The first thing for us to understand clearly is just what justification
is. It is at this point that many go astray in their study of this
great truth. There are two fundamentally different definitions of the
meaning of the words "justify" and "justification." The one definition
of Justify is, _to make righteous_, and of Justification, _the being
made righteous_. The other definition of "justify" is, _to reckon,
declare, or show to be righteous_, and of "justification," _the being
declared or reckoned righteous_. On these two different definitions
two different schools of thought depart from one another. Which is
the true definition? The way to settle the meaning of any word in the
Bible is by an examination of all the passages in which that word and
its derivatives is found. If any one will go through the Bible, the
Old Testament and the New, and carefully study all the passages in
which the word "justify" and its derivatives is found, he will discover
that _beyond a question, in Biblical usage, to "justify" means, not
to make righteous, but to reckon righteousness, declare righteous, or
show to be righteous. A man is justified before God when God reckons
him righteous._ This appears, for example, in the fourth chapter of
Romans, 2nd to 8th verses, R. V. +"For if Abraham was justified by
works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. For what saith
the scripture? And Abraham believed God and it was reckoned unto
him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh, the reward is not
reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but
believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for
righteousness even as David also pronounced blessing upon the man unto
whom God reckoneth righteousness apart from works, saying, blessed are
they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered, blessed
is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin."+ It is plain from
this passage, as from many other passages, that a man is justified when
God reckons him righteous, no matter what his principles of character
and of conduct may have been. We shall see later that justification
means more than mere forgiveness.