Justified

We can try and justify our self before others, but we cannot justify our self before God. To justify is "to declare to be righteous, to pronounce righteous." (Vine’s)

Our own self-righteousness is like a filthy rag.

"But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." - Isaiah 64:6

Yet, God loves us so much that He robed Himself in flesh so that He could shed His blood as the required sinless sacrifice that could justify us before Him.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." - Romans 5:8-9

When we apply His blood by obeying the gospel by repentance, water baptism by immersion in the name of Jesus, and receiving the gift of the infilling of His Spirit, the Holy Ghost, we are made right before God.

"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." - 1 Corinthians 6:9-11

We are justified when we are washed in the name of the Lord Jesus by baptism. We are sanctified by the Spirit of our God when we receive the gift of His Holy Ghost.

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." - Acts 2:38-39