Overview
Justification is God's act of declaring sinners righteous through faith in Jesus Christ's substitutionary death and resurrection. The Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 affirmed that justification comes by grace through faith, not through observance of the Mosaic law. This truth liberated the early church and established that salvation is the free gift of God.
Key Scriptures
"Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin." (Romans 4:7-8, ESV)
"Peter said to them, 'Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.'" (Acts 15:7-9, ESV)
Application
Trust Christ's finished work for your acceptance before God rather than attempting to earn favor through personal effort or religious works.