22. Justification
JUSTIFICATION Who were the “just persons” inLuke 15:7?
They were non-existent, imaginary persons. Of course, there are no persons who are righteous except those who are justified by faith. But the Pharisees and scribes of verse 2 imagined themselves to be “just persons, which need no repentance.” Our Lord’s Parable of the Lost Sheep was intended to teach them otherwise, and to show them that the publicans and sinners of verse 1, whom they considered hopeless, were the cause of great joy in Heaven, because they repented, while the religious leaders—the Pharisees and scribes—were themselves the hopeless ones because they refused to repent.
Since God declares His own righteousness that has real value before Him (Romans 3:26), and imputes that same righteousness, or accounts it, to the ungodly, justifying him (Romans 4:5), how can you reconcile the statements ofRomans 4:2-4withJames 2:14;James 2:21-22;James 2:24;James 2:26?
There is no discord between the two passages. Paul is discussing the sinner’s justification “before God” (Romans 4:2), while Tames is occupied with the believer’s justification before men—”show me” and “ye see” are his key-words (verses 18 and 24). God looks upon the heart and sees the faith there, and that faith is counted unto us for righteousness. This is when we first believe, and it is justification by faith. It is this justification “before God” that saves us, and it is “without works.” It may be a long time afterwards that we are able to demonstrate our faith in the sight of men, so that they may be shown, or made to see, that we are truly born again. It is true that both Paul and James cite Abraham in their arguments, and both point to Genesis 15:6; but James quotes in this connection the words, “and he was called the friend of God.” God called Abraham His friend in Isaiah 41:8, but Jehoshaphat also called Abraham a friend of God in 2 Chronicles 20:7. He was justified in the sight of men as well as “before God.” But James cites another Scripture. He points to Genesis 22:12. There was an interval of forty years between Abraham’s believing the Lord in Genesis 15 and his offering up of Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22, and during all that forty years Abraham was a saved man. In brief, Paul in Romans 4 is occupied with our salvation, while James is concerned about our testimony. There is no disagreement between them. It was Paul who in another place wrote that “in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love;” and again, “ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light” (Galatians 5:6; Ephesians 5:8).