Justification

Expounded by Scripture
Justification Quiz

Bible Study Leaders Guide

Part One

Test your knowledge of justification! Each question below presents two statements. One statement reflects the biblical view of justification held by Scripture and taught by Luther and the Lutheran Confessions. The other statement reflects a false, human view of justification held either by the Roman Catholic Church or by Reformed or Evangelical sects. For each question select the correct, biblical statement by circling A or B. The purpose of this section is to allow participants the opportunity to evaluate how the doctrine of justification is expounded and taught. For each pair of statements, the correct statement is printed in bold. A brief explanation of why the other statement is incorrect is given in italics. Allow the participants several minutes to complete the quiz on their own. When everyone is finished circling their answers, go back through and discuss the correct answers as a group. Most, but not all, the issues in these questions are addressed to some degree in the essay Justification Expounded by Scripture, presented prior to the Bible study. 1. A. God gives a man right standing with himself by mercifully accounting him innocent and virtuous. B. God gives a man right standing with himself by mercifully making him innocent and virtuous. This is transformative justification as taught by the Roman Catholic Church. It also describes the doctrine of the Orthodox Church of theosis or deification. A. God gives a man right standing with himself by placing Christs goodness and virtue to his credit. B. God gives a man right standing with himself by placing Christs goodness and virtue into his heart. This is infused grace and righteousness. A. God accepts the believer because of the moral excellence found in Jesus Christ. B. God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christs moral excellence into his life. This is infused grace. Nothing inside a human being is the cause of his justification. A. If a Christian becomes transformed in character, he will achieve right standing with God. This puts sanctification before justification. Sanctification follows justification. B. If a sinner achieves right standing with God by faith, he will then experience transformation in character. A. We achieve right standing with God by faith alone. B. We achieve right standing with God by faith that has become active by love. This is the Roman Catholic doctrine which defines something as other than mere trust (fides formata caritate). The Council of Trent said that if anyone believes that he is saved merely by trusting in Jesus, he is anathema (damned). A. We achieve right standing with God as Christ lives in us and he lives out his life of obedience in us. This is infused righteousness: Christ in us, instead of Christ for us. B. We achieve right standing with God by trusting the fact that Christ obeyed the law perfectly for us. A. We achieve right standing with God by following Christs example, with the help of his enabling grace. Here justification (achieving right standing) is described as a process that is incomplete. This confuses justification with sanctification. According to this teaching, a believers forgiveness is never complete, for he is never fully justified this side of eternity. B. We follow Christs example, because his life has given us right standing with God. A. God first declares that we are good in his sight, and then he gives us his Spirit to make us good. B. God sends his Spirit to make us good, and then he declares that we are good. This puts sanctification before justification. A. Christs intercession at the right hand of God gives us favor in the sight of God. B. Christs dwelling in our hearts gives us favor in the sight of God. This is Christ in us, not Christ for us.

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2 10. A. Only by faith in the doing and dying of Christ can we fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments. B. By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us we can fully satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments. We are not righteous because of Gods indwelling Spirit, but because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us. Scripture says that our faith is credited as righteousness, because it apprehends the righteousness of Christ. 11. A. To justify means to make righteous. See comments above. B. To justify means to account as righteous. 12. A. Man is justified by intrinsic righteousness, that is a righteousness from God placed into man. This is infused righteousness. B. Man is justified by extrinsic righteousness, that is a righteousness from God wholly outside of man. 13. A. Justification is a declaration of the fact that Jesus, who stands in mans place, is righteous. B. Justification is a declaration of what a man in Christ has become by the working of the Spirit in him. The correct statement describes justification for Jesus sake. The incorrect statement describes infused righteousness. 14. A. The believer is pronounced righteous, because the Spirit of Grace has made him righteous. See comments above. B. The believer is pronounced righteous because Christ, his substitute, is found righteous before God. 15. A. Regenerating grace enables God to justify the believer. Regeneration (new birth) takes place through faith worked by the means of grace. This statement incorrectly makes faith a cause of salvation. B. Justification enables God to bring regeneration and sanctification to the heart of the believer. 16. A. God considers works done by believers as good, because they are done in the righteousness of Christ. B. God considers works done by believers as good, because they are done in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is the righteousness of Christ that covers our sin, so that the works of a believer are considered good in Gods sight, for Christs sake. 17. A. Man is justified because of his faith in Christs death on the cross. Faith is not a cause of salvation. B. Man is justified because of Christs death on the cross. 18. A. Forgiveness + faith = justification. This statement implies that there is something inside of man (faith) which must be added to the recipe for justification to take place. The Lutheran Confessions teach B, that forgiveness and justification are essentially the same. Faith does not cause or add anything. It merely apprehends the completed truth. B. Forgiveness = justification. 19. A. God forgives our sins as a consequence of Jesus death on the cross. B. God forgives our sins as a consequence of true contrition (sorrow) and repentance. Nothing in man is a cause of forgiveness. The only causes of forgiveness are the grace of God and the merits of Christ. 20. A. Justification eradicates sin; only concupiscence (a tendency toward sin) and weakness remain. This is Roman Catholic Doctrine. This downplays the depravity of the human flesh and mans utter sinfulness according to his sinful nature. B. Sin still remains in mans nature after justification, but it is not taken into account by God.

Search the Scriptures

Scripture teaches that justification is objective (completely the doing of God) and universal (applying to all human beings), as well as subjective (personally received through faith in Jesus). Look up each Bible passage below, and indicate whether the passage speaks of objective, universal, or subjective justification. (Some passages may speak of justification in more than one sense.) Be prepared to discuss with the group your answer(s) for each passage. Invite the participants to look up each passage (or assign one passage to each person in the group). Answers are indicated below. Invite each person to give his assessment of the passage and explain why the passage speaks of justification in the objective, universal or subjective sense. The words objective and universal are often used interchangeably. Sometimes this is imprecise, but usually it can be understood correctly. For the sake of this exercise, apply the following definitions of the words: Objective Existing completely in the realm of God without any intervention or involvement (even as a recipient) on the part of a particular sinner.

3 Universal Applying to the whole world (and so noted in the passage). Subjective Applying personally to an individual sinner, or involving an individual sinner as the recipient or object of Gods grace, apprehended by faith. One thing to note: All of the passages which refer to justification in the universal sense treat of it also in the objective sense. Objective John 1:29 John 19:30 Acts 10:43 Romans 3:22 Romans 3:23, 24 Romans 3:26 Romans 3:28 Romans 4:5 Romans 4:24 Universal Subjective

Romans 4:25 In the essay this passage is used to infer universal justification, even though the phrase for all or for the world is not used. Romans 5:16 Romans 5:18, 19

Romans 8:30 Romans 8:30 is a tricky one for this exercise. It is objective, in that God is the one doing everything. The subjective or personal element is included in the passage, where it relates only to those who are elected to faith. 2 Corinthians 5:19 2 Corinthians 5:20 2 Corinthians 5:21

Hebrews 9:26 The NIV translation once for all is to be understood in the temporal sense. The Greek says, once. Hebrews 10:17, 18 1 John 2:2

For further consideration

We live in a culture with a very pragmatic worldview, in which we frequently hear the questions, How does this affect me in my daily life? Why does this even matter? What is your answer? Invite discussion and personal perspective on this question. Objective justification is the foundation of comfort for a troubled sinner. It is a truly theocentric (God-centered) understanding of the doctrine that gives all glory to God. The practical implications of the doctrine will be addressed more fully in the essay Justification in Mission and in Ministry.

Bible study leaders guide by Pastor Jon D. Buchholz Prepared for the 58th Biennial Convention of the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod Meeting at Martin Luther College, New Ulm, Minnesota July 26, 2005