Justification by Faith Alone: A Call for Clarity July 26, 2013 Martin Luther Faith, for the great Martin Luther clearly meant two things: belief that we are sinners and belief that by God’s grace we are justified (thus, his oft-quoted maxim: simul iustus et peccator). More importantly, faith, for the Apostle Paul clearly meant these two same things: that the ungodly were justified, and the ungodly were justified – ‘their faith is credited as righteousness’ (Rom. 4:15). Given the upcoming Archbishop’s election and the premium our Diocese places on evangelical theology, clarity on justification by faith alone is crucial. We need crystal clear communication for the sake of Christ and His church. Firstly, we should avoid all talk of obedience as a ‘ground’, ‘basis’ and so forth of justification by faith alone. This is the sort of erroneous language bound up in N.T. Wright’s New Perspective on Paul. 1 That much is clear from the Apostle Paul’s desire ‘to be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith.’ (Phil. 3:9). Secondly, we should be clear that although faith is necessary for justification, it is no ground of justification. In other words, it’s a mistake to locate the justifying righteousness of God, in whole or in part, in the human person. Why? Well, for a start, the righteousness of God in terms of which He acquits believers is objectively revealed in the gospel, apart from works of the law and before faith – Christ is our righteousness (Rom. 1:17; 3:21, 1 Cor. 1:30). Next, Scripture never presents faith as the ground for justification. Rather, justification is ek pisteos (from faith), dia pisteos (through faith) or pistei (by faith) as per Rom. 1:17, 3:22, 26, 28, 30; Gal. 2:16, 3:8, 24; Phil 3:9, etc. Faith is never presented in Scripture as righteousness itself or a subset thereof. That is precisely the point of Romans 4:15 – faith itself isn’t accepted by God as a work of righteousness in place of or alongside ‘the righteousness of God in Christ.’ We must understand that faith is not the material cause of justification, else Christ would be rendered superfluous. Rather, faith is the necessary instrument involved in justification. It is by faith alone in Christ alone. If we obfuscate or equivocate on the issue of making faith or obedience the ground of justification, we are left in a perilously dangerous pastoral predicament. If our faith or obedience – both of which are often weak and faulty – if our faith or obedience become the ground for our justification, the Christian life becomes burdened by continual fear and uncertainty. We must not turn inwards constantly looking for grounds of justification – no, we must fix our gaze firmly on Christ. ‘It is finished’ is the only perfectly sufficient grounds upon which our justification may firmly rest. ‘Christ crucified’ is the content of our faith – that trusting and leaning instrument through which we receive justification. We are justified by faith alone – a faith which is never alone, but rather issues good works. In this lie the beauty, clarity and grace of the Gospel! If John Calvin was right that justification is the ‘main hinge’ on which religion turns, and Martin Luther, that ‘justification is the article by which the church stands or falls’, then now is the time to be crystal clear on this theological issue. We must ask each candidate this question, and select the man who will lead our churches in clearly communicating the cross of Christ. Footnote: 1 Wright speaks of final justification “on the basis of the entire life a person has led in the power of the Spirit – that is … on the basis of ‘works’.” Wright, ‘New Perspectives on Paul’ in Justification in Perspective: Historical Developments and Contemporary Challenges, 260. Emphasis added.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Jul 2013 10:22:01 +0000
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