Justification is a legal term which means "the opposite of condemnation" and includes the idea of being "declared righteous" or "acceptable before God" (who is the Judge). To be justified before God is one way of looking at salvation. Basic to understanding justification is the biblical assertion that there is a day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgement will be revealed (Romans 2:5).

"In that day, God ' will give to each person according to what he has done'. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger." -- Romans 2:6-8

God has revealed his law to mankind as the basis for judgment. Thus, it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Romans 2:13). On the surface, one might conclude that justification is by doing good works. Theoretically, this is logical except that according to Scripture, in reality, it is impossible.

In Romans 1:18-3:20 the apostle Paul makes a step by step portrayal of the guilt of depraved pagan society, "good people" (at least in their own eyes), and the Israelites; he then concludes by saying:

"Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin." -- Romans 3:19-20

Another way of saying this is that we have been "saved, through faith . . . not by works" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Who is responsible for our justification? The apostle Paul answers this question for us in Romans 3:21-24. He lays before us the a) source, b) ground and c) means of justification.

The Source, Ground, & Means of Justification

Concerning the source of justification, Paul writes: "But now a righteousness from God . . . has been made known." Justification or righteous-ness is from God because it was by his grace (Romans 3:24), his undeserved favor. Titus 3:5 teaches that He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. Also, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

What is the ground or basis by which God justifies? The answer is through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus . . . a sacrifice of atonement. (Romans 3:24-25). This sentence is pregnant with meaning and tells us essential truths about the Lord Jesus Christ and why he had to die on the cross. First, it was in order to redeem us. The word means to rescue or ransom by the payment of a price. He had to redeem us because we are unable to save ourselves. Paul uses four words to describe our condition before God saved us: You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. (Romans 5:6) Again, But God demonstrates his love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) Lastly: For if 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! (Romans 5:10). In this condition, we deserved nothing but God's wrath - his holy revulsion toward sin. The second truth shown here is that his death takes away God's wrath toward us because Jesus himself received in his death the just punishment for our sins. That was the price he had to pay for our redemption. By bearing our sins on the cross, Christ suffered God's anger, satisfied his justice, and thereby taking away his anger.

This leads us to the means by which we are justified - by faith. Justification is by grace, by Christ, by faith; it is apart from law. This is the truly good news of Christianity. In the death of Christ, God reveals his power, his love and grace, his justice. It can now be said that to the man who does not work but trusts God, who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness (Romans 4:5). That is, righteousness or justification is granted on the basis of Christ's atoning sacrifice, to those who trust God. We notice that Paul says God justifies the wicked - not all the wicked, but only those who have faith. But it is surely significant that God does not justify the righteous since there is "no one righteous, no, not even one" (Romans 3:10). Also, "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). God's word is clear on this subject: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). Justification then is God's work on behalf of sinners. Sinners do not work to merit righteousness. We simply receive it by faith - by trusting God.

What Does Faith Involve?

Paul has already answered this partly in Romans 4:5. Man does not work, rather he trusts God. Salvation by grace through faith is mutually exclusive of meritorious works. But while the means to salvation is by faith apart from works, true salvation is unto good works. But we shall explore the faith and works issue later.

In answering the question, "What does faith involve?" let us proceed to the tenth chapter of Romans. Paul says, "Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes" (Romans 10:4). He then explains what faith involves by saying, "That if you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved" (Romans 10:9-10). It seems that Paul uses a very intelligent grammatical construction in these two sentences to emphasize the meaning of faith. In v. 9 Paul lays down two conditions for salvation: confession and believing. Yet in v. 10 he separates the two and makes one statement parallel to the other: believe . . . justified which stands by itself and confess . . . saved, which also is true by itself. We must conclude that Paul is saying faith and confession belong together. They are like two sides of the same coin. On one hand, a person cannot claim to have faith who at the same time will not confess Jesus as Lord. On the other, a saving confession can only emanate from a heart that believes. There is no magic in the words "Jesus is Lord". One must believe. Having seen the relationship between faith and confession- that they are inseparable, we now explore the meaning of the Christian confession "Jesus is Lord".

True Faith Confesses "Jesus is Lord"

In order to understand the meaning of the confession, let us look at two passages in Isaiah:

"I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols." -- Isaiah 42:8

"By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." -- Isaiah 45:23

Now we look at Philippians 2:6-11 which says (speaking of Christ),

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

These verses make it clear that to make the confession is to attribute to Jesus the honor that belongs to YHWH alone, thus making Jesus equal with God. This confession is coupled with believing that God raised Jesus from the dead. Paul writes that "through the Spirit of holiness [Jesus] was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 1:4). To believe that is to acknowledge God's power, and his acceptance of Jesus' sacrifice in our behalf. It is the same as trusting God.

To have faith is to call on the name of the Lord The faith by which sinners are justified is not intellectual assent alone. There is the element of trust as we have pointed out. Then just as faith and confession go together, so does trust and calling on the name of the Lord. True faith calls on God to save. Scripture declares, "Everyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. . . for "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Where there is no calling on God, faith is absent. Where faith is present, one will call on God. It is then that God justifies.

A clear understanding of the passages mentioned above leads to the conclusion that Paul uses parallel statements or equivalent expressions: It is with your heart that you believe and are justified, It is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Everyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame. . . Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Each of these statements above means in essence what the other statements mean. Believing, trusting, confessing, and calling on the name of the Lord belong together. Paul's favorite representative concept however is faith (or believe).

The fact that faith involves commitment should now be evident in the confession "Jesus is Lord." Christ, because he is Divine, deserves and demands worship and submission from us. It is clear then that when one comes in faith, he comes in submission. In Romans 6:17 Paul writes, "But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed . . ." In other words, those who believe(d) are those who offer(ed) themselves to God as slaves. It is interesting to note that the gospel is a "call . . . to the obedience that comes from faith." In this context, it is certain true to say that it is those who obey the gospel who are saved.

Is Salvation by Faith Alone?

This question is hotly debated among different Christian groups. The expression "by faith alone" was popularized by the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther ("sola fide") and is considered a central tenet of evangelical Christianity. If this is biblical, how does one deal with James 2:24 which says: "You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone"? While I have not personally read Luther, I have read many articles alluding to Luther and his teaching on "sola fide". The controversy arises from the seeming contradiction between Paul's teaching regarding justification in Romans 3-4 and James 2:14-26.

As already noted above, Paul teaches that justification is "apart from law" (Romans 3:21) and "apart from works" (Romans 4:6). "Law" in Paul's teaching includes Jewish law but more importantly refers to God's standard of judgement whereby "every mouth [is] silenced and the whole world [is] held accountable to God." This includes Jews (who have the law) and Gentiles (who do not have the written law but have conscience). Paul then emphatically states that faith and works are mutually exclusive of each other when it comes to the means of receiving salvation: "Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness."

If this is a proper understanding of Paul's teaching (as I think it is) then how do we interpret the passage in James? Let's take note that both Paul and James use Abraham as the example of justification by faith apart from works (Paul) or in James, that faith without works is dead. There are however important differences. Paul discusses justification from God's perspective: If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about - but not before God. In Paul, it is God who justifies. He credits righteousness apart from works. On the other hand, James' concern is: "if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Again, someone will say, 'You have faith; I have deeds.' Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do." James seems to look at a kind of faith (without deeds) and from a human perspective. Paul presumes a genuine faith. James explicitly talks about dead faith (faith without works). The contradiction is in fact only apparent, not a real contradiction. J.I. Packer in his article on "Justification" (New Bible Dictionary, IVP, 1982) clarifies the different uses by Paul and James of the word justification:

"It must be remembered that Paul is the only NT writer to use 'justify' as a technical term for God's act of accepting men when they believe. When James speaks of 'being justified', he appears to be using the word in its more general sense of being vindicated, or proved genuine and right before God and men, in face of possible doubt as to whether one was all that one professed, or was said to be . . . to be justified in this sense is for one to be shown a genuine believer, one who will demonstrate his faith by action."

I personally avoid the expression "by faith alone" unless specifically qualified. It would be valid if the meaning is "apart from law/works" as taught by Paul. However, as explained above, faith involves trusting, calling on God, confessing "Jesus is Lord". This faith also finds its expression in water baptism (as I will show next). With this frame of reference, it is probably wise to avoid saying "by faith alone".

Faith Expressed in Baptism

In the New Testament, the prescribed context for believing, confessing and calling on God is water baptism. The best passages that would show this truth are Romans 10:13 and the explicit baptismal text, Romans 6:1-4. The first passage (already mentioned above) reads: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." The connection between calling on the name of the Lord and baptism is illustrated for us in Paul's retelling of his conversion experience. The passage in part reads:

"Then he said: 'The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witnesses to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on the name of the Lord'" - Acts 22:14-16

We take note that here, being baptized, washing away our sins, and calling on the name of the Lord are assigned to the same time context - what Paul elsewhere describes as "when you believed." Baptism then is not a post-conversion experience. It is, rather, a part of it. We should also take note that Romans 10:13 is a quotation from Joel 2:32 and is also quoted by the Apostle Peter in Acts 2:21, where he explains the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Later as he expounds on this and actually tells his audience what they must do, Peter says, "Repent and be baptized . . . in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." We have therefore at least two apostles who understand the conversion process in the same way. This pattern is meant to be normative even today since in Acts 2:39 Peter continues by saying, "The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off- for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Baptism Signifies Union with Christ

The second passage is Romans 6:1-4. In this passage, Paul is dealing with incompatibility of continuing to live in sin for those who have "died to sin". But then rather than basing his reasoning on faith, Paul grounds it on baptism.

"What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."

What is the meaning of the expression "we died to sin". The phrase applies to all Christians as well as to Christ. Romans 6:10 reads: "The death he died , he died to sin, once for all." John Stott writes concerning this:

"The natural and obvious meaning of this is that Christ bore sin's condemnation, namely death. He met its claim, he paid its penalty . . . and he did it 'once for all' . . ."

He then goes to explain that "through union with Christ, we may be said to have borne its penalty." Not that we shared in the offering of Christ's unique sin-bearing sacrifice, but that "we do share in its benefits by being united to Christ". Thus "we may be said to have died in and through him". How did this happen? Stott says "The way in which we have died to sin is that our baptism united us with Christ in his death". Baptism "signifies our union with Christ, especially with Christ crucified and risen".

Conclusion: Blessings Arising From Our Justification

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God . . . And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our heart by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. The first obvious blessing is peace with God. No longer are we enemies. We have been reconciled to him. This reconciliation is spoken of in terms of being "sons of God," "heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ". (Romans 8:14-17) This being so, we have confident access. This access refers to our introduction into His very presence and probably also refers to our confidence in prayer. We approach him as children. As children we are able to live a new life, we are led by the Spirit, and we become "more than conquerors through him who loved us."

A second blessing is hope. Before God saved us, we were subject to His wrath and could only anticipate death. But because we are now heirs, we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, of future resurrected bodies that are not subject to decay but are invested with the glorious freedom of the children of God. This hope does not disappoint us because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit whom he has given us. In this hope we rejoice despite suffering and we persevere.

How many blessings? "Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us . . . with every spiritual blessings in Christ" (Ephesians 1:3). We certainly cannot count them. But along with Paul we will say, "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him . . . He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things." (Romans 8:28, 32)