Justification (theology)

In Christian Theology , justification is God 's act making a sinner Righteous before Him. The extent, means, and scope of justification are of significant debate for all in the Western church. Justification was the fault line that divided Catholic from Protestant during the Reformation .

''Justification'', from the Greek δικαιωθηναι (''dikaiōthēnai''), "to be made righteous", is a Scriptural term, occurring in the books of Romans, Galatians, Titus, and James; the root word ''righteous'' is ubiquitous in both Old and New Testaments. The ''concept'' of justification occurs also in many different Old and New Testament books. However, considerable Sectarian controversy exists as to its meaning within Scripture. These controversies include:

Whether justification occurs instantaneously or as an ongoing process;

The relationship between justification and ", a legal declaration that a sinner is now righteous before God for Christ's sake, or something more;

Whether justification depends upon God's efforts only (''monergism'') or God's efforts combined with ours (''synergism'');

Whether justification is permanent or can be lost;

The relationship of justification to Sanctification , the process whereby sinners become more righteous and are enabled by the Holy Spirit to live lives more pleasing to God; and

The relationship of justification to Atonement , the expiation of sins.

THE ORTHODOX DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

Eastern Christianity, including both Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy , does not emphasize justification to nearly the same extent as does either Roman Catholicism or Protestantism --so much so that it often has no separate treatment in Eastern theological works. The Greek term for justification (δικαιωσις, ''dikaiōsis'') is not understood by most Eastern theologians to mean simply being pardoned of one's sins. This justice is understood as applying not only to ''justice'', but also to the concepts of Righteousness , Virtue , and Morality . In large part, this de-emphasis on justification is historical. The Reformation was the catalyst for clear, precise notions of justification; however, the Eastern and Western churches had already divided long prior to the Reformation.

The Orthodox see salvation as a process of '' Theosis '', in which the individual is united to Christ and the life of Christ is reproduced within him. Thus, in one sense, justification is an aspect of theosis. However, it is also the case that those who are baptized into the church and experience Chrismation are considered to be cleansed of sin {Link without Title} . Hence, it is difficult to map the Orthodox concept of justification to the Catholic and Protestant concepts. In the words of one Orthodox Bishop:

''Justification is a word used in the Scriptures to mean that in Christ we are forgiven and actually made righteous in our living. Justification is not a once-for-all, instantaneous pronouncement guaranteeing eternal salvation, regardless of how wickedly a person might live from that point on. Neither is it merely a legal declaration that an unrighteous person is righteous. Rather, justification is a living, dynamic, day-to-day reality for the one who follows Christ. The Christian actively pursues a righteous life in the grace and power of God granted to all who continue to believe in Him.'' {Link without Title}

In short, Orthodox justification is

ongoing,

is connected to the observance of Christ's commands,

synergistic,

ostensibly permanent (although this is not clear),

is intertwined with sanctification as an aspect of theosis, and

not tied to a Substitutionary model of atonement, but rather to the Victory of Christ over Satan.

See also: Orthodox Christianity , Theosis

THE CATHOLIC DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

To Catholics, justification is "a translation, from that state wherein man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace, and of the adoption of the sons of God, through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Savior" (Council of Trent, ''Decree on Justification'' chapter 4), including the transforming of a sinner from the state of unrighteousness to the state of holiness. Sonship, becoming a child of God, is the overarching theme.

Essential Catholic Teaching on Justification

In Catholic theology, all are born in a state of original sin, meaning that both the guilt and sin nature of Adam are inherited by all. In opposition to Pelagius (4th century), the church asserted that people are unable to make themselves righteous; instead, they require ''justification.'' (Council of Trent, ''Decree on Original Sin'', ch. 1, 7, 8).

Catholic theology, borrowing from Augustine, holds that God's righteousness is infused into the sinner when he or she partakes of the sacrament of baptism, combined with faith. This is termed ''inital justification'' (meaning, "being cleansed of sin"), the entrance into the Christian life.

As the individual then progresses in his Christian life, he continues to receive God's grace both directly through the Holy Spirit as well as through the sacraments. This has the effect of combatting sin in the individual's life, causing him to become more righteous both in heart and in action. This is ''progressive justification'' (meaning, "being made righteous"). It is also the case, according to Sungenis, that God views those who are in the process of being justified through the lens of grace ("rose-colored glasses"), so that He sees them as beloved children despite their sin (Robert Sungenis, ''Not by Faith Alone'', pp. 75 - 80).

At the final judgment, the individual's works will then be evaluated (cf. Matt. 25). At that time, those who are righteous will be shown to be so. This is the ''final justification'' (meaning "vindication").

To summarize, the Catholic view of justification is

ongoing,

more than forensic,

based on a (somewhat precise) combination of God's efforts and our own,

can be lost in the event of the commission of a mortal sin,

occurs in combination with sanctification, and

is based on a Substitutionary Atonement view: that Christ's death on the cross paid for the general penalty for people's sin, making grace available to all.

While Catholics can and do use legal or "forensic" terms to describe justification, they do not think the legal terms encompass the whole reality. Catholics do believe that God "declares" people righteous, but do not think this language goes far enough. Catholics believe that God actually makes people righteous, infusing them with the righteousness of Christ, when he declares them righteous. Christians were once guilty, but now they are truly innocent.

In one phrase, justification for the Catholic depends upon ''infused righteousness.''

THE PROTESTANT DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION

Between 1517 and 1520, Martin Luther rethought the issue of justification. His re-thinking was spurred by then-prevalent abuses of Indulgences . In so doing, he desired to be faithful to the teachings of the books of Romans and Galatians in the New Testament drawing heavily on the teachings of Augustine Of Hippo .

Luther's approach was to see justification as a ''monergistic'' work of God; that is, that God does the entire work of justification. Against the Catholic idea that our righteous acts cooperate with God in condign merit, Luther asserted that we must receive a righteousness entirely outside of ourselves. In Luther's words, "That is why faith alone makes someone just and fulfills the law; faith it is that brings the Holy Spirit through the merits of Christ." {Link without Title} . For Luther, our works are entirely inadequate to even qualify as "righteous"; only the righteousness of Christ can avail.

Therefore, Luther taught that justification occurs when Christ's righteousness covers our unrighteousness, which occurs when we believe. Hence, he stressed the ''forensic'' (or legal) view of justification; that is, justification is entirely about God's wiping out man's debt of sin. Luther also desired for people to live righteous lives, relying on God's help (see his ''Commentary on Galatians'', III.5 {Link without Title} ); however, for Luther it was quite important that our justification is indepedent of the degree to which we are able to progress in holiness. He thus declared that a saved Christian is "simultaneously saint and sinner" (''Commentary on Galatians'', v.10 and v.17), a saint because he or she is holy in God's eyes; a sinner because he or she continues to sin.

Thus, for Luther, justification is

instantaneous

forensic only

based on an outside righteousness (Christ's), Imputed to us

cannot be lost

occurs independently of sanctification

is based on a Substitutionary Atonement view: that Christ's death on the cross paid the penalty for my sins; hence, no debt of sin is still accounted to the Christian.

Calvin and Zwingli followed Luther closely on this matter, although Calvin expanded it by emphasizing that justification is a part of one's union with Christ. Therefore, anyone who is justified will also receive all of the benefits of salvation, including sanctification. Thus, while Calvin agreed in substance with the "simultaneously saint and sinner" formulation (Inst. III.xiii), he was more definite in asserting that the result of being justified is a necessary and following sanctification (III.xiv.19; III.XVI).

In one phrase, justification for the Protestant depends on ''imputed righteousness.''

''The problem of sola fide.''

Luther's reformulation of justification introduced the phrase ''sola fide'', or ''by faith alone.'' That phrase has been one of the uniting factors among various Protestant denominations; despite the wide variety of doctrines and practices amongst Protestants, they all agree that one is saved (often meaning "justified") by faith alone.

Catholics from the Diet Of Worms and Council Of Trent until the present day (e.g., Sungenis) have critized this phrase on several grounds. First and foremost, it appears to them to indicate that one can be justified without any actual change of life. Hence the strong language of Trent: ''If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favour of God; let him be anathema'' {Link without Title} . Second, Catholics claim that the term has many different subtleties of meaning among different groups of Protestants.

There is some merit to this charge. Within Protestantism, there is debate as to how strongly sanctification is tied to justification. Thus, in modern times, the "Lordship Salvation" controversy between some faculty at Dallas Seminary (Charles Ryrie and Zane Hodges) and others (John MacArthur and R.C. Sproul) has resulted in serious thinking on this question: can one be justified without any evidence of sanctification whatsoever?

Protestants meanwhile hold tenaciously to the ''sola fide'' formula, charging that without it, the Christian is led down a path that is inevitably Pelagian. They charge that the abuses Luther saw were a logical outworking of a system that includes our works as a part of justification.

Even so, Catholics and some Lutherans believe that they have found much agreement on the subject of justification (see "Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification" by the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church , also linked below). Other Lutherans, especially Confessional Lutheran s, maintain that this agreement fails to properly define the meaning of faith, sin, and other essential terms and thus do not agree with the Lutheran World Federation's agreement.

''( The 1910 Catholic Encyclopedia article on Justification elaborates the ideas presented here, but includes more technical language and some terminology no longer current in Catholic theology. )''

Background of the Protestant Understanding

Medieval Catholicism

Precursors

Martin Luther & the Lutheran school of thought

The Doctrine of Justification is the North Star of Lutheran theology. It is often referred to as the ''articulus stantis vel cadentis ecclesiae'', or, "the article faith by which the church stands or falls." It is thus not one of many teachings of the Church which work together, but rather the lynchpin which holds the entire body of doctrine together.

In order to understand how Luther believes that faith alone saves, one must realize what Martin Luther considered faith to be. Faith, unlike what Luther believes is the common misinterpretation, was not a mere "intellectual assent" to Church doctrines because this did not actually touch one's heart. In fact, he would consider this to be what Paul calls the "faith of demons" which merely acknowledges the existence of God. Luther writes, "''Faith is a living, bold trust in God's grace, so certain of God's favor that it would risk death a thousand times trusting in it.''" {Link without Title} To him, faith is seen as "God's work in us" that both receives God's grace and by its very presence does good works. Luther continues, "''It doesn't stop to ask if good works ought to be done, but before anyone asks, it already has done them and continues to do them without ceasing.''" In fact, it cannot help but do them because of the abundance of God's grace given for Christ's sake. It is for this reason Luther also believes justification and sanctification to be essentially the same thing.

Following this line of thought, one can argue that Luther considered the Roman Catholic interpretation to be in error because it would presume that man adds his works to God's grace. Instead of this, Luther believed that faith is God's work alone and therefore cannot be worked because it is God's gift. It would be like suggesting a beggar earns the coin a gracious passerby gives them. It was for this reason, he formulated the doctrine of justification on faith alone and did not include works. Luther considered Christ's merit alone to be sufficient and denied that believers could add to that merit by performing acts of charity.

Later Lutheran theologians took Luther's emphasis on faith alone to indicate that faith means "intellectual assent." The Pietists reacted strongly against this notion, as did the Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer .

John Calvin & the Calvinist school of thought

Calvin's understanding of justification was in substantial agreement with Luther's. However, his theological center was different, and his terminology was more systematic. The center of Calvin's Salvation Theology was our ''Union with Christ.'' (Inst., III.xi.10) For Calvin, one is united to Christ by faith, and all of the benefits of Christ -- including both justification and sanctification -- come from being united to him. Calvin emphasized therefore the notion of ''imputation'': that the good works that Jesus did in his life are imputed to his people, while their sin was imputed to him on the cross.

For Calvin, Adam and Jesus functioned as ''heads'', meaning that each one represented his people through his actions (II.i.8). When Adam sinned, all of Adam's people were accounted to have sinned at that moment. When Jesus acheived righteousness, all of his people were accounted to be righteous at that moment. In this way Calvin attempted to simultaneously solve the problems of original sin, justification, and atonement.

Some of the technical details of this union with Christ are tied into Calvin's understanding of the Atonement and of Predestination (cf. those articles).

In recent times, two controversies have arisen in the Reformed churches over justification. The first concerns the teaching of "final justification" by Norman Shepherd; the second is the exact relationship of justification, sanctification, and church membership, which is part of a larger controversy concerning the ''Federal Vision''.

John Wesley & the Methodist school of thought