Gospel Guidebook: Getting and Keeping It Right 
The Fellowship of Justification by Faith
by Robert P. TerryUpdated July 16, 2026
Jesus Christ accomplished justification for the elect at the cross in His death. This justification is referred to as the righteousness of God and it is revealed to the elect through belief in the Gospel (Rom. 1:16-17, 3:21-26). This means that justification by faith is the righteousness of God shining through the face of Jesus Christ unto the elect to give them knowledge of what He has accomplished (2 Cor. 4:1-4:6). This fulfills the Psalms where it says, "They will come and will declare His righteousness...that He has performed it" and "They looked to Him and were radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed" and "For with Thee is the fountain of life; In Thy light we see light" (Ps. 22:31, 34:5, 36:9)
Moses' face shone with glory as he brought a law of condemnation and death to the people. It was a fading glory because it was a temporary means of leading the people to the glory of the divine name declared unto Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 33:17-34:9, Gal. 3:24). Because the people were unable to see beyond the letter of the law, the glory to which the law pointed was veiled and they became blind to the sheer mercy, grace, longsuffering, goodness, and truth that delivers sinners from condemnation and death. At God's appointed time, the divine name found its fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the realization of grace and truth (Ex. 34:6-7, John 1:17), and the glory of God now shines, unveiled, in the face of Christ in justification and life. As the elect look upon and bask in this glory revealed through belief in the Gospel, they come to reflect the same glory, and are changed into the same image from glory to glory. So, what we see is that there is only one justification, that which Christ accomplished at the cross, and this same justification shines onto the elect to give them knowledge of it through faith. This is the fellowship (or administration) of the mystery that the elect (whether Jew or Gentile) enjoy through the Gospel (Eph. 3:1-10). Justification by faith is having fellowship with the righteousness of God accomplished by Christ at the cross.