What does 'justified by faith' really mean?

Les explains that faith is simply taking God at His Word—believing what He said, and that is all. Justification is that judicial act of God where the sovereign God in all His holiness and righteousness, the moment He sees the sinner believe the gospel, declares him justified, just as if he had never sinned. Les stresses this is hard to comprehend and none of us feel it. The Bible never uses the word 'feel' in this context; we are not supposed to feel justified or hammer away at people trying to feel something. We cannot figure it out in the human; instead, we rest on what God has said. He also notes that Scripture repeats this theme for emphasis, so it should not be taken lightly or glossed over.