Justification

Justification takes place in the court of heaven, not in the experience of the believer. It is a legal matter, not an emotional one. God’s elect are justified by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to them, not in any other way or for any other reason. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ in exactly the same way as he was made to be sin for us. He was made sin by the imputation of our sins to him. He knew no sin, felt no sin, and did no sin. Our sins were imputed to him. Thus, he was made to be sin for us. In precisely the same way, his righteousness is ours only by imputation, not by anything known, felt, or done by us. Christ’s righteousness pleaded in the court of heaven is our full justification.

Don Fortner