This Sunday, we will be unpacking the meaning of the essential Christian doctrine of “justification by faith alone.” As with many topics in the field of theology, its analysis often involves the use of special terminology and a host of biblical “proofs.” So, I thought it might be helpful to offer a short primer on the subject of justification.
To begin, reflect on the definition provided in The Westminster Shorter Catechism and its following scriptural proofs.*
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1 Romans 3:24. And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
2 Romans 4:6-8. Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.
2 Corinthians 5:19. That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
3 2 Corinthians 5:21. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
4 Romans 4:6, 11. Just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well.
Romans 5:19. [Abraham] did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb.
5 Galatians 2:16. Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
Philippians 3:9. And be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.
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Our study of the life of Abraham has brought us to Genesis 15 this week. Verse six is a key passage for theologians in defense of the doctrine of justification by faith, as well as paedobaptism. God leads Abram outside, tells him to look up at the stars and try to count them. “So shall your offspring be,” He promises 100-year-old Abram. “And he believed YHWH, and He counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).
Faith in YHWH’s promised Messiah always was, is, and evermore will be the only means of justification. Abram was counted righteous not because of his circumcision (that doesn’t happen for another two chapters) nor his moral perfection (this much is abundantly clear by this point in his story), but only by God’s gracious ordaining and Abram’s faith in His word. We know that many who were circumcised later rebelled and fell away from God’s favor; true circumcision has always been a circumcision of the heart.
“In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” (Colossians 2:11-14)
Likewise, the Law that was later revealed to Moses could not pardon sin or present worshipers blameless before God. But the Law was given so that we may know the holy nature and will of God, the sinful nature of our hearts, and thus our need of a savior (paraphrasing the New City Catechism answer to Q. 15.). Just as it was in days of Abram, so in the days of Moses, so in the year 2024: “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in His sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.”
Over the weekend, rehearse that definition, ponder its scriptural proofs, and wrestle with its many implications for the life of faith. One such implication is the benefit of worshiping together with joyful confidence and a clear conscience. So the exposition of heart-circumcision in Hebrews 10 concludes:
“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:19-25)
Your brother,
Ryan
*The Westminster Shorter Catechism with Scripture proofs in the English Standard Version®.