Justification by Faith
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Outline |
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1. Faith 2. Repentance 3. Justification and Forgiveness of Sins 4. Reconciliation and Adoption |
1. Faith
(i) Salvation is primarily the subjective application of Christ’s atonement and redemption for the forgiveness of sins, justification of sinner is the central event of salvation. As Rom 8.30 clarifies, “those whom he called he also justified.” In this sequence, internal or effectual calling of the Holy Spirit to respond to the external calling of the Gospel results in justification. And, the Scripture emphasizes that “we are justified by faith dia. th/j pi,stewj_.” Faith is the instrumental means for justification.
(ii) Then, what is faith, particularly justifying or saving faith? Historical faith, temporary faith, or miraculous faith cannot be used for justification, because they are not rooted in regeneration. As James 2.17 defined true faith, faith without work is dead, i.e., not true faith. As a personal reception of Jesus Christ as Savior, it consists of three elements of notitia, assensus, fiducia, i.e., intellectual, emotional and volitional elements. For “faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see”(Heb 11.1), it is the only possible way to accept the objective salvation already supernaturally achieved for us. It is like intuitive certainty which is beyond the logical deduction of human reason. The object of faith is Jesus Christ as witnessed in the Gospel, but it involves all the teachings of Jesus Christ in the Scripture. For “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.”(Rom 10.17)
(iii) How could the spiritually dead believe in Christ? Whether it is the work of the Holy Spirit or human decision has been controversial. However, the sharp contrast between faith and work shows that faith is not meritorious: “Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded… a man is justified by faith, apart from works of law.”(Rom 3.27-28, also 4.3-4, Gal 2.16, 21, 3.11), “otherwise grace would be no longer be grace.”(Rom 11.6) Here, sola fide means sola gratia: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”(Rom 3.23-24) It means that faith is grace, i.e., the gift of God: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast.”(Eph 2.8-9) Even though faith and regeneration happen simultaneously, faith is the logical outcome of regeneration: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been begotten by God.”(1Jn 5.1) Without the help of the Holy Spirit, nobody can confess that Jesus is his/her personal Lord: “no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”(1Cor 12.3) However, the Gospel demands for man to respond with faith, and therefore it is also a conscious act of man. Even though the starting act of salvation comes from God by grace, the Holy Spirit gives us freedom and ability and activates it to actively respond and obey to the commands of God even in the earliest stage of salvation. Therefore, Jonathan Edwards said that “God does all, and we do all. God produces all, and we act all… God is the only proper author and fountain, we are the proper actors.” The Holy Spirit prepares our mind to believe, but it is we who consciously believe in Christ, as Pascal said that “Men will never believe with a saving and real faith, unless God inclines their heart, and they believe as soon as He inclines it.” Like the providence of God, the first cause and second cause cooperates for the final outcome so that it is both God’s act and our act. Therefore, as Donald Bloesch point out, it is not a matter of monergism and synergism but “the act of salvation is a paradox or mystery which defies and eludes rational comprehension.” But, any Christian may not insist any merit for his/her faith, for Christ is “the author and perfecter of our faith.”(Heb 12.2)
2. Repentance
(i) The Gospel demands repentance of sin together with faith for salvation(Ac 20.21, Heb 6.1), for forgiveness without repentance of sin is neither desirable nor possible. Peter preached at the Pentecost that “Repent, and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.”(Ac 2.37-38) Paul preached “repentance that leads to salvation”(2Cor 7.10): “now he[God] commands all men everywhere to repent.”(Ac 17.30)
(ii) Repentance is “born of faith”(Calvin), for faith is the personal recognition of our own sins together with the love of God for us and therefore it naturally results in the responsive repentance of the whole man including intellectual, emotional and volitional aspects. As active conversion, it involves the whole person in a decision to turn from sin and to live in obedience to God. Genuine repentance will result in the change of life. Active conversion includes both faith and repentance as the first conscious and active response of the newly created self in regeneration. The terms denoting conversion primarily means repentance, i.e., turning from sin to Christ, though it is the result of meta,noia, i.e., after-knowledge so after faith. Conversion may occur suddenly or gradually. This change of mind is not merely a psychological turning point but a change of relationship with God.
(iii) This Christian repentance is not merely a
recognition of past wrongdoing but also the recognition and gratitude for the
forgiveness of sins already made in the atonement of Christ rather than a
fearful request of forgiveness. Therefore, it is penitence of the past as well
as dedication of future. Peter’s repentance with commitment is different from
Jude’s repentance without it, i.e., godly sorrow vs. worldly sorrow: “Godly sorrow _brings repentance that leads to salvation and
leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.”(2Cor 7.10)
3. Justification and Forgiveness of Sins
(i) To justify dikaiow is
both to declare righteous and to make righteous. Negative justification is God’s
forgiveness of sin as promised in the Gospel to those who believe in the
atonement of Christ and repent for their sins with gratitude and commitment.
All guilt and every penalty is removed at once due to the merit of Christ, and
it is not repeated again(Rom 5.21, 8.1, 32-34, Heb 10.14): “Therefore, there
is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”(Rom 8.1); “Who
will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who
justifies. Who is he that condemns?”(Rom 8.33-34) This forgiveness of sins is
based on the passive obedience of Christ.
(ii) Guilt and guilt feelings due to sins are removed by
the washing of the Holy Spirit, but justification is not only legal removal of
guilt but also making righteous. This positive justification is made by the
transmission of Christ’s righteousness to the newly created self on the basis
of the mystical union with Christ who represents in the new covenant: “Consequently,
just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the
result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all
men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made
sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made
righteous.”(Rom 5.18-19) Therefore, our righteousness is iustitia extra
nos, aliena, passiva, distributiva, i.e., iustitia Christi.
Objective justification already occurred in the resurrection of Christ, but
subjective justification occurs when we believe it: “He was delivered over to
death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.”(Rom
4.25)
(iii) There are two ways to acquire righteousness before God. One is by the
perfect observance of all the laws of God but it is not possible because of the
fallen depravity and sins of human race without exception(Rom 3.20, Gal 3.11).
Therefore, God graciously offered another way of righteousness: “now a
righteousness from God dikaiosu,nh Qeou/, apart from law,
has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify”(Rom 3.21).
Jesus Christ is our righteousness(1Cor 1.30). This way of justification is righteous
because Christ paid the due price for it, and God reveals also his
righteousness in His act of justifying us: “God presented him as a sacrifice of
atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his
justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed
beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his justice at the
present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith
in Jesus.”(Rom 3.25-26)
4. Reconciliation and Adoption
(i) Because sins caused the separation from God are
removed, man is reconciled with God and their relationship is restored to enjoy
peace and koinonia with Him. Our reconciliation with God already made in
the atonement of Christ is subjectively given for our enjoyment: “when we were
God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son,
how much more, having been reconciled,
shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice
in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received
reconciliation.”(Rom 5.1-11) This reconciliation is the mission point for the
ministry of reconciliation: “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself
through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”(2Cor 5.18)
(ii) Now our relationship with God is not only that of
Creator and creature or Savior and saved, but also that of Father and son. We
are welcomed into the family of God by the merit of Christ’s brotherhood with
us(Heb 2.11). We are no longer “children of wrath” or “sons of disobedience”,
but the glorious “children of God”. Faith in Christ is instrumental also for
this adoption: “to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the
right to become children of God.”(Jn 1.12): “You are all sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus.”(Gal 3.26) The spirit of sonship is implanted
miraculously by the Holy Spirit: “you received the Spirit of sonship. And by
him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that
we are God’s children.”(Rom 8.15-16) Gal 4.6 indicates our objective adoption
already taken place before subjective adoption: “Because you are sons, God sent
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba , Father’.”
(iii) This newly adopted children receives all the
benefits and privileges of God’s children and shares them with the Son Jesus
Christ as co-heir of the Kingdom of God: “Now if we are children, then we are
heirs--heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in
order that we may also share in his glory.”(Rom 8.17) Wayne Grudem listed them
as follows: Relating with God as Father, fatherly love, care, understanding and
supply, royal inheritance in the