By
“A man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law.”
(Romans 3:28)
The
material principle of any theology has to do with the central idea
that shapes that theology, giving it its form and unity. Because
justification
by faith is central to God’s plan of salvation, it is central to
Evangelical
theology. And, because the Bible clearly tells us that we are justified
through
faith in Christ, no theology that denies, or in any way compromises,
what the
Bible says about justification by faith can honestly be called Biblical
(Romans
3:21-28 and 5:8-9).
To justify someone is to
absolve them of guilt, to
vindicate them of any wrongdoing, to free them from blame, or pronounce
them
innocent. Therefore, spiritually speaking, a just person is someone who
is
innocent, righteous, or blameless before God. We emphasize the fact
that we are
justified by faith “alone,” because so many people miss the fact that
faith “without
the deeds of the law” is FAITH ALONE.
Now,
it is important to understand that faith is not the reason we are
forgiven! We
are forgiven because Christ died for our sins. Faith is simply the hand
that
receives what Christ obtained for us (Romans 5:2). Faith is not a work.
It is
not something we do. It is our God-given assurance that forgiveness and
salvation are ours in Christ.
The Proper Relationship of
Law to Gospel
In his letter to the Romans, the Apostle
Paul
begins his presentation of the doctrine of Justification by Faith by
making it
perfectly clear that the law cannot make anyone righteous. In
chapter one, he mentions sins common among the gentiles. In
chapter two
he points out sins common among the Jews. And, in chapter three, he
uses quotes
from the Old Testament to drive home his point, that, “There is none
righteous,
no, not one” (Romans
Now these two facts:
1- that the law cannot make us righteous (Romans 3:9-20), and
2- that
righteousness is
only imputed to those who trust in Christ (Romans
Since the law was not given to make us
righteous,
and cannot make us righteous, those who try to make themselves
righteous
through the law are only hardening themselves in unrepentance (Romans
Therefore, the only people who truly “Keep” God’s law, are those who do not try to make themselves righteous, but instead trust in Christ (Romans 9:30-32). Likewise, the only people who truly “obey” the law, are those who acknowledge their sin and look to Christ for forgiveness (Romans 10:3-4). Those who actively try to make themselves “obedient” are simply refusing to hear what the law says, because it condemns them.
True Repentance
It is only as we understand why the law was given, and realize that its purpose is to point us to Christ, that we can understand what true repentance is. True repentance comes only as the law convicts us of sin, showing us our need for forgiveness. And, as we turn to God, desiring assurance of his mercy, we find that assurance in His promise of forgiveness in Christ (1John 2:9, Galatians 3:6-8). Faith is believing that promise of forgiveness (Galatians 3:6). Furthermore, because all who repent and turn to Christ are sorry for their sin, they do not want to sin (1Corinthians 5:3, Psalm 51:17).
Living Righteously Apart From the Law
As long as someone is trusting in the law to make them righteous, God pleasing, or obedient they are not trusting in Christ. They may have a weak faith, but they are not relying on Him alone. They cling to the law because they do not understand how we can be righteous apart from the law. And, they will never be able to understand it as long as they think that the law is what makes them righteous. In fact, as long as they think that the law can make them righteous, or even partially righteous, they will think that freedom from the law is freedom to sin, and nothing could be further from the truth.
In
order to fully understand the gospel, and the freedom that is ours in
Christ,
you need to understand that the law not only does not make you
righteous, the
law is what keeps you from being righteous. Because God’s standard of
righteousness is so much higher than ours, no matter how hard you try
to keep
the law it will condemn you. Even your most sincere efforts at being
righteous
will be condemned as “filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Instead of making you
partly
righteous, the matters on which you fall short will bring the full
condemnation
of the law down on your head (James
Those who
fail to understand this point, are continually trying to find some way
around
what the Bible says about Justification by faith. Therefore, as soon as they
learn that James said, “a man is justified
by works
and not by faith only,” they assume that the words of James negate what
Paul
said (Romans
One reason justification by faith is central to Biblical theology, is because once we understand the proper relationship of law to gospel, and realize that it is faith, not the law, that makes us righteous, it affects our entire understanding of God’s Word.
For example: Deuteronomy 15:4-18 promises
a number
of blessings to those who keep God’s commandments. When those who do
not understand
the proper relationship of law to gospel read those promises, they
assume that
works determine who receives those blessings. However, once we
understand that
it is faith alone that makes us righteous in the sight of God, we can
see that
the only people who truly keep God’s commandments are those who trust
in
Christ. As it is written, “If the inheritance comes by the law, it is
not given
by promise… But scripture has concluded all under sin, so that the
promise
might be given to those who believe, through faith in Jesus Christ”
(Galatians
Likewise, when those who
believe that righteousness comes by the law read the words of 1Kings
15:5,
“David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and did not
turn aside
from any thing that he commanded him all the days of his life, save
only in the
matter of Uriah the Hittite,” they assume that David did not sin,
except in the
matter of Uriah. However, once we understand that the law cannot make
us
righteous, we can see that David only “did that which was right”
because as
long as he trusted in Christ no sin was imputed to him (Psalm 32:2).
However,
in the matter of Uriah, sin was imputed to him because he sinned
willfully
(Hebrews
When Abraham believed God,
his faith was “imputed to him for righteousness,” not because faith is
a work,
but because he was trusting in Christ. That is what the Bible is
telling us
when it tells us that Abraham believed the gospel (Galatians 3:8). It
then
clarifies that by telling us that the gospel is the good news of
Christ’s death
and resurrection (1Corinthians 15:1-4), and that Abraham was willing to
sacrifice his son because he believed God’s promise to raise his “seed”
from
the dead (Hebrews
The words, “he will receive the crown of
life,
which the Lord has PROMISED to them
that love him,” are not telling us that we can gain a “crown” through
works. On the contrary, that passage
refers to God’s promise. And, what God has PROMISED
to us only comes to us through faith in Christ (Galatians
While the
truth is simple, the carnal mind does not want to rely on Christ. On
the
contrary, men are constantly trying to find some way to make God’s
favor depend
on works. Therefore, let me make it perfectly clear that we are not
saved by
“choosing Christ,” “accepting Christ,” or “asking Him into our heart”.
We are
saved by believing that He died for our sins. From our point of view it
may
sometimes look like we are making a choice, but the words, “no one can
say that
Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost,” tell us that apart from
God’s grace
we would never make the right choice (1Corinthians 12:3, John