Introduction

During a Bible conference at French Creek State Park in Pennsylvania a number of years ago, an OPC missionary to the people of India spoke about preaching the gospel. As he explained the kinds of reactions the gospel received in a land where most people are not even nominal Christians, he told us that the gospel of grace is not readily received. He noted, however, that "if the gospel required you to crawl a mile on broken glass, there would be a million converts in India."

There is a simple reason for that observation. A. A. Hodge once pointed out that all non-Christian religions presuppose that acceptance by God depends upon the quality of our actions and the quality of our character. If one studies the doctrines and practices of these "natural" theologies, it is clear that the whole development of thought revolves around this presupposition. Such "theologies" are simply an attempt to develop and define those actions which will achieve divine approval and, since there is some expectation of internal conformity, it is also necessary to determine the rules and method by which an acceptable character can be recognized. In other words, they seek to define who the "holy men" are and what righteous activity acceptable to God is.

Unfortunately, much of what calls itself Christianity accepts some version of this presupposition. It is true, that Christianity-as a general term that is applicable to those who in someway profess Christ-presupposes that the person and work of Christ has something to do with our acceptance before God. Yet much of the theology that claims itself to be Christian is little different from that non-Christian presupposition. Old fashioned Pelagianism, together with Liberalism and Modernism, view Christ as no more than an example to follow. They grant that He is an example which is superior to any other historic, religious leaders to be sure-but still only an example of how one is to be and to act in order to be acceptable to God. Post-modernism sometimes sees the "story" of Christ as a comforting narrative to assist us in our life's journey. Many even acknowledge that the death and resurrection of Christ may be of great, if not the greatest comfort. Yet this death and resurrection are not historically or metaphysically significant as to the matter of acceptance before God. The story of Christ is simply one among many in which we can find comfort in the midst of a world not of our making and out of our control.

Most of the more traditional, non-Reformed theologies which claim to be Christian do presuppose that the death of Christ is in some way the ground and cause of our salvation. Many even acknowledge that we are conceived and born in sin-that salvation must in some way be attributed to the grace of God. Yet, when studied closely, these theologies teach that our final acceptance by God depends upon the quality of our actions and the quality of our character. Roman Catholicism expresses the process in a very simple fashion. The quality of our character is changed by baptism. This new character is retained by participation in the other sacraments and, if not sufficiently purged in this life, finally purged in the fires of purgatory. The whole purpose is to render us holy enough to be approved by God. And this character, so changed and kept by magical means, produces the quality of actions accepted by God. And this combination of character and actions is finally why it possible to be justified in the sight of God.

Among conservative Protestant churches, including Reformed and Presbyterian denominations, there is slow return to magical, sacramental, self-oriented notion of justification. There is an emphasis back to the sacraments and the way in which these sacraments make the recipient acceptable to God, in either a preparatory or on-going manner. It is not surprising that many of those who are advocating this view of justification find the writings of Nevin brilliant. Nor is it surprising that many of the pastors accepting these teachings are turning to high liturgy, vestments, and focus on the sacraments as both the initial and continuing means of dispensing grace. Bundled into this theology is the presupposition that, in the final analysis, sacramental and personal activity make us acceptable to God, in other words, it is by our actions and character.

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate what the Bible teaches concerning the doctrine of justification. Justification, that which defines how it is that we are acceptable to God, does not depend upon the quality of our actions nor the quality of our character. If we are to know and understand the truth rightly and have a true desire to be received into God's favor and justified in His sight, it is necessary to accept what the true, Biblical doctrine of justification is. This doctrine is the heart of the gospel, and it is the means by which God can be both just and the justifier of those who place their trust in Christ Jesus alone. We must understand that Christ is not simply an example of righteousness, He is our righteousness. He is not simply an example of holiness, He is our holiness. It is not the quality of our actions and character that makes us acceptable to God-it is the quality of Christ's actions and character. And the promise of the gospel is that these are ours, if only we accept them with a believing heart.

What Is the Doctrine of Justification?

Those who teach a contrary doctrine often argue that their position is consistent with the Bible. What they fail to acknowledge, however, is that there is a difference between the doctrine of justification and the ways in which the words "justify" and "justification" are used in everyday as well as Scriptural meanings. For example, a normal, common sense understanding of the notion of justify is that whoever does what is right is righteous, or at least has engaged in just action. "Wisdom," says Christ in one place "is justified by her children." We understand that Christ is saying that the outcome of a given project or activity demonstrates the right use of knowledge and means to get it done. There is no expectation that the children of wisdom will somehow form a tribunal in which she is adjudicated righteous. James uses the term justify in the same manner when he says the outcome of faith demonstrates and proves the reality of that faith. Indeed, the whole of James' epistles is about the testing and proof of faith, and we have no need to deny that such a use of the term "justify" is appropriate and common.

However, when we speak of the "doctrine of justification," as it relates to our standing before God and pertains to the way and order in which God saves us from our sins, we need to understand the terms in a more restricted and technical sense. This is not because we wish to put our own "spin" on the terms. It is because the Bible itself is quite restrictive when it is speaking of the relationship between sin and salvation. Because of sin, death and condemnation came into the world. As such, we must distinguish between justify as meaning proof or demonstration and justify as meaning free from guilt. The Bible uses the terms in both of these senses, and to confuse the two is to fail to recognize how it is that God can justify us, even thought the law cannot.

The matter of sin-and the condemnation which results from sin-requires that we understand justification in contrast to that condemnation. Were there no sin, then the question of the quality of our actions and the quality of our character would be sufficient to make us acceptable to God. We were created to be so from the beginning. Sin, however, renders us incapable of such righteousness and holiness. And, it is clear from Scripture, that God will not justify the wicked nor condemn the righteous.

We must understand that this contrast between justification and condemnation is the great dividing line in the history of redemption. So it is not surprising that it is also the great dividing line in the history of the church as it develops its understanding of redemption and as it seeks to apply the gospel to the lives of God's people. It is therefore all the more necessary to understand justification in contrast to condemnation in order to understand what it is that God has done for us in Christ.

Among the strongest challenges to the Reformed doctrine of justification comes from a group which argues that it is necessary to view all doctrines of Scripture-including the doctrine of justification- "covenantally." Properly understood, this is wise advice. It is clear from various passages in Scripture that God is a covenant God, that His dealings with mankind involve a covenantal relationship, that the primary interventions in history are by means of covenant, and that all the promises and blessing from God involve giving and confirmation of covenantal oaths. But those who advocate "covenant thinking" and "covenant reading" and "covenant defining" have created a process that ignores the great "covenantal divide" that exists in the Biblical explanation of justification. The divide is not between covenantal faithfulness and faithlessness; it is between condemnation and justification.

"Judgment [came] of one [Adam's sin] unto condemnation," Paul teaches in the letter to the Romans; "but the free gift (came) of many trespasses unto justification" (Romans 5:16). This is the fundamental covenantal relationship that defines our right standing or acceptance in the presence of God. If we are of Adam, we stand condemned in the presence of God. If we are of Christ, we are justified. Paul reiterates this principle in his second letter to the Corinthians. To them he writes that the "ministration of condemnation (the Old or Mosaic Covenant) was glorious, much more does the ministration of justification (the New Covenant) exceed in glory" (II Cor. 3:9). "God has done," Paul teaches us, "what the law could not do"-it freed us from condemnation (Rom. 8).

The whole of new covenant teaching on the doctrine of justification presupposes that the Old Covenant, gracious though it was, ministered, or better, served condemnation. The Bible presupposes the contrast between condemnation and justification and that the law-perfect, holy, and righteous as it is-only condemns when applied to the question of whether or not we are acceptable to God. Rather than proposing some sort of faithful, covenant keeping that continues our right relationship with God, the Scriptures hold out, in stark contrast, that one is either condemned or justified. There is no middle ground. Nor is there some twilight place that one shifts back and forth between the two.

This single principle of contrast-condemnation or justification-is determined by a judge. It is not a status but a state-either condemned or justified. When applied to our eternal state, this determination is by the supreme Judge of the universe, against Whose judgment there is no appeal and no escape. It is, in the final analysis, a judicial decision and the relationship, although rendered by covenant, is a judicial relationship. This relationship is based upon the expectation of a Judge who, according to the teachings of Scripture, engages in the same decision-making process He expects from earthly judges who represent Him on earth. "If there be a controversy between men, and they come unto judgment, and [the judges] judge them," the Lord teaches Moses; "then they shall justify the righteous, and condemn the wicked" (Deuteronomy 25:1). Justification is the right to live and to move and to have one's being in the society of men and in fellowship with God, both in time and in eternity. The only other alternative is condemnation. Justification understood in this light, is more than simply the demonstration of right action or right thought. It is a judicial determination that keeps one from suffering the consequences and punishments that accompany condemnation.

How Are We Justified Before God?

Do Scriptures therefore presuppose or teach that we are justified before God based upon the quality of our actions and the quality of our character? Do non-Christian religions understand the fundamental principle, but lack the "right" things to do (crawling on glass seems a bit much)? If we remove Christ from the picture, there could be some argument for this position. But Christ has come. So, as He says to the Pharisees, they are still in their sins. This is why the distinction between legal and evangelical justification needs to be maintained. Our right standing before God-what determines whether we are acceptable to God or not-is not determined by the quality of our own actions and the quality of own character. The heart of the gospel is that this can be and has been accomplished by Another.

One of the clearest and most concise expressions of the Biblical doctrine of justification is found in the Heidelberg Catechism in answer to the question "How are you righteous before God?" (Question 60). "God grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never had nor committed any sin, and as if I myself had accomplished all the obedience which Christ has rendered for me, if only I accept this gift with a believing heart." The Reformed and biblical doctrine of justification is taught in this answer. It is what distinguishes the gospel from all other supposed means by which we are accounted righteous before God-whether those means are proposed by non-Christian or claimed by other Christian teachings.

There are three very important elements to this definition in the Heidelberg. These elements clearly demonstrate how the Biblical doctrine of justification differs from those who advocate the quality of action and of character as that which makes us acceptable to God.

First, justification is a gift. This must be clearly understood and embraced. It is of grace alone. "Without money," says Isaiah. At no cost to us-either individually or corporately. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," Paul writes. But we are "justified freely, as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (Rom. 3). It is God who "grants and imputes" to us this gift. It is not based upon nor determined by either the quality of our actions or the quality of our character. It is a gift independent of anything that is by us or in us. Nor is it a magical process that makes us capable of or inclined to do the right things and holy living. It is "granted and imputed" by God. It is in His power to do so, not in ours. The Judge alone has both the right and the power to grant this gift to whomever He chooses. It is His judgment that matters, not ours.

Second, the process is an exchange. We must never lose sight of this. While it is a gift to us-at no cost to us-there was a price that needed to be paid. Justice had to be extracted and satisfied against the condemnation which we received because of the sin of Adam. Each of us is guilty of that first sin as well as our own personal sins. This is a guilt that we have and increase daily. In order that our condemnation should be removed, our sins are "imputed" to Christ Jesus. He took the punishment due our sins upon Himself. This was necessary because guilt is a state of being, not an action. That guilt, which is the source of our condemnation, is transferred to Christ. In exchange, we are granted the "perfect satisfaction, holiness, and righteousness" of Christ (as if) "we had never had nor committed any sin." The righteous demands of justice and of the Judge are therefore met in this twofold exchange. Here is where the quality of actions and of character does come into play. The quality of Christ's actions and Christ's character upon the cross satisfied the demands of righteousness and justice against sin. So also the actions and character of Christ, His "righteousness and holiness" are now mine by imputation. The result of this exchange is that the Judge of the whole universe looks upon us "as if" we ourselves "had accomplished all the obedience Christ rendered for us." This is the gospel.

Third, the reception of this gift is by faith only. This is a crucial element, which we need to understand and practice diligently. Faith alone is suited for this purpose of receiving this gift. Faith is wholly passive in its reception-there can be no claims of action or character. "Not of works," says Paul. Faith brings nothing to the process. It merely receives from the hand of God, and it is the only means by which He, as the perfect and righteous Judge, can make us acceptable to Himself. It is by faith that we accept that God has laid upon Jesus the "sins of us all"-that "by His stripes, we are healed." It is because of faith that when we fail in our daily walk, we flee not to the quality of our actions or the quality of our character, but to Christ. Faith accepts Christ as the proof of that faith, and it attributes nothing to us. Our works are all imperfect and defiled with sin. It is not our obedience or covenant faithfulness that maintains our right standing with God-it is only, and will ever be, the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ. We must accept this with a believing heart-and by no other means. As John Calvin warns us, however much we account ourselves acceptable to God in our own person, by that much we deny the person and work of Christ in our behalf. Faith looks to Christ alone, Who God has made "our wisdom, and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption" (I Cor. 1:30).

Why Is this Doctrine Of Justification the Only True Understanding of Scripture?

"Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord." When discussing the doctrine of justification, the apostle Paul spends a great deal of time teaching about our sin and misery. There is "none righteous, no, not one" he teaches us in Romans. "No one understands; no one seeks God." For Paul, far from having a quality of character that can ever be or can ever be made acceptable to God, the quality of our character is altogether defiled and corrupted by sin. "No one does good, not even one." The quality of our actions fairs no better. All are under sin and, therefore, none can be justified by the law. This truth must never be forgotten nor covered over with what Jesus calls the "whitewash" of the hypocrites. The depth of our depravity calls for us to be condemned in both time and eternity.

And we must always remember and never forget: God is a just Judge. "He who justifies the wicked, and he that condemns the righteous, both alike are an abomination to the Lord" (Prov. 17:15). Herein lies the problem. How can a just Judge justify the wicked?

For this reason, fundamentally, we must maintain the Biblical doctrine of evangelical justification precisely. It is all about God. As a just Judge, He cannot overlook nor wink at sin-it must be punished. It is His holiness and His righteousness-His truth and His justice-that are at stake. If He is to give us eternal life, there must be a way in which He can be both just, and the justifier of the unjust. Therefore, Paul says, God put forth His own Son as propitiation by His blood. The truth and justice of God demand a high price, and that price is found only in the death of the Son of God. Our justification is a gift, but it was not without a price. That price was the life of the Son of God, who alone can know when the wrath of God is satisfied against the sins of His people. He alone could bear the burden of that wrath for His people. He, being righteous, was willing to be condemned in our place so that we, being wicked, can be justified. This is why Paul says that this means of salvation shows God's righteousness. He is just and holy. That has not changed. And our justification must be understood and accomplished so that He "might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus" (Romans 3:26).

This is not merely a "change of status." It is an exchange of guilt for righteousness. It is all about the absolute holiness and righteousness of God. To detract from that by trying to claim anything other than a believing heart is to deny that God extracted a price-from Himself-high enough to satisfy His justice. It is because of this that we are and can be justified.

Conclusion

The Reverend Mr. Bruce Hunt, an OPC missionary to Japan who suffered much during World War II, told of an encounter with a Japanese holy man. Pastor Hunt had asked the monk if he understood the difference between Christianity and his own religion. The monk replied that he did-it was the doctrine of the Trinity and the doctrine of vicarious atonement. Pastor Hunt was amazed that how accurate the monk's perception was, and told him he was not far from the kingdom of God. We do well to keep this in mind.

Biblical justification presupposes that God is absolutely just. Therefore, in order to be acceptable to Him, we must be equally absolute in the quality of our actions and the quality of our character. Yet the Scriptures teach clearly that we fall far short of such perfection. The natural religions of the world therefore lower the bar in order to make it seem as if the goal could be attained. Many Christian theologies do little better. They promise that Christ has provided a boost for us and, once we get started by some sort of magical initiation, it is left up to us to finish the process.

We must be careful not to be deceived.

Only the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ is acceptable to God. God knows when His justice is satisfied. God knows what righteousness should be accounted as acceptable. It is a gift that is His to give. We cannot buy it. We cannot earn it. We must receive such with a believing heart. This is the truth of the gospel and the simplicity of Biblical justification. Anything else falls short of eternal life.

"We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." (II Pet. 1:19-21)

Church history reveals that one of the great controversies of the Reformation was centered on the relative authority of church and Scripture. "One of the great controversies of the Reformation centered on the relative authority of church and Scripture. It is often said that though Sola Fide was the material cause of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura was its formal cause."¹

Historically, then, the Reformation is described as "the formal cause of Scripture;" thus, only the Bible, and the Bible alone, has the authority to bind the conscience of the believer. The Reformers of the sixteenth century formally declared that "Scripture Only" is the Christian's authority. "Scripture Only" is a term that refers to the Reformers' convictions that Scripture, and Scripture alone, is the ultimate and final authority in matters of faith and practice, and that Scripture is the sole source of Divine Revelation.

The Absolute Authority of Scripture

"The Scriptures alone." On this statement the historic church established her faith by the authority of sacred Scripture. The phrase "Scripture Only" is the expression that indicates ultimate authority. When reference is made to the Scriptures, the Bible, it is within the formal context of that which has absolute authority. The term "Holy Bible" has taken the meaning of the term "Sacred Canon," and canon means "a measuring rod," or "rule." The term "Sacred Canon" refers to the collection of individual books that together comprise the Old and New Testaments. The Canon is the complete list of books that is received by the church and is codified into what we call the Bible. The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 4 states the following regarding the Canon: "We receive all these books, and these only, as holy and canonical, for the regulation, foundation, and confirmation of our faith; believing without any doubt all things contained in them, not so much because the church receives and approves them as such, but more especially because the Holy Spirit witnesses in our hearts that they are from God, and also because they carry the evidence thereof in themselves. For the very blind are able to perceive that the things foretold in them are being fulfilled." Hence, the word "Bible" has come to mean the complete Revelation of God in written form, which was established by a special providence for the church.

The true church affirms that the Bible is for the individual believer who has the right to the private interpretation of Scripture. For the Christian to have the Bible is a great Christian privilege; however, with that privilege, a great responsibility falls upon him to interpret the Bible correctly. Although, it is clearly acknowledged that an individual is capable of misinterpreting the Bible, it would be unthinkable, in our day, to argue in support of removing from the Christian his rights to the Sacred Scriptures because he might misinterpret them. For this reason, the Reformers recognized that all Christians have a right to the Bible and that the church must acknowledge that all Christians are to submit to the Bible's authoritative rule.

Authority Comes From God Alone

The Reformers believed that the Bible was objectively the Word of God, which derives its authority from God and not from the church. The church does not authenticate Scripture but receives it and submits to an already established authority. For the Reformers, and all Christians, the Bible is the Word of God, having inherent authority because of its Author, the Sovereign God. The church is obligated to acknowledge that authority and to submit to it. Today, this biblical mandate is often taken lightly by those who believe that extra-biblical revelation is equally authoritative. In the minds of the Reformers, no other revelation could stand as the Bible-the absolute voice of God.

Therefore, at the time of the sixteenth-century Reformation, a debate was waged over the nature of Scripture, and that debate would settle "Scripture Alone" as the basis for Christian authority, which became of immeasurable importance to the church. However, when Christians lose sight of the basis of authority of the Scriptures, the Bible can no longer be trusted as the absolute and objective truth. The Reformed commitment is to preserve the "objective" revelation of the Bible. Undoubtedly, the Christian church has not escaped the modern subtle change that has taken place over time, which has reduced the Bible to being only partly infallible, namely that portion of the Bible that speaks of matters regarding "faith and practice."

The Only Authority for Faith and Life

A reduction of biblical authority takes place when the Scriptures are no longer viewed within the historic context that claimed they are the "only infallible rule of faith and practice." When the nature of the authority of God's Word has been reduced to relativism, and the foundation, "faith and practice," has been redefined in the life of the Christian, the Bible has certainly been principally taken away from the people. If the Bible is reduced to an authority equal to other authorities, then, upon what is the Christian to base his "faith and practice?" What have we lost through the process of time, if not the meaning of the Bible that provides the only means for a single infallible rule, which alone divinely rules and governs all of life!

If the foundation, "faith and practice," were redefined, its function would be quite different; and if faith and life were limited to the scope of a reduced biblical authority and rule, the true meaning of the Scriptures would be lost. The reduction of biblical authority restricts biblical infallibility to certain portions of the Word of God that addresses "faith and practice," and, thereby, reduces the scope of biblical authority and rule to opinion. Christians have become extremely tolerant of teachings that reduce the Bible to a philosophy of relativism which reflects a claim that there are no absolute truths taught in the Scriptures; and as a result, unfounded ideas about God and man are disturbingly tolerated.

In summary, true Reformation thought seeks to present the authority and truth of Scripture in a fresh, relevant way, addressing the modern Christian with his most basic spiritual need of having a truth based upon an objective Revelation that never changes. Even though in today's climate of moral relativism, we must make a distinction between absolute truth and the right to follow ones own subjective inclinations. We must advance, with the Holy Spirit's call, to Christ as the center of all Truth, "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39) And, again, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me." (Jn. 15:26)

The Use of the Holy Scriptures

The call to Reformation thought requires that we be not only knowledgeable about the Scriptures but that we be prepared to reason with the Scriptures intelligently, defend the Scriptures alone, and proclaim them effectively. The Spirit of God is bearing witness by and with the Scriptures in the hearts of believers, and He alone is fully able to persuade that the Scriptures are the very Word of God. The Reformation was responsible for restoring to the church the principle of "Scripture Alone" to its proper place, a principle that had been operative within the church from the very beginning of the post apostolic age. Initially, the apostles taught orally; but with the close of the apostolic age, all special Revelation that God wanted preserved for man was codified in a written form.

Because God is the origin of Scriptures, they are as authoritative as the Scriptures testify themselves. To Timothy, Paul instructs,

... continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. (2 Timothy 3:14-17)

The Doctrine of "Scripture Alone" is included in our Reformed Confessions, as The Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 7 asserts,

"We believe that [the] holy Scriptures fully contain the will of God, and that whatsoever man ought to believe unto salvation is sufficiently taught therein...Neither may we consider any writings of men, however holy these men may have been, of equal value with those divine Scriptures. Nor ought we to consider custom or the great multitude, or antiquity, or succession of times and persons, or councils, decrees or statutes, as of equal value with the truth of God. Therefore, we reject with all our hearts whatsoever does not agree with this infallible rule."

The Scriptures confirm this article:

"Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from thy law [and] I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." (Ps. 119:18; Ps. 138:2)

Certainly, though these are perilous times for the church with regard to the normative function of the Bible in our lives, as Reformed Christians we must remain optimistic. That optimism is grounded in our conviction of the providence of God. It was by His singular providence that the Bible was originally given by His inspiration and under His providential care. It was also by His providence that the original books of the Bible were preserved and acquired the status of Canon. It is in His providence that we trust for the future of the church.

The Westminster Confession declares:

As the providence of God doth, in general, reach to all creatures; so, after a most special manner, it taketh care of his church, and disposeth all things to the good thereof (Ch. V:VII).

A noted theologian of our time, R.C. Sproul, once said,

"It is the invisible hand of Providence in the history of the church, along with the explicit promises of Scripture, regarding the church and God's own Word that gives comfort to our souls as we rest in the confidence of the abiding work of that same Providence."