The doctrine of justification

Preface To The Second Edition

THE first edition of the book which is here for a second time offered to the public was all sold within a few years after its publication in 1869. Since then the author has frequently been solicited to prepare a new edition. Having been assured that the unpretending volume has done some service in the cause of saving truth, and that there is still sufficient demand for it to encourage the hope of further salutary fruits, he has finally consented to its republication. He hopes that the few changes and the additions which he has made, will render the work somewhat more worthy of the patronage which it has received and increase the usefulness at which it aims. May God continue to bless the little volume in its new and improved form, and render it instrumental in promoting the glory of His great name and the welfare of precious souls.

Columbus, October, 1881.

Preface To The First Edition

THE celebration of the Seventh Jubilee of the Reformation has directed the thoughts of many Protestants anew to the old paths in which our fathers walked, and to the old treasures in which their hearts rejoiced. Those paths, which had been by many traditionally regarded as crooked and rugged, are found, upon a closer view, to be delightfully straight and smooth ; and those treasures, which have so often been decried as rough and rusty, are seen, upon a more careful inspection, to be pure and precious. The children are learning to love again what those noble heroes of other days deemed passing lovely.

Among the old treasures of the Church the pure doctrine of Justification by Faith holds a conspicuous place. It is a pearl, with which not all the wealth of the world could have induced the men of the Reformation to part. It is a garland of rarest flowers, whose beauty and fragrance afforded them ever new delight iv

Preface. V

It is a citadel, within which they felt themselves secure against every foe, and for which they fought with a vigor and a valor that challenges the admiration of all time. The Church could not live and flourish without it. She grows weak when she neglects it; she is strong when she holds it to her heart. It is the criterion of her condition.

When the thoughts of Christians are turned towards the stirring times of the Reformation, this cardinal doctrine must necessarily claim a large share of attention. It is true, since the days of Luther it has always been confessed by the Church which bears his honored name, and this confession has been echoed by other Protestants all over the world. And yet a renewed study of the subject seems to us to be a want of the times. Doctrines and practices have come into vogue which are not in harmony with it, and which a clearer apprehension of it would tend to banish from the Church. The Pelagian poison of Romanism is infecting many who are most ready to denounce Rome ; and the only effectual antidote is the blessed Gospel of the grace of God, with its cheering proclamation of the sinner's justification through faith alone, without the deeds of the law. Only where this doctrine is" understood and embraced is the Gospel pure and plain and precious.

We do not expect to contribute anything materially new on this delightful theme. The- truth is old, and our aim is to present and illustrate this old truth as

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Preface

the Bible contains it and the Church of the Reformation confesses it. If we could render it clearer to the minds aud dearer to the -hearts of some who sigh for the Consolation of Israel, our ambition would be fully satisfied and our labor richly compensated. To this end may God bless our humble essay 1

Introduction

WHEN, in answer to the troubled question, "What must I do to be saved?" the inspired preachers of the everlasting Gospel said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved," a way of deliverance from sin and death was shown, of which Nature gives no information. The question is one which has occupied the thoughts of earnest men in all ages of the world. Since sin has entered into the world, and death by sin, human hearts have trembled at the doom which was felt to be impending, and human reason has been unable to find a way of escape. "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory ; which none of the princes of this world knew." (j Cor, ii. 7, 8.) They groped in darkness after "the unknown God," and blindly sought, in impossible ways, deliverance from the burden of sin. Natural religion furnishes no ground of hope, and brings to the troubled conscience no words of peace. The Gospel alone supplies the want of groaning humanity and offers the remedy for its deadly spiritual disease ; and of this Gospel the sum and substance is justification by faith through Jesus' blood. "I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ: for it is the power ot God unto salva-

2 Introduction.

tion to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith." {Rom. i. 16, 17.) "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation ; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the w r orld unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the Word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. 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 Cor. v. 18-21.)

This great doctrine of the sinner's justification by faith in the Redeemer of the world, who lived and suffered and died to save our lost race, is the very soul of the supernatural revelation given in Holy Scripture. But it is, therefore, also the doctrine against which the attacks of Satan are mainly directed, and against which the world and the flesh most obstinately array themselves. "After that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom: but we preach Christ crucified — unto the Jews a stumbling-block, and unto the Greeks foolishness ; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." (7 Cor. i. 21-24.) Satan in his malice hates the Saviour, as he hates the salvation of man, whose ruin ke has compassed; and man in his pride despises the gracious plan which divine wisdom has formed for his deliverance, because that plan gives no credit to his genius for devising nor to his power for executing it. Human reason and human inclination are therefore always, in their

Int7'odu£lion. 3

natural state, averse to the doctrine of Justification by faith. Hence it is no wonder that earth and hell combine in persistent efforts to banish it from the Church and from the world.

It was this doctrine that formed the center of the whole controversy in the glorious Reformation of the XVI. Century, and upon the maintenance of which Luther's whole work depended. Both in regard to doctrine and to life it forms the sum of the whole evangelical system. Therefore the Evangelical Church, in opposition to the naturalistic corruptions of Rome, declares in the Apology of the Augsburg Confession: "Since this controversy concerns the principal and most important article of the whole Christian doctrine, so that very much depends upon this article, which also chiefly serves to a clear, correct understanding of the entire Hgly Scriptures, and alone shows the way to the unspeakable treasure and the true knowledge of Christ; yea, which 'is the only key to the whole Bible, and without which the poor conscience can have no true, constant, certain hope, nor understand the riches of Christ's grace: — we pray your Imperial Majesty graciously to hear us, as the case requires, concerning these great, grave, and all-important matters. For as our adversaries do not understand or know what is meant in the Scriptures by forgiveness of sins, by faith, by grace, by righteousness, they have miserably defiled this noble, indispensable, and principal article, without which no one can know Christ; they have entirely suppressed the exalted, precious treasure of the knowledge of Christ, or of what Christ and what His kingdom and grace are, and have wretchedly robbed poor consciences of this great and noble treasure and everlasting consolation, upon which everything depends." (Art. iv. 2, 3.) Furthermore, in the Smalcald Articles the Church declares in reference to "the chief article" of Justification: "Whatever may

4 Introduction.

happen, though heaven and earth should fall, nothing in this article can be yielded or rescinded. 'For there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,' says St. Peter {AEls iv. 12); 'and with His stripes we are healed.' (/y. liii. 5.) Upon this article rests all that we teach and do against the pope, the devil, and all the world. We must therefore be entirely certain of this, and not doubt it ; otherwise all will be lost, and the pope and the devil and all that opposes, will prevail and obtain the victory." (Part II., Art. i.)

Luther in many places gives expression to his deep conviction and intense appreciation of the importance which attaches to this cardinal doctrine. With him, as with all the children of God who have found peace in believing, it was not a beautiful speculative theory, but a question of the everlasting salvation of millions of perishing souls. Dying men are justified by faith, or they are not justified at all. They are saved through Christ, or they perish forever. If this doctrine of Justification is abandoned, all is lost; with it Christianity falls, and the world goes down in everlasting woe. It is the article with which the Church stands or falls. Commenting on Genesis xxi. 17, Luther says of Justification: "This is the principal article of our faith. If this be set aside, as is done by the Jews, or be corrupted, as is done by the papists, the Church cannot continue, neither can the glory of God be maintained, which consists in this, that He is merciful, and that for the sake of His Son He forgives sins and bestows salvation." (Erl. Lat., v. 137.) Again, he says on Galatians ii. 11 : "As I have before said, Paul has here in hand no indifferent trifle, but the highest article ot all Christian doctrine. To him who rightly understands the utility and majesty of this article all other things will seem vile and worthless. For in comparison with this article of Justification, what are Peter and Paul,

Intro dttflion. 5

what are an angel from heaven or all creatures ? If we know this, we have the clearest light : if we are ignorant of it, we are in the densest darkness. Wherefore, if you see this article impugned or defaced, fear not to resist either St. Peter or an angel from heaven; for it cannot be sufficiently magnified and extolled." (Jb. i. 159.) In his Commentary \ on John vi. 53, he says of Justification by faith: "Where this article remains in our pulpits there is no danger: we are safe against heretics and errors. This article suffers no error to be associated with it ; the Holy Ghost is also present where it is, and those who believe it tolerate no error. If they are led astray, it is a sure sign that they did not understand this article: if they had rightly apprehended it, they would not have been deceived. All other doctrines, even if the words are spoken which we use, are of nothing but good works; as our factious spirits, when examined in the light, teach only of good works, and do not understand that life, grace, and salvation come without our work through faith." (Erl., xlviii. 18.)

This cardinal doctrine, whose importance cannot be over-estimated, the Lutheran Church has always joyfully confessed and patiently taught, to the glory of the Redeemer and the welfare of the redeemed. And there is need that this should be continued. Many are slow to learn it, and those who zealously study it and meditate upon it find that its marvelous wisdom is not so easily mastered. It is no indication of thorough acquaintance with the doctrine, in all its import and bearings, to speak of it as a simple lesson for children merely. Children may learn it, and be happy in its sunshine; but mature minds may study it with ever-increasing light. Luther apprehended the doctrine with a clearness and preached it with a power that had no equal since the days of St. Paul ; and yet he says : "When you hear an unripe

6 Introduction.

saint boasting that he knows quite well we* must be saved by grace, without works, and pretending that this is for him an easy art, you may be sure that he knows not whereof he affirms, and perhaps will never experience it. For it is not an art which can be perfectly mastered, or which we can boast of having learned: it is an art that insists on being master, and requires us to remain pupils. And those who rightly understand it do not boast that they know all about it; but they perceive something of it, as a pleasant odor, which they eagerly pursue, which they wonder at, but which they cannot comprehend or fully possess as they desire; they hunger and thirst and pant for it, with ever-increasing longing, and can never get enough of hearing and handling it, — as St. Paul himself confesses that he had not yet attained it, and Christ pronounces those blessed who hunger and thirst after righteousness — Mat. v." (Erl., xl. 325.)

Let us not, then, suppose that the old theme contains nothing to which we could yet profitably give earnest attention. Many, it is to be feared, have not yet so far entered its beautiful garden as to experience its delights. To them it will be a blessing to enter and behold the wonders which God hath wrought, and taste that He is gracious. Those who have had a taste of these heavenly sweets will be glad of any contribution, however small, to the stock of that knowledge which is their daily strength and comfort and joy. May the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth as it is in Jesus our Righteousness, and by the truth make us free !

Justification is the gracious acl: of God by which He declares the sinner righteous, removing the sentence of condemnation and imputing to him a perfect holiness. The cause of this declaration cannot be the sinner's worthiness ; for then he would not be a sinner. We can find the ground of God's act only in His abounding grace,

Introduction. 7

which seeks the welfare of men, even though they have, by their iniquity, forfeited all claims upon the divine blessing, and in the merits of Jesus, whom that grace has sent into the world to atone for human sin. Our participation in the benefits of this atonement does not grow out of our inheritance of human nature ; for that would involve the actual salvation of all men, in direct contradiction to the Scriptures : nor are we justified by a divine act which takes place in the distant realms of heaven without reaching the souls of men, whose salvation it is designed to secure; for that would exclude the necessity, so often urged in the Scriptures, of repentance and of faith in the Gospel. There must be a medium of communicating with the sinner, and the Bible points us to the means of grace as God's merciful institution to effect such communication. But the conveyance of grace, and the publication of a cheering declaration, would be of no avail to us unless we appropriated them as our own; and such appropriation can, according to the Scriptures, be made only by faith. The believer does not stand in doubting expectation of some miraculous occurrence by which he shall know himself justified ; but he appropriates the merits of Christ in all their fullness, and thus has peace in believing, is thoroughly furnished unto all good works, in which he abounds to the glory of God, and 'knows himself to be an heir of Heaven through Christ. Such a joyful child of God earnestly guards against every form of error that would tarnish the purity of the precious doctrine of Justification.

These propositions we propose in the following essay to elucidate. We shall, accordingly, in presenting the great Doctrine of Justification, treat of: I. Its Nature; II. Its Ground; III. The Means of its Bestowal; IV. The Means of its Appropriation; and V. Its Effects.

Chapter I. The Nature Of Justification

HOW shall man, the miserable sinner and child of wrath by nature, be justified before his God? He cannot justify himself: his iniquity is inexcusable, his damnation is just. Yet the Scriptures not only speak of a justification, but make it the very heart of the Christian revelation. Without it not a soul could be saved from the eternal death which is the sinner's due and doom. Man cannot justify himself before God ; but it does not follow that justification is impossible. "It is God that justifieth." He declares "at this time His righteousness: that He might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." {Rom. iii. 26.) Wherein this divine act consists it behooves us all to understand.

Justification may be conceived as a declaration of God by which the sinner's moral condition is designated. Or, it may be thought an exercise of divine power by which an intrinsic change is wrought in the sinner. Or, finally, it may be considered a divine declaration by which the transgressor is brought into a new relation to his God. A glance at each of these propositions will suffice to secure the conviction that there is a material divergence in the views which they express. An examination of the Scriptures will make it manifest that the last alone contains the Biblical truth concerning the nature of Justification, while the other two, though popular, are pernicious forms of error.

Section i.

JUSTIFICATION NOT A DECLARATION DEFINING THE SINNER'S MORAL CONDITION.

St. Paul declares {Rom. iii. 23-25) : "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: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation thfough faith in His blood, to declare His righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God."

From this it is evident, in the first place, that the person to be justified is a sinner. Any declaration, therefore, which is designed to indicate his true moral condition, must imply his sinfulness. No other could be in harmony with the fact. God could not, if the purpose were to give a correct representation of the sinner's actual state, pronounce him just; for this would be simply asserting that he is not a sinner, and thus directly contradicting the plain truth.

In the Epistle to the Romans, in which the doctrine of Justification by faith is expressly and fully set forth and explained, St. Paul begins his exposition by showing that the whole world is under condemnation because of sin, and that, therefore, there can be no salvation except io Justification.

in Christ. Jews and Gentiles alike are represented as having departed from God and become utterly corrupt. "There is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." {Rom. iii. 22, 23.) There is not a just person among the children of men. "The whole world lieth in wickedness.' (z Johnx. 19.) It is the poor publican who smites upon his breast and prays, "God be merciful to me a sinner," that is justified; not the proud Pharisee who thanks God that he is not sinful, like other people. The righteousness of God by faith presupposes the unrighteousness of man, to whom it is to be imputed. It is the unjust person that is justified by the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. "The Scripture hath concluded ail under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe." {Gal. iii. 22.)

Hence it is clear that justification is not the expression of a divine judgment in reference to the moral condition of its object. This could be no justification at all; because the person to whom the judgment refers, is unjust in fact, and could not, without a gross violation of truth, be pronounced, with reference to his moral state, otherwise than unjust.

Secondly, such a view of justification, is in conflict with the statement that this act of God takes place freely, by His grace, and through. His forbearance. For it requires no condescending mercy to predicate of man what is justly his due. If he were just, it would be no manifestation of grace to declare him just. If he \\4ere not a sinner, there would be no divine forbearance needed to refrain from pronouncing sentence of condemnation upon him. If he were righteous, there would be a moral necessity for recognizing him as such, and no propriety in the use of the word "freely" in connection with such recognition. That we are justified "freely" implies that there is nothing in us which could furnish God a motive for declaring us just. That we are justified "by His grace" implies that the cause is in God alone, who pities us in our lost estate. That we are justified "through 'the forbearance of God" implies that there is abundant reason to condemn us, but that divine mercy triumphs over justice in setting the sinner free. It would be trampling upon the words of Scripture Jo assume that justification is an ac~l which merely gives man his due. That which is due to him is eternal damnation. "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." {Rom. vi. 23.) When a sinner is justified, he receives what is not his due : he is unjust, but is declared just, freely, by the grace of God.

Thirdly, the righteousness, in view of which the sinner is declared just, is represented as one which is not inherent in him and does not belong to his moral condition. For it is asserted to be the righteousness of God — a righteousness which God alone bestows, and which alone avails before Him. And, to guard against any misunderstanding, it is further affirmed that this righteousness is "without the law" {Rom. iii. 21), and that "by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight." {lb. 20.) If man's moral condition were righteous, he might, indeed, be pronounced righteous, — but not in view of "the righteousness of God, which is by faith of Jesus Christ" {lb. 22), and not "without the deeds of the law." The law requires him to be righteous ; but he has failed to comply with the requirement: therefore God justifies him freely, by His grace, on the ground of a righteousness which belongs to another. Justification would be by the righteousness of man, not by the righteousness of God, and by the deeds of the law, wherein such human righteousness consists, if it were merely a declaration attributing to man what he really possesses. But by the law is the knowledge of sin. It does not secure the holiness which it demands, but shows man his transgression. " If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." {Gal. iii. 21.) But as this is spiritual, and man is carnal, it can only condemn. Man is unrighteous, and therefore needs the justification which God bestows without the law, on the ground of another's righteousness.

Finally, the sinner is justified "through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus." He is declared just on other grounds than those of his moral qualities. His justification rests on the person and work of another. He is declared righteous not because he is so, but because the righteousness of the Redeemer avails for him. He is not sinless; but the merits of Christ, who knew no sin, are imputed to him. He is sinful ; but he has the remission of sins through faith in Jesus' blood. If justification were a declaration which is designed merely to announce a divine judgment respecting the actual state of the sinner, the statement that it takes place "through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus" would be inconsistent with its import; for then it would involve the assumption that every condition of justification is fulfilled by man himself, whilst St. Paul proclaims that its great condition is the redemptive work of Christ. If we are justified through the merits of our Saviour, it cannot be through a righteousness of our own, which would enable us to dispense with His merits : and if we have no righteousness of our own, justification cannot consist in declaring that we have. God cannot make a declaration annulling His Word and rendering the life and death of His Son superfluous. But that Word declares that all men have transgressed and are under the condemnation of the law; wherefore "he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (Jo/m iii. 36.) Our Lord was made of a woman and made under the law, that He might take our curse upon Himself and fulfill all righteousness in our stead. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." (Gat. iii. 13.) He who is justified, is a' sinner — not a just person — and his justification is effected through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, who died for the ungodly and thus secured for them remission of sin.

The denial of the proposition that justification is a divine declaration which simply asserts what the justified person's moral state has been found to be, seems to many to involve the doctrine in difficulties. It is fancied that God is thus represented as making a declaration which is not in harmony with the fact : He declares a person just who is undeniably unjust. Such difficulties vanish, however, when the light of truth shines in on the soul. We trust that the groundlessness of the objection will be clear as we proceed. Suffice it for the present to state, that the declaration of God is in complete accordance with the facts when the sinner is justified. The unrighteous person is righteous; but the righteousness is not his own: he has the righteousness of God by faith, through the redemption in Christ Jesus.

JUSTIFICATION NOT A DIVINE ACT MAKING THE SINNER JUST,

One of the most prevalent errors in regard to justification is the opinion that it consists in an intrinsic change which God, by an exercise of His power, works in the sinner. This error is as dangerous as it is common, perverting the order of salvation and depriving the soul of its dearest solace. It is important that its unscriptural i . Justification.

character be well understood. To this end attention is invited to the following considerations.

First, the Holy Scriptures, frequently as they speak of justification and commend its comfort to the soul, in no instance represent it as a divine act changing, as it were by physical force, the moral nature of man. They often mention the imputation of the Saviour's righteousness, and the non-imputation of the sinner's iniquity, as identical with justification ; but never do they assert that this consists in rendering the unjust person intrinsically just. They never intimate that that which constitutes its nature is the supposed infusion of the Redeemer's righteousness into the sinner. They are silent about the imaginary utter destruction of the flesh in justification, and the fancied creation of a sinless spiritual being, by an exercise of omnipotence. If the opinion in question were a divine truth, and not a human error, this silence of Scripture respecting so important an element in the nature of justification would be 'unaccountable. Its reception as part of the Christian faith — notwithstanding such silence — would involve us in other errors of the gravest import. It would be admitting the claim of Rome that the Scriptures are not the only fountain whence articles of faith must be derived, and are not the only rule of that faith; and it would be assuming the blasphemous position that God, in the very article which forms the heart of the Christian system, and in the very point upon which all consolation for the sighing soul depends, left man to grope in darkness and in wretchedness, vainly endeavoring by nature to supply the radical deficiency of revelation.

It is true that Christ dwells in our hearts by faith and directs them in the way of holiness ; but this truth has its proper place in the article of our sanctification, not in that of our justification. It is entirely irrelevant to introduce it into the latter, and those who persist in such irrelevancy fall under the condemnation of St. Peter's words, who, speaking of St. Paul's writings, says: "In which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction." (2 Peter iii. 16.) For it is by no means a matter of indifference whether the moral change, which must confessedly take place in the sinner, be referred to his justification or to his sanctification. Both are acts of God, indeed, and both are necessary. But their end is not identical, and their identification involves the interchange of predicates peculiar to each, which introduces confusion into the whole plan of salvation and banishes all peace from the sinner's soul. To the justified person old things certainly pass away and all things become new: he walks not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. We have no desire to conceal this truth from the reader's view. But this change forms no part of justification, and is never spoken of in the Word of God as if it did. "Although the converted and believing have incipient renovation, sanctification, charity, love, and good works, these cannot, and must not, and dare not be referred to the article of justification before God and confounded with it, in order that Christ, our Redeemer, may not be deprived of His glory, and troubled consciences may not, since our new obedience is imperfect and impure, be robbed of their abiding consolation." {Form. Conc. y