The Doctrine of Justification

A Huge Problem!
In Romans chapter three verse nine, the apostle Paul stated that all people, that is, both Jews and non-Jews, are sinners. In verses ten through eighteen, he demonstrated that point by appealing to six different passages from the Bible. Two of the passages Paul referenced are Psalm Fourteen, which specifically speaks of Gentiles, and chapter fifty-nine from the book of Isaiah, which specifically speaks of Jews. These passages describe both groups of people as being in a condition of sin.

Verses nineteen and twenty of Romans three are the conclusion of a line of argumentation that Paul began in Romans one and verse eighteen. Jews are the only people under Law, in the sense that they were given the Law directly. Yet, as Romans 2:14-15 shows, Gentiles have the Law written in their heart in that they have a God-given conscience by which God testifies to them the same principles that were given to the Jews in written form. Since no Jew has ever done perfectly, both in heart and behavior, all things written in the Law, and no Gentile has ever lived without violating their conscience, both groups have violated God’s Holy Law. This means both groups are guilty beyond defense before God the Judge (19 and 20). They are law breakers. Therefore, Paul’s conclusion is that the Law (of Exodus 20), given in writing or testified to the average person through conscience, shows that no one is “justified” (righteous) in the sight of God. Everyone is a guilty law breaker from the heart. The principles of the Law show people how far off the mark they are from the inside out, when it comes to being the type of people God wants them to be, that they need to be. As Paul put it, “…by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin” (emphasis added).[1]

What Can We Do?
According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek term translated “justified” in English means to “regard as innocent.”[2] Given the statement of Paul in Romans chapter three verse ten this definition raises a very serious question. If, from God’s perspective, no one will be regarded as “innocent” through performing the spiritual principles described in the Law, then how does a person become just in God’s sight? If Jewish sinners cannot attain good standing before God through observing the written Law, and non Jews can’t do it through the strict following of conscience, how can anyone become viewed as just and innocent before the Holy God?

A Gift of Righteousness
In Romans 3:21-22, Paul explained how a person can be considered righteous in God’s view, and be accepted by Him. He wrote, “But now, apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe, for there is no distinction.” What God is saying to people here, is that the righteousness of God, which is understood to be absolute moral perfection as pictured in the Law and prophets, is what a sinner needs to be just. This righteousness of God is credited to them like a bank transaction when they put their faith in Jesus Christ. God’s own righteousness is made available for all people who will put their faith in Jesus Christ! It is credited to the believer apart from good behavior; it isn’t earned in any way! Whoever receives God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus is justified, or innocent, from God’s perspective. They’re accepted by Him. They’re not righteous practically, in the sense that they stop sinning; they’re regarded as righteous in a positional sense before God. Christians still sin at times, but God only sees in them the righteous life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This concept is exactly what Paul calls being “justified” in verse twenty-four of Romans three.
In Romans 3:26-27, Paul explained for whom, and how, the righteousness of God is made available to a person. His righteousness is made available for any sinner (23), as a gift from God, by His grace (24). It is provided on the basis of the redemptive, wrath satisfying (25) sacrifice of Jesus Christ, through the shedding of His blood on the cross. From the moment a person believes that Jesus bore the cross for their sin, God credits them with His righteousness, forgives them, and accepts them as His own children.

A Just and Justifying God
When God calls the one who has faith in Jesus Christ just, He can do this and remain absolutely just Himself. This is because Christ’s sacrifice on the cross sufficiently satisfies the due penalty of God’s righteous Law, which is death, on behalf of the believing sinner. As Paul put it, because of Christ’s work on the cross, in calling the person who has faith in Jesus, “just,” God can now be both, “just, and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (verse 26). If Christ had not died on the cross in the place of the sinner, God would be unjust in forgiving them, because He would be overlooking the requirements of the Law. The penalty of the Law wouldn’t be satisfied without Christ’s death. Because Jesus voluntarily died for the world’s sin, God has the best of both worlds; He can forgive people who put their faith in Christ, while not overlooking the just requirements of the Law. He’s merciful and Just; He is just and the Justifier!

No Pride Possible!
In verses twenty-seven through thirty-one of Romans three, Paul drew some logical conclusions from his teaching on justification. He pointed out that since justification is achieved through faith in Jesus Christ, and not by works, no person should get prideful if they are justified. Because their justification is made available to them only by grace, as a free gift, in spite of who they are, no justified person has “bragging rights.” People have no hope apart from God’s unearned grace. If His grace, His unmerited favor, is all that saves a person, it would be ridiculous for them to take pride in themselves for their salvation. The fact of their forgiveness, and acceptance by God, has nothing to do with any supposed inherent goodness in the individual. Self pride becomes impossible for the person who really understands their hopelessness, and helplessness, apart from God’s grace working in their life.

What Is the Law for?
After clarifying the doctrine of justification and its appropriation through faith, Paul also pointed out the proper use of the Law. The Law was given to lead people to an understanding of their need for Jesus. It was given to bring them, crying out in justifying faith, for the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross to stand between them and the wrath of God. Paul wrote in Galatians 3:24, “Therefore, the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” People are supposed to look at God’s law, recognize their inability to obey it from the inside out, and get scared knowing they deserve death for breaking God’s Law. God wants to bring them to this place so they will cry out wanting to know how to be spared.
In steps Jesus! He fulfilled the requirements of God’s law, from the inside out, for the people of the world. He lived the life sinners could never live on their behalf. He became the perfect sacrifice they could never be. He stepped in and took the penalty of God’s Law for the lawbreakers. The Holy Spirit teaches this to the person who is afraid of wrath because they see their sin, and enables them to accept that Jesus can save them. When they believe these things, and accept them, God justifies them. But this all begins with a person understanding their sin condition, from reflecting on the standard of God’s law. The law is given to lead people to Christ.

What Does Rome Say?
The Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament words defines the concept of justification in Romans three as, “…the legal and formal acquittal from guilt by God as Judge, the pronouncement of the sinner as righteous who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This assessment of justification is consistent with the findings of the above study of Romans three. This is the Protestant view of the doctrine of justification.
Whereas those historically called Protestants see justification as the act by which God declares a sinner just because of their faith in Jesus Christ, Catholics see justification in a different light. In Catholic teaching, justification is the process by which one becomes more Christ-like, through a synergistic working relationship between God’s gracious assistance and human will-power. They believe this process begins when a sinner believes in Jesus Christ. They believe the process never actually ends, even after death, and that through it the believer is infused with the actual righteousness of God, instead of being credited with His righteousness.[3] They don’t see justification as a forensic declaration. They also believe that the believer can lose their status of justification if they do not do enough good works. This is a logical conclusion flowing from the belief that justification is a synergistic process between man and God.
This is clearly different than the Protestant, Evangelical, and biblical teaching on the doctrine of justification. The Roman Catholic view of Justification is similar to the Protestant teaching on sanctification. Sanctification is a term which describes a process that ensues after justification in Protestant theology. Sanctification could be defined as the process through which the believer is saved from the power of sin in their life, by the enabling power of the Holy Spirit. It is through sanctification that the believer is conformed practically into the image, or character of Christ. This is taught in Romans eight among other places. However, even this process is clearly not what Catholics believe regarding justification, and therefore should not be viewed as the same doctrine with a different title.

Where Do Works Fit In?
At this point the seeming contradiction between Romans 4:1-5, and James 2:21, will be reconciled. In Romans 4:1-5 Paul solidifies his argument that a person is justified, or credited righteousness by God, based on their faith in Christ alone. To do so, he demonstrated that it was always God’s plan to justify people by faith, by looking back at Abraham’s justification in the book of Genesis. Paul applies Genesis 15:6 which reads, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness,” Paul gave his conclusion in 4:5 that, “…to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” Paul’s point is that righteous standing before God is achieved through faith alone apart from works, which is demonstrated even in the life of Abraham in the Old Testament!
On the other hand, in James 2:21, the Lord’s brother asks, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” Here in lies the confusion. What is the solution to these seemingly contradictory statements? It is moderately simple. Paul was describing what a person must have to be seen as righteous by God, and that is faith in Christ alone. James was describing what the manifestation of justifying faith will be in real life, which is good works. Real faith in Christ will produce life change, at least in a moderate way. Paul explains that faith alone justifies from God’s perspective; James explains how people will know when a person possesses the kind of justifying faith that Paul wrote about, from the human stand-point.
This is what John MacArthur was getting at in this comment on James 2:21: “Abraham’s offering of Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith and the reality of his justification before God.”[4] Good works in the life of the believer in Christ do the same thing; they demonstrate the authenticity of their faith and alleged born again experience. This is obvious, given the greater context in James 2, particularly in verse 18 where James wrote, “…I will show you my faith by my works.” James is not teaching that a person is justified by faith plus works. What James is saying, is that true justifying faith is living, and that justifying faith will manifest itself in works toward others. This is how people will know if professing a Christian truly possesses the justifying faith Paul wrote about in Romans three. The person of faith acts on their faith. Their faith is much more than just mere intellectual submission to some facts; it is life changing. As it has been said, when Paul’s and James’ teachings are taken together, the Christian understands that, “you are saved through faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” Works follow biblical, saving faith.

Summary and Conclusion
So, a person is justified by faith in the work of Jesus Christ on the cross alone. Yet, as James’ teaches, it should be obvious that a person possesses authentic justifying faith in Jesus Christ to anyone who observes their behavior. The faithful will be people who engage in service to others, just as they have been served by their Lord on the cross of Calvary. They will not merely have the ability to regurgitate historical and theological facts, but will live like Jesus. Their faith will not be dead orthodoxy, or intellectualism. Paul’s and James’ teaching do not contradict each other, but clearly supplement each other. Both teachings are vital. Paul’s saves people from thinking they can, or must, work for their salvation; James’ challenges people not to think they can claim faith in Christ, live in willful sin and rebellion, and never question their salvation experience. James protects us from having a lip service faith.

Now I will give some personal application that I have gleaned from doing this study. One area studying this doctrine has affected my life is my personal relationships. Meditating on the fact that God credits me as righteous, apart from any inherent good in me, makes me want to treat those around me with more patience. I need to do this whether I feel like they deserve it or not. If God treated me the way I treat my wife or my mother sometimes, I wouldn’t be saved!
Let me give an example of how God has used these truths in everyday life. One morning I misread the outside of an envelope on my kitchen table. I thought it said, “Dear Melissa.” Given the fact that Melissa is the name of a missionary my wife and I support, I asked my wife if she was sending our missionary friend a card. In a mild tone of impatience my wife informed me that I had misread the outside of the envelope which really said, “Don and Melissa.” These people are two other friends of ours who were recently married and the envelope actually contained a congratulations card for them. The note wasn’t to our missionary friend at all.
I didn’t mind my wife explaining that I had misread the heading of the note, what bugged me was the impatient attitude with which she said it. My first reaction was to start giving her attitude back. I started saying stuff like, “you don’t have to be so self-righteous you know!” I was really feeling sorry for myself. Then the Spirit of Christ lovingly let me have it! He said, “Kellen, I’m God and have justified and love you in spite of yourself. When you had nothing to bring to the table, I declared you righteous. Further, I have called you to love your wife the way that I love you. What right do you have to not love your wife when she seems unlovable, when you who are inherently unlovable have been loved so much by Me?” I got the point, repented, and immediately changed my attitude and began seeking restoration over me and my wife’s little issue.
This is just one small yet practical way reflecting on my own personal justification before God has helped me be more loving like Jesus lately. It is now my desire and prayer that God will enable me to think more often on my own justification to enable me to live honorably for Christ in all of my relationships. When my justification hits me in the heart, I’m much more victorious in living for His glory, others’ benefit, and my own well-being. The more I don’t feel like having mercy on others, the less I’m remembering how in need of God’s justifying grace I am.

















Bibliography
Catechism of the Catholic Church. New York, New York: Doubleday Publishing, 1997.
MacArthur, John F. Jr. The MacArthur Study Bible. Nashville, Tenness: Word Publishing, 1997.
Enhanced Strong’s Exhaustive Greek Dictionary and Concordance. PC Bible Study 5, BibleSoft.
[1] Romans 3:20 NASB
[2] Enhanced Strong’s Exhaustive Greek Dictionary and Concordance, PC Study Bible, BibleSoft
[3] Catechism of the Catholic Church, p 536
[4] MacArthur, The MacArther Study Bible, p. 1930