(Continued from page 77).
IN using the term justification it is important that we should have clear ideas of its scriptural import. In scripture the term is used to denote the acceptance of any one as righteous in the sight of God. It is an act of God as judge wherein He pardons all the sinner’s sins and accepts him as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by faith alone. To get at the true meaning of the term, the true course is to get at its meaning as used by the writers in the Bible. We find the scriptures speak of God and Christ being justified—the One by His judgements and the Other by His resurrection. The word here clearly means declared to be righteous. The controversy on the subject of justification between Romanists and Protestants has been waged round the meaning of this term for wellnigh 400 years—the Romanists affirming that to justify a person means to make him righteous while the Protestants affirmed that it means to declare him righteous. It is thus important that a clear view of the meaning of justify is essential if we are to have a correct view of the doctrine under discussion. At the same time it is very important as Dr. James Buchanan points out to stress the fact in the discussion of the doctrine as to whether the sinner is accepted on the ground of a righteousness vicarious and imputed or of a righteousness infused and inherent. “The real question at issue,” he says, “is, not whether justification be judicial or moral, for it must be judicial even when it rests on moral grounds, but whether a sinner is accepted on the ground of a righteousness vicarious and imputed, or of a righteousness infused and inherent? It may be added, that this being the point on which the discussion really turns, the question is not fully stated when it is asked whether the term signifies to ‘make righteous’ or to ‘account righteous;’ for all parties must be held to admit that, when a sinner is justified, he is, in some sense, both made and accounted righteous; and the real difference between them becomes apparent only when they proceed to explain in what way he is made righteous, and adjudged so to be. When the question is thus stated, justification must be regarded as involving a forensic or judicial sentence, on whatever ground it may be supposed to rest; and the two distinct alternatives are clearly presented to us—Justification by Christ’s vicarious righteousness imputed, or by man’s personal righteousness infused. Which of these alternatives is the true scriptural doctrine must be determined by a careful consideration of the evidence bearing on that precise point.” (The Doctrine of Justification, p. 288). The Romish teaching confuses two distinct doctrines—justification and sanctification. The Westminster Divines in the Larger Catechism show the difference between the two when they say: “Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputed the righteousness of Christ, in sanctification His spirit infuseth grace, and enableneth to the exercise thereof; in the former sin is pardoned, in the others it is subdued; the one doth equally free all believers from the avenging wrath of God and that perfectly in the life that they never fall into condemnation; the other is neither equal in all, nor in this life perfect in any, but growing up to perfection.”
We proceed now to deal with the important question of the immediate and only ground of justification. As our Shorter Catechism puts it—the sinner is pardoned all his sins and accepted as righteous in God’s sight only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by faith alone. The righteousness of Christ is not partially, but wholly imputed. Christ in His righteousness is not divided. In regard to the doctrine of imputation it is to be affirmed that it is a fact revealed by God and not a theory invented by man. The ground of the sinners justification being the righteousness of Christ imputed to him and received by faith alone it follows that it is altogether of grace. The Apostle says: “Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Roms. iii. 24). Again, he speaks of those “who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness.” (Eph. i. 7). The whole provision is traceable not to works of righteousness which the sinner wrought but to the free grace of God in planning this wonderful way of salvation and in sending His son to work out a righteousness adequate to meet the claims of divine justice to the very uttermost.
In scripture justification by grace is identified with justification by faith. This way of stating the doctrine shuts out works. It is of faith that it might be by grace (Roms. iv. 16). Writing to the Galatians the Apostle says: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal. ii. 16) and again in writing to Timothy he says:—”Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace” (II. Tim. i. 9). The scripture makes it abundantly clear that no sinner can be justified by his own works. While this is true the Reformers were careful to give prominence to sanctification and thus checked the tendency to Anti-nomianism. The good works of believers were acknowledged by the Reformers as acceptable to God though far from perfect but they denied that they in any way could form a ground for justification.
The faith by which a sinner is justified is the gift of God. While justified by faith we are not to understand that faith is the righteousness on account of which the sinner is justified. Protestant writers have generally held that faith is simply an instrumental means like the empty hand stretched forth to receive the offered gift. Sometimes the term “condition” has been applied to it as in the Larger Catechism in the sense that it is “The indispensable means merely in the order of the divine appointment of the attainment of an end, just as breathing is necessary for the support of life, while it is the air which really sustains it.”
In the Scripture doctrine of justification we have God’s answer to the great questions “How shall man be just with God?” and “How can God be just and justify the ungodly?” In the truth as set forth in this doctrine as presented in scripture the great problem is solved in a way at once glorifying to God and eternally satisfactory to the sinner’s conscience. It sheds a glory on the unsearchable riches of the way of salvation. Divine justice receives all its claims fully satisfied. Mercy finds a way to reach the sinner that does not ignore justice and all that justice stands for. Divine truth sees no flaw in the wonderful work from beginning to end. All the divine attributes are satisfied and with his eye upon such a glorious consummation the Apostle throws out the bold challenge: “Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect.” And without waiting for an answer he boldly counters every prospective challenger with the bold but irrefutable statement: “It is God that justifieth.” His work in the matter of the sinner’s justification is perfect and will bear the most searching scrutiny. It is a doctrine that is like a true life line to the sinner—doctrine which is like a beacon light to the preacher to which he may and ought to direct his hearers.
(To be continued).