02.13. Justification By Faith

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH.

"Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Had Paul said we are justified "by faith only," he would have contradicted James, who said: "By works a man is-justified, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). Some people think they believe the doctrine of justification by faith only, but in reality they do not. Ask a defender of the doctrine of "justification by faith only" these questions: Do you believe a person can be saved without repentance? Do you believe a person can be saved without prayer? Do you believe a person can be saved without love? He will answer with an emphatic "No." But if one must believe, repent, pray, and love, he is not justified by "faith only." If you can add repentance, prayer, and love te faith, and it still be "faith only," could you not add anything else God commands, and still have "faith only?" If faith without repentance, prayer, and love will not save, then "faith only" does not save. degrees of faith. In the previous lesson we found that faith may, and does, exist in different degrees. Faith without work is dead, and therefore worthless. It is dead because it has no connection with God, the source of life. But faith, when made perfect by works, is a living faith, because by obedience it is brought into vital connection with God. Evidently it is this degree of faith by which Paul declares we are justified. Bearing this in mind, it will be seen that there is no lack of harmony between Paul and James.

"By faith." How can we determine the meaning of "by faith?" If there is any doubt as to the meaning an author attaches to any word or phrase in a given place, a clear understanding may be reached by carefully studying the use he makes of it in all his writings. Now, it so happens that Paul makes frequent use. of the phase "by faith." It should be, and is, an easy matter to determine exactly what is meant by this phrase in his writings, for in many places he uses the term in such connection as to leave no room for doubt as to his meaning. "By faith" occurs many times in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews; the student should read that chapter carefully. We call attention to some of the examples therein mentioned as illustrative of the meaning of "by faith."

EXAMPLES. abel. "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had witness born to him that he was righteous, God bearing witness in respect of his gifts: and through it he being dead yet speaketh" (Hebrews 11:4). Evidently Abel did not offer a sacrifice by "faith only;" yet it is as emphatically affirmed that he offered a sacrifice "by faith" as it is that we are justified "by faith." What was embraced in the term "by faith" in the sacrifice offered by Abel? We are not advised as to how long it took Abel to prepare the altar and the sacrifice; but we do know that whether the time was long or short the phrase "by faith" covers every move he made and every lick he struck in building the altar and offering the sacrifice. In this case, then, we know that the phrase "by faith" does not mean "faith only." noah and the ark. "By faith Noah, being warned of God concerning things not seen as yet, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; through which he condemned the world, and become heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" (Hebrews 11:7). We do not know how long it took Noah to build the ark. The one hundred and twenty years mentioned in Genesis 6:3 was the time of respite given the people after Jehovah decided to destroy them (see "Sound Doctrine," Vol. I., page 42). But whether it required ten years or five years to build the ark, this we know: that every step he took, every move he made, and every lick he struck in felling the trees, collecting the material, and putting it together, is included in the phrase "by faith." The ark was built "by faith;" so are we justified "by faith." Think of the days of toil spent in building the ark and know that the phrase "by faith" does not mean by "faith only." The finished ark was the result of Noah’s faith. So when the Christian reaches heaven, though he may have served God faithfully for three score years, it may be truly said that he is there "by faith." abraham’s call. "By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went" (Hebrews 11:8). Abraham’s faith took him from his home in Ur of the Chaldees to the far distant land of Canaan. When God spoke, Abraham’s faith obeyed, and thus he became the father of the faithful, the father of all those who walk in the steps of Abraham (Romans 4:12). Hence, the phrase "by faith" includes every step from Ur of Canaan. abraham offered Isaac by faith. "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he to whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Hebrews 11:17-18). A full account of this is given in Genesis 22:1-19. Abraham offered up Isaac by faith—we are justified by faith. Certainly no one will contend that Abraham offered up Isaac by "faith only;" yet the same phrase, "by faith;" is used here as in Romans 5:1. Read the account of this offering as given in Genesis, and see what is included in the phrase "by faith" in this case. Jehovah commanded Abraham to take Isaac and to go into the land of Moriah "and offer him for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Abraham made the necessary preparations, and with Isaac departed to go unto the place to be shown him. On the third day he saw the place afar off. Abraham and Isaac climbed the mountain, the altar was prepared, the wood was placed in order upon the altar, Isaac was bound and laid upon the altar, and Abraham lifted the knife to slay the son. All this is included in the phrase "by faith" in this reference. "By faith" in this reference included the three days of active, heart-rending service.

Moses and the passover. "By faith he kept the pass-over, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them" (Hebrews 11:28). Kept the passover "by faith"—justified "by faith." Unless it can be shown that Moses kept the passover by faith only, why should it be contended that we are justified by faith only? To keep the passover by faith required more than the simple act of believing in God. In this instance, "by faith" includes what? A full account is given in the twelfth chapter of Exodus. On the tenth day of the first month they put up the lamb, on the fourteenth day they killed and roasted it, and on the night of the fifteenth day they ate the lamb with bitter herbs. All these services, all these acts of obedience, are here included in the phrase "by faith." the walls of jericho. "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days" (Hebrews 11:30). Here is what was done: "And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Jehovah. And the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of Jehovah went on continually, and blew the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; and the rearward came after the ark of Jehovah, the priests blowing the trumpets as they went. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp: so they did six days. And in came to pass on the seventh day, that they arose early at the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for Jehovah hath given you the city. So the people shouted, and the priests blew the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, that the people shouted with a great shout, and the walls fell down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city" (Joshua 6:12-20). Did the walls fall down by "faith only?" Yet it is just as plainly said that the walls fell down "by faith" as it is that we are justified "by faith." Their faith led them to do what God commanded, and was thus perfected by works, and by this perfect faith the walls fell down. If we would be justified "by faith," our faith must be strong enough to lead us to do what God commands; by this perfect faith we are justified.

"BY FAITH," THEN, INCLUDES WHAT? In every case the phrase "by faith" includes obedience to all the things commanded. "Perfect faith is taking God at his word, and doing what he says." Is not that a good definition? Is it not true? Try substituting this definition in a few of the examples found in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. By taking God at his word and doing what he said Noah built the ark. By taking God at his word and doing what he said Abraham offered up Isaac. By taking God at his word and doing what he said they kept the passover. And by taking God at his word and doing what he says we are justified. Certainly if we did not take God at his word and do what he says we would not be justified.

Thus it will be seen that faith in every instance includes whatever acts of obedience God had commanded in that particular case. This is faith made perfect by works, the faith by which we are justified. the final example. "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were swallowed up" (Hebrews 11:29). They crossed the Red Sea "by faith," but they were not on the other side the moment they believed. They spent a night of anxious toil and great fear before they could sing the song of deliverance on the other side. Here the phrase "by faith" spans the Red Sea, and includes every step they took in crossing. By some it is thought that because Paul says we are justified by faith baptism is excluded. But in the examples so far considered the phrase "by faith," instead of excluding the acts of faith, which, in reality, make faith perfect, actually includes obedience. And it can be plainly shown that "by faith" in this case includes baptism. Paul says: "For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Corinthians 10:1-2). They crossed the Red Sea by faith, and in crossing they were baptized. "By faith" includes what was done in crossing. But in crossing they were baptized. Therefore, "by faith," in this example, includes baptism. From this conclusion there is no escape. By many this is thought to be a type of our deliverance from sin. If so, then as baptism is in the phrase "by faith," it must be in the phrase "by faith" in the antitype. But does "by faith," in the matter of our becoming Christians, really include baptism? One plain statement from Paul settles it: "For ye are all the sons of God, through faith, in Christ Jesus." On what grounds did he affirm that they were sons of God by faith? He settles all doubt by immediately adding: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ did put on Christ" (see Galatians 3:26-27). Paul here affirmed that they were children of God by faith, because they had been baptized into Christ. Certainly no one will contend that had they refused to be baptized their faith would have made them sons of God.

JUSTIFIED BY FAITH, WE HAVE PEACE. That we are justified "by faith" is not a question for discussion amongst those who believe the Bible, for it is plainly declared. The only question that can be raised is: "When are we justified by faith?" Paul declares that when we are justified "by faith" we have "peace." When journeying along the highway enroute to Damascus to bind Christians and thrust them into prison, Paul was struck blind, and cried to the Lord: "What wilt thou have me to do?" The Lord told him to go to the city and there it would be told him what he must do. Immediately Paul journeyed to the city, as the Lord directed, and thereby evidenced the fact that he had faith in the Lord. Was he justified "by faith" at the time he arose and walked toward the city? Did he have "peace" at that time? See him in the city; he is blind, without food and without drink for three days, and praying at least some of the time. Do you think a man in that condition has "peace?" In the city, suffering from the loss of his sight, abstaining from food, with goading conscience, filled with sorrow over the life he had lived in persecuting Jesus, and wasting the church of God, he is praying to know what to do. Certainly peace has not yet come to him. To him the Lord sent Ananias.who instructed him to be baptized and wash away his sins (see Acts 22:16). His faith promptly obeyed, and, his sins now being forgiven, he takes food. The period of mourning is over. He is now justified by faith, and has peace with God.

If possible, let the teacher have the following outline on the blackboard, to be used during the recitation of this lesson:

There is not an instance where "by faith" means "faith only."

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND DISCUSSION.

• Walking by Faith.

• Abraham as an Example of Faith.

• Paul as an Example of Faith.

• Wherein We Are Defective in Faith.

• Consolations and Rewards of Faith.

QUESTIONS