Definitions Justification by faith is a legal or forensic term. The sinner who trusts Christ is justified; that is, God pardons the guilt of the sinner who trusts Christ, and imputes righteousness to him, constituting him perfect in his sight. Christ’s obedience is both active and passive.1 Christ’s active obedience is his entire life of obedience to his Father’s will, including the Mosaic law, from his incarnation to his burial; his passive obedience is his suffering and death on the cross under the curse of the law. To impute means to lay to the account of, to credit to. In justification, therefore, righteousness is laid to the account of, credited to, the sinner who believes.2 Righteousness in this context means perfection, uprightness. And justifying righteousness, Christ’s righteousness, is... Ah! That’s what this article is about. |