There's more to it

Being forgiven and acquitted in no doubt important. Justification is a moment in salvation, but not necessarily the central motif. Since we have been forgiven, our eyes are on the goal of union with the love of God. Christian experience is more than a feeling of relief at having evaded divine retribution. Justification is a step along the road of salvation, but it points forward to transformation and union. It is not the principal article of all Christian doctrine, as Luther claimed. It captures a truth—the truth of God’s unmerited favor—but it cannot be the model of salvation as a whole. Being saved is more like falling in love with God.— Flame of Love, pages 155-156