The final concept
that flows out of these verses (or is an extension of righteousness), is that
of justification. This word also has a legal background, and was used in the
early court system. The concept was also employed in the Old Testament to
declare that a person could be brought into a relationship with a superior (a
king etc.), simply on the basis of the demand or choice of that superior. A
good example of this is how King David declared Mephibosheth, the son of
Jonathan and grandson of King Saul, justified and not guilty of Saul’s sins (2
Sam 19:24-30).
Biblically it
deals with the idea of a pardon for a wrong. Justification is to declare a person free from the guilt,
shame and punishment for wrong. Have you ever done something wrong and not
confessed until later? Imagine being declared innocent for your crime, based on the evidence of someone else’s willingness
to step in and take the blame for your actions. They would receive all of the
guilt, shame and punishment for your wrong. Even though you are wrong because
of your actions, you have been proved right because of what someone else has
done.[1]
This is the pardon that is solely held on the grounds of Jesus Christ’s
imputed righteousness, based on His death on the Cross. Consequently,
“God confers on the
sinner the status of righteousness-God acquits them of the charge of sin and
declares them to be righteous or innocent.”[2]
The source of
this justification is the gracious God Himself who declares one righteous, and
does not make one righteous (Rom 3:24). Therefore, justification is a
declarative act of God, based entirely on the grounds of Jesus Christ’s death
(Rom 3:24). The means of receiving this justification is entirely through faith
in Jesus Christ and in Him alone (Rom 3:26). The result is the absolute pardon
by God, proving Him to be righteous.
Hopefully, this
review of some of the Christian jargon that we use has been helpful. So, moving
forward what do you intend to do regarding your use of Christianese? If you are
serious about sharing your faith with those around you, it maybe something that
will need to be addressed. As a practical suggestion, why not read your usual Bible
translation together with one that uses day to day language? Maybe you could
read one like the Message, or Modern English Version, or Common English Bible
to see how some of the words a translated.
[1] Krol, Peter. “Big
Bible Words: Justification.” http://www.knowableword.com/2013/05/24/big-bible-words-justification/ (1st
December 2015).
[2] Williams, D.J. Paul’s
Metaphors: Their Context and Character. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1999), 146.
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