What is Atonement?

Definition

Justification is God's declaration that a sinner is righteous in His sight. It's like a courtroom scene where God is the judge. We are guilty of breaking God's law and deserve punishment, but God declares us "not guilty" and completely righteous because of Jesus. This isn't because we become perfect or do good works—it's because God credits Jesus's perfect life to our account, as if we lived it ourselves. At the same time, God takes away our sin and guilt. Justification happens the moment someone truly believes in Jesus—it's instant and complete, not something that happens slowly over time. We can't earn it, improve it, or lose it because it depends entirely on what Jesus did, not on what we do. Once God justifies someone, their legal standing before Him changes forever from condemned to accepted. God sees justified believers as perfectly righteous as Jesus Himself. This is a gift received through faith alone, not through following rules or doing religious activities.

Biblical Example

Abraham shows us justification in Genesis 15:6: "And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness." Abraham simply believed God, and God declared him righteous—not because of anything Abraham did, but because of his faith.