JUSTIFICATION by faith is a cardinal truth of divine revelation, and an article of the creed of what are called reformed churches, which on this point differ most materially from the teaching of the Church of Rome, which, confounding justification with practical righteousness, really denies the ground of the believer's standing before the throne of God, to be only and purely according to the merits of Christ's atoning death, and the value of His precious blood.
On this vital subject scripture gives no uncertain sound. We are justified instrumentally by, or through (δια) faith of Jesus Christ (Gal. 2:16; Rom. 3:30), and of faith (Rom. 5:1), that is, proceeding from, or arising out of, faith (ἐκ πίστεως), in contrast to justification from, or arising out of, works of law (ἐξ ἔργων νόμου). We are justified in virtue of (ἐν) Christ (Gal. 2:17; Acts 13:39), in contrast to justification in virtue of (ἐν) law. We are justified meritoriously in virtue of the blood of Christ (ἐν τῶ αἴματι αὐτοῦ). (Rom. 5:9.) And we are justified declaratively by, or from (a) works. (James 2:21.) Such are the statements of scripture as to the manner of justification. The reader may see these different forms in two verses of Gal. 2:16, 17; διὰ πίστεως, ἐκ πίστεως, and ἐν Χριστῶ, thus helping to point out their distinctive meaning. Then as to the time of justification, that is, on what it was dependent, we learn that the Lord Jesus Christ was delivered for our offenses, and raised for our justifying, or justification (διὰ τὴν δικαίωσιν ἡμῶν). (Rom. 4:25.) Our justification is here seen to be an act consequent on His resurrection. That was needed for souls to be justified.
Clear and definite is the teaching of scripture on this momentous subject. The Rev. Mr. Sadler, the rector of Honiton, has, however, written a book entitled, Justification of Life, in which he attempts to show that the New
Testament teaching of justification " in every epistle of St. Paul, and in those of St. Peter, and St. John, appears as justification of life, that is, not justification in the sense of mere imputation of the merits of the death of Christ, or of the righteousness of His previous life; but justification in the sense of God imparting to us a share in His Son's resurrection-life, to be in us will, and power, and grace to serve and love God." Again he writes, " The especial aim of the treatise is to show how God in Holy Scripture leads us to believe that justification is not a matter of mere imputation, but of the implanting within us of Christ's righteousness simultaneously." (Preface pp. 1, 10.) Mr. S. confounds justification with practical righteousness. He seeks to establish his point from scripture. To that we would appeal, and from it, as enabled by the Spirit of God, show what the teaching of the word really is. "Justification of life" is a scriptural statement (Rom. 5:18), but its application in this book is, we think it can be demonstrated, clearly unscriptural.
For centuries the true doctrine of justification by faith had been lost by the mass of Christians. At the Reformation it was through God's grace recovered, for the first action of the Spirit of God in the process of the recovering of truth was to bring out afresh from the word the doctrine, which witnesses to the all-sufficiency of the atoning death of Christ. Since that day how much of the truth has been recovered! Who teacheth like God? said Elihu. (Job 36:22.) How true! He teacheth wisely and well. And we see this in the order in which He has recovered His truth. First it was the gospel made plain, and foundation-truth as to the believer's standing made clear, and what he needs as a saint set forth. After that his associations as a member of the body of Christ, and of the church of God, and what is connected specially with church truth was once more ministered on earth in the assembly of the living God. Who can doubt, as they survey the order observed in this recovery of truth, that the Spirit of God was at work in this matter?
Now, of all the apostles, Paul is the only New Testament writer who dwells on justification by faith, as he is the first evangelist, of whom we read, who preached it, and that in words which must have sent a thrill of joy through the heart of every child of God who heard them in the synagogue at Antioch in Pisidia. " Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by [εν] [or, in virtue of] him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by [or, in virtue of] the law of Moses." (Acts 13:38,39.)
Here, at the outset of our inquiry, we observe a marked difference between the apostle's announcement and the doctrinal statements put forth by Mr. Sadler. He affirms that apostolic teaching sets justification forth as, in part at least, "the imparting to us a share in the resurrection-life of the Son of God, to be in us will, and power, and grace to serve and love God." Those at Antioch heard from Paul of justification from all charge of guilt. The difference between these two is immense. Apostolic preaching had reference on this point to the past acts of those addressed, and their freedom from the guilt of them, with a righteous title to stand before the throne through the sovereign grace of God. Mr. Sadler would tell his readers that justification has respect likewise to the condition, or state of the person, by which provision is made for him to serve God. St. Paul treats on this point of the believer's standing before the throne of God. Mr. Sadler would mix up with it the question of the believer's state and walk. Both lines of teaching, freedom from the guilt of sin, with which our standing is connected, and freedom from the power of sin, which has to do with our condition and walk, are essential parts of the gospel of God. But to mix them up is to distort and really to misrepresent the gospel.
In the Acts, the only canonical book which supplies us with samples of apostolic preaching, Peter and Paul are both introduced as preaching forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38; 10:43; 13:38, 39), Paul alone adding to that the announcement of justification. This last truth, then, is clearly different from, and more than that of, forgiveness of sins. Mr. Sadler quotes with approval from Dean Alford, that Paul in the Acts speaks of it as synonymous with forgiveness. (p. 48.) For centuries the true doctrine of justification of sins, and justification from all things, from which by the law they could not be justified, were not synonymous. Nor indeed are they. As forgiven, the believer is assured of freedom from the punishment he deserved. As justified, he knows that he has an unchallengeable standing before the throne of God. For if reckoned righteous by God, who can legitimately keep him out of God's presence? To be forgiven, and to be reckoned righteous, one would have supposed none could confound. As forgiven, the person owns he is not righteous. As justified, he learns that what he is not in himself, that God reckons him to be before the throne. The importance then of justification, in order to have peace with God, all may see, and the grace of it all understand. God thereby sets the guilty one, when believing, free in His presence from all fear of deserved punishment, because forgiven, and in the consciousness as well of the favor bestowed on him to stand in holy boldness and righteously before the throne. God reckons him righteous. Now the proper place of a righteous person is to stand before the throne of God.
But we must turn to the epistles of Paul to learn fully about justification. He declared it in Acts 13; he enters at length into the subject of it in the Epistle to the Romans. We have said that justification is more than forgiveness: the doctrine of the Epistle to the Romans makes that plain; for forgiveness, so clearly preached by both Peter and Paul, is not treated of in the Epistle to the Romans, though the primary and special teaching in it is about the gospel of God. Only twice is forgiveness noticed. In chapter iv. 7 we meet with it as part of the apostle's quotation from Psa. 32:1, but he does not dwell on that point, though he does on another part of that same quotation. Again in chapter 11: 27 we meet with it, where it comes in with reference to Israel in the future. The saints to whom Paul wrote knew of their forgiveness, yet he desired to preach to them the gospel (chap. 1:15); so he enters at length on the question of righteousness, and tells them about justification. Was it, we may ask, proof of divine prescience that Paul wrote on this subject to the saints in that city, which in after ages would become the center from which doctrine, subversive of this 'cardinal truth of the gospel, should be widely disseminated As true catholic and apostolic teaching?
Wrath of God from heaven has been revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18); and a day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to Paul's gospel (chap. 2:16), a day described as one of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds. (Chapter 2:5,6.) Hence arises the necessity for the gospel, if any one of Adam's race is now to be assured of immunity from condemnation. Whereupon the apostle enters on that subject, demonstrating that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, and therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified, for by the law is the knowledge of (ἐπίγνωσις) sin. (Chapter 3:9, 20) How then can any one hope to stand before the throne of God without being condemned? God can justify ungodly ones, is the glorious answer made to us in the gospel. And He is righteous in so doing, we learn from this epistle. Two questions are then taken up and settled. First how God can righteously justify ungodly ones; and second, how it is that guilty creatures can personally share in justification. The first of these questions is treated of in. Rom. 3:21-31, the second in Rom. 4
(To be continued.) C. E. S.