Episode Details

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 th