01.21. The Justification.

21. The Justification.

Regeneration, revealed in the fruits of faith and conversion, opens the entrance to the kingdom of God. And whoever is a citizen of this kingdom immediately receives all the goods that are its contents, and which can be summarized under three headings: righteousness, holiness and salvation. Here we come to the first of these glorious benefits.

Justice is usually described as that steadfast and enduring will of a reasonable being which gives to each his due. It implies, first, a moral disposition of the person to whom it is conferred and, second, an attitude toward and treatment of other persons which flows from that disposition and recognizes them in the rights to which they are entitled. Although, as we shall see, Scripture makes a peculiar modification of this righteousness, it nevertheless proceeds from the same basic idea. Righteousness is justice, which a person possesses himself, and just treatment, which he does to others. In this sense the Old Testament already attributes justice to God. He is the rock, whose work is complete, for all his ways are judgments. God is truth and no injustice, He is just and right, Deuteronomy 32:4. But this righteousness is not derived in Scripture from a reflection on the Divine nature, but it is attributed to God on the basis of His revelation; thus He has made Himself known to His people from the beginning; He did not speak in the distant past, in a dark place of the earth, and did not say to the seed of Jacob: seek me in vain. He is the Lord who speaks justice, who proclaims righteousness. While the heathen worshiped a God who could not save, He made Himself known to Israel as Jehovah, besides whom there is no God, a just God and a Savior, Isaiah 45:19-21. As the righteous Lord He dwells in the midst of Israel; He does no wrong, but brings all to light in the morning His justice, Zephaniah 3:5. This righteousness of God was expressed first of all in the laws that He gave to His people. For us, justice consists in our conformity to a law in our being and in our actions; but in this sense there can be no talk of justice with God. For there is no law above Him to which He must obey; His justice consists in His perfect agreement with Himself. On the other hand, all rights and laws have their origin in Him; and all these laws are just, because He gave them in accordance with His own being and will. What great nation is there, Moses once asked, that has so many righteous laws and rights as this entire law, which I am giving before you today? Deuteronomy 4:8. And the pious answered, The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, giving wisdom to the ignorant. The commandments of the Lord are right, gladdening the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, abiding for ever. The law of the Lord is true; together they are righteous. They are more desirable than gold, yes than much fine gold, and sweeter than honey and honeycomb, Psalms 19:8-11, Psalms 119:1-176. But God’s righteousness is also revealed in the fact that He keeps these laws and requires His people to live according to them. Already to the first man He laid down His commandment, Genesis 2:16; and also after the fall He left nothing undone of the right which He has towards all creatures. His judgments, such as the flood and the confusion of tongues, are proof of this, but He keeps all the Gentiles bound in their conscience to His law, Romans 1:20, Romans 1:32 and Romans 2:15. In particular, however, He lays hold of His people Israel, whom He accepted as His property out of free love, and who must therefore keep His covenant, obey His voice and walk in His ways, Exodus 19:5. The Lord demanded nothing unjust of his people, for he had expended all on his part for his vineyard, and now expected it to produce good grapes, Isaiah 5:4. The Lord had made known to them what was good; and what did He demand of them but to do right, to love charity, and to walk with courage with their God? Micah 6:8, Amos 5:14-15, Isaiah 1:16-17.

Finally His righteousness comes to light in that He judges and will judge all peoples and also His people Israel strictly according to the law. God is lawgiver and king, but also judge, Isaiah 33:22, judge of the whole earth, who cannot do anything but justice, Genesis 18:25. Sometimes, in front of the complaining people, who condemn God to be just, Job 40:3, the absolute sovereignty of His actions is maintained, and it is emphasized that all inhabitants of the earth are considered as nothing, and that God, with the heavenly host and the inhabitants of the earth, does according to His will, so that nobody can refuse His hand or say to Him: what are You doing? Daniel 4:35. He is the Maker of all things, with whom no creature can quarrel, Isaiah 45:9, the potter, in whose hand Israel is as clay, Jeremiah 18:6, Isaiah 10:15. Isaiah 55:8-9. He is a fearful majesty and awesome in power; yet He does not scorn, but looks upon mankind and deals with him according to the law, Job 36:5, Job 37:23. And He can do that, because He is all-knowing and strictly righteous. The situation is often different with earthly judges, and that is why they are repeatedly admonished in the Old Testament, not to know their faces in judgment, Deuteronomy 1:17, Leviticus 19:15, Spr. 24:23, not to accept gifts, Deuteronomy 16:19, Exodus 23:8, Isaiah 5:23, not to oppress the poor and the stranger, the orphan and the widow, Exodus 23:6, Exodus 23:9, Psalms 82:2-4, Isaiah 1:12, to speak justly to the righteous and condemn the wicked, and to judge the people with a judgment of righteousness, Deuteronomy 16:19, Deuteronomy 25:1. For he that justifieth the wicked, and condemneth the righteous, is an abomination to the Lord, even both. But the Lord is the righteous judge; He loves justice, Psalms 11:7, Psalms 33:5, Psalms 99:4, Jeremiah 9:23, His right hand is full of righteousness, Psalms 48:11, righteousness and justice are the stability of His throne, Psalms 89:14, Psalms 97:2. He is impartial, knows no respect of persons, and receives no gift, Deuteronomy 10:17, 2 Chronicles 19:7, for the rich and the poor are all his handiwork, Job 34:19. Nor does he stand by the outward appearance, but looks at the heart, 1 Samuel 16:6, 1 Chronicles 28:9, He tests the hearts and the kidneys, Psalms 7:10, Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 20:12, and will one day judge the world in righteousness and the nations in justice, Psalms 9:9, Psalms 96:13, Psalms 98:9. He will be exalted through justice and sanctified through righteousness, Isaiah 5:16. If, however, the righteousness of God consists in His acting strictly according to the law and judging all men according to the standard of His holy law, how can any human child ever be acquitted of guilt by God and obtain from Him the right to eternal life? For there can be no doubt that all men, without exception, are guilty of the transgression of God’s law and worthy of the penalty which He has set for that transgression. Since Adam’s disobedience a stream of iniquities has prevailed over the human race. The pattern of a man’s heart is evil from childhood, Genesis 6:5, Genesis 8:21; all are born unclean, Job 14:4, Job 25:4-6, Psalms 51:7, and all are deviated, there is no one who does good, not even one, Psalms 14:3. There is no one alive who does not sin, and who can say: I have purified my heart and am free from sin, 1 Kings 8:46. When God looks upon iniquities, no one can exist before Him, Psalms 130:3, Psalms 143:2. If this is how things stand with man, how can there ever be any talk of his justification with God? And yet, the same Old Testament, which so clearly expresses the sinfulness and doom of the whole human race, repeatedly makes mention of righteous and upright people, who exist in the midst of a world filled with resentment. Thus Noah is called a righteous and upright man in his generations, Genesis 6:9, Genesis 7:1, and Job receives the testimony of God Himself, that there was no one on earth like him, a man upright and devout, fearing God and keeping away from evil, Job 1:1, Job 2:3. In the Psalms there is at every moment mention of a small group of righteous people, who stand opposite the wicked and have to endure much oppression from them, Psalms 1:5, Psalms 14:5, Psalms 32:11, Psalms 33:1, Psalms 34:16, Psalms 34:20 etc. The Proverbs constantly deal with this same opposition among men, Proverbs 2:20-22, Proverbs 3:33, Proverbs 4:18, Proverbs 10:3, Proverbs 10:6 etc. And the prophets make the same distinction between a small core of the people, who remain faithful to the Lord, and the great mass, who give themselves over to idolatry and unrighteousness, 1 Kings 19:18, Isaiah 1:8-9, Isaiah 4:3, Isaiah 6:5 etc; especially Ezekiel sharply contrasts the righteous and the godless, and does not think of groups in the people, but of individual persons, Ezekiel 3:18 ff, Ezekiel 18:5 ff, Ezekiel 33:8 ff. But this is not the only thing that strikes us in the Old Testament. Even more strange is the fact that these righteous (upright in heart, pious, or whatever they may be called) have absolutely no fear of God’s justice and never fear that they will be crushed by His judgment. Yes, for the wicked that justice will be terrible, Isaiah 59:16-18, Jeremiah 11:20, Jeremiah 20:12, Psalms 7:12-13, Psalms 9:5-6, Psalms 28:4, Psalms 129:4. But the pious plead with her and invoke her; they pray for interrogation and salvation, because God is the God of righteousness, Psalms 4:1, Psalms 143:1, and they expect, that, precisely because he is the righteous God, who tastes hearts and kidneys, he will confirm them, Psalms 7:10, save, Psalms 31:2, acquit, 34:23, do justice, Psalms 35:23, forgive, Psalms 51:16, answer, Psalms 65:6, make alive, Psalms 119:40, hear, Psalms 143:1, execute from distress; Psalms 143:11. This appeal of the pious to God’s righteousness sometimes goes a step further, and takes on this for our consciousness first so undeniable a form, that God must hear them and save them according to their righteousness. Job cannot admit that he is guilty, and is aware of his upright and pure walk, Job 29:12 f., Job 31:1 f., and is finally vindicated by the Lord towards his friends, Job 42:7. In the Psalms the tone is repeatedly heard: judge me, Lord, according to my righteousness and my sincerity, which is with me, Psalms 7:9, Psalms 17:1-5, Psalms 18:20-23, Psalms 24:4-6, Psalms 26:1, Psalms 37:18-19, etc. In Isaiah, the people complain: My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right passes from my God, Isaiah 40:27. But the prophet was sent to them precisely to proclaim in the name of the Lord that this is not the case. For after the discipline comes the redemption. The battle is fulfilled, iniquity is reconciled, Isaiah 40:2, and the Lord brings His righteousness near and His salvation will not abide, Isaiah 46:13. As He always intervenes in the life of the pious and devout in redemption, makes their right before Him, Psalms 17:2, executes the trial of the wretched and needy, Psalms 103:6, Psalms 140:13, Psalms 146:7, so He will in the end settle the dispute of His people, Isaiah 49:25, Isaiah 51:22, Jeremiah 50:34, Jeremiah 51:36, Micah 7:9; He will bare His holy arm for the Gentiles, send forth a word of righteousness from His mouth, and confirm His people by righteousness, Isaiah 45:23, Isaiah 51:5, Isaiah 52:10, Isaiah 54:15. In Him are righteousness and strength; from Him is their righteousness; in the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory in Him, Isaiah 45:24-25, Isaiah 54:17.

It is thus clearly evident from the Old Testament that there are not only righteous people among Israel, but that these people also expect their salvation and welfare from the righteousness of God. This seems more or less strange to us, because we make a distinction between God’s justice and God’s mercy; and we present it in such a way that we are condemned by God’s justice, but saved by His mercy. But the pious people of the Old Covenant do not make such a distinction; they relate the righteousness of God most closely to His grace and mercy, to His goodness and truth, to His beneficence and faithfulness. Psalms 33:5, Psalms 40:11, Psalms 51:16, Psalms 89:15, Psalms 103:17, Psalms 143:11-12, Psalms 145:7, Psalms 145:17, Jeremiah 9:24, Hosea 2:18; the Lord is gracious and just, Psalms 112:4, Psalms 116:5; deliverances are proofs of his righteousness, Richt. 5:11, 1 Samuel 12:7, Micah 6:5. And therefore that righteousness, no less than the mercy of God, is for the pious an object of continual praise and honour, Ps. 7:18, 22:32, Psalms 35:28, Psalms 40:10, Psalms 51:16, Psalms 71:15, Psalms 71:19 etc. But how is all this possible? How can people, who are all sinners, ever stand before God’s holy face as righteous? How can they ever have the right on their side, and according to God’s righteousness be acquitted of their sins and be accepted in His blessed fellowship? Is it perhaps due to this that Israel in the days of the Old Testament was the people of God, had the temple in their midst, and zealously offered sacrifices of swine and goats? There were many among Israel who put their trust in these and believed that evil would not touch them. But the prophets, who acted in the name of the Lord, taught the people differently. When Israel relied on its outward privileges, they all said that these were unreliable rods which pierced the hand of the one leaning on them. Art thou, saith the Lord in Amos 9:7, Art thou not unto me as the children of the Moors, O children of Israel? Have I not brought Israel out of the land of Egypt, and the Philistines out of Caphtor, and the Syrians out of Kir? To those who trusted in false words, saying: the Lord’s temple, the Lord’s temple, the Lord’s temple are these, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 7:14, announces the judgment that the Lord would do to that house, which is called after His name and in which they trusted, as He had done to Silo. And as for the sacrifices, the pious among Israel knew very well that they could not in themselves be pleasing to the Lord, Psalms 40:9, Psalms 51:6; and by the mouth of the prophets He Himself testifies: I am tired of the burnt offerings of the rams and of the fat of the fattening calves; I have no desire for the blood of the fattens, nor for that of the lambs, nor for that of the goats; I want mercy and not sacrifice, Isaiah 1:11. Isaiah 66:2-3, Jeremiah 6:20, Hosea 6:6, Amos 5:21, Micah 6:6-8 etc. Is the basis for the expectation of salvation among the devotees of the Old Testament perhaps their own righteousness? Do they therefore have such good hope for the future, because they think that their good works will enable them to stand in the judgment of God? The thought may occur to us for a moment, when we see that they, e.g. Job, are so strongly convinced of their innocence, Job 29:12 ff, Job 31:1 ff, that they repeatedly appeal to their sincerity, faithfulness and righteousness, Psalms 7:9, Psalms 18:21-22, Psalms 26:1, Psalms 26:11, Psalms 101:2, etc., that they repeatedly speak of their right, Job 27:2, Psalms 17:2, Psalms 26:1, Psalms 35:24, Psalms 43:1, Isaiah 40:27 etc., and that the Lord Himself counts them as righteous, Genesis 7:1, Job 1:7, Job 2:3. But as soon as we penetrate a little deeper, this ground also falls away completely.

After all, this pleading for their righteousness with the devotees of the Old Testament alternates with the most humble confession of their sins. Job does not only speak of the sins of his youth, but at the end he reviles himself and repents in dust and ashes, Job 13:26, Job 42:6. David speaks in Psalms 7:9 of his righteousness, but elsewhere he throws away all his righteousness, confesses before the Lord all his transgressions, and praises only the forgiveness of sins, Ps. 32:51. Daniel casts down his prayers, not on his own righteousness, but on the mercies of the Lord, which are great, Daniel 9:18. By Isaiah 53:4-6, Isaiah 59:12, Isaiah 64:6, the pious Israel confesses that all their righteousnesses are like an unclean garment, that they all went astray like sheep and turned every one to his own way, but that the Lord has caused all their iniquities to come to his Servant. In Psalms 130:3-4 the poet expresses it, that when the Lord considers the iniquities, no one can exist before Him; but that with Him there is forgiveness, that He may be feared. And all without exception acknowledge the right of God in punishing Israel; they and their fathers have sinned and rebelled against His mouth, Amos 3:2, Lamentations 1:18, Ezra 9:6-7, Nehemiah 9:33, Daniel 9:14 etc. When the devout among Israel mention their righteousness, they certainly also think of their upright walk before the Lord and even pray that the Lord, the knower of hearts, may taste and examine them in this their uprightness, Psalms 7:9-10, Psalms 17:3, Psalms 18:21-25, etc.; but this their righteousness is not the same as the righteousness of their hearts. But this righteousness is by no means meant in the sense of moral perfection, as the Pharisees spoke of it in later days; but they think of a moral righteousness, which has its basis and origin in a religious righteousness, or in other words, in a righteousness of faith. This is evident from the fact that the righteous (the upright, the pious) are also often depicted as the poor, the wretched, the needy, the faithful, the humble and the meek, who fear the Lord and have no other expectations than Him. These are the same people whom Jesus later called the poor in spirit, the sorrowful, the hungry and thirsty for righteousness, the weary and burdened, the children (Matthew 5:3 ff, Matthew 11:25, Matthew 11:28). And the characteristic of these people is not that they are free from sin, but it consists in the fact that, in the midst of all the pressure and persecution they are exposed to from the side of the world, they put their trust in the Lord and seek their salvation and blessing in Him alone. There is no salvation for them, neither in themselves nor in any creature, but only in the Lord their God. But that God is also their God, their sun and shield, their refuge and high place, their compass and anchor, their rock and stronghold, their helper and redeemer, their glory and their strength, their one and all, Psalms 18:3, Psalms 73:25-26, etc., and they are His people, the sheep of His pasture, His servants and His favored ones, Psalms 33:12, Psalms 95:7, Psalms 100:3 etc., who hope for His salvation, hold fast to His word, delight in His law, and expect everything from Him alone. It is a people who, like the later Pharisees, do not take their place opposite God and assert their demands and rights before Him, but who stand on God’s side and, with Him, ally themselves against His and their enemies. When these people in their prayer and supplication appeal to their own and the Lord’s righteousness, they want to express that the Lord, by virtue of His covenant, is obligated to do justice to the people who are named after Him and who walk in His fear before His adversaries. The cause of God is their cause, and their cause is the cause of God Himself. He chose His people, not because of their multitude, nor because of their righteousness and uprightness, but because the Lord loved them freely and for the sake of the oath He had sworn to the fathers, Deuteronomy 7:7 f., Deuteronomy 7:5-6. The covenant with that people rests on His will alone. But through that covenant He is also bound to that people, and He has, so to speak, taken upon Himself the obligation to maintain, preserve and bestow upon that people that entire salvation which He promised, when He said to Abraham: I will establish My covenant between me and you, and your descendants after you, for an everlasting covenant, to be to you a God and your descendants after you (Genesis 17:7).

God’s righteousness, which the pious Israel appeals to again and again in their tribulation, is thus that virtue by which the Lord is obliged by His covenant to deliver His people from all their enemies. It is not so much an obligation that rests on God towards His people, for they have no right to anything; but it is an obligation that rests on the Lord towards Himself. He is no longer free; He has voluntarily bound Himself to His people, and so He owes it to Himself, to His own covenant and oath, to His own word and promise, to remain the God of His people in spite of all their iniquities. Psalms 25:11, Psalms 31:4, Psalms 79:9, Psalms 106:8, Psalms 109:21, Psalms 143:11; Isaiah 48:9, Isaiah 48:11, Jeremiah 14:7, Jeremiah 14:21, Ezekiel 20:9, Ezekiel 20:14, Ezekiel 20:22, Ezekiel 20:44, Daniel 9:19 etc. The righteousness of God, which the pious Israel pleads for, is not in opposition to, but is related to His mercy and salvation, and is in close connection with His truth and faithfulness; it establishes God by His own word and promise and obliges Him to save His people, out of sheer mercy, from all His afflictions.

Accordingly has God behaved in the past, when He delivered Israel again and again from its enemies, Exodus 2:24, Richt. 2:1, Isaiah 37:20; but He will reveal Himself much more abundantly in the future, when He will set up His kingdom among them. By virtue of His own righteousness, because He is a God of righteousness, of faithfulness and of truth, He will make a new covenant with them, forgive their sins, pour out the Spirit on them and cause them to partake in His ways, Jeremiah 31:31-34 etc. But He does not do this for their sake, but for His own, for His great name’s sake. It is I who expiate your transgressions for my sake, and I do not remember your sins, Isaiah 43:25. He Himself brings the righteousness Israel needs, Isaiah 45:24-25, Isaiah 46:13, Isaiah 54:17; He creates new heavens and a new earth, where the former things will not be remembered, Isaiah 65:17. In those days Judah will be redeemed and Israel will dwell for certain; the Gentiles will then see their righteousness and all kings their glory, and they will at once be called by a new name, which the Lord’s own mouth will pronounce, and that name will be: The Lord is our righteousness Isaiah 62:2, Jeremiah 23:6, Isaiah 33:16. The idea that God Himself grants righteousness to His people, and thereby justifies them, comes to much richer development in the New Testament, when Christ appears on earth and through His life and death accomplishes all righteousness for His congregation.

Jesus Himself preached that the time had been fulfilled and that the kingdom of God was at hand (Mark 1:15). He did not only mean that the kingdom would soon come, but also that it had already come in principle, in His person and work; for He is the Messiah in whom the Old Testament prophecy concerning the Servant of the Lord has been fulfilled, Luke 4:17-21, and who furthermore proves this by His works. For when He heals the sick, raises the dead, casts out devils, preaches the Gospel to the poor, forgives sins, then that is an undeniable proof that He is the one promised in the prophecy, and that the kingdom of God has come to earth, Matthew 9:2, Matthew 9:6, Matthew 10:7-8, Matthew 11:5, Matthew 12:28. In the goods which Christ bestows, in spiritual and physical salvation, the treasures of the kingdom of heaven become manifest.

Among the treasures of that kingdom, Jesus also specifically mentions righteousness. In Matthew 6:33 this is closely connected with the kingdom, because there Jesus exhorts his disciples: Seek first the kingdom of God and his (God’s) righteousness. Or according to another interpretation: seek first his kingdom and righteousness, that of the heavenly Father, mentioned in Matthew 6:32. Like the kingdom, also righteousness in that kingdom is the property and gift of God, which He distributes through Christ. Whoever seeks and receives the kingdom of God will also immediately receive the righteousness that is necessary for citizenship in that kingdom. That is why Jesus says elsewhere that the possession of that righteousness is a condition for entering the kingdom of God. Unless your righteousness is more abundant than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven, Matthew 5:20-21, 1 Corinthians 6:10, Galatians 6:18-21, Ephesians 5:5, Revelation 22:15. This righteousness that Jesus demands of His disciples is an entirely different righteousness, a much deeper and much more intimate righteousness, than the external fulfilment of the law, with which the Jews were content; it is a spiritual and perfect righteousness, a perfection equal to that of the Father. But when Jesus considers such a righteousness necessary for entrance into the kingdom, He does not mean that man must first acquire it by his own efforts; then He would not be a Messiah, and His Gospel would not be a message of joy. But his intention then is to shed light on the nature, the spiritual character, the perfection of God’s kingdom; no one can enter it except he who is in perfect conformity with God’s law and shares in the perfect righteousness. But this righteousness, which is thus on the one hand a requirement and condition of the kingdom, is on the other hand a gift of that kingdom. It is Christ Himself who distributes all the goods of that kingdom, and also its righteousness. It is a kingdom of God, and the righteousness is the righteousness of God (Matthew 6:33). But as the Father has ordained the kingdom for Him, so He ordains it for His disciples (Luke 22:29, 12:82). For the Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand, Matthew 11:27, John 3:35, John 13:3, John 16:15. But the Father hath given him all these things, because he is the Son of man, John 5:27, that is to say, that in the way of obedience unto death he might obtain them for himself. He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his soul as a ransom (ransom in the place of many, Matthew 20:28; in the death of the cross he had his body broken and his blood shed, that the new Testament might be established and all the sins of his people forgiven, Matthew 26:1-28. On the basis of the appointment of His Father and His own sacrifice, He distributed all the goods of the kingdom to His disciples before and after His death. He not only healed the sick, but also forgave sins and granted eternal life. And He distributed these good deeds, not to the self-righteous Pharisees, but to the tax collectors and sinners, to the weary and burdened, to the poor in spirit and to the hungers and thirsts for righteousness. He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, Matthew 9:13, to seek and to save, Luke 19:10. No righteousness of His own, but regeneration, faith, and repentance open access to the kingdom and all its goods; and that regeneration is itself a gift and a work of the Holy Spirit, John 3:5. As soon as the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the day of Pentecost, the apostles therefore immediately began to proclaim Christ crucified as the Prince and Saviour exalted by God, to give Israel repentance and the forgiveness of sins, Acts 2:36, Acts 2:38, Acts 5:30-31. After the redemption through the death of Christ had taken place, its meaning could be fully unfolded by the apostles in the light of the resurrection and through the guidance of the Spirit. And no apostle did this more abundantly and clearly than Paul, who was circumcised on the eighth day, of the lineage of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew among the Hebrews, a Pharisee according to the law, a persecutor of the church according to zeal, blameless according to the righteousness that is in the law, but who, for Christ’s sake, considered what was gainful to him to be loss. Acts 3:5-7.

According to his own testimony, Paul had thus struggled for years and with great zeal to become part of the righteousness that comes from the law. And he had come a long way. According to the righteousness that has its foundation in the law, Php 3:6, and is obtained from the law, Php 3:9, comp. Romans 10:5, Romans 9:32, he was blameless in the opinion of men; no one could say anything about him; on the contrary, everyone praised him, he won name and esteem and honor by it, and would have had a glorious career among his people if he had continued in this way; he obtained a great gain, verse ר. But when it pleased God to reveal his Son in him, then he counted all that, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ his Lord, a loss, a detriment, a forlorn thing, and held it for a useless and disposable thing, that he might win Christ, and be found in him, not having his righteousness which is of the law, but that righteousness which is by faith in Christ, and which comes from God by faith.

Why the righteousness which is of the works of the law is insufficient is shown elsewhere by the apostle. The law is holy, righteous, spiritual and good, but man is fleshly, sold as a slave under the dominion of sin, Romans 7:12, Romans 7:14; it cannot quicken and it cannot destroy sin by its judgment, because it is powerless through the flesh, Romans 8:3, Galatians 3:21. It demands, but gives nothing; it only says: The man who does these things shall live by them, Romans 10:5, Galatians 3:10, Galatians 3:12, but it cannot give life in this way, because the flesh does not and cannot submit to God’s law, Romans 8:7. Instead of justifying and giving life, the law is now the power of sin, 1 Corinthians 15:56. If there were no law, there would be no sin and no transgression, Romans 4:15, Romans 7:8; but in the sinful state in which man finds himself, the law awakens sin, stimulates desire, and makes man covet what is forbidden; or rather, sin which dwells in man takes occasion through the commandment to awaken all sorts of desire in the heart and to become exceedingly sinful, Romans 5:20, Romans 7:8, Romans 7:13, Galatians 3:19-20, work wrath, Galatians 4:15, bring under the curse, Galatians 3:10; but from her works no man can ever be justified, Acts 13:39, Romans 3:20, Romans 3:28, Romans 8:3, Romans 3:8, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:11; judged by the law, the whole world stands guilty before God and is subject to His punishment, Romans 3:19, for the wrath of God is revealed from heaven on all the ungodliness and iniquity of mankind, Romans 1:18, Ephesians 5:6, Colossians 3:6.

But, if that is the righteous judgment that God pronounces on mankind according to the law, who can still be saved? Like Jesus, Matthew 19:26, Paul answers: with men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. With God the impossible is also possible, that He justifies the wicked and yet remains completely just Himself, Romans 3:26, Romans 4:5. What God in His holy law strictly condemns, namely to justify the wicked, Deuteronomy 25:1, Psalms 82:2, Proverbs 17:15, Isaiah 5:23, what He says of Himself He will never do, Exodus 24:7, He does, but He does it while preserving His righteousness. This is the miracle of the Gospel. For God has made known His righteousness not only in the law, but also in the Gospel. In this Gospel his righteousness is revealed without the law, without its intervention, apart from it, and apparently in opposition to it, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:20-21; Abraham was already justified by it while he was still in the foreskin, Romans 4:1 ff; David blesses the man to whom God imputes righteousness without works, Romans 4:6, and Habakkuk says quite generally that the righteous shall live by faith, Habakkuk 1:17, Galatians 3:11. But now, in the present time, Romans 3:21, Romans 3:26, the righteousness of God is much more clearly seen, because Christ has appeared and become God’s righteousness for us, 1 Corinthians 1:30. The law, which was given to Israel, itself served for the full revelation of God’s righteousness in the gospel. For by inciting sin and making it known as sin, by working wrath and bringing it under the curse, it has been an educator and guide to Christ, so that those who had been under its discipline might in the fullness of time come to Christ and be justified by faith, Galatians 3:22-25. Thus, on their part, men were prepared by the discipline of the law for the appearance of the Gospel; but also on God’s part the law served to bring about the fulfilment of His promise. For in the times before Christ God in His forbearance allowed the Gentiles to walk in their own ways, Acts 14:16, and He overlooked the sins of His people Israel and allowed them to be committed in such a manner that He did not punish them according to merit, Romans 3:25. He decreed all things by the law under the dominion of sin, that the promise of inheritance might be given to the faithful, not by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ, Galatians 3:22, Romans 3:9, Romans 3:19, Romans 11:32. The righteousness that God reveals in the Gospel thus has a peculiar character. It takes place without the law, and yet it must be in accordance with the law, Romans 3:21; it must condemn, and at the same time preserve; it is a revelation of His law and also of His grace, Romans 3:23-24; it must be such that God can justify the wicked and yet remain fully righteous in it, Romans 3:26, Romans 4:5. And this is done, objectively, by presenting Christ as reconciliation in his blood, and subjectively, by counting faith in this Christ as righteousness, Romans 4:4-5, Galatians 3:6. The righteousness that God reveals in the Gospel consists, in a word, in the bestowal of a righteousness of faith, which as such stands in direct opposition to righteousness by the works of the law, to man’s own righteousness, Romans 3:21, Romans 4:2-6, Romans 9:32, Romans 10:3, Php 3:9; it is a righteousness from God through faith in Christ, Php 3:9. In the teaching of Scripture on the justification of sinners before God, therefore, the emphasis is already on the fact that the righteousness by virtue of which we are acquitted of guilt and punishment is a gift from God. If we were justified by the works of the law, by the keeping of its commandments, then by that attitude we could appear in God’s judgment with a righteousness of our own, brought about by ourselves, and in a certain sense we would have cause to boast, Romans 4:2. But Scripture teaches otherwise; Abraham had no glory with God, for it was not works, but faith that was imputed to him for righteousness; and the reward was paid to him, not according to guilt, but according to grace, Romans 4:4-5. The righteousness, which God bestows in Christ and with which we can only exist before Him, is therefore in no way the fruit of our labour, but in a complete sense a gift of God, a gift of His grace. We are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). God’s grace is the deepest ground and the final cause of our justification. But this grace does not form a contradiction to God’s righteousness, but is closely related to it. After all, Paul repeatedly says that God’s righteousness was revealed in the Gospel, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:5, Romans 3:21-22, Romans 3:25-26, Romans 10:3, and likewise John says in his first letter 1 John 1:9, that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and Peter in his second letter 2 Peter 1:1, that we have obtained faith by virtue of the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Here lies the idea that God, the God of law, has created in the Gospel a different legal order, a different legal relationship, than that which applied in the law. This also reveals the justice of God, but in such a way that He gives man His law, obliges him to obedience to that law, and at the end judges him according to his works, rewarding or punishing him. However, since that law has become void through sin, God has established a different legal order in the Gospel, to which mankind must also submit (Romans 10:3), but which itself provides them with the righteousness they need through faith in order to stand trial before God’s courts. The Gospel is therefore both an order of right and an order of grace. Grace consists in the fact that God, who could keep the law and judge us according to it, has opened up another way to righteousness and life in Christ. And the right lies in the fact that God does not lead us into His kingdom without righteousness and sanctification, but allows a complete righteousness to be established through the sacrifice of Christ, and grants and imputes this to us by grace. Christ is a gift of God’s love (John 3:16, Romans 5:8), and at the same time a demonstration of His righteousness (Romans 3:25); in the Cross on Calvary, law and grace are united with one another; justification is both a judicial and an act of God’s grace. To this unity of law and grace we owe Christ and all his benefits, in particular also the benefit of righteousness, which we need to be able to exist in the divine courts. This righteousness, which is bestowed on us by faith, is, however, to be distinguished from righteousness as an attribute of God’s nature, or of Christ’s divine or human nature; for if the essential righteousness of God or Christ were the basis of our justification, not only would the entire suffering and death of Christ lose its value, but the boundary between Creator and creature would be erased and both natures mixed in a pantheistic manner. The righteousness that becomes our portion through faith and justifies us before God, however, is acquired through the suffering and death of Christ. God presented Christ as a means of reconciliation through faith in His blood, that is, as a means of atonement, which accomplishes the atonement of sins by the power of the shed blood and through faith (Romans 3:25). He was made sin for us and became a curse for us, that He might redeem us from the curse of the law and that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21, Galatians 3:13). He has become to them from God for wisdom, for righteousness and holiness, and for redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30. This righteousness of Christ is so complete and sufficient that it does not need the slightest addition on our part. It cannot even be increased or supplemented by us in any way, because it is one organic whole. Just as the law is a whole, so that he who keeps it in its entirety, but stumbles in one commandment, is guilty of all the commandments, John 2:10; so also righteousness, which fulfills the demand of the law, is a complete unity, like the garment of Jesus without seam, woven into one from above, John 19:23. It is not composed of pieces or parts, but it is there or it is not there; one either has it or one does not; one cannot receive it in part and fill in what is lacking by one’s own work. Moreover, what would qualify us for this supplement? There can be no question of the good works which we perform before faith, for there are no such good works; the Scriptures state as clearly as possible that the pattern of a man’s heart is evil from the beginning, that what is born of the flesh is flesh, that the mind of the flesh is enmity against God and cannot submit to His law, that all his righteousnesses are even as an unclean garment.

If good works were to supplement the righteousness acquired by Christ, then the only good works that could qualify would be those performed by a born-again man through faith. For believers can indeed do good works; as a good tree bringeth forth good fruit, so the good man bringeth forth good things out of the goodly treasure of his heart, Matthew 12:35; renewed by the Spirit of God, he delighteth in the law of God according to the will of man, Romans 7:22. But first, all these works that come from faith are still very imperfect and tainted with sin; when the believer wants to do good, he always finds that evil is with him, Romans 7:21; and second, all these good works already presuppose the righteousness that is bestowed by Christ and accepted by faith; the believer walks only in the good works that God has prepared, and for which, as God’s creation, he was created in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:10. Our comfort in justification thus lies in the fact that all the righteousness we need lies outside of us in Christ Jesus. It is not we who must or can bring it about. But God reveals His righteousness in the Gospel in that He Himself provides righteousness through the sacrifice of Christ. The righteousness that justifies us is a righteousness from God through faith in Christ; it is not of our works, either wholly or in part, but it is altogether," completely and sufficiently, a gift of God, a free gift of grace, Php 3:9, 2 Timothy 1:9, Titus 3:5. If now it is by grace, it is no longer grace of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace, Romans 11:6. Christ Himself, in a word, is the righteousness with which alone we can exist before God, Cor. 1:30; He acquired by His suffering and death the right for Himself and His people, to enter into eternal life, free from all guilt and punishment, and to take a seat at the right hand of God. The righteousness that justifies us cannot therefore be separated from the person of Christ. It does not consist of a material or spiritual gift, which Christ can give us without Himself and which we could receive and accept without the person of Christ Himself. There is no communion with the benefits of Christ without communion with his person, and the latter always necessarily entails the former. To stand in the judgment of God, to be acquitted of all guilt and punishment, and to share in the glory of God and eternal life, we must have Christ, not something of Him, but Himself, and Him in the fullness of His grace and truth, according to His divine and human nature, in His humiliation and exaltation. The crucified and glorified Christ is the righteousness that God grants us in justification by grace. And if - God grants this Christ with all his benefits to us so freely, without any merit on our part, in the way of faith, then he justifies us at the same time, that is, he frees us from all guilt and punishment, and then he gives us the right to eternal life, to heavenly glory, to his own blissful, never-ending fellowship. And then we stand as free before Him as if we had never committed sin, yes, as if we had accomplished all the obedience that Christ accomplished for us.

Now there are two ways in which one or the other thing can be given to us. We can acquire ownership of it by a legal decision, and we can, on the basis of such a legal decision, take possession of it sooner or later. A person who is appointed heir in a legal will already receives the right to the inherited goods in the future, but it can happen that he can only act as the actual owner years later. And even when law and reality coincide at the same time, there is still a big difference between the two. Ownership is the right, possession is the actual power over a thing. With animals we do not find this distinction, or at least not in such a form and to such an extent; an animal takes what it can get. But with a human being it is different; created in the image of God, he must have a right to something in order to possess and use it. It is his honor and privilege not to live by robbery, but to eat his own bread by the work of his hands.

All this also finds its application in the spiritual sphere. For we stand in all kinds of relation to God. He is our Creator and we are His creatures; He is the potter and we are the clay in His fingers; He is the builder and artist and we are His temple; He is the farmer and we are the branches of His vine; He is our Father and we are His children. All the relationships that exist in the world between bridegroom and bride, husband and wife, parents and children, government and subjects, etc., are invoked in Scripture to show us the rich and varied relationship in which people in general and believers in particular stand to Him. And none of this can be neglected without damaging the content of this intimate relationship. The prodigal son continues to bear the name of son in his wanderings, but he is a lost and dead son, and he is only found again and alive when he returns to the Father in confession. But at the same time we are also in a legal relationship with God; He is our Creator, and therefore also our Lawgiver, King and Judge. Scripture expresses this repeatedly, Genesis 18:25, Psalms 47:3, Psalms 47:8, Isaiah 33:22, Hebrews 4:12, James 4:12, but also our own hearts bear witness to this. The sense of justice is deep in our soul and belongs to all peoples and people. The concept of law itself is the same everywhere and at all times; there are differences about the content of the law, about rights and laws, but the concept of law in itself has no history, nor do the concepts of time, place, movement, life, good, evil; it belongs to the consciousnesses that are implanted in the nature of man and that gradually come to consciousness; so wild is no nation, or in certain cases it feels its right has been violated and takes up arms to defend its right. And that right in the broadest sense also includes the relationship to God; every human being feels obliged in his conscience to serve God and to live according to His law; and every human being has the consciousness that, if he does not do this, he is guilty and worthy of punishment. The law of the broken covenant of works remains in the heart of every human being; and the moral law proclaimed by God on Sinai has only served to reinforce the content of its commandments and thereby to strengthen the obligation to keep them. This legal relationship is not nullified in the Gospel, as many like to imagine, but restored and fulfilled. The distinction between law and gospel does not lie in the fact that in the law God acts only as Judge, and in the gospel only as Father; and still less is the distinction between law and gospel to be equated with that between Old and New Testament. For in the Old Testament, too, God revealed to his people the Gospel of his grace and mercy; the Law stood in the service of the covenant of grace, followed and was subordinate to the promise, and, as such, was also a gift of his fatherly favor and of his educational wisdom. Although, therefore, in the person of Christ the depth of God’s mercy has been much more clearly revealed than was possible in the Old Testament, on the one hand the Gospel of grace was not unknown even among Israel, and on the other hand the fullness of the Gospel, which appeared in Christ, was not a destruction but a fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets. As strongly as possible, therefore, the apostle Paul says that in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, Romans 1:17, Romans 3:21-26. The unity and harmony of the law and the Gospel consists in the fact that in both, the same righteousness of God is revealed; but the difference lies in this: in the law, that righteousness is revealed according to the rule: the man who does these things shall live; but in the Gospel, that righteousness is revealed without the law, and according to the rule: the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the wicked, his faith is counted as righteousness, Romans 4:5. In the law a personal, perfect, sufficient righteousness is demanded, in the Gospel the same perfect, sufficient righteousness is given by God through grace in Christ. Since man was unwilling and unable to uphold God’s law in his law, God himself restored and confirmed his law through the gift of righteousness in Christ. He puts His love and mercy at the service of His righteousness; by giving Himself, He fulfills His own law; and He imputes to us by grace the righteousness of Christ, that we may fully fulfill His law, receive complete forgiveness of all our sins and a bold entrance into His heavenly kingdom.

Justification is therefore most certainly a gracious, but also a righteous act of God, a declaration by which He as Judge acquits us of guilt and punishment and grants us the right to eternal life. Rome and all those who seek the justification of man wholly or partly in man himself (in his faith, in his good works, in Christ in us, in the new principle of life, etc.) always raise this objection against this judicial declaration of justification, that such a judicial declaration is false and unworthy of God. For if, so they say, the basis of our justification lies wholly in Christ outside us, and faith and good works do not at all qualify as a part of our righteousness before God, then the man who is justified is not really righteous, and God passes an untrue and unjust judgment on such a man, for he is not what he is declared to be. To this objection it is sufficient to remark that the Holy Scriptures always understand justification as a judicial act. It repeatedly speaks of the justification of sinners before God, and then uses a word that is borrowed from legal language and always has a legal meaning. To the judges under Israel God gave the command, that they should judge the righteous, and condemn the unrighteous, Deuteronomy 25:1, Psalms 82:2-3, Proverbs 17:15, Proverbs 24:24, Isaiah 5:23, and He Himself shows His righteousness in that He does not justify the wicked and does not kill the righteous, Genesis 18:25, Exodus 23:7, 2 Chronicles 23:7, 2 Chronicles 6:23. When this word is transferred to the spiritual realm, Jesus says for example that the wisdom that appeared in Him was justified, that is to say, recognized as wisdom by the children, Matthew 11:19, and in Luke 7:29 that the people, who were born in Him, were justified, that is to say, they were recognized as wisdom by their children. Luke 7:29, that the people who heard John, and the tax collectors who were baptized with his baptism, thereby justified God, that is, acknowledged God as righteous; the moral meaning of justifying or making holy, is even completely excluded in these two places. And the same is true when the word ’the salvation of sinners’ is used. For not only does Paul say, that in the Gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, Romans 1:19, Romans 3:20 f., but he also declares that God justifies those who come by faith, and thereby remains just himself, John 3:36, that he imputes faith for righteousness to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the wicked, John 4:5; he contrasts justifying with accusing and condemning, and exclaims: who will accuse God’s elect? It is God who justifies, who condemns? Romans 8:33-34; he alternates justifying with imputing righteousness, Romans 4:3, Romans 4:6, Romans 4:12, and with making righteous, Romans 5:19, and in the preceding verse expresses himself in the following way: by one crime (of Adam) it came to a condemning judgment for all men, so it came by one judgment of righteousness (of Christ) for all men to a justification that brings life. Thus justification is everywhere a judicial act, a judgment of acquittal, which is pronounced by the heavenly Judge upon the sinner who, according to the measure of the law, is an ungodly person, but who has accepted by faith the righteousness bestowed by God Himself in Christ, and who, judged accordingly, is a righteous person.

However, apart from the fact that Holy Scripture very clearly interprets justification as a judicial act, its opponents completely misrepresent its character. They say that such an acquittal of man on the basis of a righteousness which is outside him is false, and leaves man himself entirely unchanged. This accusation falls back on themselves, for if they acquit man on the basis of a righteousness within him, they must admit that man’s righteousness here on earth is always deeply flawed and imperfect, and they must come to the conclusion that God justifies someone on the basis of a very flawed righteousness and is thus guilty of an untrue judgment. On the other hand, an acquittal on the basis of the righteousness that is in Christ is perfectly just, because that righteousness is perfect and was made by God Himself in the Son of His love. But moreover, this acquittal does take place only on the basis of the righteousness that is in Christ, but in due course it also works through faith in the consciousness of man, and brings about the greatest change there. Even if someone is accused of a serious crime before a terrestrial judge and is then acquitted, he does not remain the same, but his entire legal relationship is transformed. And thus the acquittal of God also has an effect on man’s consciousness and frees him from all sense of guilt. In a certain sense this acquittal has already taken place in the decision of election; it is objectively pronounced in the resurrection of Christ, who was delivered for our sins and raised for our justification (Romans 4:25), and in the Gospel, which contains the joyful message that through the death of Christ God is in a relationship of reconciliation and peace with the world (2 Corinthians 5:19). Justification is but one link in the chain of salvation; it is linked on the one side to foreknowledge and calling, and on the other to sanctification and glorification. Justification in the court of God thus penetrates the consciousness of man in due time through faith: and the righteousness acquired by Christ is not a dead capital that lies outside of Christ, but it is included in his person, and Christ was raised up for that very purpose, in order that in due time he might make himself known to his own with all his benefits through the Holy Spirit. And when man’s eye of faith is opened to this, then his whole legal relationship changes. He, who was poor, suddenly becomes rich through the riches which are in Christ Jesus; he, who was guilty of the transgression of all God’s commandments, suddenly sees himself freed from all guilt and punishment; he, who deserved eternal punishment, sees himself granted the right to eternal life! And with Paul he exults: who shall bring an accusation against the elect of God? It is God who justifies, who it is who condemns? It is Christ who died, yes what is more, who was also raised, who is also at the right hand of God, who also prays for us. And finally: justification and sanctification are distinct and should be sharply distinguished. For he who neglects or erases this distinction, establishes his own righteousness in man again, disregards the perfection and sufficiency of God’s righteousness, which has appeared in Christ, changes the Gospel into a new law, takes away the comfort of souls and makes salvation dependent on man’s merits. Faith, therefore, appears in justification only as a receiving organ, as the hand that accepts a gift, as the soul’s trust in Christ and His righteousness alone. It is true that the Holy Scriptures repeatedly use the expression that faith is imputed as righteousness, Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:22, Galatians 3:6, James 2:23, and this undoubtedly indicates that faith replaces the righteousness that the law demands, but which the sinner does not possess. But the question arises: why does faith take the place of the righteousness required by the law? Is it because faith has such an outstanding moral value and is such a good and valid work? .

There are many who think so, and who say that faith, without more, quite apart from its content and object, justifies only by its inner quality. But this is certainly not the teaching of Scripture. For if faith, by virtue of its moral nature, justified, it would again appear as an act or a work, and would not stand against works; and yet Paul expresses it as bluntly as possible, that justification, which now takes place in the Gospel by faith, stands diametrically opposed to all justification by the works of the law, Romans 3:20, Romans 3:28, Romans 4:4 ff, Galatians 2:16, Galatians 3:11, etc. Furthermore, this contradiction alternates with the other one, that justification by faith is a justification by grace, and as such excludes all glory and all merit, Romans 3:24, Romans 4:4 ff, Titus 3:5; in Romans 4:16 the apostle expressly says that the inheritance is by faith, precisely so that it may be by grace; but this could not be so said, if faith itself, because of its inner dignity and power, justified man. Finally, if faith performed this service, then Christ would lose all meaning in justification; it would only matter that, but not at all what a person believed. Faith would justify, even if it were faith in an idol, in a demonic power, in a false prophet, just as some unbelieving healers recommend to their patients a visit to Lourdes, etc., because ״faith heals. But the testimony of Scripture is diametrically opposed to this: "It is precisely the content and the object that are important in justifying faith. Faith can take the place of the righteousness required by the law and can be imputed as righteousness, because faith is in Christ Jesus, whom God presented as a reconciliation through the power of His blood, 3:25, who bore our curse, Galatians 3:13, who was made sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21, who died and rose again, who is at the right hand of God and prays for us, Romans 8:34, and who therefore became to us a righteousness from God, 1 Corinthians 1:30, in whom we are the righteousness of God, 2 Corinthians 5:21. In a word, faith justifies, because it partakes of a righteousness in Christ, which is as perfect and sufficient as that demanded by the law, but which is now given in the gospel by God through grace in Christ, Php 3:9; it justifies, not by its inner dignity, but by its substance, namely, the righteousness of Christ.

However much it is of the utmost importance to clearly understand and act upon the distinction between justification and sanctification, the two benefits are not separated from each other for a moment. They are not separated in God’s decree, for justification is but one link in the chain of salvation; whom God has known beforehand, these He has also predestined to be like unto the image of His Son; and whom He has predestined, these He has also called; and whom He has called, these He has also justified; and whom He has justified, these He has also glorified. Nor are they separated in the person and work of Christ; for righteousness is not a good that is outside of Christ and can be received without his person. Christ Himself is our righteousness, and at the same time He is our wisdom, holiness and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30; one cannot accept one of Christ’s benefits without the other, because they are all contained in His person; whoever accepts Christ as his righteousness by faith, receives Him also as his holiness; Christ cannot be accepted in part, not half or for a part; whoever has Him, has Him completely with all His benefits, and whoever lacks His benefits, is not partakers of His person either. Finally, also in faith, justification and sanctification are inseparably bound up; faith comes into consideration in the first-mentioned act only and exclusively from its religious side, as trust in God’s grace, as acceptance of Christ and of the righteousness bestowed by God in Him; but if faith indeed is and does this, then it is living, sanctifying faith, which is God’s work par excellence, John 6:29, and in good works reveals His genuineness and power, Gal. Justifying is not the same as making alive; but as sin and death, so also righteousness and life are intimately united; the righteous by faith shall live, Romans 1:17; as it came to a judgment of condemnation of all men by one crime, so it comes to a justification of all men by one judgment of acquittal, which has the effect of life and leads to life, 5:18.

Therefore, justification includes two benefits: forgiveness of sins and granting the right to eternal life. They are connected and stand in the same relation to each other as the passive and active obedience in the work of Christ. Christ not only repaired what Adam had spoiled by his one transgression, but He also acquired what Adam should have acquired by his observance of God’s commandment, namely eternal life. He who believes in Christ, receives thereby the forgiveness of all his sins, Matthew 9:2, Romans 4:7, Ephesians 4:32, and also in that same moment eternal life, John 3:16, John 3:36.

Now the forgiveness of sins is thought of very lightly by most people. They see it as something completely natural, that God forgives the sins and turns a blind eye to the shortcomings; it is as if God must forgive the sins and would otherwise not be a God of love. But the experience of human life can already inform them better. Forgiving, forgiving with all our hearts, forgiving in such a way that nothing of the experienced insult remains in the heart, takes a struggle against ourselves and means a victory over ourselves. It is true that the feeling of being insulted is often very misplaced in us; we take an interest in things that are of no value at all and let others pass that should offend us deeply; our sense of honor and justice is not eradicated, but it is nevertheless corrupted and led in the wrong direction. But it may happen that by some treatment or other we feel deeply insulted and our honor, our character, our name is hurt; and how much of a struggle it is then to banish all revenge and hatred from our hearts, and to forgive our enemy so completely and wholeheartedly that we forget the insult and never remember it. Forgiveness always presupposes the violation of a right and then consists in the remission of a penalty due for it.

All this already applies among men. But sin and forgiveness acquire a much more serious character when committed against God and given by God. God also has a right, the right to be recognized, served and worshipped as God by all people at all times, everywhere, in everything. This right is the principle and the basis of all law; whoever violates it, violates in principle the entire legal order, the entire moral world order, as it has its origin and solidity in God. Sin is an overturning of God’s justice. Whoever gets to know sin in this way, whoever considers it in the light of Holy Scripture, whoever sees it somewhat as God sees it, will think differently about forgiveness. He cannot actually believe it, because it goes against the appearance of all things. There is, in the first place, his own heart, which condemns him and makes him feel guilty before God. Then there is the law, which pronounces the curse upon him and deems him worthy of death. Then there is Satan, who accuses him and in his accusation maintains justice against him. Then there are the people who leave him alone in his hour of need and magnify his sins. And in and behind all of them he hears the voice of God’s righteousness, which seeks him out and persecutes him and holds him and subjects him to judgment. Who dares, who can, considering and experiencing all this, believe in the complete forgiveness of all his sins? But the church of Christ dares to do so, can and may; it confesses in humility and gladness of heart: I believe in the forgiveness of sins; I believe it even though I do not see it; I believe it even though my conscience accuses me of having sinned gravely against all God’s commandments and of not having kept them, and even though I am still inclined to all evil. And for that faith she has ground under her feet. He who seeks the forgiveness of sins outside of Christ may desire it and hope for it, but he cannot believe it wholeheartedly and with conviction; he equates it with turning a blind eye and weakening the seriousness of sin. But the Gospel makes it known to us that God can and has forgiven sins, because His right has been fully upheld in Christ; satisfaction does not contradict forgiveness, but paves the way for it, guarantees it and makes us believe in it with unquestionable certainty. And so perfect is this forgiveness of all our sins, that in Scripture it is equated to not remembering, to throwing away, to forgetting, Isaiah 38:17, Isaiah 43:25, Hebrews 8:12. The Lord does not look upon the iniquity in Jacob, nor does He look upon the wickedness in Israel, Numbers 23:21. This forgiveness is already included in the intention of God, is openly pronounced on the whole congregation in the resurrection of Christ, Romans 4:25, is generally made known in the Gospel, Acts 5:31, and is especially distributed to everyone who believes. But though the believer has received the forgiveness of all his sins, he must nevertheless continually appropriate them in faith, from day to day, in order to enjoy the security and the comfort of them. It would be easy if we could walk according to the will of our heart with a: once converted, remain converted; and many indeed continue to live on a past experience and reassure themselves with it. But that is not the Christian life. Neither the righteousness that is in Christ Jesus, nor the faith that the Holy Spirit instills in our hearts, is a dead capital. We only partake of the forgiveness of our sins, its truth and its certainty, in the long term, through the fellowship with Christ Himself, in the activity of the sanctifying faith. That is why Jesus put the plea for the forgiveness of sins on the lips of his disciples, Matthew 6:12; the humble confession of our sins is the way in which God reveals his faithfulness and justice, in order to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, 1 John 1:9. And in order to make us constantly aware of the magnitude of the benefit that is given to us in the forgiveness of sins, Christ adds the words to the request for forgiveness of our debts: "As we forgive those who trespass against us". These words do not define the ground on which we dare or may ask God to forgive us of our sins; they do not indicate the standard by which we may invoke it for ourselves; but they describe the attitude which must be present in the person making the prayer in order to receive, enjoy and appreciate the benefits of forgiveness. Only then do we realize to some extent what it has cost God, in human terms, to grant us the forgiveness of sins in Christ, when we have rooted out all enmity from our hearts and forgiven our debtors wholeheartedly for all their sins. We can only pray for that forgiveness as a great and unworthy benefit with all the earnestness of our souls, if we are wholeheartedly forgiving our neighbor. The forgiveness of our sins has therefore taken place with God once and for all, but it is appropriated to us throughout our lives in the way of faith and conversion. The Lord’s Supper is also proof of this, for in it we repeatedly celebrate the fact that Christ has broken his body and shed his blood for the forgiveness of our sins (Matthew 26:28). The other side of this benefit of forgiveness is the right to eternal life. Whoever believes in Christ, is not only free from the wrath of God, but also immediately receives eternal life. Now Johannes thinks of this eternal life above all as the new life, which is born of God and planted in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, John 1:13, John 3:5; the childhood he speaks of comes from the rebirth and consists above all in conformity to God, John 1:13, 1 John 1:1-3. But Paul usually speaks of ’childhood’ in another sense; he understands it to mean that God accepts us as His children and heirs on the basis of righteousness in Christ. With the Romans, the families were strictly separated from each other; each family had its own rights and especially its own divine customs; a child could therefore only pass from one family to another by a formal, legal act, in which the natural father sold his child, as it were, to the other father, who wanted to accept it as his own child. When the natural father had died, the transition could only take place through a solemn declaration by the people in a public assembly. Only in this way could the child be released from his obligations in one family and be subjected to those in another family. The Apostle Paul probably derived the concept of adoption from this, in order to show the new relationship in which the believers stand to God. In the Old Testament this adoption was already the privilege of Israel, Romans 9:4, which is why it is often called the son of God, Exodus 4:22-23, Deuteronomy 8:5, Hosea 11:1, etc. But it is above all a blessing of the Lord. But above all it is a blessing of the new covenant; for the faithful of the Old Testament were still under the law, Galatians 3:23, Galatians 4:1-3. But now Christ came in the fullness of time, put Himself under the law and bore its curse, that He might redeem those who were under the law, and that we might obtain the adoption of children (Galatians 4:4-5). Christ redeemed us from the servitude of the law and of sin through His death, so that now we belong to another, namely to Him who was raised from the dead, Romans 7:1-4, and accepted by God as His children and inheritors, Galatians 4:7. As such they have also received the Spirit of the Son, the Spirit of adoption as children, the Spirit that fits this childhood; by that Spirit they are conscious of their childhood, they receive the boldness to address God as their Father, and they are continually guided, Romans 8:14-16, Galatians 4:6. Yes, as this adoption into children is rooted in the eternal intention of God, Ephesians 1:5, so it also extends far into the future; for although believers are now children already and have all the rights of heirs, Romans 8:17, Galatians 4:7; yet they expect with all creation the revelation of the children of God, the liberty of their glory, the adoption as children, namely the redemption of their bodies, Romans 8:18-23. Not until the resurrection of the dead, when the body will be completely redeemed, will the adoption of children be completed. The benefit of justification by faith alone contains for the Christian a rich consolation. The forgiveness of his sins, his hope for the future, his certainty of eternal salvation do not depend on the degree of holiness he has attained in life, but are fixed in the grace of God and in the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. If they were to derive their certainty from the good works of the Christian, they would remain uncertain at all times, even unto death, for even the most holy have only a small portion of perfect obedience ; and the faithful would be continually moved to and fro by fear and anxiety, never able to stand in the freedom with which Christ has set them free, and, yet unable to live without all certainty, would have to resort to church and priest, to altar and sacrament, to religious duties and penance. That is the situation of thousands of Christians, both outside and inside the Roman Church. They do not understand the glory and comfort of free justification. But the believer, whose eye is closed to the riches of this benefit, sees it differently. He has come to the humble recognition that good works, whether they consist of mental states, sensations of the soul, or outward actions, never are and never can be the grounds, but only the fruits of faith. His salvation and blessedness are fixed, outside of him, in Christ Jesus and his righteousness, and therefore can never waver. His house is built on the rock, and can withstand the violence of the torrential rain, the streams of water, and the winds. Of course, this confession, as well as every article of faith, can be abused. If faith, which accepts Christ and His righteousness, is taken as a rational assent to a historical truth, man remains cold, indifferent and dead; and he does not produce any good works out of that faith, nor does he accept the person of Christ with it. But true faith, which drives man, stricken and defeated by guilt, to Christ Himself, which clings to the grace of God and to that grace alone, which boasts of free forgiveness of guilt, and in that very moment produces good works.

Yes, this faith, which rests solely on God’s grace in Christ ’ and thereby is conscious of the forgiveness of sins, that faith alone is capable of doing truly good works. For as long as we allow the forgiveness of our sins to depend wholly or partly on the emotions we enjoy, and on the good deeds we accomplish, as long as we are still more or less in fear and anxiety ; We are not yet children who do good for love, but we are still servants who do it for pay; we do not yet do good purely for the sake of goodness itself, that is, for God’s will, but more or less out of self-interest, to gain favour with it, and to make ourselves agreeable in the eyes of God. But all this changes if we understand by faith that our salvation rests exclusively in God’s grace and in the righteousness of Christ. Then we abandon the idea of establishing our own righteousness and no longer tire ourselves with working on our own salvation, because this is an unshakeable reality in Christ Jesus. And of that salvation in Christ for sure, we can now devote all our attention to doing good works in order to glorify our Father. We then no longer accomplish them for our own sake, but for the Lord’s sake. We belong to Christ, who was raised from the dead, that we may bear fruit for God, Romans 7:4. We have died by the law of the law, that we might live to the glory of God (Galatians 2:19).

Herein, then, lies the freedom of the Christian, which he partakes of through justification, that he is released from the demand and curse of the law. The believer is not freed from the law in the sense that he can live according to the will of his heart, that he can, as it is called today, live out himself according to the inclination and direction of his sinful nature. On the contrary, the believer is much more firmly bound to the law than was formerly the case; for faith does not nullify the law, but confirms it (Romans 3:31); its right is fulfilled in those who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit (8:4). Those who have died to sin, how can they still live in it? But the relationship in which the believer comes to stand to the law is quite different from the relationship he had to it before. He remains bound to it as the rule of gratitude; free, however, from its demand and its curse. In this respect the believers of the New Testament have much more than those of the Old Covenant. In the Old Testament religion is usually still described as the fear of the Lord, and the faithful are often called servants of the Lord. They were children, but infants, and therefore like servants, put under guardians and caretakers until the time determined by the Father, Galatians 4:1-2, Galatians 3:23-24. But when the fullness of time has come, God has sent his Son, born of a woman, under the law, Galatians 4:4. By fulfilling all righteousness in our place, Matthew 4:15, by becoming a curse for us, Galatians 3:13, and by allowing himself to be made sin for us, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law and completely freed us from its demands. We are no longer married to her, we are no longer her servants, we have been destroyed by her very self, and we are now servants of Christ and live for God, Romans 7:1-4, Galatians 2:19; we are no longer under the law, but under grace, Romans 6:15, we are in the freedom with which Christ has set us free, Galatians 5:1. For us the rule is no longer: do this and you will live, but the order is completely reversed; we live by faith and do the law because we enjoy it according to the inner man. In this way the law has become powerless against believers: It can no longer accuse them, for its guilt has been borne by Christ and its demand fulfilled by Christ; it can no longer condemn them, for Christ has taken upon Himself its curse and suffered all its penalties; Satan can no longer even make use of it to accuse the brethren, for who can bring accusations against God’s elect, when God Himself justifies them, and the Christ who died and was glorified in heaven prays for them? And with the change which justification has brought about in the relationship of the faithful to the law, to its demands and curses, their relationship to all things and to the whole world changes as well. When we are reconciled to God, we are reconciled to all things; when we stand in right relation to God, we also stand in right relation to the whole world; redemption in Christ is a redemption from the guilt and punishment of sin, but also from the world, which can so oppress and depress us. For the Father has loved the world, and Christ has conquered it, so that it can still oppress us, but cannot take away our good spirit, John 16:33. As children of their heavenly Father, the faithful are not concerned about what they eat or drink or how they clothe themselves, for He knows that they need all of these things, Matthew 6:25 ff. If strangers, they are known; if dying, they live; if disciplined, they are not killed; if sad, they are always rejoicing; if poor, they make many rich; if having nothing, they possess everything, 2 Corinthians 6:9-10. They do not torment themselves with: do not touch, do not taste, and do not stir, but esteem all God’s creatures as good and take them with thanksgiving, Colossians 2:20, 1 Timothy 4:4. They remain and work in the calling, in which they have been called, and are not servants of men, but of Christ alone, 1 Corinthians 7:20-24. They see in the trials that befall them, not a punishment, but a chastisement, and a proof of God’s love, Hebrews 12:5-8. They are free towards all creatures because nothing can separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, their Lord, Romans 8:35, Romans 8:39. Yes, everything is theirs, because they are Christ’s, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, and all things must work together for good to those who love God and have been called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. The believer, who is justified in Christ, is the freest creature in the world. At least that is how it should be.