Justify and Righteousness

Justify – often used in a legal sense meaning to acquit; innocent; not guilty. A person who receives Christ by faith is justified, i.e., no longer guilty of their sin. A person is not justified by keeping the Law (works), but rather by faith (Rom. 5:1). Because we are justified, we are declared righteous.

 Righteousness –  the quality of being right or just. Righteous is also received by faith, thus it is a gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with Him. We are righteous because of the indwelling presence of Christ. Thus, Jesus is our righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:8-9). 

Righteous(ness) can also refer to a person’s behavior. The context will often indicate the meaning. It is impossible to behave righteously until a person has been spiritually born again, thus becoming righteous (in a right relationship with God). An unrighteous person cannot behave righteously!

Being justified and declared righteous are not two separate events. They both occur the moment you place your faith in Christ’s finished work (death, burial, and resurrection).

For more on this subject, see “Additional Notes” on Romans 3:20. 

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