Righteousness of the Saints:Justification in the Book of Romans

Presented toDr. Todd Hartley

forBIBL425 — Romans

byDwight R. Stanislaw

L24669037

August 17, 2014

Introduction

There is perhaps no doctrine that greater divides Christians

of all traditions and denominations than that of Salvation, or

the study of what is known, in theological terms, as Soteriology.

Within the realm of Soteriology lies the discussion about the

nature of salvation; how it is accomplished, both from God’s

perspective and from ours, and how we are to understand each

aspect of it working out in the life of Christians individually

and collectively. Found among the many subjects subsumed under

the study of Soteriology is that of justification, or the

process, if it may be called that, of the action whereby God

declares a person righteous before himself. The apostle Paul

deals with the issue of salvation extensively in his letter to

the church in Rome, and touches on the nature of justification

frequently. As such, we will evaluate Paul’s presentation of

justification and its relation to faith as a means of obtaining a

biblically-sound doctrine thereof in order to contribute to a

robust view of Soteriology. Justification by faith is the primary

and foundational principle upon which Paul builds the framework

of his theological exposition throughout the book of Romans.

I. Definition

Justification, translated from the Greek dikaioō, is used by

Paul seventeen times in his letter to the church in Rome.1

Packer, explaining the meaning of justification, writes, “The

biblical meaning of ‘justify’ is to pronounce, accept, and treat

as just….It is thus a forensic term, denoting a judicial act of

administering the law….Justification thus settles the legal

status of the person justified.”2 More tersely, Ribbens defines

it thusly: “…God’s judicial declaration of human beings as

‘righteous’….”3 Echoing both of these sentiments, and perhaps

tailoring its meaning into more palatable prose, Moo writes,

“When we respond to the gospel in faith, God declares us innocent1 This includes all variations of the original root word. 2 James I. Packer, “Justification,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed., ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 643.3 Benjamin J. Ribbens, “Forensic-retributive Justification in Romans 3:21-26: Paul’s Doctrine of Justification in Dialogue with Hebrews,” Catholic Biblical Quarterly 74, no. 3 (July 2012): 549, accessed July 11, 2014, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.

and our relationship with him begins….[J]ustification is the

entry point into our Christian experience.”4 Each of these

definitions and explanations zero in on the point Paul is

repeatedly trying to get across to his readership in Rome:

Justification, or the judicial act of God declaring righteous

those who are not in themselves, is accomplished through faith in

Christ whereby his righteousness is imparted to those who

believe.

This definition brings together the two concepts Paul weaves

together masterfully throughout his letter. The first, that of

God’s righteousness, is addressed by Paul several times,

beginning in Romans 1:17, which reads, “For in it God’s

righteousness is revealed from faith to faith, just as it is

written: The righteous will live by faith” (HCSB).5 The second,

that of faith in Christ, is put succinctly by Paul, who writes,

“But now, apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been

revealed…that is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus

Christ, to all who believe…” (Rom. 3:21-22). Both concepts,

4 Douglas J. Moo, The NIV Application Commentary: Romans (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000), 174. 5 Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, 2010.

namely God’s righteousness and the faith of the one who believes,

are instrumental in developing a right view of justification, as

we will explore in further detail below.

II. Basis

The basis and grounding for Paul’s understanding of

justification is composed of two essential and indispensable

components: (1) The person and works of Jesus Christ, and (2)

God’s righteousness. Paul makes it clear that it is through the

person and works of Jesus Christ that justification is even made

possible. Romans 3:24-26 provides us with an account of the

propitiatory nature of Christ’s atoning work that was done on our

behalf, allowing for both the demonstration of God’s

righteousness in himself and the righteousness he was then free

to impart to us. A few chapters later, Paul notes,

But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us! Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous by His blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies,we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, thenhow much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! (Rom. 5:8-10)

As is evident from Paul’s presentation of the issue in chapters

three and five in particular, the emphasis is on Christ’s

perfection, atoning sacrifice, and subsequent resurrection,

demonstrating that the very possibility of being declared

righteous before God is only by what has been done by him through

grace. Discussing the issue, Moo observes,

In Christ, God has acted to manifest his saving righteousness, making it possible for any person who believes to be “justified”—pronounced innocent before the judgment seat of God himself. This verdict of justification is possible because Christ has redeemed us from our enslavement to sin, giving himself as a sacrifice that provides atonement for all people.6

The next component, God’s righteousness, flows directly from

the first in that having the basis of justification made possible

by the person and works of Christ, the righteousness of God is

now revealed and able to be imparted. Paul claims, “But now,

apart from the law, God’s righteousness has been revealed…that

is, God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who

believe…” (Rom. 3:21-22). Noting the connection to God’s

righteousness mentioned by Paul in Romans 1:17, Moo writes, “Paul

refers to a definite ‘righteousness’: the process by which God

6 Douglas J. Moo, “Romans,” in Zondervan Illustrated Bible Backgrounds Commentary, ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 23.

acts to put people in right relationship with himself.”7 In

discussing the concept of God’s righteousness, Moo considers the

three most popular interpretations (opting himself for (2)): (1)

One of God’s attributes, (2) Righteousness from God as the status

given to people by him, and (3) Righteousness done by God as an

action of setting things right with creation.8

Supporting Moo’s conclusion and commenting on Romans 3:21,

Carson states, “…this is a righteousness ‘from God,’ i.e. it is

first and foremost God’s righteousness, but it is precisely this

righteousness from God which comes to all who believe.”9 The

righteousness Paul speaks of is wholly from God, enacted through

Christ, and imparted by grace. Here, of course, we find the very

heart of the gospel message, a point which Stegman is careful to

observe: “Paul asserts that in the gospel—the good news about

what God has done through Messiah Jesus in order to bring about

salvation—God’s righteousness has been revealed.”10 God’s

7 Moo, NIV Commentary: Romans, 126. 8 Ibid., 51-52. 9 Donald A. Carson, “Why Trust a Cross? Reflections on Romans 3:21-26,” Evangelical Review of Theology 28, no. 4 (October 2004): 350, accessed July 11, 2014,Academic Search Complete, EBSCOhost. 10 Thomas D. Stegman, “Paul’s Use of dikaio-terminology: Moving Beyond N.T.Wright’s Forensic Interpretation,” Theological Studies 72, no. 3 (September 2011):512, accessed July 11, 2014, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.

righteousness, then, is both his entire salvific plan throughout

the course of human history culminating in the person and works

of Jesus Christ, and the impartation of a new righteous status

before God for those who believe.

III. Means

Having demonstrated the basis and foundation for

justification as the person and works of Jesus Christ paired with

God’s righteousness, there remains to be established the means by

which justification actually takes place. Recalling Paul’s words

in Romans 3:22, we see that God’s righteousness is imparted

through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. Paul reiterates

just a few verses later and says, “For we conclude that a man is

justified by faith apart from the works of the law…since there is

one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the

uncircumcised through faith” (Rom. 3:28, 30). Paul, having

brought to the reader’s attention the nature of Abraham’s

justification by faith, writes, “Now it was credited to him was

not written for Abraham alone, but also for us. It will be

credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from

the dead” (Rom. 4:23-24). For Paul, faith is the means through

which justification is realized in each individual.

Interestingly, there exists a division among scholars as to

the objective or subjective nature of faith concerning Jesus

Christ in Romans 3:22. The Greek reads, pisteos Iesou Christou, which

may be translated as either faith in Jesus Christ or faith of

Jesus Christ. Commenting on the issue, Moo states, “The NIV takes

this genitive to be ‘objective’; that is, ‘Jesus Christ’ is the

object of the noun ‘faith.’ But it can equally well be a

‘subjective’ genitive, with Jesus Christ being the subject of

‘faith.’”11 Moo finds the former translation, that of the

objective view of faith in Jesus Christ, more convincing. In

agreement with Moo and arguing for this view, Donfried notes,

“The consistent witness of the early church supports the

objective genitive reading of Romans 3, viz., that God’s

righteousness can be received by anyone who has faith in Jesus

Christ.”12 Given the strength of the arguments in favor of the

11 Moo, NIV Commentary: Romans, 127. 12 Karl P. Donfried, “Paul and the Revisionists: Did Luther Really Get itAll Wrong?” Dialog: A Journal of Theology 46, no. 1 (Spring 2007): 34, accessed July 11, 2014, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost.

objective view, the author, too, finds this translation more

persuasive.

Towns, discussing the nature of faith within the framework

of Soteriology, writes, “Faith is part of man’s response to God

in the salvation experience.”13 Faith is exercised by the

individual but, as Paul makes clear, this must be understood in

opposition to works so as to render the gift of justification and

salvation as given freely by God and not as earned (see Rom. 4:4-

5). Packer affirms this position: “Paul shows that faith in

Christ is the only way to a right relationship with God, which

human works cannot gain….”14 Harm, discussing the doctrine of

Solafidianism (Latin sola fide “faith alone”; salvation is by faith

only), notes,

Saving faith is not an innate quality of fallen man but a gift of God communicated through hearing the gospel….Understandably, solafidianism is opposed to Pelagianism, semi-Pelagianism, and synergism, all of which attribute justification or the apprehension of it, in one way or another, to the action of man.15

13 Elmer Towns, Theology for Today (Mason: Cengage Learning, 2008), 455. 14 James I. Packer, “Faith,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed., ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 433. 15 Frederick R. Harm, “Solafidianism,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed., ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2001), 1125.

We must conclude then, on the basis of Paul’s words and

exegetical considerations, that the means by which justification

takes place is the faith of the individual who believes in Jesus

Christ, but that faith is not the work of man whereby God owes

him, but the gracious free gift of a loving and merciful God.

IV. Time Factor

Now that justification has been placed into its proper

context by way of definition, basis, and means, there are three

issues that must be taken up next that follow directly: (1) The

timeframe of the justification process, (2) The results

subsequent to justification, and (3) The assurance one can have

in their justification. Beginning with the time factor, Moo

writes, “…God’s verdict of justification marks the entrance into

the Christian life. When we respond to the gospel in faith, God

declares us innocent and our relationship with him begins.”16

Paul says, “Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by

faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

(Rom. 5:1). Moo believes that “justification is the entry point

16 Moo, NIV Commentary: Romans, 174.

into our Christian experience,”17 and the author is inclined to

agree.

Given the forensic nature of justification and the

terminology used by Paul as regards the believer being declared

righteous, we are on good grounds holding to the idea that

justification is instantaneous. Packer observes, “…Paul proclaims

the present justification of sinners by grace through faith in

Jesus Christ, apart from all works and despite all demerit.”18

Walvoord follows suit and notes, “By justification, the believer

is declared righteous before God, because he is now in Christ.”19

Being now in Christ, we are presently justified, which implies

that upon believing by faith in Jesus Christ, our standing before

God is brought from unrighteous sinner to righteous saint

immediately. Paul is incredibly clear on the issue:

Much more then, since we have now been declared righteous byHis blood, we will be saved through Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through thedeath of His Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life! And not only that,but we rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We havenow received this reconciliation through Him. (Rom. 5:9-11)

17 Ibid. 18 Packer, “Justification,” 644. 19 John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ our Lord (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1969), 190.

What we have, then, is a picture of justification painted by Paul

that provides us with the idea that it is not a process but takes

place immediately, transitioning the believer here-and-now to a

righteous standing before God that produces instant

reconciliation.

V. Results

Justification, as an immediate act and the starting point of

the Christian experience, must also be the beginning point of a

life that grows more fully into the image and likeness of Christ.

It is important to remember that while “justification is an

instantaneous, past act of God by which one is saved from the

guilt of sin…,”20 the Christian life does not, and should not,

end there. Paul begins discussing the transformational nature of

justification beginning in chapter six (see 6:4, 11, 13b, 19,

22), and continues to touch on the issue throughout chapters

twelve through fifteen as regards his teachings on ethics and

moral imperatives. Moo observes, “But Paul insists that God does

20 Norman L. Geisler, Systematic Theology: In One Volume (Bloomington: Bethany House, 2011), 854.

more than ‘justify’ us when we become Christians. He also

‘regenerates’ us, ‘sanctifies’ us, and causes his Spirit to

indwell us. These acts of God change us ‘from within.’”21

The important launching point of justification, and

understanding its implications, is at the heart of Stegman’s

position:

My thesis is that Paul expresses with dikaio-terminology bothforensic and transformational meanings; that is, God createsnot only a new status of “forgiven” for those who receive the good news in faith, but also transforms and empowers them to become more Christ-like.22

As mentioned by Moo previously, and explained by Geisler,

“regeneration is the impartation of spiritual life, by God, to

the souls of those who were ‘dead in trespasses and sins’ (Eph.

2:1 KJV) and who were ‘saved,’ made alive by God ‘through faith’

in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8 NKJV).”23 Regeneration occurs

immediately subsequent to justification as we are, in Paul’s

words, “…alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 6:11b).

21 Moo, NIV Commentary: Romans, 150. 22 Stegman, “dikaio-terminology,” 499. 23 Geisler, Systematic Theology, 846.

Moo highlights the fact that God sanctifies us also,

commonly identified as the second stage in the process of

salvation. Geisler writes,

Unlike justification, sanctification is not an act of God declaring us righteous; rather, it is a continual process in the present by which God is making us righteous. Justification is the act by which God gets us out of sin (legally). Sanctification is the process by which God gets sin out of us (actually).24

Sanctification is given a thorough treatment by Paul in chapters

six through eight, discussing the grounds, our release from the

law, and the working of the Holy Spirit as an integral part of

the process. The grounds, of course, is our new life in Christ

that is the direct result of justification and the impartation of

God’s righteousness to us. Christ, as “the end of the law for

righteousness to everyone who believes,” (Rom. 10:4), frees us to

follow him and the law of love he has implemented. The Spirit is

essential to the entire process, as Paul outlines in Romans 8:1-

17. In considering the process of sanctification, Geisler

provides us with a careful reminder: “…purification does not

24 Ibid., 856.

follow automatically from justification. It involves cooperation

on our part; we must yield to God’s sanctifying grace.”25

VI. Assurance

The issue of assurance in relation to our salvation is an

important one, and the doctrine of justification plays an

important part. In remembering that justification is God’s

righteousness imparted to us on the basis of faith in the person

and works of Jesus Christ, we frame the discussion properly

before proceeding. By doing so, Moo is able to answer the

question of assurance thusly: “In justifying us, God has already

pronounced his verdict over us. It can be neither rescinded nor

changed.”26 Paul seems to indicate the same principle: “For those

He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of

His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brothers.

And those He predestined, He also called; and those He called, He

also justified; and those He justified, He also glorified” (Rom.

8:29-30). Commenting on these verses, Geisler argues,

25 Ibid. 26 Moo, NIV Commentary: Romans, 175.

The same persons who were foreknown and predestined were also called and justified and will be glorified (received into everlasting life). In order to discredit the doctrine of eternal security, one would have to insert the word some into the text—it isn’t there. All who are justified will eventually be glorified.27

Assurance is provided wholly by the act of justification that is

based upon, grounded in, and brought to completion completely by

God on our behalf. Because God is solely responsible for our

being justified, and because our faith in what he has done is

credited to us as righteousness, the assurance is found not in

anything we have or will eventually accomplish, but in the very

person, promises, and nature of God.

Conclusion

The importance of justification cannot be overstated, but

the doctrine itself can be stated in such a way as to make it

easily understood and accessible: We are justified by faith in

Jesus Christ. This simple statement is the result of Paul’s

treatment of the subject in its entirety but, more closely, his

conclusion in Romans 3:28: “For we conclude that a man is

justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” Throughout 27 Geisler, Systematic Theology, 900.

his letter to the church in Rome, Paul repeatedly presents the

idea that justification, and all that follows directly from it,

is the result of God’s work on our behalf and the faith of the

individual in the person and works of Jesus Christ. This constant

theme provides the principle and foundation for every other issue

Paul addresses and exposits. The work of God by his grace and

because of his love for us is essential to rightly responding to

him throughout the process of sanctification. Carson expresses

this wonderfully: “Forgiveness, restoration, salvation,

reconciliation—all are possible, not because sins have somehow

been cancelled as if they never were, but because another bore

them, unjustly.”28 Paul tells us this is so: “But God proves His own

love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for

us” (Rom. 5:8)! Justification is but a part of God’s process of

salvation on our behalf, but should be considered as the most

primary and foundational given its importance in forming and

directing all doctrines subsequent to it.

28 Carson, “Why Trust a Cross?,” 357-358.

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