View source for Justification

{{quote | text={{Bible verse|Isaiah|53|12|lang=WEB}}   [[Isaiah 53:12]]}}

{{Infobox_Contents | 
  topic_name = Justification |
  subtopics = [[Grace]], [[Sin]], [[Repentance]], [[Forgiveness]], [[Salvation]], [[Righteous]]
* [[Justification by faith alone]], [[Justification by faith plus works]]
* [[New Perspective on Paul]]
* [[The Law]]
* [[Eternal life]], [[Heaven]]
* Passages: [[Isaiah 1:18]], [[Isaiah 53:12]], [[Acts 13]]:38-39, [[Galatians 2:16]] |
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}}
* [[Justification by faith alone (G.G.)]]
* [[A look at justification by faith and good works in Luther's theology (J.S)]]
* [[Justification (Benjamen Meng)]] |
}}

'''Justification''' is a term used in [[Christian]]ity to describe [[God]]'s declaration that a [[sin]]ner is without sin because of God's [[forgiveness]].

===Views on justification===

Justification is often understood as the action of God in giving or reckoning the [[righteousness]] of [[Jesus]] to a [[sinner]], so that the sinner is declared by God as being righteous under the [[Law]]. In other words, justification is the term that describes the removal of sins from a person. In the [[Book of Isaiah]] the concept of justification is stated beautifully - [[Isaiah 1:18]]
: "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

There are however significant differing views on justification among Christians.

====[[Justification by faith plus works]]====

The [[Roman Catholic Church]] and the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] teach that justification and cleansing from sin requires both faith in [[Christ]]'s redemptive work on the cross as well as obedience and good works. This is known as [[justification by faith plus works]]. 

====[[Justification by faith alone]]====

[[Protestant]] churches traditionally have taught that justification and cleansing from sin requires only faith in [[Christ]]'s redemptive work on the cross, and does not require any good works on the part of the sinner. This is known as [[justification by faith alone]], and was one of the core reasons for the Protestant break-away from the Roman Catholic Church in the [[Reformation]]. Passages such as [[James 2:24]] which discuss justification through works are explained by viewing good works as evidence of the justification that has already through the believer's faith. 

====The [[New Perspective on Paul]]====

Some Protestant scholars, most notably [[N.T. Wright]], have recently questioned the traditional Protestant understanding of justification. This has lead to the development of the [[New Perspective on Paul]], which is a term that actually refers to a wide variety of more recent interpretations on the theology of the [[Apostle Paul]]. According to Wright, justification is not the process of how a sinner becomes right in God's sight, but rather is simply the declaration that a person is already right with God. Wright has argued that justification is more about [[ecclesiology]], or who belongs to the church, than [[soteriology]] (the theology of salvation). He suggests that when Paul has stated that a person is justified by faith apart from the Law, what Paul means is that a person belongs to the family of God (the church) by virtue of his faith alone and not by virtue of his ethnic identity as a Jew. This shift of emphasis has caused ripples among some Protestant Christians, who question the implication this perspective has on the contribution of good deeds or works to salvation. 

===Biblical passages on justification===

The word justification is derived from the [[Koine Greek]] word [[Δικαιοω]] (dikaioo). It is used in a variety of settings in the New Testament, especially by the [[apostle Paul]], who spoke strongly about [[justification by faith alone]], for example in [[Romans 3:28]]
: ''{{Bible verse|Romans|3|28|lang=WEB}}''

The [[apostle James]] also speaks of justification. He speaks of it in terms of justification by faith and works, for example in [[James 2:24]]
: ''{{Bible verse|James|2|24|lang=WEB}}''

==Quotes==

[[N.T. Wright]] in 
: ''In theology, therefore, justification is not the means whereby it becomes possible to declare someone in the right. It is simply that declaration itself. It is not how someone becomes a Christian, but simply the declaration that someone is a Christian. It is not the exercise of mercy, but the just declaration concerning one who has already received mercy. This is a crucial distinction, without which it is impossible to understand the biblical material.''

==Links==
* [http://www.ntwrightpage.com/Wright_Justification_Biblical_Basis.pdf NT Wright on the Biblical Basis of Justification]

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[[Category:Christian doctrine and debates]]