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The grounds of our justification in the gospel are:
(1)
We are justified by His (Christ's) blood, through redemption (Rom. 5: 9; 3: 24).
(2)
We are justified freely, by grace (Rom. 3: 24; Titus 3: 7).
(3)
We are justified by faith (Acts 13: 39; Rom. 3: 28).
(4)
Negatively: no flesh can be justified by the deeds of the law or by works of any
kind (Rom. 3: 20; 3: 28; 4: 2; Gal. 2: 16; 3: 11; 5: 4).
If we inquire what is the source of this act of justification, the answer is grace, free
unmerited grace.
If we inquire s to what is the meritorious cause of such an act; the answer is the
Redemptive and Atoning sacrifice of Christ.
If we inquire as to how this righteousness become ours, the answer is twofold (1) by
faith and (2) by imputation.
This subdivision of the subject is for the inquirer's benefit, but we must beware of
intruding these subdivisions too far into the realm of doctrine. As Scott, in his Essays
says:
"Justification may therefore be ascribed, either to the source, to the meritorious cause,
or to the recipient thereof, even as (to use a familiar illustration) a drowning person may
be said to be saved either by a man on the bank of the river, or by the rope thrown out to
him, or by the hand laying hold on the rope."
In our next article we must consider more closely the receiving end of justification,
`faith' and `imputation', but let us not befog our clear conception of salvation by arguing
concerning the distinctive merits of `the man', `the rope', or `the hand', for we shall
assuredly drown if either of the three is missing.
The following attempt to visualize the meaning of the word "justified" is primarily for
young people, but the writer believes that many who are advanced in the faith will
appreciate the suggestion here offered. It is not original, and has been in use for some
time.
Take a strip of paper, say two or three inches in width and about eighteen inches long.
On this paper write the words:
JUST AS IF I HAD NEVER DONE IT
Now fold the paper back at the word "just" and before the word "if", so as to bring
together the syllables "JUSTIF". Repeat the process until only the word "JUSTIFIED" is
visible. After explaining the meaning of the word, and how the sinner is justified by
grace, extend the slip of paper, until the whole sentence is revealed. God treats the
sinner, for Christ's sake, as though he were righteous, but he made Him, the Righteous
One, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.