“to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26).
Romans 3:26 highlights God’s just nature in speaking of Him as “…a God of justice” (GW). When we say that someone is “just,” we mean that he or she is acting in a manner that is appropriate and right. So, in declaring that God is just, we are saying that His conduct is always fair, impartial, and equitable.
But how do we know God is a just God? As an omnipotent being, God could simply cause us to believe anything He wished about His nature, and we, as mere mortals, would never suspect otherwise. Of course, that would call God’s just nature into question, but how would we know it? In light of this, how can we affirm God’s just nature with any degree of certainty?
To begin, it is important to note that God cannot overlook sin, because a just God is obligated to act against those who violate the law. The penalty for that violation fell upon Christ, for as we’re told in 2 Corinthians 5:21, “…He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Romans 3:26 follows with the end result of that process: “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (ESV). Therefore, we can say with certainty that God is just because His unwavering commitment to justice came at a verifiable cost: the life of His Son.
In executing this plan of salvation, God implemented a divine strategy that was consistent with His just nature while enabling Him to justify the unjust at the same time. First, God’s justice is perfectly satisfied because the penalty for sin has been paid. Next, He also justifies the unrighteous because a perfect substitute has given His life in their place.
Since Jesus’ sacrificial death satisfies the legal sentence associated with sin, those who place their faith in Him are acquitted of all charges and declared to be justified. God then imputes (or legally transfers) Christ’s righteousness to those who accept Him (Romans 4:5-8). So, justification does not ignore sinful conduct, for God’s wrath against sin was fully satisfied in Christ’s atoning death. Therefore, He is both “…just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” as we see here in Romans 3:26.