God’s justification takes place at the point of time at which a man believes. It is a once-for-all divine act, God’s final judgment, brought into the present. Once passed, God’s justifying sentence about the sinner is irrevocable. To say God justifies is to say God has issued a verdict of acquittal concerning the sinner. It is a legal pronouncement that forever excludes the sinner from receiving any punishment for the sins he has committed during his life. If justification settles the legal status