Justification
Being put right with God through his grace in Jesus Christ.
A little more
Justification describes how a person is put right with God — not by earning it, but by God’s grace in Jesus, received through faith. The word can sound legal, and part of its meaning is being declared “in the right”, but traditions differ in how they describe the relationship between forgiveness, being declared righteous and inward renewal.
This was a major point of debate at the Reformation. Catholic and Protestant traditions historically expressed the relationship between faith, grace and good works somewhat differently, though modern dialogue has found significant common ground: both affirm salvation is by grace, and both affirm that genuine faith produces a changed life.
Read it for yourself
- Romans 5:1Paul: “we have been justified through faith” (NIV) and have peace with God.