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Episode 15 of the Christ for Us Bible Study Podcast is on Justification. You can read along at Christforus.org. 

#Justification #Lutheran #Biblestudy #Theology

Article IV of The Augsburg Confession: Our churches also teach that men cannot be justified before God by their own strength, merits, or works but are freely justified for Christ’s sake through faith when they believe that they are received into favor and that their sins are forgiven on account of Christ, who by his death made satisfaction for our sins. This faith God imputes for righteousness in his sight.” (Rom. 3 and 4).

Bible Passage: Romans 3:23-25a: For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.”

• What does it mean to justify?
  To justify means to declared or make righteous. To be righteous means to be without fault and pleasing in God’s eyes.
• Justification, righteousness, righteous, just, all translations of the same Greek word δικαιοσύνη or δίκαιος, and the verb to justify or declare righteous is the same verb δικαιόω or the same Hebrew word צְדָקָה or צַדִּיק or the verb צָדַק. To justify and to declare righteous is the same thing. To be just and to be righteous is the same thing. Justification and righteousness are the same thing.
• Righteousness can be determined either by one’s own merits under the law or it can be imputed as a gift through faith. Scripture does speak of righteousness under the law, but it also speaks of God’s wrath against those who do not follow the law perfectly. Righteousness that depends on faith does not depend on works.
  • For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. Romans 1:18
  • For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. Romans 3:20-22
  • For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 1:16-17

• Is justification and forgiveness the same thing?
  “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: ‘Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin.'” (Romans 4:4-8)
  Yes.

• The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches, “Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.” Does the Roman Church and the Lutheran Church agree on justification?
  (Sanctification according to the CCC is, “An act whereby the sinner makes amends for sin, especially in reparation to God for offenses against him.” In other words, sanctification is the good works a sinner does to make up for his sins. “Renewal of the interior man” means that the person becomes a good person, before he is declared righteous).
  No. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that a sinner is justified by faith and works. The Lutheran Church teaches that a sinner is justified by faith alone. “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Romans 3:28)

• “Whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood.” What does it mean to propitiate?
  To propitiate means to take away God’s wrath and to make God look with favor upon us. Propitiation can also be called a sacrifice of atonement.

• This faith God imputes for righteousness in his sight.” What does it mean to impute?
  “For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, …” (Romans 4:3-5)
  God imputes this faith for righteousness means that God counts us righteous through this faith.

• What does it mean to have justifying faith? What must we believe/trust in to be counted righteous by God?
  It means that I not only believe that Jesus lived, died, and rose for me, but I trust that God actually forgives my sins on account of Christ and counts me as his child.
  • “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are.” 1 John 3:1
  • “Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.”
  • “But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6
  • “yet we know that a person is not justified[ by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.” Galatians 2:16
  • “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness … In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations, as he had been told, ‘So shall your offspring be.’” Romans 4:5, 18

• What is the “Great or Blessed Exchange?”
  “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 Corinthians 5:21
  “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous (in exchange) for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” 1 Peter 3:18
  “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way;
  and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:4-6

  The Great Exchange is that God exchanged the sinless and righteous Jesus for us poor miserable sinners. Christ Jesus became our substitute.

• What does it mean to be saved by grace?
  “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
  “But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.” Romans 11:6
  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24
  Salvation by grace is salvation as a free gift apart from works.

• If you are justified by God, what does that say about your relationship with God?
  “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:1
  I am at peace with God.
• A merit is that which earns something. What is the sole merit of our justification? The merits of Christ, His perfect obedience and bitter suffering and death, which alone made atonement for our sins, merit our justification.
  • Romans 4:4-8, 14: Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, 6 just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works: 7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,    and whose sins are covered; 8 blessed is the man against whom the Lord will not count his sin. … For if it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. ”
  • For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
  • who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began… 2 Tim. 1:9
  • “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Matthew 20:28
  • For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6
  • But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2
  • 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Romans 8:33-34
  • As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. John 6:57
  • And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:3
  • but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31
  • And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Acts 4:12
  • For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
  • But he was pierced for our transgressions;
        he was crushed for our iniquities;
    upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
        and with his wounds we are healed.
    6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
        we have turned—every one—to his own way;
    and the Lord has laid on him
        the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:4-6
• Objective and Subjective Justification
  • Objective Justification: By His death and resurrection, Christ justified the entire world, that is, He declared the entire human population just/righteous.
    • All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 1 Cor. 5:18-20who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. Romans 4:25He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2
• • • Subjective Justification: A sinner only receives this justification by grace through faith when He believes that His sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.yet we know that a person is not justified[b] by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. Galatians 2:16For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
• • • for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood (Objective Justification) to be received by faith.(Subjective Justification)
• Justification must be true in order for it to be received by faith.

The Bible clearly teaches that we are justified, that is, declared righteous not because of our own works, but on account of Jesus’ perfect obedience and innocent sufferings and death by which He made satisfaction for all our sins. This justification is received by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. Jesus alone merits our salvation.