JUSTIFICATION.
Among all the doctrines of our holy Christian faith, the doctrine
of Justification by Faith alone, stands most prominent. Luther calls
it: "The doctrine of a standing or a falling church," _i.e._, as
a church holds fast and appropriates this doctrine she remains pure
and firm, and as she departs from it, she becomes corrupt and falls.
This doctrine was the turning point of the Reformation in the
sixteenth century. It was the experience of its necessity and efficacy
that made Luther what he was, and equipped him for a Reformer.
Naturally, therefore, it occupies the chief place in all our
Confessions, and is prominent in all the history of our Church.
In these chapters on the "Way of Salvation," it has been
_implied_ throughout. There is indeed no doctrine of salvation
that is not more or less connected with or dependent on this one.
Some time ago we noticed a statement of a certain bishop in a
large Protestant Church, declaring that "not Justification, but the
Divinity of Christ, is the great fundamental doctrine that conditions
the standing or falling of a church." At first sight this seems
plausible. But when we come to reflect, we cannot but see that the
true doctrine concerning the Person of Christ is not only implied, but
embraced in the doctrine of Justification by Faith. A man might be
sound on the Divinity of Christ, and yet not know aright the Way of
Salvation. But a man cannot be sound on Justification without being
sound, not only on the Person of Christ, but also on His work and the
Way of Salvation through Him.
So much has been written and preached in our Church on this
subject, that it is not necessary for us to enter upon a full
discussion here. We will endeavor, therefore, merely in outline, to
call attention to a few of its most prominent and practical features.
We inquire briefly into its meaning and nature. Justification is
an act of God, by which He accounts or adjudges a person righteous in
His sight. It is not a change in the person's nature, but it is a
change in his _standing_ in the sight of God. Before justification he
stands in the sight of God, guilty and condemned. Through
justification, he stands before God free from guilt and condemnation;
he is acquitted, released, regarded and treated as if he had never
been guilty or condemned. The justified person stands in the sight of
God, as if he really had never committed a sin and were perfectly
innocent. Thus it is clear that justification treats of and has regard
to the sinner's _relation_ to God. It has nothing to do with his
change of nature. It is of the utmost importance that this be kept
constantly in mind. It is by applying justification to the change in
the sinner's nature that so many become confused, and fall into
grievous and dangerous errors.
The original source, or moving cause of justification, is God's
love. Had God not "_loved the world_" there would have been no
divine planning or counseling for man's justification. Truly it
required a divine mind to originate a scheme by which God "_could be
just and yet justify the ungodly_." All the wisdom of the world
could never have answered the question: "_How can mortal man be just
with God_?"
Man stood, in the sight of God, as a rebel against His divine
authority, a transgressor of divine law, guilty, condemned, and wholly
unable to justify himself, or to answer for one in a thousand
offences. God had given His word that, because of guilt, there must be
punishment and suffering. This word was given before sin was
committed, and was repeated a thousand times afterwards. There must
then be obedience to an infinite law, or _infinite_ punishment
for transgression. How could this gulf be bridged, and man saved?
There was only one way. "_God so loved the world that He gave
His only-begotten Son._" That Son, "_the brightness of the
Father's glory and the express image of His person_," "_in whom
dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily_," came into our
world. He came to take the sinner's place--to be his substitute.
Though Lord and giver of the law, He put Himself under the law. He
fulfilled it in every jot and tittle. He did no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth. Thus He worked out a complete and perfect
righteousness. He did not need this righteousness for Himself, for He
had a righteousness far above the righteousness of the law. He wrought
it out not for Himself, but for man, that He might make it over and
impute it to the transgressor. Thus then while man had no obedience of
his own, he could have the obedience of another set down to his
account, as though it were his own.
But this was not enough. Man had sinned and was still constantly
sinning, his very nature being a sinful one. As already noted, the
divine Word was pledged that there must be punishment for sin. The
Son, who came to be a substitute, said: Put me in the sinner's place;
let me be the guilty one; let the blows fall upon me. And thus, He
"_who knew no sin was made sin_ (or a sin-offering) _for us_." He
"_was made a curse_," "_bore our sins_" and "_the iniquity of us
all_." He, the God-man, was regarded as the guilty one, treated as the
guilty one, suffered as the guilty one.
He suffered as God, as well as man. For the Divine and human were
inseparably united in one person. Divinity by itself cannot suffer and
die. But thus mysteriously connected with the humanity it could and
really did participate in the suffering and dying. And who will
calculate what Immanuel can suffer? What must it have been when it
crushed Him to earth, made Him cry out so plaintively, and at last
took His life! Our old theologians loved to say, that what the
sufferings of Christ lacked in _extensiveness_ or duration, they
made up in _intensiveness_. Thus there was a perfect atonement.
_All_ the punishment had been endured. A perfect righteousness
had been wrought out, and the Father set His seal to it in the
resurrection and ascension of His dear Son. Here, then, was real
substitution, and this is the _ground_ for our justification.
It has been asked, on this point, if Christ by His perfect life
wrought out a complete righteousness, which He needed not for Himself,
but intended for the sinner, why was not this sufficient? Why was His
death necessary? On the other hand, if His death is a perfect
atonement for all sin, why does the sinner, in addition to a full and
free forgiveness, procured by the death of Christ, need also the
application of the righteousness of the life of Christ? In a word, why
are both the life and death necessary to justify the sinner?
We answer: By His death or suffering obedience He wrought out a
_negative_ righteousness, the forgiveness of sins. By His life,
or active obedience, He wrought out a _positive_ righteousness.
The former releases from punishment. The latter confers character,
standing and honor in the kingdom of God.
To illustrate. Two persons have broken the laws of their land,
are guilty, condemned, and suffer the penalty in prison. To one comes
a message of pardon from the king. The prison doors are opened and he
goes forth a free man. The law cannot again seize him and condemn him
for the crimes of which he is pardoned. But as he goes forth among his
fellow-men he realizes that though released from punishment, and
_negatively_ righteous, he has no standing, no character, no
positive righteousness, unless he earn and merit it for himself.
To the other criminal also comes a message of pardon from his
king. In addition to pardon, or release from punishment, he is assured
that his king has adopted him as his son, will take him into his
family and endow him with his name and all the privileges of his
house.
Now this pardoned one has a double righteousness; Negatively,
pardon and release from punishment; positively, a name, standing,
character, honor, and the richest endowments of the kingdom.
Even thus has the Son of God wrought out for us a two-fold
righteousness, viz.: Negatively, by His sufferings and death, the
forgiveness of sin and release from punishment; and positively, by His
life of obedience, the appropriation of a perfect righteousness, a
name and a place in His kingdom, with all its honors and blessings.
In the procuring of this double righteousness, Christ wrought out
first the positive and then the negative. In the conferring of it He
gives first the negative and then the positive.
And therefore the two-fold message of consolation. Is. xl. 1, 2:
"_Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to_--(i.e., speak ye _to the heart of_)--_Jerusalem, and cry unto her
that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned; for
she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins._"
This justification has been purchased and paid for. But it is not
yet applied. The sinner has not yet appropriated it and made it his
own. How is this to be done? We answer: BY FAITH. Faith is the eye
that looks to Christ. It sees His perfect atonement and His spotless
righteousness. It is, at the same time, the hand that reaches out and
lays hold of Christ, and clings to him as the only help and the only
hope. This faith, springing from a penitent heart, that realizes its
own unworthiness and guiltiness, renouncing all claim to merit or
self-righteousness, casts itself on the divine Saviour, trusts
implicitly in Him, and rests there. This faith justifies. Not because
it is an act that merits or earns justification. No! In no sense.
Christ has earned it. Faith only lays hold of and appropriates what is
already purchased and paid for.
There certainly can be no merit in our faith, because it is
itself a "_gift of God_," as the Scriptures declare. He that has
the faith is justified, acquitted, forgiven. The appropriation or
application, is when we believe with all the heart on the Son of God.
Such, in brief, is the Lutheran doctrine of "Justification by
Faith." We have not thought it necessary to quote from the Augsburg
Confession or the Formula of Concord for proof. Neither is it
necessary or desirable that we lengthen out this chapter with
quotations from standard theologians. Any one desiring further proof
or amplification can find abundance of it in all our Confessions, and
in all recognized writers in the Church. Nor have we taken up the
space with Scripture quotations. To quote all that the Bible says on
the subject would be to transcribe a large proportion of its passages.
It would necessitate especially a writing out of a large part of the
writings of Paul, who makes it the great theme of several of his
epistles. Every devout reader of Paul's letters will find this great
doctrine shining forth in every chapter, so much so that the Romish
Bishop who was driven by Luther to a study of the New Testament threw
down his book and said: "_Paul also has become a Lutheran_!"
In conclusion, we desire to impress one thought. The doctrine of
Justification is so highly prized by the believer, not so much because
of the grand and matchless scheme it brings to light, as because of
the peace and comfort it has brought into his heart. He who truly
embraces this doctrine, realizes its efficacy and power. It is
precious to him, above all things, as a matter of personal experience.
This experience is not the doctrine, but the result of receiving it.
He has realized the blessedness of having his own sins forgiven, his
transgressions covered. Being _justified by faith, he has peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ_.
This blessed experience was the root and spring of Luther's
courage and strength. Without this heart-experience, all theorizing
about the doctrine is vain. Such a scriptural experience never
develops a Pharisee. It never runs into self-exaltation. It constantly
exalts and magnifies Christ. It habitually humbles self. It lays self
low at the foot of the cross, and remains there. Not that it is a
gloomy or despondent spirit. For while it constantly mourns over the
imperfections and sins of self, it, at the same time, constantly
rejoices in the full and perfect salvation of Christ. While it never
ceases in this life to shed the tears of penitence, it also never
ceases to sing the joyful song of deliverance. It develops a Christian
after the type of Paul and Luther, and Gerhard and Francke. Blessed is
he who understands and experiences justification by faith. Doubly sad
the state of him who has the doctrine, without its experience and
peace and glory.
"Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness
My beauty are, my glorious dress;
Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,
With joy shall I lift up my head.
"Bold shall I stand in that great day,
For who aught to my charge shall lay?
Fully through these absolved I am
From sin and fear, from guilt and shame.
"This spotless robe the same appears,
When ruined nature sinks in years:
No age can change its constant hue;
Thy Blood preserves it ever new.
"Oh let the dead now hear Thy voice;
Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice!
Their beauty this, their glorious dress,
Jesus, Thy Blood and Righteousness."