Justification E-Book

Thomas R. Schreiner

• Herausgeber: Crossway
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: Short Studies in Systematic Theology
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

A Clear and Concise Exploration of the Doctrine of Justification from Thomas R. Schreiner When we see the fallenness of the world, it is often challenging to understand how sinners can stand before a holy God, but the gospel gives hope—justification that comes through Jesus Christ. This doctrine is essential to the gospel but has sparked countless academic and theological disagreements throughout church history, even contributing to the Protestant Reformation in the sixteenth century.  In this addition to the Short Studies in Systematic Theology series, Thomas R. Schreiner examines the biblical and historical background of the doctrine of justification. Schreiner explores it throughout church history and analyzes both the Old and New Testament teachings. By examining the relationship between justification and other doctrines of salvation—such as redemption, reconciliation, adoption, and sanctification—Schreiner shows how it gives peace, assurance, and joy to sinners through Jesus and hope for life today. - Accessible: Designed to be short and approachable, this text is an ideal resource for college students, pastors, and thoughtful laypeople - Part of the Short Studies in Systematic Theology Series: Other titles include The Person of Christ; Glorification; and The Doctrine of Scripture - Written by Thomas R. Schreiner: A renowned biblical scholar and professor who has authored or edited numerous books, including Run to Win the Prize; The Joy of Hearing; and Covenant and God's Purpose for the World

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“This book is a comprehensive and important introduction to the subject of justification by faith alone, which is one of the most important Christian doctrines and key to understanding the true nature of Protestantism. Schreiner’s presentation is informative and lucid, making it one of the best ways for students and others to grasp what justification is and why it matters today as much as ever.”

Gerald Bray, Research Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School, Samford University

“There is no doctrine more important to the Christian faith than the doctrine of justification. There is no biblical scholar I’d rather learn this doctrine from than Tom Schreiner. This short book features one of our era’s most prominent theologians concisely explaining the very doctrine upon which the church stands or falls. That is more than enough reason to read this book and benefit from it.”

Tim Challies, author, Seasons of Sorrow

“This wonderfully rich and concise study models how to grasp and explain a central Christian doctrine. Schreiner unfolds the Bible’s understanding of justification, the struggle for its preservation through the centuries, and its rediscovery at the Reformation. Rich in exegetical detail and interaction with alternate understandings, this study succeeds magnificently at presenting just what justification is and why it is central to Christian life and thought. In Schreiner’s words, ‘it gives us assurance, frees us from fear, and awakens praise in our hearts.’ A profound yet practical book to study and to treasure!”

Robert W. Yarbrough, Professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

“With his characteristic clarity, Schreiner harvests the fruits of his many faithful labors as a New Testament scholar and Christian minister in this introduction to the doctrine of justification. The book ranges widely—covering church history, the biblical material, contemporary challenges, theological formulation, and practical application—but it remains succinct and accessible. Foundational to this brief account is Schreiner’s career of careful exegetical and theological study and meditation. He reminds his readers that justification by faith alone is no mere theological quarrel. It is the source of the Christian’s assurance, freedom, and joy!”

R. Lucas Stamps, Chair of the Hobbs School of Theology and Ministry, Oklahoma Baptist University

Justification

Short Studies in Systematic Theology

Edited by Graham A. Cole and Oren R. Martin

The Attributes of God: An Introduction, Gerald Bray (2021)

The Church: An Introduction, Gregg R. Allison (2021)

The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction, Mark D. Thompson (2022)

Faithful Theology: An Introduction, Graham A. Cole (2020)

Glorification: An Introduction, Graham A. Cole (2022)

Justification: An Introduction, Thomas R. Schreiner (2023)

The Person of Christ: An Introduction, Stephen J. Wellum (2021)

The Trinity: An Introduction, Scott R. Swain (2020)

Justification

An Introduction

Thomas R. Schreiner

Justification: An Introduction

Copyright © 2023 by Thomas R. Schreiner

Published by Crossway1300 Crescent StreetWheaton, Illinois 60187

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher, except as provided for by USA copyright law. Crossway® is a registered trademark in the United States of America.

Cover design: Jordan Singer

First printing 2023

Printed in the United States of America

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Scripture quotations marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added by the author.

Trade paperback ISBN: 978-1-4335-7573-0 ePub ISBN: 978-1-4335-7576-1 PDF ISBN: 978-1-4335-7574-7 Mobipocket ISBN: 978-1-4335-7575-4

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Schreiner, Thomas R., author.  

Title: Justification : an introduction / Thomas R. Schreiner.  

Description: Wheaton, Illinois : Crossway, 2023. | Series: Short studies in systematic theology | Includes bibliographical references and index. 

Identifiers: LCCN 2022030443 (print) | LCCN 2022030444 (ebook) | ISBN 9781433575730 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781433575747 (pdf) | ISBN 9781433575761 (epub)  

Subjects: LCSH: Justification (Christian theology) | Justification (Christian theology)—Biblical teaching. 

Classification: LCC BT764.3 .S37 2023  (print) | LCC BT764.3  (ebook) | DDC 234/.7—dc23/eng/20230206 

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022030443

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022030444

Crossway is a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

Contents

Series Preface

Preface

Introduction

1  Justification in Church History

2  The Old Testament Framework

3  Jesus and Justification

4  Justification of the Ungodly in Paul

5  Justification in the Rest of the New Testament

6  Contemporary Challenges

7  Justification and Systematic Theology

Epilogue: A Final Word

Further Reading

General Index

Scripture and Ancient Sources Index

Series Preface

The ancient Greek thinker Heraclitus reputedly said that the thinker has to listen to the essence of things. A series of theological studies dealing with the traditional topics that make up systematic theology needs to do just that. Accordingly, in each of these studies, a theologian addresses the essence of a doctrine. This series thus aims to present short studies in theology that are attuned to both the Christian tradition and contemporary theology in order to equip the church to faithfully understand, love, teach, and apply what God has revealed in Scripture about a variety of topics. What may be lost in comprehensiveness can be gained through what John Calvin, in the dedicatory epistle of his commentary on Romans, called “lucid brevity.”

Of course, a thorough study of any doctrine will be longer rather than shorter, as there are two millennia of confession, discussion, and debate with which to interact. As a result, a short study needs to be more selective but deftly so. Thankfully, the contributors to this series have the ability to be brief yet accurate. The key aim is that the simpler is not to morph into the simplistic. The test is whether the topic of a short study, when further studied in depth, requires some unlearning to take place. The simple can be amplified. The simplistic needs to be corrected. As editors, we believe that the volumes in this series pass that test.

While the specific focus varies, each volume (1) introduces the doctrine, (2) sets it in context, (3) develops it from Scripture, (4) draws the various threads together, and (5) brings it to bear on the Christian life. It is our prayer, then, that this series will assist the church to delight in her triune God by thinking his thoughts—which he has graciously revealed in his written word, which testifies to his living Word, Jesus Christ—after him in the powerful working of his Spirit.

Graham A. Cole and Oren R. Martin

Preface

I am grateful to Oren Martin and Graham Cole for inviting me to write this book, and especially to Oren Martin who is my next-door neighbor and a precious friend! My thanks to Drs. Martin and Cole for editing my manuscript and for suggestions for improvement. I am also very grateful for my longtime friend Chris Cowan who did the editing for Crossway and for his keen eye and excellent editing skills. I should add my thanks to Crossway for also publishing this piece and for its faithful ministry in publishing books that are trustworthy and edifying.

I have written often about justification over the years, but I never tire of the topic since it addresses one of the most important issues in life: how can I be free from guilt when I stand before a holy God? This book is not a technical treatment of the doctrine of justification, but I hope readers see the biblical and historical underpinnings for the doctrine of justification. The doctrine should not only be presented, explicated, and defended in longer books but also in sermons, home Bible studies, college and seminary classes, and in books that summarize the main teaching. Many luminaries have preceded me in writing about justification, and I acknowledge my debt and my thanks to all who have taught me about this precious truth both in person and in their writings. Martin Luther was right in claiming that this truth must be regularly taught for the life and health of the church, for once justification by faith alone is assumed, it is quickly forgotten. If we take justification by faith for granted, our eyes will move away from the grace of God and begin to focus on what we do and what we accomplish. Justification reminds us that salvation is God’s work, that we have been favored by his love, and that our hope doesn’t lie in ourselves but in Christ crucified and risen.

Introduction

Justification isn’t merely a doctrinal question but speaks to our relationship with the one true God, concerning how we can stand in the right before him. Hence, it is one of the most important questions in life. The question becomes particularly acute when we realize that we are sinners before a holy God, that our unrighteousness means that there is no reason God should count us as righteous before him. Since we have not obeyed the Lord, we deserve judgment rather than vindication. The Christian gospel, however, proclaims that we can be justified before the Holy One of Israel. The ungodly are declared to be in the right before the divine Judge if they put their faith in Jesus as the crucified and risen one.

The pastoral urgency of justification is evident since it speaks to our relationship with God, but the doctrine of justification raises serious academic and theological questions since it played a fundamental role in the division of the Western church in the sixteenth century. Jesus prayed that the church would be united, that the church would be one (John 17:21, 23), and yet this doctrine caused a great severing in the church, a separation that has continued to this day. Was such a separation worth it? Was it warranted, or did our ancestors, particularly our Reformed ancestors, go astray? One’s answer depends on how one understands justification and how important the doctrine is deemed to be. The fracturing of the church is always a tragedy; nevertheless, Jesus didn’t merely pray for unity but a unity that is rooted in the truth (John 17:17, 19). I will argue in this book that the division over justification was justified (pun intended!) since justification is integral to the gospel message we proclaim.

A brief sketch of what is to come in the ensuing chapters will assist readers in navigating this short study. We begin in chapter 1 by considering the history of the church. We aren’t the first persons to consider what the Scriptures teach on justification, and thus a brief survey of how the doctrine was understood in church history is fitting. We are shaped and formed by those who have preceded us even if we are unaware of their influence, and thus traversing the historical landscape is imperative to gain a sharper profile in our own conception of the doctrine. Chapter 2 moves on to the Old Testament teaching on justification. Often people run to Paul, and to Paul only, on this matter, but such a perspective is truncated and even distorting. Sometimes Paul is portrayed as the lonely hero who trumpeted justification against all others. Even though Paul played a distinctive and formative role and presented the teaching on justification with a unique sharpness and clarity, his teaching was rooted in the Old Testament; it accorded with previous revelation.

Chapter 3 surveys what we learn from the Gospels, what we learn from Jesus of Nazareth on justification. A segment of scholarship has claimed that Paul reinvented Christianity, that his teaching was fundamentally opposed to the teaching of Jesus. Such objections have been raised particularly about justification as some have claimed that Jesus did not share Paul’s understanding of justification. I will attempt to show that this objection misses the mark, that Jesus’s teaching is the fountain from which Paul drinks. Paul didn’t reinvent Christianity but, as one who lived in the time period after Christ’s death and resurrection, faithfully unpacked the message of the Messiah. Chapter 4 brings us to Paul, and most would assent to the notion that Paul explained and expounded justification in the midst of controversy, giving the doctrine a sharper edge, a clarity that naturally emerges when debate rages.

The remainder of the New Testament is surveyed in chapter 5. Justification certainly isn’t addressed with the same focus in Acts, the General Epistles, and Revelation as it is in Paul. In fact, some of these writings don’t speak to the issue at all. James has been considered particularly troublesome, leading some to think that we have an outright contradiction between Paul and James. I will contend that the teaching of justification is present in this literature more than we might expect and that Paul and James should be considered allies and friends in the same gospel. Some contemporary challenges to justification by faith alone will be the subject of chapter 6. We will concentrate on the new perspective on Paul (admittedly not very new anymore!) and the apocalyptic reading of Paul.

Chapter 7 will move in a new direction as we reflect on justification and systematic theology. Here we will explore the relationship of justification to other salvific realities, such as redemption, reconciliation, adoption, sanctification, and others. I will suggest that union with Christ is the overarching category into which these other soteric realities should be placed. Can we come to any conclusions about how justification should be integrated with these doctrines? Are there any theological judgments to be made about how the various dimensions of salvation should be assessed in relation to justification? I will argue that such systematic questions aren’t alien to the biblical witness but foster a greater understanding, and I will make a couple of suggestions along these lines. The book will conclude with a brief epilogue reflecting on the path traveled and what it means for us today.

1

Justification in Church History

The topic under consideration in this chapter—justification in church history—doesn’t include the Old Testament and New Testament. Certainly, the scriptural witness is the most important history relative to justification, and most of this book will be devoted to the scriptural portrait of the doctrine. But in this chapter—before considering the biblical understanding—we consider briefly justification in the history of the church. It has often been said that we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us, and it would indeed be foolish to dive into justification without exploring what Christians in the previous centuries have said.

Some (perhaps only a few) Protestants have had the strange idea that most of what was written before our time or before the Reformation is useless or even harmful. A moment’s reflection should shake us out of such a mistaken notion. Many godly and learned Christians have studied the Bible over the centuries, and their intent in studying wasn’t to distort the biblical teachings so as to advance their own prejudices. Of course, they made mistakes and had blind spots, but the same is true of us. We aren’t free of presuppositions and prejudices either. We don’t venerate our ancestors in the faith, as if they are infallible guides to the meaning of the Scriptures and of justification in particular. Neither do we ignore them, as if they had nothing to say, as if they were all captured by alien ideologies. The Scriptures are the final authority, but the many godly believers who have walked the road of discipleship before us are also honored as our teachers.

The Early Church

Some scholars have maintained that the early church writers didn’t understand Paul’s teaching on justification, and thus the truth was lost in the early history of the church.1 It seems that the situation was more complicated than this. When we actually look at the evidence, we have a number of affirmations of justification by faith and, in some cases, even of justification by faith alone.2 The epistle 1 Clement was probably written ca. AD 96, and he clearly affirms that justification does not come from piety or works but by faith (1 Clem. 32:3–4). Similarly, the letters of Ignatius were written early in the second century. He doesn’t feature the word “justification,” but the concept is present, as he emphasizes the grace of Christ in his death and resurrection, finding his hope in God’s mercy (Magn. 8:1; Phld.5:1–2; 8:2;9:2; Smyrn. 6:1–2; 11:1).

The most beautiful statement about justification stems from the Epistle to Diognetus 9:2–5, which was written in the second century. It is worth reproducing here in full.

But when our unrighteousness was fulfilled, and it had been made perfectly clear that its wages—punishment and death—were to be expected, then the season arrived during which God had decided to reveal at last his goodness and power (oh, the surpassing kindness and love of God!). He did not hate us, or reject us, or bear a grudge against us; instead he was patient and forbearing; in his mercy he took upon himself our sins; he himself gave up his own Son as a ransom for us, the holy one for the lawless, the guiltless for the guilty, the just for the unjust, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. For what else but his righteousness could have covered our sins? In whom was it possible for us, the lawless and ungodly, to be justified, except in the Son of God alone? O the sweet exchange, O the incomprehensible work of God, O the unexpected blessings, that the sinfulness of many should be hidden in one righteous person, while the righteousness of one should justify many sinners!3

The majesty and beauty of this text are striking, and we can scarcely say that no one in the early church understood justification by faith! Sinners are justified by God’s grace as the Son of God took upon himself the guilt we deserved.

The Odes of Solomon were written in the second century and are relatively unknown, but they clearly teach that justification is rooted in God’s kindness and grace instead of human merit (Odes Sol.25:4), emphasizing God’s gracious election (Odes Sol. 4:7; 8:13; 10:3; 12:3; 23:2–3; 41:9). It is also interesting to note that justification is understood to be forensic and not transformative (Odes Sol.25:8, 10; 33:12), and in this respect the Odes anticipate the Reformed understanding.

Justin Martyr engaged in a famous debate with Trypho (see Dialogue with Trypho) who was a Jewish opponent, and the debate between them reminds us in many respects of Paul’s controversy with the Galatian false teachers. Trypho emphasized that one should be circumcised and keep the law to be saved, echoing Paul’s opponents in Galatia. Justin affirms that justification is by faith, insisting that circumcision is unnecessary for salvation (Dial.23.3–4; 92.2). Any works-righteousness (Dial. 137.1–2) is rejected since salvation comes through Jesus’s work on the cross instead of performing of the law (Dial.11:4–5; 137.1). Believers are righteous through Jesus’s death since he died in the place of believers, taking on himself the curse believers deserve (Dial.95:1–3).

Another great thinker in the early church, one who could even be described as the first to engage in biblical theology, was Irenaeus (ca. 130–202). Irenaeus doesn’t work out the meaning of justification specifically, but he is famous for teaching that Jesus recapitulated human experience and that he reconciled sinners to himself in his death so that victory over sin and death is achieved in the cross of Christ.

Origen (185–254) is a rather mixed figure theologically, but he rightly discerns in the story of the thief on the cross that we are justified by faith.4 Righteousness doesn’t come, says Origen, from works of the law but is founded on our faith. At the same time, Origen emphasizes that those who exercise faith will do good works, and in this he is thoroughly biblical. Origen wasn’t completely consistent, however, and also said some things that indicate a belief in merit. He anticipates the new perspective in identifying the works of the law as referring to Jewish practices. Also, Origen’s notion that justification secures forgiveness only for past sins is inadequate, and it seems that he sees justification as a process instead of a declaration. Nick Needham has argued, however, that most of the early fathers believed justification was forensic and declarative instead of being transformative and a process.5 Those who are Reformed recognize deficiencies in Origen, but it is also important to recognize that justification hadn’t been debated and worked out thoroughly in the early church, and thus we should not be surprised by lack of precision and even some missteps along the way.

Many other testimonies could be mentioned. The fourth-century writer Theodoret of Cyrhuss comments on Ephesians 2:8: “It is not of our own accord that we have believed, . . . and even when we had come to believe, He did not require of us purity of life, but approving mere faith, God bestowed on us forgiveness of sins.”6 We see here an early and faithful commentary on Ephesians 2:8, and it is fair to say that forgiveness of sins is another way of talking about justification. Chrysostom, known as one of the greatest preachers in the early church, interpreted Ephesians 2:8 similarly. He differed from some of the Reformers, however, in his understanding of free will.7 In any case, Chrysostom believed that one was required to obey the law perfectly to be justified, and thus human beings can’t be justified by their works. Chrysostom’s understanding of the works of the law matches what we see in the Reformers. Thus, justification isn’t through human merit but divine grace, and the good works human beings do are a result of God’s grace.

Marius Victorinus wrote in the mid-fourth century, teaching that we aren’t saved by our virtue nor our merits and that we can’t stand in the right before God by the works of the law.8 Salvation is by God’s grace, and the good works that follow are also enabled by his grace. Hilary of Poitiers also wrote in the fourth century, affirming that justification cannot come via the law since human beings are sinners.9 He repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is by faith. He remarks that Abraham, the thief on the cross, and the eleventh-hour workers in the vineyard (Matt. 20:1–16) are all justified by faith. Interestingly, Hilary says that justification is by faith alone: “Because faith alone justifies . . . publicans and prostitutes will be the first in the kingdom of heaven.” Ambrosiaster, the name given to an unknown writer in the early church, also taught that justification was by faith alone.10 The precision of the Reformed view is missing since he spoke about meriting a final reward. The word “merit” is unfortunate, but we may assign a meaning to the word from our post-Reformation perspective that wasn’t intended by Ambrosiaster, and the latter concurred with the mainstream view in emphasizing the importance of good works.

Augustine (354–430) was a towering figure, and we can rightly say that no theologian influenced all of Christendom more than he.11 Augustine’s understanding of grace anticipated and influenced the Reformers. His doctrine of predestination should be placed within his theology of grace, and since God’s electing grace brings us to faith, it follows that justification is God’s gift. In Augustine’s anti-Pelagian writings he regularly sounds the note that believers are saved by grace instead of by works, emphasizing that everything we do that is pleasing to God depends on God’s gift. Every good thing in us is given graciously by God himself (1 Cor. 4:7). The works of the law aren’t limited to the ceremonial law for Augustine but include the entirety of the law so that no human being may be justified before God by virtue of his goodness.

Augustine differs from the Reformers in an important respect, in that he defines the word “justify” so that it means “make righteous” instead of “declare righteous,” though there are places in his writings where the declarative sense is present. Thus, for Augustine justification isn’t only imputed but also inherent; it isn’t a once-for-all declaration but a process, and thus justification doesn’t describe a legal verdict only but also the ongoing transformation of believers. What this means is that the distinction between justification and sanctification that is well-known to those nurtured in Reformed theology doesn’t represent the Augustinian perspective. In Augustine’s theology sanctification and justification are two different metaphors for the progressive work of God in Christ. What stands out in his theology, however, is the efficacy of grace since God’s grace grants faith and love to those whom he has elected from the foundation of the world.

Thomas Aquinas

We are skipping over a large period of time here, but the perspective of Augustine and other early writers dominated the medieval period. The next person we should consider is Thomas Aquinas (1225–74), whose thinking has influenced Roman Catholicism dramatically down to the present day.12 The mature work of Aquinas shows that he was an Augustinian in his understanding of grace and predestination, and thus Aquinas doesn’t ground justification in the work of human beings. He rejects the idea that justification comes from obeying either the ceremonial or moral law, and thus he differs from Origen and from the Council of Trent on this score. Aquinas sees faith as a gift, but he also thinks that faith is formed by love, which was a common medieval reading of the relationship between faith and love. He says, “The movement of faith is not perfect unless it is quickened by charity; hence in the justification of the ungodly, a movement of charity is infused together with the movement of faith.”13Endorsing the idea that faith is formed by love smuggles good works into justification, and this isn’t entirely surprising since Aquinas follows Augustine in understanding justification as renovative and transformative instead of being declarative and forensic.14 Justification is a process by which the soul is healed and changed. Faith since it is formed by love is virtuous, and thus merit plays a role in justification. Still, Aquinas assigns all merit to God’s electing and predestinating grace, and thus the good human beings do comes from God himself.

Reformation

The Reformation dawned in a world where justification was understood in terms of inner renewal and transformation, following the theology of Augustine and Aquinas among others. Nevertheless, the particular conception of grace found in Augustine and Aquinas wasn’t accepted by all. Gabriel Biel (ca. 1420–95) represented a common Catholic conception of the day in claiming that God helps those who do their best. In Biel’s mind this understanding was still gracious since God had set up this arrangement covenantally. The emphasis was on preparing ourselves to receive the grace of God, and this was compared to putting up the sails of a ship to catch the wind or to opening the shutters of one’s house to let the light stream in.15 According to this view, human beings take the first step in their relationship with God, and the onus is on human beings to prepare themselves to receive God’s grace.

A response to such teaching—a response that changed the course of history—emerged as Martin Luther (1483–1546) burst on the scene. Luther didn’t use the exact words that “the church stands and falls” with respect to justification, but he clearly assents to this notion: “Because if this article [of justification] stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses.”16 Luther counters the Augustinian tradition with respect to justification in arguing that justification is forensic—people are declared righteous, not made righteous. Such a reading represented a dramatic shift away from the majority view. Righteousness is no longer located fundamentally in the human subject. It is a legal declaration based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Second, justification, according to Luther, should be distinguished from sanctification. Often these two were conflated and confused as if they signified the same reality. In sanctification we have a combination of faith and works, though many emphasized that all works flow from faith. Luther famously emphasized that we are justified by faith alone (German: allein). “We are pronounced righteous solely by faith in Christ, not by the works of the Law or by love.”17 Faith alone justifies “because faith brings us the spirit gained by the merits of Christ.”18