"The Justified"

I wish I could say that there was an easy way to explain the difference between being 'Just' and being 'Justified', but I can not really find it. I thought I could explain it, like in one sentence or less, but much of the Bible is illustrating this point, and yet still many do not get it. One thing which I thought I had figured out, was that the one, 'Just', was for our standing with God before man. In other words; that because we are 'Just', we have an obligation to live a certain way, and to demonstrate what it means to walk by faith, because we are 'Just'. While the other, 'Justified', is for our standing with God, because of God, and in no way because of anything which we can do. This seemed to make a lot of sense, and really fit the illustration that I was working towards; but then, or should I say: 'But God' decided that I needed to learn a few things about how He is 'Just' in all His ways; and we are so clueless when it comes to understanding Him. The first thing I was instructed in was how the word 'Justified' in the Old Testament is the same word; while it is also the same word in the New Testament; and when I say the same word, I do not mean that the two words are the same, but rather, the word 'Justified' in each Book have the same definition for each and every occurrence. However, the two different Books have two different words for the word 'Justified'; besides the fact that one is Hebrew, and the other is Greek; they also put forth a different meaning. This really kind of threw off my assumption of what God was showing me; because there is a very important difference between these two words; just like there is a very important difference between the Old and the New Testaments. I guess I just got so carried away with my illustrations, that I forgot this one very important fact: Jesus!!! That's right; the Old Testament is a representation of the Old Covenant; while the New Testament is a representation of the New Covenant. While the Old Testament points towards Jesus Christ, and the redemption of man; the New Testament testifies of Jesus Christ, and how man has been redeemed already. The word for Justified in the Hebrew is 'Tsadheg'; which is a verb, and it means to be right (in a moral or forensic sense); to clear oneself; to cleanse; to be straight, just, true, upright, righteous; to be in the right; to justify, be justified; to obtain one's cause; to be restored; to be exonerated, be vindicated from wrongs; to declare righteous, make righteous; to absolve, acquit; to approve of; to speak the truth among disputants, to rationalize. Essentially, it is a legal term; and God is righteous and so are His laws; so, when injustice prevails, God is the One who sets things right; because man is not righteous at all in comparison with God, but God remains constantly righteous. In contrast; the word for Justified in the Greek is 'Dikaioo'; and this is no easy word to define, because the Hebrew word has with it about two paragraphs of definitions; yet the Greek word has over five pages of definitions; however, it must be clearly understood that in the New Testament, the verb 'Dikaioo', to justify, never means to make anyone righteous or to do away with his violation of the law, by himself bearing the condemnation and the imposed sentence. In the New Testament, man in his fallen condition can never do anything in order to pay for his sinfulness; because this price was paid for completely and in full, by Jesus Christ. There really is a very extreme contrast with these two different words, yet they both mean the same thing, just on different levels; one points towards man's ability to be cleansed as if he was standing before a judge and being justified; while the other removes the judgement of man, by placing it upon Jesus, which then provides man's cleansing through no work of his own. I am sorry if I have made this seem complicated, when it is really meant to be quite simple; however, there is really nothing simple about what Jesus has done for us, because when you get right down to it, we could never do it for ourselves!!! "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:19-21)