In his
article “Justification
and Sanctification,” Elder D. Todd Christofferson wrote (emphasis added):
Because of “the infinite virtue of His great
atoning sacrifice,” Jesus Christ can satisfy or “answer the ends of the law” on
our behalf. Pardon comes by the grace of Him who has satisfied the demands of
justice by His own suffering, “the just for the unjust, that he might bring us
to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). He removes our
condemnation without removing the law. We
are pardoned and placed in a condition of righteousness with Him. We become,
like Him, without sin.
We are sustained and protected by the law, by justice. We are, in a word,
justified.
Thus, we may appropriately speak of one who is justified as pardoned, without sin, or guiltless.
For example, “Whoso repenteth and is baptized in my name shall be filled; and
if he endureth to the end, behold, him will I hold guiltless before my Father
at that day when I shall stand to judge the world” (3 Ne. 27:16; emphasis
added).
One rather
appreciates the following from Christofferson as it shows that he recognises
that, while justification is, in part, a declaration of one being “just” or “righteous”
it is not a blasphemous legal
fiction where one is declared “just” without being “made” just—note how we are
said, at justification, to become
like Jesus and to be, again, like Jesus
is, without sin—such is not a mere
declaration; instead, it is a declaration based on an intrinsic reality as, in
justification, we are transformed
into being (truly) righteous.
For more
addressing justification, imputation, and related topics, see, for e.g.:
Response to a Recent Attempt to Defend Imputed Righteousness