Galatians 2:16

"..know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."

'Justified' or 'justification' is a legal term that is use in courts to announce a guilty person to be acquitted on a crime. By the grace of God through repentance and faith in Christ, God the Father acquits all of our crimes and sins on Christ behalf, declaring us right and treating us right with him.

To justify is to announce a verdict that includes: pardon from the guilty from the penalty of sin, and the imputation of Christ's righteousness to the believers.

Devotional Notes:

On our previous parts we have already discussed about God's grace and we have already understand that we cannot buy our way towards salvation. We cannot gain our own salvation by works or by any kind of good deeds. Rather, we are called to repent and believe. Trusting only in the grace of God by accepting and believing Christ as our Lord and Savior in our lives. Once we put our faith in Christ, and surrendered our lives in Him, we can always be assured that we are already justified before the eyes of God. That our sins will be remembered no more. That our God in heaven had already adopted us as His adopted Son because of Christ. Our sins have been imputed to Christ on the cross, and those who put their faith in the risen Lord Jesus Christ have been already clothed with the righteousness of Christ. In the eyes of God we are already clean and He sees us not as enemies but as His son. The enmity between God and man will be finished when we put our faith in Christ and surrendering our lives in Him and only in Him.