Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 70
Question 70
What is justification?
Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them, and received by faith alone.
Scripture references for paragraph 1
Berean Standard Bible. Public domain text and source credits.
Romans 3:2222And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,
Romans 3:24-2524and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
Romans 4:55However, to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness.
2 Corinthians 5:1919that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
2 Corinthians 5:2121God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:22-2522And this righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no distinction,
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24and are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
25God presented Him as the atoning sacrifice through faith in His blood, in order to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance He had passed over the sins committed beforehand.
Romans 3:27-2827Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of works? No, but on that of faith.
28For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Titus 3:55He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.
Titus 3:77so that, having been justified by His grace, we would become heirs with the hope of eternal life.
Ephesians 1:77In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
Romans 4:6-86And David speaks likewise of the blessedness of the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
7“Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven, whose sins are covered.
8Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.”
Romans 5:17-1917For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive an abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
18So then, just as one trespass brought condemnation for all men, so also one act of righteousness brought justification and life for all men.
19For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Acts 10:4343All the prophets testify about Him that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name.”
Galatians 2:1616know that a man is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Philippians 3:99and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God on the basis of faith.
Source and edition
Westminster Larger Catechism. NonlinearFruit/Creeds.json, Unlicense. Creeds.json, English transcription
Unlicense. Source transcription.
Berean Blue opens December 1, 2026 for Bible reading, study, and research. View this work in the app preview.