Justification by Faith in Paul's Epistle to the Romans

Introduction and Definition of Justification

Justification, according to the book of Romans, is a term describing the state of the human being as opposed to condemnation. In other words, it refers to the human being redeemed from the condemnation imposed by the original sinful acts of the first people on earth. The act of justification is not initiated by human beings, but by God out of his love for humankind. Through this judicial act, all sins are forgiven as a benefit of believing in Christ. These forgiven sinners are then accepted by God as if they are righteous in terms of the law. Furthermore, justification implies that the justified person satisfies all terms and requirements of the law. God here acts as a judge rather than a sovereign.

Some scholars have defined justification by means of translation from the original Hebrew and Greek languages, as the term occurs in the Bible. In Hebrew, zakah is translated as being clear, clean, or pure, while tsadeq means to be just or righteous. In Greek, dikaioo is translated as showing a person to be righteous, or declaring someone righteous, while dikaioma is an ordinance or sentence of acquittal. Dikaiosis is a Greek word meaning the act of pronouncing righteous, or again an acquittal. It is significant that none of these terms refer to the act of making a person righteous. Rather, justification as defined above is the act of declaring what is already righteous. Justification therefore refers to the consequence of Christ's atoning death. Christ's righteousness is used as a substitute for sinful human nature (Romans 4:6–8).

Justification, by my own definition, is a gift from God to those who believe in his Son. Christ, being righteous and yet acting as the bearer of all human sins, has performed the act of forgiveness, the consequence of which is justification. Justification is then God's declaration for all who believe: they are righteous and have fulfilled all the requirements of the law by believing in Christ, who is himself righteous.

Justification is made possible by the death of Christ, which entails the ultimate act of forgiveness. Because of this, the law is not set aside or even relaxed — it is fulfilled to the letter by the righteousness of Christ. Because God in his perfection became a human being who, with all the challenges entailed in being human, was able to fulfill the law to perfection, justification is possible (Romans 5:1–10).

When considering the gap between the fact that God is just and humanity is sinful, it appears impossible to sustain justification. This question is addressed in Romans 3:26 and 4:5. The only solution, according to Paul, is the cross of Christ and reciprocal faith from humankind. Through the mediation of the cross, the unjust is justified. Christ is a sacrificial substitute, like the animal sacrifices bearing the sins of Israel in the Old Testament. According to Romans 8:3, divine justice is satisfied by judging the sinless Christ.

The Basis of Justification

God's grace plays a significant role here. According to Paul in Romans 3:24 and 5:15–16, humankind, being sinful, is entirely undeserving of God's justification. God, however, has an abundance of grace, which has led him to offer his Son as the sacrificial substitute.

Justification therefore occurs by means of God's characteristic grace toward sinners, manifest in the sacrifice of his Son. It is only by these means that justification, as expounded in Romans, is possible. In this way the dichotomy between sinner and forgiveness is resolved. God is both just and gracious. His just nature leads, through grace, to his divine plan for the spiritual salvation of humankind. This is where the concept of imputation plays a role.

Imputation, according to Definbaugh, means to credit a person with something. There are three imputations as expounded by Romans 4:6, the sequence of which leads to the possibility of justification. According to Romans 5:12 and 18–19, Paul declares that the sin of Adam has been imputed to the entire human race. The whole world is thus guilty according to the law of God. This guilt, however, is imputed to Christ when he dies on the cross, and forgiveness is provided in this way. The final imputation occurs when God's perfect righteousness is inherited by believing sinners, making justification possible according to Romans 4:6, 3:22, and 4:5. Justification then occurs when the believer is viewed as righteous in the name of Christ. Faith is required to complete this sequence (Romans 5:17).

According to Paul in his epistle to the Romans, there is no other way to achieve justification than by faith. The sinner must believe in Christ and his sacrifice, and through this belief, forgiveness and justification occur. Faith, in Definbaugh's view, is the instrument by which the final imputation occurs. Paul calls faith a "condition" of justification. Rather than possessing merit in itself, faith is the vehicle for justification (Romans 3:28). The gift of justification is free, but must be received through the action of faith on the part of the sinner.

Paul uses two examples of justification by means of faith from the Old Testament: Abraham and David. The object of their faith is the word of God and his works in the past. Paul argues that neither person's justification occurred by means of their actions; their faith played the largest role. In the New Testament this is equally true. Faith is to be the primary ingredient in salvation and justification. In this way, all honor for works is to be given to God, since it is he who provides salvation, and not humankind.

Abraham is used as one of the primary examples of perfect, humble faith before God. The patriarch is highly respected by several nations, as he is the forefather of many different peoples. Using him as an example would then be effective in reaching many people with Paul's message. Paul quotes Genesis in order to show how Abraham was justified by grace through faith.

The Means of Justification: Faith

While the requirement for justification has not changed between the Old and New Testaments, the content of faith has (Boers 109). Abraham, for example, needed to believe the words spoken to him by God, God's past deeds, and the ideal of the sacrifice to atone for sins. The focus of faith in the New Testament is, of course, Christ as the Son of God (Romans 10:9).

In Romans 4:3, Paul states that Abraham's faith is reckoned as righteousness (Boers 62). Abraham did nothing to deserve this beyond simply believing and taking God at his word (Romans 3:10). In this way a kind of exchange takes place between the believer and God. The believer's sin is taken by God, who then bestows righteousness on the believer. It is therefore not necessary to work for salvation, since humanity's works have earned only condemnation.

This is clear in the history of David, whose actions tended toward the sinful rather than the righteous. It is, however, his faith that saved the king. This point is reiterated by Definbaugh. David was, just as Abraham and just as believers today, saved and justified by grace through faith. God's righteousness was imputed onto him, and his justification occurred completely apart from his works (Romans 3:28).

The point Paul makes in Romans is that no person is saved by means of works, because human beings are too flawed to achieve justification in this way. What is deserved through human works is mostly the opposite of justification — condemnation. Grace means that forgiveness is received without being deserved. This is why good works cannot precede justification. Rather, it is the other way around: the consequence of justification is good works.

The fact that God does not summarily judge the believer according to his or her flawed actions leads to gratefulness, the manifestation of which is good works. The idea that good works precede justification reverses the order that Paul suggests. Justification as a reward for good works is therefore a fallacy. Justification occurs without being deserved, as a reward for no more than having faith (Romans 4:5).

This leads to the important question of the role of the law — a question in the same category as good works. According to Paul, keeping the law and performing good works are not sufficient to achieve justification, because of the flawed nature of humankind. The extent of the good works achievable by humans is not enough in the eyes of God. However, justification by faith does not negate the role of the law. Indeed, Chapters 4–7 of Romans are devoted to explaining the role of the law in defining sin and consequently how Christ had to fulfill the letter of the law absolutely.

Conclusion

Paul's epistle to the Romans is a multi-dimensional work, touching upon several issues of salvation and faith. Faith is the central means by which to achieve justification, and everything else takes a secondary position — while nonetheless remaining important as a means of showing gratefulness and supporting faith.