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Theological/ Exegetical Research Paper

For
BIBL 425 - Romans
Dr. Harold Willmington
By
Angela Taylor
137223
November 15, 2005

By what means shall I become righteous and acceptable to God? How shall I attain to this perfect justification?
Those the gospel answers, teaching that it is necessary that thou hear Christ, and repose thyself wholly on Him,

denying thyself and distrusting thine own strength It is faith that justifies thee the Lord remitteth all thy sins by
the mediation of Christ His Son, in whom this faith believeth and trusteth. Moreover, He giveth unto such a faith His
Spirit, which changes the man and makes him anew, giving him another reason and another will Wherefore
nothing is required unto justification but to hear Jesus Christ our Savior, and to believe in Him. Howbeit these are
not the works of nature, but of grace.
-Martin Luther1

The Necessity for Justification


In these times of desperate crimes and raging hatred, when sin runs rampant through the world, it
is hard to imagine what man was like before the fall; before the corruption of his blamelessness;
before the onset of the sin nature. Though the notion may be hard to conceive, the Bible tells us
that in the beginning, man had no sin nature-- he was created blameless, in the image of God
(Genesis 1:27). Being holy, God could never sin, and therefore man, being created in His image
was not made to sin. The Creator did, however, give man free will to choose how he would live
his life, which man innocently did, until the infamous day in the garden, when Satan, the author
of sin and the father of lies (John 8:44) used doubt and denial of Gods word (Genesis 3:1) to
turn man towards sin.
When Adam and Eve ate the fruit (Genesis 3:6) from the only tree in which God had
instructed them not to eat of, for when they did, they would surely die, (Genesis 2:17) they
disobeyed God. It was by this first act of disobedience, the original sin, that Adam and Eve
brought condemnation and thus separation from God on the entire human race, producing in
them spiritual death (James 1:15). As a direct result of this spiritual death, God graciously
brought about physical death so that man would not live forever in his state of sin (Genesis 3:2224). This spiritual death created a wall between man his Creator, and in order for man to ever
have righteousness again, this wall would have to be conquered.
The Doctrine of Justification
Man, having sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans. 3:23), has no power in
1

The Method and Fruits of Justification: by Martin Luther The World's Great Sermons

and of himself over the wall of sin, as no amount of works or good deeds preformed by a sinful
man can ever become an atonement for sin (Romans 3:20, 3:28, 4:2, 4:5, Galatians 2:16, 3:1,
5:4). Since man cannot justify himself (prove himself righteous) before the righteous God (1
Corinthians 4:4), man needs a perfect and sinless Redeemer to do this for him. John 3:16
declares that God sent His only son Jesus Christ to be this redeemer for all mankind, to bring
reconciliation between God and man (Romans 5:1, 5:9,5:16, 8:30,8:33) once and for all!
Through believing in the work of this Savior Redeemer, man will be forgiven of his sins, given
Christs righteous before God, and be glorified thereby inheriting eternal life (Titus 3:7).
The glorious truth of this statement is the basis of the doctrine of justification, which may
be the most important doctrine that the Word of God can offer. Martin Luther once stated:
This doctrine is the head and the cornerstone. It alone begets, nourishes, builds,
preserves,
and defends the church of God; and without it the church of God cannot exist for
one
hour. For no one who does not hold this article or, to use Paul's expression, this
'sound doctrine' (Titus 2:1) is able to teach aright in the church or successfully to resist
any adversary2
Thus, to give the doctrine its due diligence, one must delve deep into the Bible and through the
commentaries of noted theologians to find the truly important aspects of justification and make
them known. By gathering data and processing the information, one can insure that their
knowledge and understanding of the doctrine of justification is correct, and thereby sufficient.
The following pages will characterize the definition, basis, means, results/fruits, permanency,
time factors, and the historical development of the doctrine of justification as presented in the
Bible.
The Definition of Justification
In the search for the accurate Biblical definition of justification, one should begin by reading the
Word of God. For a clear presentation of the doctrine, one needs only to look to the Amplified
2 Plass, Edwald M. The Importance of Justification by Faith by Martin Luther. What Luther Says. p.702-718.

Version of Romans 5:1, which reads, THEREFORE, SINCE we are justified (acquitted,
declared righteous, and given a right standing with God) through faith, let us [grasp the fact that
we] have [the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy] peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).3 From this verse one can conclude that
justification is the act of being declared righteous, and given a right standing with God. Next, by
researching the background of the actual diction used by the apostle Paul in Romans, one can
better understand purpose of the specific words used by the apostle through out the epistle.
Youngs Analytical Concordance defines the Greek for justification in two ways: 1. Judicial
sentence, declaration of right, (dikaiT:a) as seen in Romans 5:16, and 2. a setting right,
(dikaiosis) as used in Romans 4:25 and 5:18.4
When comparing the Greek word used by Paul for just (dikaios), one can note the
interchangeability to the Greek word for righteous (dikaios). Scofield makes note of this in his
summery of the doctrine, The words justified and righteousness are translations of similar
Greek words (verbs dikaioo, to declare righteous, to justify; noun dikaiosune, righteousness
adjective, dikaios, righteous).5 In regards to this deliberate word choice, Stuart Briscoe notes:
There is a definite link between righteousnessand the group of words clustered around
just and justification. This can be seen in the way Paul uses them in Romans 3.
Righteousness (v. 21) is dikaiosune, just (v. 26) and righteous (v. 10) are dikaios and
justifier (v. 26) is dikaiou. The root word from which all these others come is dike, the
name of the Greek goddess of justiceThe relationship between justice (that which is
right) and righteousness (being and doing right) is clear, and from this basic
understanding we can move to a position where we see justification as a divine declaration that
before God we are right. 6
The Bible Dictionary states that justification may be defined as that judicial act of God by
which, on the basis of the meritorious work of Christ, imputed to the sinner and received through
faith, God declares the sinner absolved from sin, released from its penalty, and restored as

3 The Holy Bible, Amplified Version The Lockman Foundation, 1987


4 Young, Robert. Youngs Analytical Concordance to the Bible
5 Scofield, C.I., 2003. Scofield Study Bible, King James Version. p. 1491
6 Briscoe, Stuart D., Ed. Lloyd J. Ogilvie. The Communicators Commentary: Romans. p. 88

righteousness.7 In other word, justification takes place when a believer puts their faith in
Christ and intern is positionaly placed in Christ, so that the sin of the believer is crucified with
Christ and the Father only sees the righteousness of the Son in them. Essentially, the believer is
given the right standing of Christ in the eyes of God, as their sins are atoned through the
propitiation of Christ on the cross. The Bible Dictionary further concludes, Expressed simply, it
[justification] is being placed by God in a right relationship with himself.8 In his book
Foundational Doctrines of the Faith, Elmer Towns adds that this relationship is a legal
declaration of our righteous standing before God, and that justification, doesnt make people
perfect, but rather declares them perfect in Gods sightGod sees me just-as-if Id never
sinned.9 There are many additional definitions of justification, possibly as many as there are
theologians, however, these previous statements efficiently encompass the Biblical meaning of
justification.
The Basis of Justification
In searching for the basis of justification, one must ask- what had to happen in order for
justification to be possible? The best place to begin the research for this answer is again, the
Word of God itself. Looking at 2 Corinthians 5:21, through the words of the Amplified Bible,
one notices the clear outline for justification, For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin
Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being
in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable
and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].10 In this key verse we see the basis for
7 Tenney, Merrill C., and J.D. Douglas. New International Version Bible Dictionary. p. 559
8 Tenney, Merrill C., and J.D. Douglas. New International Version Bible Dictionary. p. 559
9 Towns, Elmer. Ed. Cindy Spears. Foundational Doctrines of the Faith. p. 39
10The Holy Bible, Amplified Version. *Unless otherwise noted all references are of the AMP version.

justification to take place--the propitiation of Christ--the One who knew no sin, in exchange for
the ones who know sin. Essentially, for God to justly allow justification of sinners (who believe)
to take place, a blameless atonement had to take their place for the punishment that must be laid
on sin. Perhaps Briscoe better explains this in saying:
When this declaration of justification is made by God He is revealed as the justifier. For God to
be just and the justifier, He must be in a position to declare righteous those
who have
clearly broken His law and at the same time in a position to maintain His own
integrity and
preserve His own righteousness. This kind of dilemma appears to be far beyond human
solutionwhich He has revealed in the gospel of Christ.11
Paul conveys in Romans 5:12-20 that through the disobedience of one man (Adam in the garden
of Eden), sin entered the world and death became a result of this sin. As was mentioned
previously, in order for justification to be just, an atonement would have to be made to redeem
all of man. In the Old Testament when man was guilty of sin (breaking the Law of God given
through Moses), a blood sacrifice (atonement) had to be made on their behalf in order to receive
forgiveness. On the Day of Atonement, the priest would have to sprinkle blood seven times on
the mercy seat to make atonement for Gods people and to turn away Gods wrath at their sins
(Leviticus 16:14ff.)through the shedding of blood, this place of judgment became the place of
reconciliation.12 In the New Testament, however, man no longer needs a priest to perform the
offering, because God so loved the world, He gave Christ, His only son, just as the He had asked
Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, only this time no other lamb was provided. Christ was the Lamb,
just as John the Baptist proclaimed in John 1:29, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world.13
Paul continues in Romans 5 contrastingly noting that Adam was the opposite of Christ, in that
11 Briscoe, Stuart D., Ed. Lloyd J. Ogilvie. The Communicators Commentary: Romans. p. 88
12 Hughes, Kent R. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven. p. 85
13 Scofield, C.I., Scofield Study Bible, King James Version. p. 1385

through him--one man-- sin entered the world (by one for all), but through Christ--one man (but
still fully God)--sin was paid for IN FULL (by one for all). Therefore, in order for God the
justifier, to be just in justifying sinful (but believing) man, Christ had to become incarnate (in the
like ness of man) and live a perfect spotless life, so that He could qualify to be the innocent
Lamb before the slaughter for the punishment of all sin (Romans 3:25, 8:3-4). The Evangelical
Dictionary of Theology summarizes this point by saying, God justifies sinners on a just ground,
namely, that the claims of Gods law upon them have been fully satisfied. The law has not been
altered, or suspended, or flouted for their justification, but fulfilled--by Jesus Christ, acting in
their name.14 Matthew 27:35-54, Mark 15:33-41, Luke 23:44-49, John 19:30-37, and Hebrews
9:3-8, 10:19-20, all prove that Jesus death fulfilled this purpose.
The Means of Justification
Now that the basis of justification is known, it is important to discuss the means by which a
person can obtain justification. Some religions would have the sinner to believe that if he lives a
good enough life, he will get to be with the Lord when he dies, that his good deed can somehow
justify him. However, man is not holy, he is sinful, and has fallen short of the glory of God
(Romans 3:4, 3:26). Sin can never give birth to righteousness, therefore, no man, being of a sin
nature can ever justify--or prove himself righteous before a holy God (1 Corinthians 4:4). No
amount of works or good deeds can ever make up for even one of mans sins (Romans 3:20,
3:28, 4:2, 4:5, Galatians 2:16, 3:1, 5:4), and thus he needs a perfect and sinless redeemer to do
this for him. As previously concluded, Jesus was provided as the propitiation for the sin of
mankind, and by His blood man is justified (Romans 5:9). When man believes that he can
redeem himself through his own works, he is rejecting all that Christ did on the cross, and by

14 Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. p. 595

doing so he falls from Gods grace (Galatians 5:4). For as Pauls says in Ephesians 2:8, it is by
free grace (God's unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made
partakers of Christ's salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of
your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God. When an
employer pays his employee for time which they have worked, it is out of obligation, as the pay
has been earned and is therefore owed, however, if the employer decides that he wants to pay the
employee for time off, where the employee is not working, this is a free gift, which was not
earned or owed. In the same way, justification is a free gift of God (Romans 3:24). It is not
worked for or earned, as Ephesians continues to say in 2:9, Not because of works [not the
fulfillment of the Law's demands], lest any man should boast. [It is not the result of what anyone
can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.] God gives
justification thus, freely. In Vernon McGees commentary on the epistle to the Romans, he notes:
Freely is the Greek word dorean, translated in John 15:25 without a causeNow Paul
is saying [in Romans 3:24], Being justified freely--without a cause. There is no
explanation in usWe are justified without a cause. It is by His grace, which means that
there is no merit on our part. Grace is unmerited favor; it is love in action.15
Since justification cannot be earned, how can man obtain it? The answer lies in the book of
Romans, in which Paul teaches that the sinner is justified by placing their faith in Christ
(Romans 3:21-31), in such verses as Romans 3:28, For we hold that a man is justified and made
upright by faith independent of and distinctly apart from good deeds (works of the Law). [The
observance of the Law has nothing to do with justification.], Romans 10:10, For with the heart
a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared
righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out
freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation, and Romans 4:16, Therefore, [inheriting] the
15 McGee, J. Vernon. The Epistles: Romans Chapter 1-8. p. 68-69

promise is the outcome of faith and depends [entirely] on faith, in order that it might be given as
an act of grace (unmerited favor) God, having already fulfilled His wrath towards sin through
Christ, asks only that man now accept the free gift, by believing that Christ died for him. The
work has already been done, all man must do is place his faith in Him alone (Romans 4:2, 5:1,
Galatians 2:16, 3:8, 3:11, James 2:21, 25), and he will be justified.
The Results of Justification
When a sinful man places his faith in the atoning work of the blood of Christ, and is justified, he
receives an inventory of blessings. First, man is restored to favor with God, as he no longer sees
the sin of man, but the righteousness and payment from Christ. In Exploring Romans, John
Phillips relates the idea of restoration to the idea of a debt owed to a creditor, by using the
analogy of a woman with an over and above her means to pay debt to a large company. The
woman is parallel to the lost sinner who cannot ever pay for justification. Philips asks what
would happen if, the legal department of the company decided to press for payment. The
demand for payment would equate to Gods justice in wrath against sin. Next, he says, Suppose
that while awaiting trial for her undercharged account the woman were to marry the wealthy son
of the store owner who personally assumed responsibility for her account and paid it in full.
There would be no legal claim against her anymorethe court would say she was justified.
Clearly the wealthy son is analogous to Gods son, Christ, who fully paid the debt for mans sins
on the cross. When man faithfully believes in Christ, it is the equivalent to marring the wealthy
son who paid the debt in full. No longer is the believer guilty of sin, rather he is justified.
Phillips summarizes his analogy by affirming, The Lord Jesus has fully discharged all our
obligations so that there is no legal ground for charges to be pressed against us anymore.
Moreover, He has given us a perfect standing before God so that we are fully acceptable in His

sight.16 In a similar point, John MacAuthor states, because God credits the believers sin to
Christs account, He can credit Christs righteousness to the believers account, 17 thus changing
mans legal status by imputing Christs righteousness to the believer as Paul writes in Romans
3:22. When this status is changed, believers become children of God (John1: 12, Ephesians
1:5,Galatians 4:4-5), adopted into heirship with Christ. In Christian Theology, Millard Erickson
points out:
There is the actual experience of being favored by Godwhat is designated the spirit of
sonship. The Christian looks affectionately and trustingly upon God as Father rather than
as a fearsome slavedriver and taskmaster (John 15:14-15) Through adoption we are
restored to the relationship with God that humans once had but lost.18
Next, having a new legal status as a child of God, in which instead of being under the
condemnation of sin, the justified believer stands before God in Christ,19 man can have peace
with God (Romans 5:1). John Phillips notes, Peace simply means that the war is over; the arms
of rebellion have been laid down; Gods terms of amnesty have been accepted.20 No longer
does the believer have to worry about the wrath of God, for since we are now justified
(acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ's blood, how
much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God
(Romans 5:9). C.K. Barrett comments that the peace of justification, is an objective status or
condition, a relation which exists between God and those whom he justifies the objective state
is reflected in the feeling of peace and security which man enjoys when he knows that he is

16 Phillips, John. Exploring Romans: The Expository Commentary. p. 69


17 MacAuthor, John. MacAuthor New Testament Commentary: Romans 1-8. p. 239
18 Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. p. 975
19 Tenney, Merrill C., and J.D. Douglas. New International Version Bible Dictionary. p. 560
20 Phillips, John. Exploring Romans: The Expository Commentary. p. 88

reconciled to God. 21 For example, if a child had disobeyed a babysitter while mom and dad
were away, the child would have anxiety over the actions mom and dad might take when they
returned home to learn of his disobedience. However, if the babysitter informed the child than if
he went to bed ten minutes early she would not tell his parents of his misbehavior, the child
would likely go to bed early and wake up in the morning with a peace in knowing that he did not
get charged with wrongdoing. In the life of a sinful man, anxiety abounds, but when he is
justified, he has a new peace in knowing that God is not going to charge him for his
wrongdoings. As the Bible Dictionary points out, Mere acquittal or remission would leave the
sinner in the position of a discharged criminal. Justification goes further in that it implies that
Gods treatment of the sinner is as if that one had never sinnedIn this restoration there is not
only acquittal, but also approval; not only pardon, but also promotion.22
With his righteous standing before God, through justification, the believer also has a new hope.
The hope of the believer is the realization that someday the believer will get to spend eternity in
the presence of God. Romans 6:23 proclaims the glory of this truth, For the wages which sin
pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus
Christ our Lord. This message is the center of the gospel, and can be found over and over again
in verses such as John 3:15, In order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him,
trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever,
John 6:40, For this is My Father's will and His purpose, that everyone who sees the Son and
believes in and cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Him should have eternal life, and I will raise
him up [from the dead] at the last day, and as well as many others including Matthew 18:11;
John 3:16, 36; and Romans 1:16, 5:4, 6:22. Kent Hughes asserts that this hope in the promised
21 Barrett, C.K. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. p. 102
22 Tenney, Merrill C., and J.D. Douglas. New International Version Bible Dictionary. p. 560

eternal life sets us apart from the rest of the world. The Eastern religions offer no hope with
their endless nightmare of reincarnations. Existentialists see the future as absurd. Evolutionists
have no comfort. We Christians rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (v.2)23 This hope is so
great, that Paul even reminds believers that they can rejoice in their afflictions as well (Romans
5:3), knowing that pressure and affliction and hardship produce patient and unswerving
endurance. C.K. Barrett comments, It is proper that when a Christian boasts, or exults, he
should do so either in hope, or in his afflictions in hope, becausehope points to that which is
entirely in Gods hands, and in afflictions, because they humble himso that he trusts in God
only, and gives glory to him.24
The Time Factor and Permanency of Justification
Now just two questions remain: is justification an act or a process (is it instantaneous or gradual),
and is it forever or can it somehow be lost? Scripture is explicit that salvation (and intern
justification) is eternal. Many religions--the same in fact that would try to tell a believer they
must do good works to earn their salvation--would try to tell the believer that they must also
work to keep their salvation, as it is not eternal. This type wavering faith goes against what the
Word of God says in verse like John 3:36, And he who believes in (has faith in, clings to, relies
on) the Son has (now possesses) eternal life, John 5:24, I assure you the person whose ears
are open to My words [who listens to My message] and believes and trusts in and clings to and
relies on Him Who sent Me has (possesses now) eternal life. And he does not come into
judgment [does not incur sentence of judgment, will not come under condemnation], but he has
already passed over out of death into life (emphasis added), and Romans 6:22, since you have
been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in
23 Hughes, Kent R. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven. p. 108
24 Barrett, C.K. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. p. 103

holiness and its end is eternal life. The fact that each of these verses points out, is that the
believer immediately--from the time of conversion--already has the gift of eternal life, and thus
has no need to take further actions to try to earn what they have already received. Say for
instance, a person buys a new computer at a local electronics store. If the computer has an
instant rebate, the customer should expect to receive the discount immediately, that is --at the
time of purchase. In opposition, if the computer has a mail in rebate, the company would require
the customer to: pay for the item in full, cut off the bar codes from the back of the box to mail in
along with the original receipts, and then wait for six to eight weeks in order to receive a refund
voucher, which must then be taken to a bank and must clear before the customer can access the
funds. Justification is an instant rebate from God. Actually it is better than that, justification
from God is like the electronic store not only giving the customer the instant rebate, but also
purchasing the computer for the customer! With a God so loving, one can be sure that this gift is
forever, as noted by Phillips, that same love that planned our redemption in the far reaches of
past eternity, that yielded up the Lord Jesus to the death of the cross will fling wide at last the
gates of glory to welcome us home.25 This glorious truth is also promised by Christ Himself in
John 10:28, And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the
ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch
them out of My hand (strong emphasis added). With such strong assurance as this, coming
from the mouth of the Lord, one need not fear for their eternity--so long as their faith, hope, and
belief rest assuredly in Christ the King and Savior of the world, For God so loved the world,
that he gave His one and only Son, that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have
ETERNAL life! Amen!

25 Phillips, John. Exploring Romans: The Expository Commentary. p. 90

Reference List
Barrett, C.K. Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans. Peabody: Hendrickson Pub., 1987.
Briscoe, Stuart D., Ed. Lloyd J. Ogilvie. The Communicators Commentary: Romans.
Waco: Word Books, 1982.
Elwell, Walter A. Evangelical Dictionary of Theology. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1984.

Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology. 2nd ed. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.
Hughes, Kent R. Romans: Righteousness from Heaven. Preaching the Word Series. Wheaton:
Crossway Books, 1991.
Kleiser, Grenville. The Method and Fruits of Justification: by Martin Luther The World's
Great Sermons Vol. 1. Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1909.
MacAuthor, John. MacAuthor New Testament Commentary: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody
Press, 1991.
McGee, J. Vernon. The Epistles: Romans Chapter 1-8. Thru the Bible Commentary Series.
Nashville: Thomas Nelson Pub., 1991.
Phillips, John. Exploring Romans: The Expository Commentary. Rev. 02. Chicago: Moody
Press, 1969.
Plass, Edwald M. The Importance of Justification by Faith by Martin Luther. What Luther
Says. Vol.2, pp.702-704, 715-718.
Scofield, C.I. Scofield Study Bible, King James Version. New York: Oxford University Press,
2003.

Tenney, Merrill C., and J.D. Douglas. New International Version Bible Dictionary.
Understanding the Bible, Reference Series. Grand Rapids: Zondervan,1987.
The Holy Bible, Amplified Version. The Lockman Foundation, 1987.
Scripture quotation taken from the Amplified Bible, Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962,
1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Towns, Elmer. Ed. Cindy Spears. Foundational Doctrines of the Faith. Church Growth Institute,
1992.

Young, Robert. Youngs Analytical Concordance to the Bible. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers.

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