Imagine that you are under an unmanageable weight of financial debt that you are unable to support, and because of this you are driven further into despair simply by waking up.

Now image two things happening…

1. Some stranger paying off all of your creditors in full, rendering you debt free.
2. That stranger then deposits $10,000,000 in your savings account, making you rich.

Do you see the difference between these two? The first one declares you debt-free and forgiven, however, you are still broke!

But the second one not only declares you forgiven from the debt-removal, it then declares you rich!

In the same way, God doesn’t just forgive you (thereby making you debt-free), he also deposits to your spiritual account the wealth of Christ’s righteous performance, making you approved in his sight! This is exactly what Paul was saying to the Corinthians…

You know how full of love and kindness our Lord Jesus Christ was. Though he was very rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich. - 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NLT)

Justification then is this:  Jesus is given the wrath that you deserved for screwing up, so that you could be given the blessings that He deserved for being perfect.

Enjoy.