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Topic: Justification By Faith
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Caretaker
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We are justified solely through the Blood of Christ.
Romans 5:1,9 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” Man’s legal standing with Heaven is one of condemnation, and worthy of the righteous wrath of almighty God. Romans 3:23 “ For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God;”
Justification is the act of God whereby He accepts the blood of Christ as the complete and satisfying sacrifice for all human sin, propitiation, thus changing our legal status and establishing a means of reconciliation with man.
Believers are justified by the grace of God through faith. Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Romans 3:28 “ Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” We see that the status of man is changed from that of the condemned to that of an heir, one who is able to inherit. Thus man is reconciled to God through the propitiation of Jesus Christ and restored to full legal righteous standing.
Following are several of the doctrinal statements made on Justification at the council of Trent. After each Canon are scriptures that contradict that Canon.
Finally, you will see the word "anathema" used many times by the Council. This means that those who disagree with the doctrines of this Council are cursed. In Gal. 1:8-9, the word "anathema" is used. The curse must come from God. Therefore, we conclude that according to Roman Catholicism, anyone who disagrees with the following Canons are cursed of God. The Roman Catholic church excommunicates those under anathema. In other words, excommunication means being outside the Christian church. Being outside the church means you are not saved.
In spite of what Catholicism states, the Bible speaks differently. Following each Canon is a list of appropriate scriptures countering the Catholic position.
1. CANON 9: "If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema."
"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" (Rom. 3:20).
B. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3:24).
C. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).
D. "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
E. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
F. "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God" (Eph. 2:8).
G. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5).
2. CANON 12: "If any one shall say that justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in the divine mercy pardoning sins for Christ's sake, or that it is that confidence alone by which we are justified ... let him be accursed"
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"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name" John 1:12).
A. "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law" (Rom. 3:28).
B. "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
C. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; 27Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself" (Heb. 7:25-27).
D. For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12).
3. Canon 14: "If any one saith, that man is truly absolved from his sins and justified, because that he assuredly believed himself absolved and justified; or, that no one is truly justified but he who believes himself justified; and that, by this faith alone, absolution and justification are effected; let him be anathema."
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"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness" (Rom. 4:3).
A. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
4. Canon 23: "lf any one saith, that a man once justified can sin no more, nor lose grace, and that therefore he that falls and sins was never truly justified; or, on the other hand, that he is able, during his whole life, to avoid all sins, even those that are venial,- except by a special privilege from God, as the Church holds in regard of the Blessed Virgin; let him be anathema."
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"He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).
A. "And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day" (John 6:40).
B. "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand" (John 10:28).
C. "That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 5:21).
D. "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (1 John 2:19).
E. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:13).
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Canon 24: "If any one saith, that the justice received is not preserved and also increased before God through good works; but that the said works are merely the fruits and signs of Justification obtained, but not a cause of the increase thereof; let him be anathema."
. "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:1-3).
A. "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law" (Gal. 5:1-3).
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Canon 30: "If any one saith, that, after the grace of Justification has been received, to every penitent sinner the guilt is remitted, and the debt of eternal punishment is blotted out in such wise, that there remains not any debt of temporal punishment to be discharged either in this world, or in the next in Purgatory, before the entrance to the kingdom of heaven can be opened (to him); let him be anathema."
. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).
A. "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; 14Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross" (Col. 2:13-14).
• Canon 33: "If any one saith, that, by the Catholic doctrine touching Justification, by this holy Synod inset forth in this present decree, the glory of God, or the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ are in any way derogated from, and not rather that the truth of our faith, and the glory in fine of God and of Jesus Christ are rendered (more) illustrious; let him be anathema.
. This council declares that if anyone disagrees with it, they are damned.
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A Servant of Christ,
Drew
1 Tim. 3:
16: And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..
Posts: 3978 | From: Council Grove, KS USA | Registered: Jun 2002
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Eduardo Grequi
Advanced Member
Member # 3984
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posted
By Dr Johnson C. Philip & Dr. Saneesh Cherian
Martin Luther changed the course of the modern Christian faith by initiating the
Protestant Reformation. He was a Roman Catholic priest and theology professor. He
confronted the Roman Catholic Church with his 95 Theses in 1517. Luther strongly
disputed their claim that freedom from God's punishment of sin could be purchased
with money or that it can be granted by the Church. His refusal to retract his writings
at the demand of Pope Leo X in 1520 and the Emperor Charles V at the Diet of
Worms meeting in 1521 resulted in his excommunication by the pope and
condemnation as an outlaw by the emperor
We humans have an inherent tendency to justify ourselves. No sooner someone
points to a real or alleged mistake on our part, the defenses go up and we pile
reason upon reason to demonstrate why we were wrong. We all wish to justify
ourselves or offer a justification.
Thus Justification refers to the act of declaring that a person is not guilty. This might
be done by him, or by someone else. It is somewhat in the same sense that this
word is used in the Bible also. The major difference is that the doctrine refers to
justification before God (and not man), and that also in the matter of sins (and not
everyday omissions or failings).
Man's inherent need for justification is seen among people of all languages, cultures,
and time. But much greater than that is man's perceived need for justification before
the creator. This is why people of all religions at all times invented their own varied
methods to get a clean chit from God. But, obviously, no man-made method can
bring lasting justification. In every justly constituted human courts, a guilty person
is deemed worthy only of punishment and not of vindication or justification.
Because of human conscience every person knows that he is a sinner deserving only
punishment. He also knows that the Divine court is infinitely more powerful than the
fallible human courts. This is why there is a life-long yearning in his heart to get right
with God. The origin of all man-made religions and rituals can be traced to this fear
and yearning.
Man-made religion and ritual can offer, at the most, only a temporary satisfaction. It
cannot save, it cannot justify in the final reckoning. Thus God in His infinite mercy
opened and offered a way of justification, the divinely ordained way of justification.
He also chose a succession of people to carry this message unadulterated. It was
transmitted from Seth to Noah and from Noah to Abraham orally and also through
the written word. God also spoke directly with people in this chain. Finally He made
Israel the custodian of this message. They were both to preserve the message from
adulteration, and were also supposed to spread this message to people of all the
world. And there are plenty of archeological and historical indications that they took
this responsibility seriously.
As world population began to explode, even Israelites became numerous and some
sort of written and codified communication became necessary to get the message of
divine justification to all. This is the time when Moses rose to leadership.
Moses was a highly learned person, and since he was trained in the palaces of Egypt
upto the age of 40, he was proficient in more than one language, was able to write in
more than one kind of script, and had access to papyri and other writing material.
God used him to write six books in in the Bible: the first five books, plus the book of
Job. He also wrote many psalms. Thus was the first time when the divine message of
justification was codified down in writing.
From here the exposition of this doctrine kept on becoming increasingly clear, with
unusually detailed descriptions being given in the last portion of the book of Isaiah.
In His three and a half years of public ministry, Lord Jesus repeatedly spoke about
justification, and even illustrated it. A classic incident is the parable of the arrogant
Pharisee and the weeping Publican who went to the Temple. The Pharisee did not
have an assurance when he left, though he followed the law to the letter. The
Publican, on the other hand, went away justified on the basis of his faith in God,
though he probably had broken all the stipulations of the Law. Such is God's
compassion, but many in the Old Testament times failed to recognize it.
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The special activities of the Holy Spirit from Pentecost onwards, the writing down of
the doctrinal books of the Bible (Romans to Judah), and the never-before but
newly-given filling and indwelling of the Spirit ensured that Divine Truth and the
Divine Plan of the Ages are made clear to the people of God with unusual clarity. The
message of Justification By Faith was spelt out clearly in the Epistles, specially and
emphatically in the Epistle to Romans.
That Justification is an act of God's grace and that the Law had no part in it. It was
abundantly clear to the Apostles. The Jerusalem Council publicly recognized this fact.
Similarly Peter, chief among the Apostles also recognized this truth when God spoke
to him through the vision of a large tray filled with all kinds of animals. Since the
Apostles and their close companions spent much time in an intensive exposition of
spiritual truth, and since a large number of believers like the "Bereans" made it a
point to search the scriptures on a daily basis, doctrines related to salvation and
justification were reasonably clear to believers in the first century. The wrong
teachings of Judizers who insisted upon keeping the law, and the pagan influence of
Gnostics were the main problems then, and the Apostles fought them with all might.
The Eclipse Of The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith
The second and third centuries did have many doctrines, but these were generally
connected with the Lord Jesus or the Holy Spirit. Accepting the doctrine of Trinity
(which includes accepting the Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit as co-equal and
co-eternal with the Father) was a problem for Pagan religions.
Again so substantial question came up about the doctrine of justification during this
period. Meanwhile the Roman Emperor Constantine "converted" to the Christian
"religion" in the fourth century, and there started the eclipsing of all major doctrines.
Every religion in the world teaches that man
needs to labour hard, all his life, to receive
salvation. The Bible is the only exception
because if its emphasis upon salvation by
grace, not by works. Thus any pagan
influence obscures the doctrine of grace-based
salvation in the first place. Thus the gross
paganization of the Christian Faith under the
Roman Christianity immediately obscured the
clear and simple doctrine of salvation by grace
through faith.
Picture: People worldwide work hard, submit themselves to untold hardships, with
the hope that human works will bring justification, but none has assurance. (Pic by
Mahatma4711)
After Romanization of the Church, the next development was the control of the
Roman Bishop over the whole of Christendom. Many treacherous and curios political,
ecclesiastical, and personal battles were fought by the Roman Bishop and his cronies
for this control. Eventually through a combination of deception and clever
manipulation, the Bishop of Rome rose to become the human lord over almost the
whole of Christendom. This was a battle for fame, power, and money and not
doctrine, for pure doctrine does not guarantee these things. And once the power
came into his hand, the Roman Bishop or Pope and the Roman Church did everything
possible to consolidate and keep that power concentrated in their hands. The first
requirement for this was the development of a theology and a "religion" that was
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totally man-centric and work-centric instead of God-centric and grace-centric. The
purpose was to enslave people, not to liberate.
Gradually a doctrine of work-based salvation was developed and taught. Additions
were made as and when possible so much so that even after a person's departure his
soul entered a place called purgatory. The relatives of a dead man had to keep on
giving alms to the priests so that their dead forefather can escape the oppressive
confines of purgatory and move to heaven.
Since God inspired the Bible in the common man's language, and a diligent reading of
the Bible would tell people about salvation and justification based upon the
grace-faith system, they invented methods to keep the Bible away from the masses.
All liturgy was shifted to languages not understood by people, translation of the Bible
was not allowed in the common man's language, and eventually the Roman Catholic
church placed the Bible on the official list of "Forbidden Books". Severe punishment,
imprisonment, and even confiscation of property was common if the Bible or a
portion was discovered in any Roman Catholic home.
The Roman Catholics oppressed and even killed many for translating or for
possessing the Bible. So enraged were they with William Tyndale for his Bible
Translation that finally when they ware able to lay their hands upon his grave, they
exhumed Tyndale's bones and burnt in public to make an example of those who
dared to defy the Catholic Church.
Rediscovery Of The Doctrine
The doctrine of Justification By Faith was taught by many small groups worldwide in
spite of Catholic suppression. Church history tells that a faithful remnant was always
active in spite of the eclipse of doctrine. The Roman Catholic Church mercilessly
chased and persecuted these smaller reform movements, but they could not
eliminate truth altogether. On the other hand, this violence ensured that these truths
do not result in a mass-movement.
The "Dark Ages" are known to all students of history. The Roman Catholic Church
ruled much of the Christian world with an iron hand. Free-thinking and dissent was
made a crime. The dark ages followed. Yet many curious minds eventually laid their
hands upon the Bible. Many began to secretly read the Bible, specially the books of
the New Testament. This opened their eyes to many fundamental doctrinal truths,
though only in an outline form. One of these men was Philip Melancthon. He wrote
and spoke about God's justification which was available freely to all. (Presumably he
did have access to the Remnant, which helped him to better grasp the Biblical truth).
Philip Melancthon's writings in turn touched Martin Luther a highly learned Roman
Catholic monk. For years he had been reading the New Testament and fundamental
doctrinal truths were gradually becoming clearer to him. He knew the Roman
Catholic dogma was all men-made humbug and an outright pagan system meant
only for the exploitation of the laity by the all-powerful priestly class. As he kept
discovering the New Testament doctrines one by one, his restlessness and yearning
to know the full and complete truth only kept increasing. Finally as he was studying
the Epistle to Romans, he was struck by the insight that "Being Justified by Faith" is
the key that united and revealed the fundamental doctrinal truths.
Soon he proclaimed this doctrine from the pulpit, and this Biblical insight spread
among people like wild-fire. "You shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall set you
free" was visible to anyone who observed the spiritual awakening that was spreading
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rapidly in Europe.
The rest is well-known history. The Roman Catholic Church tried to suppress the
Reformation with every tactic known to a conniving manipulator, and every tactic for
torture which a sadist can contrive. Yet the Protestant Reformation kept growing, and
with that the doctrinal affirmation of "Justification By Faith" (Sola Fide in Latin)
reached all the continents.
Post Reformation Development
Though all doctrines are spelled out clearly in the Scriptures, not all doctrines are
always clearly understood by people. Part of the reason is the way God has spread
these truths throughout the Bible.
No Bible doctrine is ever introduced or explained in its totality in one place in the
Bible. On the contrary, important statements are spread by God into many locations
throughout the Old and New Testament. Thus all the verses related to a given topic
have to be collected, classified and interpreted before a doctrinal topic can be
understood clearly. This takes time and effort.
Since much systematic work is needed to define and expound any doctrine, the
human understanding of any doctrine grows only gradually and in steps. Thus though
the original Protestant Reformation brought people back to the fundamentals, it took
many more years and even some more Reformations of lesser scope had to take
place for further clarification and refinement in the understanding of these doctrines.
The rise of the Baptist Churches and the Presbyterian Churches, and the systematic
work by their scholars further clarified many key doctrines, such as the doctrines
related to the Inerrancy, and Infallibility of the Holy Scripture. The last of these
Reformations was what is today known as the Plymouth Brethren movement.
The Plymouth Brethren movement started among the High Anglicans in England
around the mid 1800s. Around 1890 a similar movement of the Holy Spirit took place
independently in India, mostly among the Mar Thomaite, Jacobite, and Roman
Catholic adherents. Eventually adherents of both of these movements recognized
that they have the same doctrinal conviction, and thus they recognized each others
as one and the same movement, later called the Plymouth Brethren.
Men in this group were dedicated Bible-students and established doctrines strictly on
the protocols of the Bible interpretation resulted in a worldwide emphasis on
interpretation of the Bible. A large number of interpreters and theologians worldwide
made a substantial contribution to restating Biblical doctrines accurately in common
man's language. There were many other connected activities also, and together they
played an important role in the revival and rise of conservative Christianity. This also
was the era when the doctrine of Justification By Faith received further clarification
and restatement.
Today the fruits of the Protestant Reformation, which reached its pinnacle in the
Plymouth Brethren Movement, are in front of us. The fundamental doctrines are
available in every man's language in an accessible manner.
The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith
The Scripture makes it clear that all men are sinners. In Romans 3: 23 we read "All
have sinned and come short of the glory of God". In Psalm 51:5 we read, "Surely I
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have been a sinner from birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me".
Thus every person is a transgressor before God, and every man, woman, and child is
more or less conscious of it. They know they have trespassed, and just as every
guilty person feels a need to justify himself, every sinner also yearns for relief.
However, they also know that as trespassers they cannot be justified for justification
actually belongs to a person who is innocent. The only relief that a sinner and a
violator can hope is "pardon" and not justification. The greater the offense, the more
difficult would be a pardon. Further, the more grave the offense, the higher needs to
be the position or rank of that person before he can grant pardon. Everybody knows
these things because these observations are part of all social life from the most
primitive to the most advanced societies.
While trespassers and criminals are punished in all societies, a more lenient attitude
is usually show to the repentant person. Many a times their period of imprisonment is
reduced, or converted into a fine, after paying which they are set free. In rare cases
even pardon is granted by the highest authority in response to appeals for mercy
coupled with grounds for compassion, such as the presents who need support of this
person. All man-made religions take advantage of these practices and have built into
themselves rituals for pleasing God (the highest authority) through alms, penance,
and special rituals. The idea is to get a "remission" from the highest authority in the
universe. Many of them even talk about forgiveness and cleansing of sins in lieu for
harder work. There is, however, no question of justification in man-made religions
because man known that only a sinless and basically innocent person can be rightly
"justified" by the judge.
The same was the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church: that man can get a
remission and forgiveness, in lieu for penances, alms, and intercessory prayers of
saints. The faithful were exhorted to lead a devout life, doing all what was expected
of them to see if they might be able to secure a remission from punishment. There
was no talk of justification (in the Biblical sense) because no judge of integrity can
ever declare a trespasser as innocent. The maximum he could do was to offer
pardon, making the recipient a "pardoned sinner" not righteous or innocent.
However, this is not what God has in store for those who accept the Lord Jesus as
their Savior. He both pardons as well as justifies. It is amazing, but it does happen.
God wants it that way and He has a solution for it.
The First Step, Salvation By Grace: As mentioned before, what a trespasser longs for
is forgiveness and relief from punishment. This is exactly what God does first.
In Romans 6: 23 we read, "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is Eternal
Life in Christ Jesus". In John 3:16 we read, "For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have
Everlasting life". While man struggles, God has already paid the cost and opened the
way to all. Man is alienated from God as long as he is a sinner condemned unto
death. However, once he comes to God and obtained forgiveness and salvation, God
can now work in him. This is exactly what we see in the next stage.
The Second Step, Union With Christ: Once a person trusts in Christ and accepts Him
as personal Savior, God forgives him and unites him with the Body of Christ. That
Church is the Body of Christ as mentioned in Ephesians and Colossians. In Ephesians
2: 16 we read, "And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the
cross". In Colossians 1:24 we read, "...For His body's sake, which is the church". And
in Ephesians 12:22 and 23 we read, "... head over all things to the Church, which is
His body...".
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Taking a regenerate believer and uniting him with the body of Christ is a special
activity of the Holy Spirit. In I Corinthians 12: 13 says, "For by one Spirit are we all
baptized into one body". Here baptism refers to identifying or uniting two things.
There was no need for God to lay the penalty of our sins on Christ. That He chose to
do so is His grace. Similarly, there is no need for God to unite with the body of
Christ. However, He does so in His grace because those union opens a way for God
to many things for the new believers. Because of this union, God can now grant
many things to the believers that He had granted to Christ because now they are in
union with each other. Also, many things which Christ has can be imputed to those
who are in union with Christ.
The New Testament repeatedly uses the expression "in Him" and "in Christ". This is
a reference to things which are given, or attributed, or imputed to believers "in union
with Christ". We must remember that not all what Christ has can be given to others.
But certain things like His Holiness can be attributed to others at least positionally.
This is exactly what happens in justification.
The Third Stage, Justification: Once a new believer is united with the body of Christ,
God grants many things to the believer which He grants to Christ. Sonship of
believers is a good example of this. God also imputes many things to believers which
Christ has, and the best example here is justification.
It can be understood in the following way. Once a believer is united to the body of
Christ, God views that person as part of the body of Christ. As a consequence, the
righteousness which is Christ's so that God views that person as righteous (in Christ).
Here it should be understood clearly that Christ's righteousness in not transmitted or
infused to a believer. On the contrary it is only attributed or imputed to the believer.
This is not a physical transmission to a believer, but only a legal accounting.
Thus this person who was a sinner till yesterday, stands as righteous in Christ today.
God no longer sees him as a sinner but as a righteous person or a "saint" in the
language of New Testament. This act of declaring and viewing a sinner as a person
who is "not guilty", who is righteous, who is a saint, because he is imputed or
covered with the righteousness of Christ is called justification. A sinner and
trespasser cannot be justified. But when the penalty has been paid, and when he is
covered with the cloth of Christ's righteousness, he who was a sinner now stands
justified as a saint.
The Process Of Justification
In the earlier portions of this book, we split up God's work into several stages for the
sake of clarity and understanding. In reality, all these and several additional things
take place in the life of a believer simultaneously at the moment he believers in
Christ. God the Father does all these things in His grace so that He can give us a new
nature, a new identity, and a new destiny. However, it is always helpful from the
human perspective to view these divine actions in a more expanded form for our
understanding. That is what we have done in the previous pages. God forgives our
sins, unites us, and we stand justified.
The big question now is, does man play any role in his justification. Or can he do
anything to expedite or assure his justification. And all man-made religions assert
that he can work for his justification, and thus hasten the process. To establish this
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theory, all of them in one form or other teach that man has a "spark of the divine" in
him that can be nurtured to grow and make him holy or justified. Hindus teach this in
the most potent form, because they claim that man is god and all what he needs is
to shed his illusions that he is god. The Roman Catholics teach to the effect that this
"spark" is transmitted to the child at the moment of his baptism. There is a whole
range of teaching between these two, and ultimately all of them amount to "work for
your justification" concept. However, this is not what the Bible teaches.
Justification is a gift of God, and He does not demand or accept anything in lieu of it.
In Romans 3: 24 we read, "Being justified FREELY by grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus". This is a reminder redemption come first and justification is
granted freely and non-meritoriously graciously along with that. The scripture
repeatedly reminds that human work is not the basis of justification. "But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness" (Romans 4: 5). On faith, a totally non-meritorious response from
man, can bring divine justification to him. This is "justification by faith" or Sola Fide,
as repeatedly proclaimed in Latin by the Reformers. This is declared in many places
including Roman 3: 28 where we read, "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified
by faith without the deeds of the law". Gelatins 2:16 we read, "knowing that a man is
not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, even as we believed
in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of
the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified".
Implications of Justification by Faith
Often a fundamental doctrine looks just like another piece of theory. No practical
implications can be seen. The problem here is not with the doctrine, but with those
who fail to expound the practical aspects after the explain the theoretical part. The
more an expositor is removed in time from the Reformations, the greater is the
possibility that he will fail to see this connection, making his preaching all the more
ineffective.
All ideas have practical consequences. More so when it is a fundamental doctrine.
This is illustrated by the Protestant Reformation which spread worldwide like a
wildfire and created a vertical split in families, societies, and churches. The Roman
Catholic Church tortured millions of Protestants and killed hundreds of thousands.
The consequences of this single doctrine were so life-transforming that millions chose
torture over compromise. Obviously this doctrine has series implications for life,
enough for people to become willing to forfeit life and property.
Teaching Justification Leads to Freedom: All man-made religious teach work-based
salvation and no objective justification. Thus their adherents (including the adherents
of the 'christian' religions) slave all their lives without assurance of salvation. God
offers salvation first, and then expects us to work. Not "for" salvation or justification
which has given us a new identity.
Anyone who has worked hard to pass an examination or for a promotion knows
about the toil and tension. But God does not want man to suffer this fate for
salvation. And anyway his toils cannot earn salvation for him. So God provides
promotion in grace, and invites us to work (lead a holy life) because of what we
received as a gift. There is no more uncertainty, fear, or doubt about the outcome.
Teaching Justification By Faith leads to true spiritual freedom. People need to know
about salvation by grace and justification by faith. They can know only when it is
taught. It is the joy of this discovery, and assurance of the new life which motivated
9 of 10
the Reformation Generations to pay the heavy cost.
Teaching about Justification leads to liberation, and liberation leads people to action.
Doctrines do have practical consequences. This is the reason why Reformation was
followed by the great Missionary Movement. What they experience, they now wanted
the whole world to experience. Liberty and liberation is contagious, specially when it
comes after prolonged bondage.
Suppressing Justification Leads to Slavery: We all know how leaders of all religions
exploit their people. By making salvation uncertain and dependent upon the priestly
class, they exploit the masses from birth to death and even after that. With the
"conversion" of Constantine, the Christian would also fell into the same pattern.
Pic: God does not ask people to slave
themselves for the sake of salvation (Pic by
stevehicks)
Actually the Christian faith is the sower of
liberty. God does not ask people to slave
themselves for the sake of salvation. On the
contrary He invites everyone to go unto Him
and receive "rest" freely. There is no need for
fear, doubt or skepticism about one's
salvation. It is available without toil as a gift
to anyone and everyone. But this message
also spelled the doom for the priestly class that indulges in luxury by enslaving
people. But all of this changed with Constantine. Truth was suppressed, and owning
or reading the Bible became a crime. There was no more any mention (or even
remembrance) of inconvenient doctrines like justification by faith.
Just look at what Christendom has become in the sixteen centuries after
Constantine. A good example of this perversion is the Roman Catholic Church. For
salvation a person has to depend upon priests, seven or more sacraments, and
life-long slavery to the church. Sins have to be confessed regularly to a priest, a
perversion through which they enslave everyone. Spiritual freedom and Biblically
true teaching are non existent in the church. Hundreds of millions are being pushed
into hell, after having the false assurance that they know Lord Jesus Christ. It is
suppression of "Justification By Faith" which has helped the Roman Catholic church to
run the biggest spiritual slavery in the name of Christ the greatest liberator.
The picture is not much different in most Episcopal Churches. Among the Protestants
the majority of denominational Churches are associated with the World council of
churches and its national counterparts in each nation. The top men in this umbrella
group are so degenerate that they see no difference between them, the Roman
Catholics, the Hindus and people of other religions. Their proclaimed goal is a
one-world religion, not the evangelical Christian Faith. Justification by works in their
banner and justification by faith in Christ is anathema to them.
Then there are the Eastern Orthodox Churches and their counterparts, which includes
the Jacobites and sister groups. They abandoned the doctrine of justification by faith
hundreds of years ago, and today they are growing in their intimacy with the Roman
Catholic church. In fact in Kerala there is a faction of Orthodox Churches and Bishops
who function under the Roman Pope as their head. Salvation by grace through faith
is anathema to all these groups.
10 of 10
Except for small groups of Evangelicals among them, the Anglicans were always
closer to the Roman Catholic dogma rather than to Bible. Thus in 1970 some of their
top leaders had begun to proclaim that all religions are essentially one and same.
Specifically Indian groups such as the Mar Thoma Church, the Church of South India
(CSI). The church of North India (CNI), are also moving in the same direction. The
majority of their leaders might be religious and pious, but are not born-again. They
jeer at the idea of salvation through grace and justification by faith. Hundreds of
millions of so-called "Christians" race towards hellfire under these leaders. Millions
live entangled in man-made rituals enslaving all their life to the whims of priests,
never enjoying spiritual freedom. The single reason is suppression of the ideas
related to the grace-faith system that is taught clearly in the Bible.
Conclusion
Every person ever born lives with guilt in one form or another. they crave for
justification, but know a guilty person cannot be justified. So they spend all their life
trying for a remission or forgiveness of sins, but no amount of human efforts has
ever given an assurance to anyone.
The Word of God assures that God grants both salvation as well as justification in His
grace, but this truth was suppressed every time that "Christian religion" rose to
power. Protestant Reformation was the result of discovering this truth after 1000
years of suppression by the Roman Catholic church.
About The Authors
Johnson C. Philip, ThD, PhD, DSc is a physicist and Christian
apologist based in India. More than 200,000 copies of the
ebooks that he has jointly authored with Dr. Saneesh Cherian
are distributed free worldwide every year. You can learn more about him at
www.JohnsonCPhilip.Com or www.TrinityTheology.com
Saneesh Cherian, DMin, PhD, is a Christian communicator and
writer based in India. He has co-authored more than 50 books
with Dr. Johnson C. Philip. You can learn more about him at
www.LogosTheology.com
Both the writers belong to the Brethren Assemblies. Their books
(in Malayalam), Systematic Theology (800 pages), Christian
Apologetics (800 pages), New Dictionary of Theology (1600
pages), Bible Encyclopedia (3000 pages) have a trans-denomination circulation. Dr.
Philip is also the Chief Editor of the Ryrie Study Bible in Hindi.
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