Meet Austin Waugh

What does it mean to be “justified by faith”? This can be a tough concept to grasp. Luckily, we have Paul as a guide to help us understand its meaning.

In the first chapters of Paul’s letter to the Romans, he explains the gospel message and shows how all people are in desperate need of God’s grace because of our sinful nature and our separation from a perfect and holy God. He goes on to explain how we “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). Justification is an important theme throughout the Book of Romans, and it is imperative that we understand it to grasp the beauty of God’s grace that Paul is explaining. In his commentary on the Book of Romans at www.soniclight.com, Dr. Thomas Constable defines justification as “God treat[ing] sinful men as if they were of complete and unstained virtue.” To put it another way, to be justified biblically means to be “declared righteous.”

I grew up in the church and came to trust in Christ at a young age. It wasn’t until I was a young adult, however, that I understood what it means to be “justified by faith.” I went through a large portion of my young life thinking that I needed to work and accomplish things to please God and make myself seem better than I really was.

As I have reflected on the meaning of justification in light of Romans 5:1, I am filled with joy and peace because I am once again reminded that God has declared me righteous, not based on the merit of my own works but by faith in the finished work of Christ on my behalf.

As our representative, Jesus took upon Himself all of the just consequences for our sin and overcame it by His resurrection from the dead. Through His resurrection, Christ makes a new life available to us. He became sin (what we are) so that we could become righteousness (what He is). This is how God justifies those who have faith in Jesus.