The Doctrine of Justification

This research paper was written as part of a class assignment in my study of the Bible Book of Romans at Calvary Chapel Bible College:

Salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone is the unique concept that separates Christianity from all other religions. Beginning in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve tried to cover their nakedness using fig leaves (by their own effort); God showed them that their works could not cover their sin. He made clothing of animal skins to cover the nakedness of Adam and Eve. In this act we see that God is the prime mover in the salvation process. In systematic theology the doctrines pertaining to salvation are referred to as soteriology.

Within the field of soteriology we can discover God’s overall plan of salvation for mankind. This study includes the concepts of election, conversion, justification, regeneration, union with Christ, adoption into God’s family, the sanctification process, the perseverance of the saints and the means of grace. In this paper we will primarily look at the doctrine of justification.

Justification comes from the root word “just” which means to be morally right, within the bounds of the law or proper in nature. “Justify” means to declare to be free of blame or to absolve. It carries with it the idea of there being a legally sufficient reason for this declaration. The dictionary definition of justification is: “the act of justifying … the condition or fact of being justified” and it also may mean “a fact or circumstance that justifies.”

From a Protestant Reformed Christian theological perspective, justification may be defined as: “that act of God whereby he declares righteous him who believes in Christ.” Baker’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology states: “Justification is the declaring of a person to be just or righteous. It is a legal term signifying acquittal…” The Tyndale Bible Dictionary states that justification is: “The act of God in bringing sinners into a new covenant relationship with himself through the forgiveness of sins. It is a declarative act of God by which he establishes persons as righteous—that is, in right and true relationship to himself.”

Justification consists of two primary elements. First there is the forgiveness of sin and the removal of sin’s guilt and also the elimination of the eternal punishment for a believer’s sin. In addition God imputes to the justified believer the righteousness of Jesus Christ and restores him or her back into God’s favor.

Many theologians, bible teachers and pastors have tried to develop a workable illustration for the concept of justification. Perhaps the best illustration I have discovered is that of a judge pronouncing a verdict of: “Not guilty!” Justification is not something that a man or woman does, or even can do for him or herself. It is a legal statement made about an individual by God. God, the judge, declares that, in His eyes, we are not guilty of our sins. Our slate has been wiped clean just as if we had never committed a sin. But, in addition to the judge pronouncing the sinner as innocent, God also gives us something positive. He pays our fine and He also puts His unlimited resources (His righteousness and His grace) in our account.

In Romans 3:24 Paul tells us that those who believe in Jesus Christ are “justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” Later on, in the fourth chapter of Romans, he says that righteousness is “imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification.”

The Greek word that is translated “justification” in Romans 4:25 and Romans 5:18 is “dikaiosis.” According to Strong’s Concordance the meaning of “dikaiosis” is “the act of God declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to him.” An alternative meaning is: “abjuring (as with an oath) to be righteous, justification.” The Greek word “dikaiosis” is derived from “dikaioo” which comes from the root Greek word “dike.”

Dike (or Dice) was a Greek goddess. She was one of the goddesses of the seasons of the year and also one of the keepers of the entrance to heaven. Specifically Dike was seen by the Greeks as representing “justice, fair judgments and the rights established by custom and law.” The noun “dikaiosis” (justification) occurs only twice in the New Testament, but the Greek word “dike” and its derivatives are used more than 200 times. In addition to the English word “justification,” the Greek word “dike” and its related forms are also translated as: justify, be freed, be righteous, justifier, righteous, just, right, righteousness, ordinance and judgment.

The concept of justification can be seen as a legal decree or as a declaration that someone is righteous or just. But justification can also be viewed as an act that shows someone to be right or just. As with all Bible interpretation it is extremely important to derive the meaning of a word with reference to its overall context.

There are widely divergent views within the religious world as to how one achieves justification. The most prominent general concept is that a person needs to somehow be “good” and that, if their good deeds outweigh the bad, then they should be accepted into heaven. But that is not the literal Biblical basis for justification. In Romans we are told that “a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”

In his book “The Gospel According to Grace,” Pastor Chuck Smith remarks: “No one can be justified by the Law of Moses, the Ten Commandments. We’re already guilty before we even start. The law wasn’t given to justify us, but to expose our innate sinfulness. It reveals the fact that the whole world is guilty before God…The Law condemns all of us, and it points all of us to the only hope of salvation that we have – the grace and mercy of God and the forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ.”

Catholics and Protestants have debated the issue of salvation and justification by grace alone versus the idea of justification by faith plus works. This was one of the major issues that sparked the Protestant Reformation. Catholics rely on baptism, communion, attending mass, confession of their sins to a priest and reciting certain prayers as an addition to their faith. The official position of the Roman Catholic Church is:

“If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.” The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “…baptism is necessary for salvation…” So it is quite clear that, at the very least, Roman Catholics believe that works must be added to faith for a person to be justified before God.

The Reformed Protestant position on salvation is that a person is immediately justified or declared to be righteous in God’s eyes at the moment of belief in the Gospel message. Works are not part of the Evangelical Christian salvation and justification equation.

The debate on the faith and works issue arises primarily from the interpretation of two key portions of Scripture. Throughout his writings the Apostle Paul is very clear that salvation and justification are attained by faith alone and that they are not the result of works. James, on the other hand, seems to teach that works are required for justification.

To make his point about justification by faith alone Paul uses the example of Abraham. In Romans Chapter 4 he states: “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness…”

But James also uses Abraham to illustrate his contention that justification is through works. In Chapter 2 of his epistle he states: “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?”

There is no doubt that, at first glance, these statements contradict each other. Martin Luther was so perplexed by this apparent contradiction that he chose to pretty much ignore James in building his theology of salvation by faith alone. He called the Book of James an epistle of “straw” and also said: “…I do not regard it as the writing of an apostle…”

The issue here, however, is not a difference in theology but a difference in viewpoint. Paul is looking at justification from God’s perspective while James is looking at the situation from man’s point of view. Both Paul and James use the same Greek work for “justified” in these two passages of Scripture and rightly so because the Greek language allows that this word has two different possible meanings. The meaning in a particular passage must be derived from the overall context.

C. S. Lewis says that “the outer world is quite right to judge Christianity by its results. Christ told us to judge by results. A tree is known by its fruit; or, as we say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.” As humans we cannot see forgiveness, we cannot see imputed righteousness, we cannot see justification. What we can see are the effects of the work of the Holy Spirit in an individual’s life. James does not contradict Paul. He contrasts intellectual knowledge with true saving faith. Mere acknowledgement of a set of historical facts will not save anyone and James says that this type of faith is “dead.”

Jesus spoke of this dichotomy when he was talking with Nicodemus. He said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus was confused by this statement and he asked Jesus: “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?” As a Pharisee Nicodemus wanted to follow God but he had been blinded by the traditions of men.

Jesus was looking at a spiritual rebirth and Nicodemus was thinking in the material realm. Jesus then gave a classic response that describes how human beings can have evidence in the material realm about what is happening behind the scenes in the spiritual world. He said: “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Jesus was telling Nicodemus, and us as well, that a man who truly has faith and who is truly saved will demonstrate his justification through his actions.

What then is the Biblical process and how is justification achieved? The Bible tells us: “…if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” We also learn from Scripture that we have been “…justified by His blood…” and this statement refers to the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross of Calvary. In addition the Bible says that a man is “justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” Also, we are told that as believers we are “…justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…”

How do a man’s works relate to salvation? Paul clears up the controversy in the Book of Ephesians. He tells us: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; [it is] the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

The fog has lifted and the concept is now clear. Justification is not a result of the works of the Law, it is by the grace of God, it is by the blood of Christ and it is by faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work at Calvary. However, when a person is saved and justified he is new creation and his actions will show evidence of what has already happened on the inside in his or her heart. The only “works” that are required by God that are related to justification are described by Jesus. He said: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

In summation of what we have learned: justification is a judicial act of God in which the believer is declared to be righteous. The Greek words used for justified and justification have two related and yet slightly different meanings. When Paul speaks of being justified he is looking at it from God’s perspective where believers are seen to be righteous. When James speaks of justification he is looking at it from man’s viewpoint. There should be evidence in a believer’s life that justification has taken place. If there is no evidence then it is questionable that faith, belief, salvation and justification have occurred. The Catholic viewpoint on justification is that faith alone is not sufficient and that faith must be coupled with works, but this position is not Biblical. The Reformed Protestant position is that works are not required and that faith alone is sufficient to justify the believer. Justification is achieved by faith alone, through God’s grace alone in Jesus Christ alone.

What are the results of justification and how can I, as an individual Christian, make application of the Bible truths about salvation in my daily life? As I read about the history of the Church and the development of various theological doctrines several thoughts come to mind which I have applied in my approach to Bible study. The first is to recall the words of Paul as he spoke to the elders of the church at Ephesus: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.”

It is very important for me to study the entire Bible. I grew up going to Sunday School at the Christian Science church. Christian Scientists engage in “cut and paste” theology. They will only read a portion of a verse and then a portion of another verse and then put together a false concept of God, man and Jesus. After I became a true Christian it took me several years of consistent study to flush this false theology out of my system.

Another area of application is that I must keep God’s promises in mind each and every day. I am a new creation in Christ and I need to act that way. I have been forgiven and, since God has forgiven me, I need to be careful not to condemn myself when I stumble. I have been restored back into God’s favor and I need to respond in love by serving God and others. I plan to continue to serve my church as a teacher and in the area of outreach. I plan to continue to serve my community as a member of our festival planning committee.

As a believer in Jesus Christ I have been given the righteousness of Jesus Christ as a free gift. But it is my responsibility to make righteous decisions every moment. I am enabled to do this through the power of the Holy Spirit. Titus tells us that “having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”

I have been assured of my future glorification. There is a place in Heaven that has been reserved for me. This life on planet earth has been given to me as a time of preparation for my eternal future in Heaven with Jesus. Because of this I need to have regular time in God’s Word and in personal communion with Him. I need to live each day looking for the Lord’s soon return. I need to be like the Bereans who "received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

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