Apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.  (Romans 3:21-24)

The word translated ‘justify’ is δικαιόω dikaioo which is word taken from a legal setting, dike is ‘to be proved right’ or ‘to gain judicious approval’.  The word translated above as ‘righteousness’ as the noun based on the same root, δικαιοσύνη dikeaiosune.

The English ‘justify’ is therefore the verb and ‘righteousness’ the noun, but both refer to the same property and the same word in Greek; therefore, justify means to make (someone) righteous.  The fact we have two words in English for the same concept is simply because there is no verb form of ‘righteous’.

Furthermore, both words ‘justify’ and ‘righteousness’ are not commonly understood.  

First ‘righteousness’.  In Anglo Saxon this word was rihtwisnes, where riht is ‘right’, wis is wise, ‘in the manner of’ (as in clockwise) and nes is the suffix ‘ness’, which makes an adjective a noun, (as in worldly and worldliness).  In the context of the Gospel, righteousness is the quality of one’s rightness with God, the right-standing in respect by him, and that any are right by Him.  

Whereas ‘justify’ derives from the Latin, justus, via Old French justifiier and means ‘to do justice to’ and came to mean ‘to declare blameless’.

So the understanding from both words is any that are justified stand in can stand in God’s presence declared blameless, and this by Christ’s redemption.

Paul brings all this together in this crucial verse and well-known verse:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…(ibid 8:1)

The word for condemnation is κατάκριμα katakrimafrom kata ‘according to’ and krima the result of judgement, in other words the penalty or punishment that comes from a legal process.

It is the case then everyone will be called to account and will be judged.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

But whatever the balance of good or evil acts, as ‘all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory’, everyone will be found guilty. There is then only one final act, for the eternal judge to make, to ascribe the punishment.  Jesus who is that judge redeems the faithful by taking to and on himself the condemnation, but to those who denied him, they themselves must bear the punishment.

But it is also important to understand the double action of Christ’s redemptive act.  Firstly, he bears the punishment for others sin, but this in itself is not enough, for all remain guilty.  The second transaction of the cross is to be declared ‘right’ with God, to be made righteous.  This ‘double imputation’ (impute means to assign) happens when any are justified.

The process ‘justification’ is those a legal declaration, and this is the basis of law:

When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.  (Deuteronomy 25:1)

The ‘innocent’ are the just or righteous from the Hebrew צַדִיק tsaddiq and as Paul writes faith was always the requirement of righteousness.

 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ (Romans 4:2-3).

Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6 and the word again is a feminine noun of tsaddiq.

While the work of Jesus as the suffering Christ was mystery not revealed to Abraham, the process of justification, or being made righteous was.  Paul quotes a psalm of David to reinforce the point:

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit. (Psalm 32:1-2)

The law of righteousness a testified to in the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) and all can be justified.  The means is faith in God, however he is revealed, and God is made known to all men and women:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  (Romans 1:20)

So the understanding from both words is any that are justified stand in can stand in God’s presence declared blameless, and this by Christ’s redemption.

Paul brings all together in this crucial verse:

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…(ibid 8:1)

The word for condemnation is κατάκριμα katakrima from kata ‘according to’ and krima the result of judgement, in other words the penalty or punishment that comes from a legal process.

It is the case then everyone will be called to account and will be judged.

For God will bring every deed into judgment,
    including every hidden thing,
    whether it is good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:14)

But whatever the balance of good or evil acts, as ‘all have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory’, everyone will be found guilty. There is then only one final act, for the eternal judge to make, to ascribe the punishment.  Jesus who is that judge redeems the faithful by taking to and on himself the condemnation, but to those who denied him, they themselves must bear the punishment.

But it is also important to understand the double action of Christ’s redemptive act.  Firstly, he bears the punishment for others sin, but this in itself is not enough, for all remain guilty.  The second transaction of the cross is to be declared ‘right’ with God, to be made righteous.  This ‘double imputation’ (impute means to assign) happens when any are justified.

The process ‘justification’ is those a legal declaration, and this is the basis of law:

When people have a dispute, they are to take it to court and the judges will decide the case, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty.  (Deuteronomy 25:1)

The ‘innocent’ are the just or righteous from the Hebrew צַדִיק tsaddiq and as Paul writes faith was always the requirement of righteousness.

 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’ (Romans 4:2-3).

Paul quotes from Genesis 15:6 and the word again is a feminine noun of tsaddiq.

While the work of Jesus as the suffering Christ was mystery not revealed to Abraham, the process of justification, or being made righteous was.  Paul quotes a psalm of David to reinforce the point:

Blessed is the one
    whose transgressions are forgiven,
    whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
    whose sin the Lord does not count against them
    and in whose spirit is no deceit.(Psalm 32:1-2)

The law of righteousness a testified to in the Old Testament (the Law and the Prophets) and all can be justified.  The means is faith in God, however he is revealed, and God is made known to all men and women:

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities – his eternal power and divine nature – have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.  (Romans 1:20)

Thus the process of justification is universally available to all of humanity at any time, during any era or dispensation.  It is possible to be right with God through faith in him; but since God revealed himself in his anointed Son, the Gospel is now the means to salvation, as Paul declared:

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous (dikaios) will live by faith.’ (ibid 1:16-17)

Righteousness is represented as purity and the image of the New Testament is often white linen robes, and the justified are described wearing them:

…there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

‘Salvation belongs to our God,
who sits on the throne,
and to the Lamb.’ (Revelation 7:9-10)

This is are robes cleansed and made white by the blood of Lamb, that is Christ (ibid 19:14).