WELS Topical Q&A: Sanctification and Justification, by Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, "Justification is God's act of declaring sinners not guilty or forgiven. God declares us not guilty because he declared Jesus guilty in our place. Justification takes place outside of us and involves a change in our status before God. Although we were guilty of sin, God has declared us not guilty. He has forgiven all our sins. Therefore our justification before God is full and complete."
WELS Topical Q&A: Sanctification and Justification, by Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, When the Holy Spirit creates faith in us, he renews in us the image of God so that through his power we produce good works. These good works are not meritorious but show the faith in our hearts（Ephesians 2:8-10, James 2:18）. Sanctification flows from justification.
Keller, Brian R., Believe it or not: You are forgiven through Christ![永久失效連結], , "Once again, reconciliation is a past, objective fact（Gk: Aorist passive participle）. It happened. It's finished. It's done. It's true..."Justified" describes a legal relationship to God of being declared, "not guilty." "Reconciled" describes a complete change in status before God. We were God's enemies at the time, as verse 10 reveals, but we are not God's enemies any longer. We were reconciled by the "death of his Son." Jesus's atoning death removed the barrier of sin that separated sinners from holy God."
