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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadR.A. Torrey Collection: Torrey, R.A. - What Bible Teaches (about Man): 05 Justification
TOPIC: Torrey, R.A. - What Bible Teaches (about Man) (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 05 Justification
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Ch 05 Justification
I. WHAT DOES "JUSTIFY" MEAN?
The way to decide this is by an examination of the biblical use of the word and the words derived from it. The question is not, "What is the etymological significance of the word?" for words are frequently used in a meaning widely different from their etymological significance. The question is, What is the significance of the word as determined by its usage in the Bible? The way to determine this is by taking a concordance and Bible and looking up every passage where the word is used. The following passages are sufficient to illustrate the biblical usage. In the passages taken from the Old Testament, the Septuagint uses the same Greek verb that is translated 'justify" in the New Testament. Deu_25:1 — "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, that the judges may judge them; then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked." Exo_23:7 — "Keep thee far from a false matter: and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked." Isa_5:23 — "Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!" Luk_16:15 — "And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God." Rom_2:13 — "For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doer of the law shall be justified." 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." Luk_18:14 "I tell you this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
See also Rom_4:2-8 RV — "For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. Even as David also pronounceth blessing upon the man, unto whom God reckoned righteousness apart from works, saying: Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin." To justify, in Biblical usage, signifies not "to make righteous," but to "reckon," "declare," or "show to be righteous." A man is justified before God when God reckons him righteous.
Etymologically the word translated justify means to make righteous, but Thayer, in his Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, says: "This meaning is extremely rare, if not altogether doubtful." It certainly is not the New Testament usage of the word.
II. HOW ARE PEOPLE JUSTIFIED? Rom_3:20 — "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." Gal_2:16 — "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even 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."
First Proposition: People are not justified by works of the law.
QUESTION: Why not?
ANSWER: Because in order to be justified by works of the law, we must continue to do all the things that are written in the law. No one has done this; however, all have sinned. The moment the law is broken at any point, justification by works of the law becomes impossible. So those who rely on works of the law are under the curse. God did not give us the law with the intention of justifying us by it, but to produce conviction of sin, to lead us to Christ. 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." Rom_3:23 — "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." 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." Gal_3:24 "Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
Yet strangely enough, there are many today preaching the law as the way of salvation. Rom_3:24 — "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Second Proposition: People are justified by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus as a free gift.
Justification is not on the grounds of any deserving there is in us. It is a gift God bestows without pay. The channel through which it is bestowed is the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Rom_5:9 — "Much more then, being now justified by (in) his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him." (Note RV Margin.)
Third Proposition: People are justified or counted righteous in Christ's blood — i.e., on the ground of Christ's propitiatory death. 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." 1Pe_2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed." Isa_53:6 — -"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all." 2Co_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.") The ground of justification is the shed blood of Christ. Rom_3:26 — "To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Rom_4:5 — "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness." Rom_5:1 — "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Act_13:39 — "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Fourth Proposition: People are justified on condition of faith in Jesus.
Faith makes the shed blood, which is the ground of justification, ours. We are justified when we believe in Him who shed the blood. The shed blood provides for our justification, but we are actually justified when we believe. Rom_3:28 RV — "We reckon therefore that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law." Rom_4:5 RV — "But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."
Fifth Proposition: A person is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
He is justified on condition that he believes even though he has no works to offer as a ground upon which he might claim justification.
When he ceases to work for justification and simply believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, that faith is reckoned for righteousness, and he, the believer, is counted righteous.
The question is not, Have you any works to offer, but Do you believe on Him who justifies the ungodly? Works have nothing to do with justification except to hinder it when we trust in them. The blood of Christ secures it, faith in Christ appropriates it. We are justified, not by our works, but by His work. We are justified upon the simple and single ground of His blood, and upon the simple and single condition of our faith. It is exceedingly difficult to hold men to this doctrine of justification of faith apart from works of the law because they are constantly seeking to bring in works somewhere. Rom_10:9-10 — "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Sixth Proposition: The faith that leads to justification is a faith "with the heart. ' The heart in the Bible stands for the entire inner man — thought, feeling, and purpose. To believe "with the heart," is to believe with the whole person. It involves the surrender of the thought, the feelings, and the will to the truth believed. A heart faith is more than mere opinion. It is a conviction that governs the whole inner person and consequently shapes the outward life. Jas_2:14; Jas_2:18-24 RV — "What doth it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? can that faith save him? . . . Yea, a man will say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith apart from thy works, and I by my works will shew thee my faith. Thou believest that God is one; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and shudder. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; and the scripture was fulfilled which said, and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God. Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not by faith."
Seventh Proposition: The faith that one says he has, but which does not manifest itself in action along the line of the faith professed, will not justify. The faith that justifies is the real faith that leads to action accordant with the truth professed.
We are justified simply upon faith, but it must be a real faith. "We are justified by faith without works, but we are not justified by a faith that is without works." The faith which God sees and upon which He justifies, leads inevitably to works which others can see. God saw the faith of Abraham and counted it to him for righteousness, but the faith God saw was real and led Abraham to works that all could see and which proved his faith. Proof to us of the faith is the works. We know that he who does not work does not have justifying faith.
We must not lose sight of the truth which Paul emphasizes against legalism on the one side — that we are justified on the simple condition of a real faith in Christ. We must not lose sight of the truth which James emphasizes against antinomianism on the other side — that it is only the faith that proves its genuineness by works that justifies. To the legalist, who is seeking to do something to merit justification, we must say "stop working and believe on Him that justifieth the ungodly" ( Rom_4:5). To the antinomian, who is boasting that he has faith and is justified by it, but who does not show his faith by his works, we must say "what doth it profit, if a man say he hath faith, but have not works? Can that faith save him? ( Jas_2:14 RV). We are justified by faith alone, but we are jus-tiffed by that faith alone that works. Rom_4:24 "Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for (because of) our justification."
Eighth Proposition: Jesus was raised because of our justification.
This does not mean that Jesus was raised in order that we might be justified. We were already justified by His death. Because we were pronounced righteous, God raised Jesus from the dead and thus declared us justified. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof that God has accepted the sacrifice for us. Jesus rose as our representative. In raising Him, God declared Him accepted and us accepted in Him. 1Co_6:11 RV — "And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God."
Ninth Proposition: We are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (i.e., on the ground of what Jesus is and did, and on the condition of our union with Him, and also on the condition of our union with the Spirit of God).
III. THE EXTENT OF JUSTIFICATION. Act_13:39 RV — "And by him [Greek: in him] every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
First Proposition: In Christ every one that believes is justified from all things.
The whole account against the believer is wiped out. God has absolutely nothing He counts against the believer in Jesus Christ. (Compare to Rom_8:1; Rom_8:33-34 RV — "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus .... Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth; who is he that shall condemn? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.") 2Co_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." Php_3:9 RV — "That I may gain Christ, and be found in him, not having a righteousness of mine own, even that which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is of God by (upon) faith."
Second Proposition: The believer is the recipient of "the righteousness of God in Christ. ' He has a righteousness not of his own, but a "righteousness which is of God upon faith. ' (Compare to Rom_3:21-22 — "But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference.") There has been an absolute interchange of positions between Christ and the justified believer. Christ took our place, the place of the curse ( Gal_3:13). He was made sin ( 2Co_5:21). God reckoned Him a sinner and dealt with Him as a sinner ( Isa_53:6; Mat_27:46). And when we are justified we step into His place, the place of acceptance. We receive the righteousness of God in Him.
To be justified is more than to be forgiven. Forgiveness is negative, the putting away of sin. Justification is positive, the reckoning of positive and perfect righteousness to one. Jesus Christ is so united to the believer that God reckons our sins to Him. God sees us in Him and reckons us as righteous as He is. When Christ's work in us is completed, we will be in actual fact what we are already in God's reckoning. 1Jn_3:2 — "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
But our present standing before God is absolutely perfect, though our present state may be far below this. Joh_17:23 — "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."
IV. THE TIME OF JUSTIFICATION. Act_13:39 RV — "And by him every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."
Proposition: In Christ every believer is justified from all things.
The moment a man believes in Christ, that moment he becomes united to Christ, and God reckons the righteousness of God to Him.
V. THE RESULTS OF JUSTIFICATION. Rom_5:1 — "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (See RV.)
First Proposition: Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The enmity between the sinner and God is put away by the cross ( Eph_2:14-17; Col_1:20-22), and the moment the sinner believes in Christ he is justified and has peace with God through Jesus Christ. He may not yet know he has "peace with God," and so will not have "the peace of God." "Peace with God" has to do with our standing; "the peace of God" has to do with our state. 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."
Second Proposition: No one can lay anything to the charge of the justified man.
It is God, the great Judge, who justifies; no one can condemn. (Compare to Rom_8:1 RV — "There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus.") The believer in Christ is made secure against all condemnation by the death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession of Christ. When the death of Christ ceases to satisfy God regarding sin, and when the intercession of Christ ceases to prevail with God, then the justified man can be condemned; and not till then. Tit_3:7 RV — "That, being justified by his grace, we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
Third Proposition: Being justified by God's grace, we are made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Rom_5:9 RV Margin — "Much more then, being now justified in his blood, shall we be saved from the wrath of God through him."