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Something happened this past October, that was rather momentous in church history.
It is particularly significant because it is on the 31st of the same month of October that we usually remember the significance of the Reformation just over 500 years ago, when in 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 theses to the church door and then refused to recant his belief that Justification (Romans 5:1) was by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, and it was not based on the Roman Catholic church and its Pope leadership. Those who have followed Luther's stand down through the centuries against the beliefs and ultimate authority of the Roman Catholic church became known as 'Protestants'.
Yet in the same month, King Charles along with the Bishop of York, went to the Vatican to pray with the Pope, giving a visual image of a 'return' of the 'Protestants' back to the Roman Catholic church who consider themselves the only true church outside of which there is no salvation. (This whole event and its implications was helpfully discussed on a recent 'Pastor's Heart' podcast.)
However, I am not wishing here to delve into this event specifially, but to look a bit further at the word at the crux of the matter of the Reformation; the word 'Justification'.
Justification is not only one of those 'big words' of Christian theology, but it is a pivotal, or key word of the gospel as given to us in Scripture. It is the English word used in places such as Romans 5:1 since the earliest translations even from Tyndale's of 1526, in giving English meaning to the Greek δικαιόω, transliterated as dikaioó. (Only a few more modern translations change the English word 'justification' to such words as 'declare righteous'.)
Much has been written over the centuries on this matter of justification, and a few words here cannot even begin to cover the full depth of it. But it is a topic we can't exhaust in discovering the significance of its meaning, or in re-discovering what was once more prominent which we may have missed recognising in more recent years. In recently reading Romans 5:1-2 yet again, it spurred on my further 'digging deeper' on this issue of justification.
Romans 5:1-2:
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand,
and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
The Word and The Verse
Firstly I want to simply bring a typical definition of the word itself, and then explore that a bit further by looking at the context of this verse in which the word sits.
Definition of the word:
Justification is a legal term signifying acquittal. In the context of Paul's letter, it means being declared righteous before God. This justification is not through works or the law but through faith, echoing Genesis 15:6, where Abraham's belief in God was credited to him as righteousness. This concept is central to the doctrine of salvation and is a cornerstone of Christian theology.
The Wider Verse:
Verse 1 tells us that the purpose of this justification is 'peace with God', and Biblehub goes on to explain that this means:
Peace with God implies a cessation of hostility and the establishment of a harmonious relationship. This peace is not merely a feeling but a state of reconciliation with God, who was once estranged from humanity due to sin. This echoes the prophetic vision of peace in Isaiah 53:5, where the suffering servant brings peace through his sacrifice.
Similarly, Romans 3:28 and Galatians 2:16 tell us that we are 'justified by faith'.
As I looked at Romans 5:1-2, I realised that if we step through it slowly and carefully, we can come to understand it's main word of 'justification' more deeply, and maybe more accurately. Hopefully by the end of the further explanation below of these 7 sections of the verse, you will be able to rejoice with greater awe and thankfulness for the glory of justification.
1.Since we have been justified2. by faith3. we have peace with God4.through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Through him5.we have also obtained access6.by faith7.into this grace in which we stand8.and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
1. Since we have been 'Justified'
This word is almost 'THE' word on which all that happened at the Reformation hangs. What justification is and how it happens, is what matters. On this rests the true meaning and right understanding of salvation.
In order to help us remember what it means, 'justified' has been explained in simple terms as 'just-as-if-I'd' never sinned.
Yet within this, it has primarily been defined just the same as Biblehub defined it on the Romans 5:1 page, as a legal term for acquittal.
However, if we go deeper (even on Biblehub) to Strongs concordance and 'Helps Word Studies' we learn more about this word translated from the Greek δικαιόω (transliterated as dikaioó).
Strongs not only describes the meaning as:'free and to be righteous', but also notes it is from a Greek root (dikaios) meaning to render or regard as innocent or righteous.
Helps Word Studies explains a bit more and says:'dikaióō (from dikē, "right, judicial-approval") – properly, approved, especially in a legal, authoritative sense; to show what is right, i.e. conformed to a proper standard (i.e. "upright").'
The NAS Exhaustive Concordance defines it as:'to show to be righteous, declare righteous'
SO
to be justified is not that we are 'made' righteous, but we are declared righteous. We are 'regarded' as righteous, as having 'approval' and having met the 'standard' we were set. It is a declaration we don't deserve, and thus it is a status that is also an undeserved gift of approval.
Curiously, despite us thinking of justification only as a legal guilt-innocence related term, those three words I have underlined are all words that are related to honour language and dynamics. Behind this word we think of only in legal terms, is something deeper and more significant.
To 'regard' something is to give it the honour of acknowledgement. To 'approve' of something is to give the honour of acceptance and inclusion. When we meet a standard we have the honour of meeting it. But when we fail to meet it and we 'fall short' of it, we feel and are in a place of shame, unacceptability, of insufficient status, value, achievement, or attainment for not measuring up to expectation.
Furthermore, when we scroll down the Biblehub page to Thayer's Greek Lexicon we learn more when it says that justification means:
'to declare, pronouce, one to be just, righteous or such as he ought to be….ἀξιόω, which never means to make worthy, but to judge worthy, to declare worthy, to treat as worthy;'
Here again we have a strong honour-dynamic word used - 'worthy', and there is no mention of the positive legal term 'innocent' at all.
Thayers goes on to focus on the negative then the positive side of the word by saying:
'...with the negative idea predominant, to declare guiltless, one accused or may be accused, acquitted of a charge or reproach'.and'...with the positive idea predominant, to judge, declare, pronounce righteous and therefore acceptable'
Thus we see that even when some quick reference to a 'guilt' context is mentioned in the negative, it is still followed up with being associated with the concept of 'reproach', and then 'acceptable' which are other honour language terms. Any 'guilt' of actions of wrong-doing is simply exposing the evidence of the prior shame of our unacceptable standing of wrong-being.
In particular, when it says 'therefore acceptable' the implication is that the whole 'justification' purpose is to restore acceptance. I would suggest that justification is not merely a legal declaration, but it is a 'regal' restoration. It restores honour so as to bring reconciliation, peace and harmony in the relationship.
Yet, across our world in the 21st century, the generally understood context of Justification is legal, in relation to guilt.
The legal emphasis is also emphasised by Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology, where even in the title of the chapter dealing with the topic, he doesn't just have the word 'Justification' but: 'Justification (Right Legal Standing before God)'. Then later he says that Romans 8:33-34 contrasts justification with condemnation, thus justification must mean 'to declare someone not guilty'. His reasoning is because he defines 'condemn' as to 'declare that person guilty'. However, I would suggest that declaring someone guilty might precipitate a condemnation, but would not define condemnation or equate with it. This is seen in court trials where for example the guilty verdict of murder is declared by the jury, but then in another separate court session the judge brings the sentence of 'condemning' the person to the death penalty or whatever other punishment has been determined such as time in prison in shameful separation from the society. In our modern world particularly in the West, we tend to observe and interpret through the limits of the 'guilt' lens and we may be conflate one concept with another. Our highly legalised cultural context pushes us to inevitably see life as made up of almost entirely of guilt-innocence elements and view points.
However, when we look at Scripture in relation to condemnation we don't see it being equivalent to guilt, rather we see that:
Whoever believes in him [Christ] will not be condemned - John 3:18
Whoever believes in him [Christ] will not be put to shame - Romans 9:33
It is interesting to note that in studying this topic more and more over recent years, despite the held views that are toward guilt oriented perspectives and meaning, I am actually surprised just how much non-'guilt' and honour-context meaning is actually still acknowledged in the theological literature, and without reservation. Maybe we have become so soaked in 'guilt' thinking, that we don't even understand the honour context that words actually have.
The popular but strongly biblical website 'Got Questions' makes several points to help explain justification including -
2) The restoration to God's favor, which had been lost due to our sin (John 3:36). So, justification is more than an acquittal; it is full acceptance. We are now friends of God (James 2:23) and co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17).(... adapted from Henry Thiessen's Lectures in Systematic Theology, revised by Vernon Doerksen, Eerdmans, 1979, pp. 275–277).
Notice, it says that justification is 'restoration to God's favor, which had been lost due to our sin'. Favour is an honour concept; it is being given honour. And if justification is a restoration of receiving honour from God, it is what we need when we had lost that honour. And that is exactly what Romans 3:23 says when it explains that we have all 'sinned and fallen short of the glory of God'.
The point goes on to say: 'Justification is more than an acquittal; it is full acceptance. We are now friends of God..and co-heirs with Christ'… Again 'acceptance' is an honour word. So…therefore, justification is a status-changing, and regally-status-elevating situation in Christ, bringing acceptance where there was separation, exclusion, and enmity. Our 'falling short' of glory which meant separation from God has been dealt with at the cross, and with the punishment for that 'sin' paid for, our justification is finished, and restoration to relationship with God enabled.
2. by faith
The receiving of this restored honour position is not a matter of trusting in our own ability and working to gain honour, but by putting our trust/faith in something/someone outside of ourselves. Who we trust in is evidence of whom we honour. We lean totally on Christ who has paid all that was due for our justification to be accomplished. Scripture tells us we can easily put our faith in all kinds of things that we should not put our faith in—from chariots and horses for strength (Psalm 20:7), to human ability for strength or wisdom (Jeremiah 17:5; 1 Corinthians 2:5; 2 Corinthians 1:9), to human leaders for power and security (Psalm 146:3), or to even mighty foreign powers to rescue or provide for us (Isaiah 31:1; 36:6). God has given us the ability for trust/faith/belief/dependency (all the same word in Scripture), because we were meant to put it ultimately in God.
Our problem comes when we put our ultimate faith in places other than God, because we will also then ultimately suffer—with additional unnecessary painful issues now and ultimate eternal pain beyond the grave. All human beings are people of faith, because we all—as part of 'common grace' and being created human—exercise trust at multiple levels every day of our lives. But where we put our ultimate faith declares to whom we give our ultimate honour, and then determines our ultimate peace and our ultimate destiny. We all need a change of mind in regard to where we put our faith (Acts 16:31). It is not works of our own ability, or the status or ability of church leaders that saves us, but faith in the only One who has the ability to pay the debt we owe.
3. we have peace with God
This gift of restored honour in justification that comes only by faith not works, brings an outcome of new peace between us and God. No longer does the shame of sin separate, but instead the relationship with God is in harmony with his will and purposes and with the honour of his holy nature once again.
4. through our Lord Jesus Christ
British preacher Charles Price once gave an illustration about justification in a sermon that goes like this:
When capital punishment was still in force in Britain, Scottish law is different to English law and when somebody was hanged in Scotland, they would announce it by pinning a notice outside the prison. It was a tradition; it was done every time somebody was hanged. And the wording was the same and it would say this – it might say:
"On such and such a date at Barlinnie Prison, Glasgow, so and so (naming the criminal) was justified at 9 a.m."
What do they mean? He was justified at 9 a.m. – that's the moment he was hanged. Did it mean it was as though he hadn't done it? No, of course he had done it. But it meant the case closed at 9 a.m. this morning.
The judge took off his wig and went home. The lawyers assigned to his case had to find a new job, a new case. It's over. There is no ground in which this incident for which this man has been hanged can ever reappear in a court of law. He has been justified. He has paid the price and satisfied the law.
What does it mean for you and me to be justified? It means the case is over. You weren't hanged; you were crucified.
We are justified because Jesus was crucified, and like Paul the Apostle, we can say 'I was crucified with Christ'. It is often said that Jesus died our death to give us his life. He bore the shame and reproach of our sin on the shameful cross and endured the separation of being forsaken by God the Father, so that we could be given the amazing totally undeserved gift of honour of being justified 'joint-heirs', with him forever. This justification doesn't remove us from existence, but removes us from deserved punishment, and is what actually enables us to re-join into relationship with God, because all wrath due to us was already dealt with at the cross.
Through him...
5, 6. we have also obtained access by faith
The first part of the verse told us we are 'justified' 'by faith', and this part tells us something else that comes 'by faith'. It is 'access'. This implies that before we placed our faith in Christ as our sin-bearer, we didn't have access. The rest of the verse explains more of to what this access is, and I'll cover that in point 7. But, access is a word that tells of coming into, of inclusion in contrast to exclusion. It tells of acceptance rather than rejection. It tells of welcome rather than separation. It tells of belonging rather than alienation. It is an access that comes only 'through Him'…through Christ. This justification that provided full payment for the sin that separated us from God, has enabled 'access'. The purpose of justification, is not just a legal standing, but the restoration of a regal access as part of the family of the King of Kings.
7. into this grace in which we stand
Our faith in Christ for all he has given to us to enable our justification, is so that we have access to 'this grace'…this undeserved favour, this gift of honour and glory that we could never attain by anything we could do. Instead of the shame of our sin, we are given the gift of his honour put to our account, and thus we are justified.
Romans 3:24 says we
"are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."
Grace is a gift of honour…if we are not sure about 'grace' being 'honour' that we are given. Just think about when we say someone 'fell from grace'…we mean they no longer have the honour that they previously had in relation to whatever honourable status they held.
This justification that comes by faith in the one who has given us new honour as a gift, enables us to have a new 'standing' or status or position or privilege before God. We have a restored relationship with God and his 'family', and can now call to him as 'Our Father' anytime, anywhere. Our physical situation might still be here on this sin-saturated earth, but our spiritual standing is the honour of citizenship in heaven, seated with Christ at the Father's right hand (Eph 2:6).
8. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God
Thus we come to the culmination of this justification…that of eternally restored glory. We have the spiritual glory status which we continue to grow into from one degree of glory to another. Our hope is no longer in our own efforts or ability to try to find 'glory' on this earth, but our hope of the glory of God, is Christ, in whom we have our new heavenly identity of glory instead of shame, and through whose life in us which enables activity that honours God and brings glory to his name…
...and by whom we will one day awake to the full experience of glory received and given for all eternity!
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