Justification

In previous essays we considered the subject of justification as it
related to the covenant of redemption. This justification established
our righteous standing before God. It was brought about by the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus and by God's free and abounding
grace. Rom. 3:23, 24 states this principle thus: "For all have sinned,
and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

There is more to the subject of justification than just being justified
from our sins before God. If we do not follow the biblical rule of II
Tim. 2:15, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth," then we
will become hopelessly confused and think the scriptures to be
contradictory.

The scriptures teach justification through the blood atonement of Jesus
Christ by the free grace of God. The scriptures also teach that we are
justified by faith without works. Also the scriptures teach that we are
justified by works. Supporting verses for these last two principles are
as follows:

1. Rom. 5:1 "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. James 2:21, 22 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works,
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith
wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.
3. Rom. 3:19, 20 "Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by
the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for
by the law is the knowledge of sin."

While there may appear to be contradictions in the scripture, there are
no real contradictions. When we make the proper application of the
scriptures they will all harmonize. How do we harmonize what appears to
many to be contradictions on the subject of justification? Are we
justified by God's free grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus
alone without any exercise of faith on our part or good works on our
part? The answer is yes. Are we also justified by our activity of
faith without works? Again the answer is yes. Are we justified by
works? Again the answer is yes.

In the next few essays we will attempt to clarify the subject of
justification and show the harmony in what on the surface appears to
many to be contradictions.

One of the keys to understanding the subject of justification is to
understand the meaning and use of the word itself. The word justify
means to make or declare righteous. It is a court room term. It is
generally used in connection with legal proceedings. For instance, when
a person is tried in a criminal court on accusations of committing a
crime and he is acquitted by the verdict of not guilty, then he is
justified. The word is used in the scriptures to mean the opposite of
condemned or condemnation. Thus when you are tried you are either
justified or condemned.

To understand how that in one instance we are justified by the blood of
Jesus by God's free grace without works or faith on the part of those
justified and in another instance we are justified by faith without
works and in a third instance we are justified by works, we need to know
where the trial takes place and what we are being tried for.

There are three court rooms in the scriptures in which the term
justification is used. There is the court room of heaven. There is the
court room of our heart and mind. And there is the court room of men's
opinions. In the next few essays we will attempt to show how that in
the court room of heaven we are justified by the blood of Christ by
God's free grace alone. Then we will attempt to show how that in the
court room of our heart and mind we are justified by faith in the
atoning work of Christ without our works. Afterwards we will attempt to
show how that we are justified by works in the court room of men's
opinions.


Justification by Grace

As we have previously treated this topic we will only present a brief
overview of this subject at this time. For those wh wish to consider in
greater detail I refer you back to the previous essays on the subject of
"Justified."

As we stated previously "justification" is a court room term and means
to make or declare righteous. The court room in which we are justified
by grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus is the court room of
heaven. In this court room we are justified from the charge of sin
before God.

First we will establish that there is such a court room by establishing
the presence of the elements of a court room. Any court of law is based
on the giving and presence of law. If there is no law then there can be
no court room! The following verses of scripture declare God to be the
"law giver:" Isa. 33:22; James 4:12; Gen. 2:16, 17; Ex. 20:1 17; Gal.
3:10; Heb. 8:10; Jer. 31:31; and Heb. 10:16.

Next, before a person can be tried for breaking the law there must be a
penalty for breaking the law. The penalty for breaking God's laws are
set forth for us in the following verses: Gen. 2:17; Rom. 6:23; Rev.
20:11 14; II Thes. 1:7 9; II Pet. 2:4 9; Jude 6 13; and Matt. 25:46.
Next, the accused must be apprehended and brought to the bar of
justice. God is the ultimate apprehender of all sins and all sinners.
This principle is set forth in the following verses: Heb. 4:12, 13; Job
26:6; 42:2; Gen. 6:5; Ps. 94:11; 69:5; 14:2; 53:2; Prov. 15:26; 15:3;
Jer.16:17; Matt. 10:26; I Cor. 3:20; and I Pet. 3:12.

Furthermore, God sits as the one and only judge in the court room of
heaven. That God is judge is set forth in the following verses: Gen.
15:14; 18:25; Judges 11:27; Ps. 9:4, 8; 10:18; 50:6; 58:11; 67:4; 72:4;
82:1, 8; 94:2; 96:13; Isa. 2:4; 3:13; 11:3, 4; 51:5; Job 21:22; Eccl.
3:17; John 5:30; II Tim. 4:1; I Pet 1:17; 4:5; and Rev. 20:9 15.

In addition it is God that renders judgment as set forth in Rom. 3:19,
20; Matt. 25:41 46; and Rom. 5:12 19.

Moreover, it is God that executes judgment according to Rev. 20; Matt:
25:46; II Thes. 1:7 10; and II Pet. 2:4 9.

If the only basis of God's judgment was our deeds and actions then the
judgment rendered would be as follows:

1. Rom. 3:19, 20 "Now we know that what things soever the law
saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be
stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God."
2. Gal. 3:10 "For as many as are of the works of the law are under
the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in
all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.”
3. Gal. 2:16 "...for by the works of the law shall no flesh be
justified."

Thus if the basis of judgment is our deeds and actions alone, then we
come under the condemnation of the law.

Thankfully there is the law of atonement whereby one who is qualified
may stand in the place of another for the execution of judgment. It was
Jesus who stood in the place of the elect at the cross when God judged
their sins. The following sample of verses of scripture set forth this
principle:

1. II. Cor. 5:21 "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
2. Gal. 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that
hangeth on a tree."
3. Heb. 9:26 28 "...but now once in the end of the world hath he
appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself...so Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."
4. Heb. 10:12 14 "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice
for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God...For by one
offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Therefore, based on the law of atonement, those for whom Christ died
have had God's wrathful judgment executed upon Jesus as our sin bearer
at the cross. The execution of wrath for sin is satisfied for them.
They now stand justified before God. The question is asked and answered
in Rom. 8:33, 34, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ
that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right
hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

That this justification from sin in the court room of heaven is by
God's free grace is plainly set forth for us in Rom. 3:23, 24, "For all
have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely
by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus..."

In our next essay we will go into the court room of our mind and heart
and see how that we are justified by faith.


Justification by Faith

The scriptures teach three court rooms in which the subject of
justification applies: the court room of heaven; the court room of our
minds and hearts; and the court room of men's opinions. In our previous
essay we considered how we are justified in the court room of heaven by
the grace of God through the blood atonement of Jesus Christ. In this
essay we will consider how we are justified by faith in the court room
of our heart and mind.

When we are born of the Spirit, God establishes a court room in our
heart and mind. According to Heb. 8:10; 10:16; and 2 Cor. 3:3 God
writes his laws in our heart by the operation of the Holy Spirit
directly into our heart and mind. In Heb. 10:22 we read where God
sprinkles our heart from an evil conscience. Also in 1 John 3:20, 21 we
read where our heart serves as the judge to either condemn us or justify
us. Rom. 2:15 brings the elements of a court room together showing us
that God has written his laws in our heart, our conscience serves as the
witness, our thoughts serving as both the prosecuting attorney and
defense attorney and our heart as the judge: "Which shew the work of the
law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another."
Thus all the elements of a court room are present in us once we are born
of the Spirit.

The court room of heaven deals with our judicial standing before God.
The court room of our heart and mind deals with how we view ourselves
(condemned or justified) before a just and holy God. The judgment in
this second court room (of heart and mind) does not effect the judgment
of the first court room (of heaven). In other words whether we view
ourselves as either justified or condemned in our heart and mind doesn't
alter our judicial standing before God. However, how we see ourselves
in the court room of our heart and mind greatly effects our emotional
and mental state.

The order of proceedings in the court room of our heart and mind is as
follows:

1. We are first tried and condemned on the basis of our sins. We are
convicted of sin in similar fashion as the publican in Luke 18:13, "And
the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes
unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a
sinner," or Isaiah who wrote in Isa. 6:5, "Then said I, Woe is me! For
I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the
midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the
Lord of hosts." Being convicted of our sins we see ourselves under the
condemnation of a just and holy God and worthy of everlasting judgment.

2. Next, we try to get right (judicially) with God. We are as Israel
in Rom. 10:3, "being ignorant of God's righteousness and going about to
establish our own righteousness." We try to establish our righteousness
through the works of the law. However, "by the works of the law shall
no flesh be justified." We may try to establish our righteousness
through good deeds and righteous works only to find that Isaiah wrote
"all of our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" before God. We may even
try to hide behind a cloak of religious exercises only to find them as
the fig leaves that Adam and Eve tried to hide their nakedness. We find
that we are laboring trying to establish our own righteousness while
heavy laden with a burden of sin guiltiness. Nothing we attempt to do
ever really gives us a feeling of true justification and consequent
peace in our heart and mind.

3. It is only when we follow the Lord's admonition in Matt. 11:28,
"Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest," that we begin to see ourselves justified in the court room of
our heart and mind. When we by faith that God imparted unto us in the
new birth believe in the finished work of redemption by Jesus Christ,
for "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that
believeth," then we see ourselves justified through the redemptive work
of Christ. This principle is stated in Rom. 4:23 25, "Now it is not
written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also
to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus
our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for (because of) our offences,
and was raised again for (because of) our justification."

Thus when we believe that Jesus was delivered to redeem us from our sins and was raised from the dead because his work of justification was accepted of God, then God imputes righteousness into the court room of our heart and
mind and we by faith in the finished work of Jesus declare ourselves
just before God. We are justified by faith in the court room of our
heart and mind, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ."

 

Justification by Works

The scriptures teach three court rooms in which the subject of
justification applies: the court room of heaven; the court room of our
mind and heart; and the court room of men's opinions. In previous
essays we considered how we are justified in the court room of heaven by
the grace of God through the blood atonement of Jesus Christ and how we
are justified by faith in the court room of our heart and mind. In this
essay we will consider how we are justified by works in the court room
of men's opinions.

How do other people view us in light of our profession of faith? Are
we viewed as infidels or hypocrites, or are we viewed as sincere
dedicated disciples of Christ? Now we may say that it doesn't matter
how other people view us, but it does. We are admonished to "Let our
light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorify
God." Also the true disciples are declared to be the "light of the
world."

In II Pet. 1:10 we are told to "give diligence to make your calling and
election sure." Now who are we to make it sure to? To God no, He is
the one who called and elected us! To ourselves and to others yes, we
assure ourselves and others of our calling and election by the good
deeds and works we do.

James states in James 2:17, 18, "Even so faith, if it hath not works,
is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have
works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my
faith by my works." The truth, so plainly stated here, is that good
works are a manifestation of our faith. Faith cannot be manifested
without good works. The evidence of our faith in the eyes of others is
our good works. If people do not see good works in our lives what
evidence do they have that we are truly people of faith? The question
is asked in James 2:21, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works,
when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?" How do we know that
Abraham truly believed God? Was it not that he offered Isaac his son
upon the altar? Thus, in our opinion, Abraham truly believed God for
the evidence was manifest in his work of offering Isaac up on the
altar. So in our opinion Abraham was justified as a man of faith.

Similarly, John the Baptist, was looking for evidence of repentance
when he saw many of the Pharisees and Saducees come to his baptism as he
said unto them, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee
from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for
repentance." John wanted to see evidence (good works) of a repentant
life before he would consent to baptize them. Surely this should be the
pattern for the church to follow today in receiving someone for baptism.

The scriptures are abundant that warn us about false teachers and false
prophets. The scripture also teaches us how that we can identify them.
Matt. 7:15 20 reads, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know
them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of
thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit: but a
corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth
evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every
tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the
fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Thus we are able
to identify the false teacher from the true. The true preacher or
teacher will be justified in our opinions by the good fruits he manifest
whereas the false prophet or teacher will be identified as such by his
evil fruits.

In Mark 2:3 5 we read of four who carried a paralyzed man unto the
Lord, "And they came unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was
borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the
press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it
up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus
saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son thy sins be
forgiven thee." Now the scriptures said that Jesus "saw their faith."
However, what was described to us was that the four friends of the
palsied man lifted up the man and his bed to the roof, broke up the roof
and let the man and his bed down before Jesus. In other words, their
faith in Jesus was demonstrated by their charitable works toward the
palsied man. They were justified as men of faith by the works they
performed.

Finally, as people, especially God's people, view our lives what do
they see? Do they see us as people of faith, as children of God, or do
they see us as hypocrites who are playing religion? Our works will
either justify us or condemn us in the court room of men's opinions.
Shouldn't we strive to live godly lives that we may glorify our heavenly
Father and not bring shame and contempt to that worthy name by which we
are called?