The Basics of UOJ
First things first.  UOJ stands for Universal Objective Justification.  Each word is very important. Let’s look at each term individually:

Universal
The universal aspect of UOJ refers to the fact that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was for all people, of all time…it’s (get this…) universal.  So too, according to the teaching of UOJ, God has justified the whole world (all people, for all time…everybody…not one single person left out), through the “once-for-all” sacrifice of Christ.

Objective
The objective aspect of UOJ refers to (now, don’t over think this just yet) the concept that the universality of God’s justification is true, even if some people don’t believe it.  Put another way, according to the doctrine of UOJ, all people (the whole world, every single person…well, hopefully you’ve got that part by now) have been justified whether or not anyone is aware of it, understands it, or believes it.  It is said to be objectively true, even if you don’t know about it.  One might say, “It’s not true when or because you believe it, rather you should believe it because it is true.”

Justification
Justification simply refers to God’s formal (if you will) legal declaration that a sinner has been found “not guilty” in the eyes of God.  This is not because a person is without sin, but because each and every sin has been accounted for, by way of Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice on the cross.

UOJ in a Nutshell
When we put all three of these terms together, what we end up with is this: All people for all time have been legally declared, “not guilty,” not because each one is without sin (or because their sin does not matter), but because Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was fully sufficient and therefore no one during his lifetime (this side of eternity) is legally held accountable for his wrongdoings in the eyes of God (more on this in a moment).

In other words, UOJ teaches us that according to God’s courtroom judgement, justice has been served and therefore, all have been found “not guilty.”

Once again, UOJ states clearly that this is objectively true, even if no one believes it.  In other words, this universal justification is not dependent upon faith.  This legal declaration is said to be true with or without faith.

I know, I know, I can practically hear (through your internet connection) all of the objections being raised.  What about faith?  Doesn’t the Bible teach justification by faith?  Wasn’t the Reformation all about justification by faith A-L-O-N-E!

Well, before we can rightly move on from here, there is one more very important word which gets added to the UOJ mix…the word, “subjective.”

The Subjective Aspect of UOJ
Understood correctly, UOJ teaches us that even though God’s declaration of “not guilty” applies to all people of all time, even if they do not believe it (or are even aware of it), no one receives the benefit of this declaration unless he “apprehends” it through saving faith.  This is known as Subjective Justification.

We might think of it this way, UOJ teaches that all (each and every one) are objectively justified with or without faith, but each one is subjectively (personally) justified only through faith. Therefore (though not in this lifetime, as mentioned above), the unbeliever will be held accountable for his sin in eternity (the next “life”).

Confused?

Hold on, there’s more.  Unfortunately, things may seem to get a bit worse before they get better. But, hang in there, I’ve done my very best to keep the complicated nature of the topic as simple as possible and  (I hope) you will find much clarity in all I have included, particularly when we look at the God Says section of the site. But, we’re not quite there yet. Stay with me.

Ready? Here we go.