares a sinner to be "just" on the basis of Christ's righteousness (; ; ) which results in God's peace (), His Spirit (), and salvation. Justification is by grace through faith in Jesus Christ apart from all works and merit of the sinner (cf. ).

Simply put, to justify is to declare righteous, to make one right with God. Justification is God’s declaring those who receive Christ to be righteous, based on Christ’s righteousness being imputed to the accounts of those who receive Christ ().

Reconciliation

To be reconciled is to be restored to friendship or harmony.

The Bible says that Christ reconciled us to God (; ; ). The fact that we needed reconciliation means that our relationship with God was broken. Since God is holy, we were the ones to blame. Our sin alienated us from Him. says that we were enemies of God: “For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!”

Exposition

Romans 5:6 ESV

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

Weak: morally weak

Time (kairos) opportune time. (implying planning and aforethought)

Ungodly. Contrasting

The Gospel of God: Romans Benefits of Justification (4:23–5:11)

In addition to this chronological flow of second by second, minute by minute, hour by hour and year by year, there is also in Greek (cheiros) and in English the distinction between the historical and the historic. Not everything that happens in history is historic; everything that happens in history is historical, but not everything is historic in the sense of having pregnant meaning and radical significance for everything that went before and everything that comes afterwards.

The Bible has this concept of a pregnant moment in the midst of time that changes everything. There is a cheiros, an historic moment that God had planned from the beginning of the world, by which he sends his only-begotten Son into the world to die upon the cross in an historic, once-for-all event. It is an event that can never be repeated, duplicated, surpassed, or even augmented. This is one of the reasons why Protestantism has reacted so negatively to the Roman Catholic celebration of the Mass. For the Roman Catholic Church, the Mass is, in a very technically defined sense, a repetition of the death of Christ, a representation of Christ to the Father. God certainly doesn’t need to be reminded of it, because that atonement, made in the fullness of time, was so rich, so inexhaustible and of such infinite worth that it never needs to be repeated. Nor can we possibly add anything to it by way of merit or value.

The Gospel of God: Romans Benefits of Justification (4:23–5:11)

God does not wait for us to become righteous before he brings about our redemption.

Ungodly. Contrasting

Romans 5:7 ESV

For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—

Don’t get caught in the trap of comparing and contrasting yourself to other sinners, our standard is God and he is holy.

Romans 5:8 ESV

but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

The Gospel of God: Romans Benefits of Justification (4:23–5:11)

A sinner is a transgressor of the law, and so we can say that while we were being actively disobedient to God, while we were in a state of rebellion against God, while we were hostile to God, while we were ignoring God, while we were refusing to submit to him, refusing to love him, refusing to worship him, at that time, while we were at enmity with God, Christ died for us.

Justified

Romans 5:9 ESV

Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.

Salvation is a past, present and future meaning.

The Gospel of God: Romans Benefits of Justification (4:23–5:11)

It is used in the past tense, the imperfect tense, the present tense, the future tense, and so on. There is a sense in which we are saved, we are being saved and we shall be saved, because the full complex of salvation covers the whole of Christian experience. Justification occurs the moment I believe, and at that point I am brought into a state of salvation; but my salvation is still to be finalised, still to be consummated, still to be fully realised through my sanctification and my glorification. I

Reconciled

Romans 5:10 ESV

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.

The Gospel of God: Romans Benefits of Justification (4:23–5:11)

Not only has Christ’s death meant that we are justified at the present, but Christ’s resurrection life, which is promised to us in the future, will save us from the wrath of God in judgment. We will be given eternal life by Jesus.

Past tense. (reconciled)

Past tense. (reconciled)

Romans 5:11 ESV

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.