Sin created a massive gulf between God and people. In his letter to the Romans, Paul conveyed the message that God did not consider sin lightly. The earliest Christians believed that they were “made right” with God through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ ( Romans 3:21-26 Romans 4:18-25 1 Corinthians 1:30 1 Corinthians 6:11 1 Timothy 3:16 1 Peter 3:18 ). The major difference is that, in the New Testament, God dealt with the sin of humankind by the highest and most intimate form of revelation, His Son Jesus Christ. New Testament The New Testament's posture, with respect to the idea of justification, is also dependent on the concrete activity of God. Anything less would greatly diminish the meaning of the term “justification.” Justification always requires obedience on the part of God's people, but justification also always requires judgment and restoration on the part of God. Even in the midst of Israel's rebellion, Hosea vividly portrayed God saying to them, “How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel?” ( Hosea 11:8 NIV). Balancing this view, the Hebrew conception of justice also included an important redemptive element.
The actions taken by God were not arbitrary rather, they are to be seen as actions resulting directly from a major disruption in the covenantal bond. This is how Hosea interpreted God's judgment upon sin and unfaithfulness to the covenant. God's perennial problem with Israel caused Him to act “justly,” that is, He had to render a judgment or He would be characterized as a bad judge. The names of his three children, Jezreel (God scatters), Lo-Ruhamah (not pitied), and Lo-Ammi (not my people) show the extent of the rebellion. Hosea's personal experience in marriage served also as a parable of God's relationship with Israel. Hosea provides the best example of this infidelity because it was personified in his life. This is why the Hebrew prophets strongly decried Israel's proclivity to prostitute themselves with foreign gods. Ironically, God's chosen people Israel continually displayed a bent toward rebellion which can best be rendered, in covenantal language, as infidelity more than immorality. The elemental sense in which the Old Testament employs the idea of “justifying” is best expressed in the phrase “proclaiming to be within the covenant relationship.” All of these references clearly reveal the nature of justification: it is something that God does. However, the verb, “to justify,” is found occasionally, often in the passive “to be justified,” pointing to some kind of agency involved in the action (see Job 11:2 Job 13:18 Job 25:4 Psalm 51:4 Psalm 143:2 Isaiah 43:9 ,Isaiah 43:9, 43:26 Isaiah 45:25 ). The search for the abstract noun “justification” in the Old Testament is fruitless. A person who fulfills the terms of the covenant relationship is called righteous. The covenant establishes the terms of the relationship. Similarly, righteousness is a term of relationship. It was a term of relationship encompassed by the concrete, dynamic action of God.
On the basis of this understanding, God accepted the response of Abraham's faith. The Hebrew word translated “credited” (or imputed or reckoned) originally described the important priestly task of endorsing the offerings presented to God ( Leviticus 7:18 Leviticus 17:4 Numbers 18:27 ). Therefore, to act righteously is to act in compliance with the covenant. The Old Testament teaches that to be righteous is to fulfill the conditions of the covenant relationship. Quite to the contrary, a condition was fulfilled on the part of Abraham, and subsequently on the part of God. Righteousness is not something Abraham possessed that prompted a reward from God. Genesis 15:6 captures this response: “Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness” (NIV). Abraham's response to this promise is the crux of the whole idea of justification in the Old as well as in the New Testament. Although advanced in years, Abraham was promised a child Isaac, through whom innumerable descendants would emerge. The only proper response to that call was faith. Effectually, Abraham was called to counteract the sin of Adam. God called Abraham and promised to make him into a great people ( Genesis 12:1-3 ). Justification is the remedy for the chief problem of sin which separates God and sinners. Justification is a term which explains how an individual enters into that relationship with God, contrasts the life of participants in that relationship with those outside, and outlines the obligations of that relationship. Old Testament In its simplest form, the cardinal theme of Scripture could be described as God's relationship with His people. Process by which an individual is brought into an unmerited, right relationship with a person, whether that relationship is established between people or with God.
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