Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig.

Today, the Doctrine of Salvation, Part 12.

For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We've been talking about the doctrine of salvation, and today we begin a new subsection on the doctrine of justification. The key

term in this section is of course the term to justify, which is the Greek word

dicayao. This means to put into a right relationship with God.

Justification is that act of God whereby he puts us into a right relationship with him.

However, Protestants and Catholics have traditionally had very different understandings of justification.

So let's look at some of the different views of justification.

Let's talk first about the view of the Protestant reformers.

The traditional Protestant Reformation understanding of justification about the view of the Protestant reformers.

The traditional Protestant Reformation understanding of justification is that justification is a

forensic term.

That is to say, it is a judicial act of God.

We are not made righteous in the sense that we suddenly become virtuous people, selfless,

and loving.

Rather, we are declared righteous.

Much as in a court of law, the jury might declare the accused not guilty.

Similarly, in justification, God declares us righteous, to be justified before him,

even if our immediate experience or moral character is not yet transformed into that new legal standing.

So, justification may be defined as that judicial act of God's free mercy, whereby he pronounces sinners condemned under the law,

guiltless, constitutes them as righteous once and for all in the righteousness of Christ,

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