“Justified” in Scripture: The Meaning of δικαιόω in Orthodox Theology
Few words in the New Testament have caused as much debate as “justify” and “justification.” At the heart of this debate is the Greek verb δικαιόω (dikaióō), usually translated as “to justify.” But what does it really mean? Does it mean only that God “declares us righteous,” as some Protestant traditions teach, or does it also mean that God truly “makes us righteous”?
For Orthodox Christians, the meaning of δικαιόω is vital, because it shapes our whole understanding of salvation, grace, and the life in Christ.
The Roots of δικαιόω
The word δικαιόω comes from δίκη (dikē), meaning “justice,” “rightness,” or “righteousness.” In classical Greek and in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament), it has two main senses:
To declare righteous, to vindicate — a judicial or legal declaration that someone is in the right. For example, Deuteronomy 25:1 speaks of judges who “justify the righteous and condemn the wicked.”
To make righteous, to set right — a more dynamic and transformative meaning, where someone is brought into a state of righteousness. Isaiah 53:11 says: “My righteous servant shall justify many,” pointing to the work of the Messiah who not only declares but also heals and restores.
This dual sense is important, because it shows that δικαιόω is not limited to a courtroom metaphor. It can mean both recognising righteousness and effecting righteousness.
δικαιόω in the New Testament
When we come to the New Testament, both senses remain.
In Romans 3:28, Paul writes: “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Here, δικαιόω means that God acknowledges the believer’s faith as true righteousness, apart from ritual observances of the Law.
In Romans 5:1, Paul says: “Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Justification here leads not only to a verdict but to restored communion — “peace” with God.
In James 2:24, we read: “A person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Here δικαιόω clearly carries the sense of being shown to be righteous: works confirm and reveal the authenticity of faith.
Taken together, Paul and James do not contradict one another. Paul insists that faith, not the Law of Moses, is the basis of justification. James insists that genuine faith is never “alone,” but always accompanied by works of love.
The Fathers on δικαιόω
The Fathers of the Church, reading the New Testament in Greek, understood δικαιόω in its full richness.
St John Chrysostom explained: “By faith we have been freed from our sins, and have received righteousness and sanctification. But this is not apart from works, but in order to be accounted worthy of justification, we must also show forth a right life” (Homily on Galatians 2).
St Cyril of Alexandria wrote: “Faith is the root of all justification, the foundation of all sanctification; yet faith is made perfect by love and works of virtue” (Commentary on Galatians, PG 74:953).
St Maximus the Confessor insisted that “faith is the beginning of our salvation and the root of all good; but it is made active by love. For the work of faith is love, and the completion of love is the indwelling of God” (Philokalia, vol. 2).
For the Fathers, δικαιόω always implies transformation. God does not merely regard us as righteous externally; He actually makes us righteous by His grace, through faith active in love.
Orthodox Theology and δικαιόω
Modern Orthodox theologians have followed this same line. Georges Florovsky observed that justification is not only “acquittal” but “the restoration of man to communion with God… the new creation of man in Christ” (Bible, Church, Tradition, p. 105). Vladimir Lossky wrote: “The doctrine of justification by faith is inseparable from the doctrine of theosis. To be justified is to begin to be deified” (Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, p. 115).
Thus, when Paul writes, “It is God who justifies” (Romans 8:33), the Orthodox hear both a verdict and a healing. God declares us righteous and simultaneously makes us righteous by uniting us to Christ and filling us with the Holy Spirit.
Why the Meaning of δικαιόω Matters
If δικαιόω meant only “to declare righteous,” justification would be external — a change in God’s view of us, but not in what we actually are. Orthodoxy rejects this reduction. To be justified is not simply to have one’s record cleared, but to be restored, renewed, and healed.
This is why justification in the Orthodox vision cannot be separated from sanctification, deification, and the sacramental life. In Baptism we are “washed in regeneration” (Titus 3:5). In the Eucharist we are fed with the Body and Blood of Christ (John 6:51). In Confession we are healed (James 5:16). All of this is the ongoing reality of δικαίωσις (dikaiōsis, justification).
Conclusion
The Greek word δικαιόω (dikaióō) cannot be reduced to a single legal meaning. It embraces both God’s gracious act of declaring the believer righteous and His healing work of making the believer righteous in Christ. To be justified is to be set right with God — restored to communion, transformed by grace, and set on the path of theosis.
This is why Orthodoxy insists that justification is never by “faith alone,” but by faith that is alive with love, proven in works, and nourished by the sacraments. In the light of δικαιόω, justification is not only a past verdict but an ongoing journey into the life of the Kingdom.
Bibliography
Chrysostom, John. Homilies on Galatians. In Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, vol. 13. Edited by Philip Schaff. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989.
Cyril of Alexandria. Commentary on Galatians. PG 74. Paris: Migne, 1864.
Florovsky, Georges. Bible, Church, Tradition: An Eastern Orthodox View. Belmont, MA: Nordland, 1972.
Liddell, H. G., and Robert Scott. A Greek–English Lexicon. Revised and augmented by Sir Henry Stuart Jones. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996.
Lossky, Vladimir. The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church. Translated by members of the Fellowship of St Alban and St Sergius. Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1997.
Maximus the Confessor. Philokalia, vol. 2. Translated by G. E. H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and Kallistos Ware. London: Faber and Faber, 1981.
Romanides, John. The Ancestral Sin. Ridgewood, NJ: Zephyr, 2002.
Stăniloae, Dumitru. Orthodox Dogmatic Theology, vol. 2. Translated by Ioan Ionita and Robert Barringer. Brookline, MA: Holy Cross Orthodox Press, 2000.