What does it mean to be justified?

We can try and justify ourselves, making excuses for our sins and our shortcomings. We might make ourselves feel better by doing that, and we might feel that we have convinced others that we are a righteous person, but it is only the blood of Jesus that will justify us in the sight of God.

Justified means, "to declare to be righteous, to pronounce righteous," (Vine’s Dictionary of New Testament Words)

Romans 3:24 KJV - Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Jesus, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this when He freed us from the penalty for our sins when He died in our place on the cross.

Romans 4:5 KJV - But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

It is not by our own works of “righteousness” that we are saved. We are saved by the supreme act of sacrifice by a truly righteous God that robed himself in flesh to die in our place for our sins. (Eph. 2:8-9)

We are justified – made righteous in the eyes of God – when we believe and have faith in His sacrifice.

We show our faith when we repent of our sins and we are baptized in Jesus name to apply the blood He shed for us for the remission of our sins, to walk in the righteousness of God with the gift of the Holy Ghost – God’s Spirit within us. (Acts 2:38, 2Corinthians 5:21,Titus 3:5, Ephesians 4:24, Philippians 3:9)

Romans 5:1 KJV - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: (Colossians 1:20-23)

Romans 5:9 KJV - Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

It does not matter what the sin was we once were involved in, when we repent and Jesus’ blood has washed our sins away by baptism in Jesus name, and we are filled with His Spirit, we are made righteous in God’s eyes. We are forgiven.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 KJV - Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators (sexual sin), nor idolaters (worship idols), nor adulterers, nor effeminate (male prostitutes), nor abusers of themselves with mankind (practice homosexuality), nor thieves, nor covetous (greedy people), nor drunkards, nor revilers (abusive), nor extortioners (cheat people), shall inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified (made holy), but ye are justified (made right with God) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.