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"By thy words thou shalt be justified" (Matt. 12: 37).
"The people . . . . . justified God" (Luke 7: 29).
"He, willing to justify himself" (Luke 10: 29).
"Ye are they which justify yourselves" (Luke 16: 15).
In none of these citations can the idea be tolerated that justify implies the transfusion
of righteousness within. The meaning is simply the declaring righteous of those in view.
This is the meaning in all the passages where Paul uses the word in his epistles.
Light from equivalent terms.
When we read of the imputation of righteousness without works (Rom. 4: 6, 11),
the apostle speaks of the forgiveness of sins, and the covering of iniquity. So in
Rom. 5: 9, 10, justification by the blood of Christ is placed in correspondence with
reconciliation by His death. There is no idea of the infusing of anything into the believer
by the work of reconciliation. By comparing Acts 15: 11, Gal. 2: 16, Eph. 2: 8, 9,
salvation is seen to be an equivalent to justification. The remission of sins, receiving the
reconciliation, not coming into judgment, these and similar expressions may all be taken
as illuminating the meaning of justification, the declaring righteous the one that believes
in the Lord.
Law terms are used.
In both the Old and New Testaments the process of justification is expressed in terms
of law, e.g.:--
1.
God is looked upon as a Judge (Isa. 1: 7, 8; Rom. 8: 33).
2.
The person to be justified is guilty. He is looked upon as exposed to the judgment of
God (Rom. 1: 32), and whose mouth is shut (Rom. 3: 19).
3.
There are three accusers: (1:) The law (John 5: 45); (2:) Conscience (Rom. 2: 15);
(3:) Satan (Zech. 3: 2 and Rev. 12: 10).
4.
The charge is drawn up in legal handwriting (Col. 2: 14).
5.
The gospel provides the guilty person with a plea (Rom. 3: 23-25).
6.
The Lord Himself is the Advocate (I John 2: 1, 2).
7.
The sentence for all believers is one of complete remission, justification, acceptance,
and title to life and to inheritance (Rom. 8: 1, 33, 34; II Cor. 5: 21).
Dikaiosunē is that which fulfils the claims of dikē, which meant to the Gentiles "right
established by custom", and was personified as the daughter of Zeus, and mentioned in
Acts 28: 4, where it is translated "vengeance". In the sense of demanding justice it is
found in Acts 25: 15, the rendering of justice in Jude 7, and the punishment meted out
for the violation of right in II Thess. 1: 9. Instead of custom being the standard, the
Scripture reveals God, and in the Scriptural meaning of the word dikaiosunē is that
conformity of heart and life to right, of which God Himself is the standard and author. In
the teaching of Paul, justification by faith is that righteousness which God bestows upon
the believer in Christ in virtue of which he stands accepted and assured in Christ for ever.
Viewed dispassionately, and shall we say anatomically, we may speak of this
righteousness as being imputed without being imparted, we may speak of justification as