Justification is a judicial act, a sentencing act of God as judge. Justification is an act of God's free grace in which He pardons His people's sins and declares them righteous on the basis of Christ's perfect righteousness being imputed to them.

To justify is the opposite of to condemn. To justify is to declare person innocent and free; to condemn is to proclaim guilt and bondage. When justified, a sinner is pardoned and declared righteous before God.

Justification is not a process of renewal, as conversion or sanctification; it does not affect the condition of the person, but his state. Justification refers to a person's relationship to God's law. In sanctification, the previously guilty sinner is pronounced free.

The story on the following page illustrates this truth.