What is the scriptural definition of justification?
Scriptural justification is God's judicial act whereby He declares a sinner who believes to be just, as if he had never sinned. It is not earned or deserved; it is given freely, without a cause, so that God sees the believer as righteous on the basis of faith.
Les explains that justification must be defined because words matter. To justify someone is to declare them just as if nothing had ever happened. In the scriptural realm, it is that judicial act of God whereby He declares the sinner who believes just as if he had never sinned. Les notes this is hard to swallow: once God justifies a person, God sees them as He saw Adam before the fall. This justification is freely, without a cause; God does not justify because we deserve it, but He justifies freely when we believe.