[1] THE DEADLY SERPENT
There is a religious fiasco going on since time began which bids us to bow our knee to the supposition that justification is some internal process within the worshipper. Not so! Kindly consider that Moses put the likeness of a deadly serpent on a pole and invited the dying to LOOK upon it and live. How strange this must have seemed. The poison was inside the people as a result of being bitten; how could something completely outside of themselves do any good? (See also 2 Kings 5:9-15). This is an eloquent picture of being justified by faith alone and I urge all readers to consider it just as Christ instructed (Jn 3:14). No amount of holiness within us qualifies as the antidote for our sin-sick souls, and that includes Holy Spirit, grace-produced works infused into our very being! Our justification must be EXTRINSIC; something just as completely outside of ourselves as, well..."looking at a stick". Jesus goes so far as to use the actual image of "LOOKING" to convey this very thought: "Everyone who sees (looks at) the Son and believes in Him (has) eternal life" (Jn 6:40, Isa 45:22).

2] THE PROBLEM
Let us begin by cutting through all the religious quagmire and address the most important question a person may ever ask: How can a righteous God forgive a sinful man and declare him justified? (Job 9:2). The answer to this is unequivocally found in Romans 2:12: "(T)he doers of the law shall be justified". The case is closed then. Nothing less than a life of perfect obedience is the only possible basis for acceptance with the living Lord of Holy Writ (Gal 3:10). There would have been no necessity for the death of Christ if it had been possible to satisfy the law by the IMperfect obedience which we can render (Gal 2:21). Bad news indeed for a VERY bent out of shape human race, made even worse when we are informed that if we offend in even one point of law, as far as He is concerned, we are guilty of breaking the entire law (Jms 2:10). While it is true that He is a God of love and desires to forgive our sins, He cannot compromise His law which tells us that the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Sin absolutely must be judged and the penalty for it must be paid. Now, against this backdrop of human hopelessness, is where the gospel, or good news, comes in.

3] THE SOLUTION
In the face of Jesus Christ, we see the exquisite prototype of what man was created to be. His impeccable obedience to the law of God is uequalled; hence, He could qualify to be our substitute. What this means, is that when Christ undertook the work of atonement, He endured, in our place, the punitive wrath of God that our sin deserved (Rom 3:25). Likewise, since the law demands perfect obedience, He fulfilled that demand on our behalf as well. Therefore, the very righteousness we so desperately need to stand before God has been lived out FOR us by Jesus Christ (1 Cor 1:30; Rom 5:19) and is available TO us as a gift (Isa 45:24; Rom 5:17). Thus, the marvelous benefits of both His life and death result in our glorious justification, by His unspeakable mercy, to beggars such as we, with nothing but the empty hand of FAITH ALONE to reach out with. Make no mistake, however. Strictly speaking, it is not merely our faith that saves us, it is CHRIST who saves us! Faith is merely the instrument whereby we lay hold of and receive justification, in that, "by HIM, all that BELIEVE are justified from all things" (Acts 13:39). When speaking of justification, Protestants are unswervingly insistent that the exclusive ground and sole foundation (1 Cor 3:11) which effects their salvation is the unceasingly praiseworthy sacrifice accomplished for us by Christ on the cross (1 Cor 2:2).

4] The righteousness of God which has been made manifest (Rom 3:21) is a PERSON; the Lord Jesus Christ (Jer 23:6), and it is HIS obedience which is the righteousness that justifies, not that of the sinner. As Paul stated, he wanted to be found, "NOT having a righteousness of my own...but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil 3:9). And so it is. "By the righteousness of One (Jesus), the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Rom 5:18) and following, "By the obedience of the One, the many will be MADE righteous." Please note that the word translated "made" is "kathistemi", and it means to set down as, to constitue, to declare. It is used 22 times in the New Testament and in most cases it means to be appointed to some kind of position (1). This will be important to remember as we go on.

5] MARTIN LUTHER
When Luther inserted the word "alone" into his German translation, he knew very well the word was not in the Greek or Latin text, but insisted that it was a logical conclusion to draw. While our Catholic friends may disagree, they certainly cannot begrudge us the luxury of adopting certain terminology which we feel is abundantly testified to in Holy Writ, although the actual phrase, "justification by faith alone" does not appear. Need it be said that Catholicism is unashamed when it comes to such terms as "Mass", "Purgatory", "immaculate conception", etc... all of which are nowhere to be found in the text, yet which they wish us to believe are derivitive from what we find therein. May we not enjoy the same liberty? In any case, while it is my position we are justified by faith alone, I must be careful to make the distinction that it is a faith that will ultimately NOT be divorced from ethical and moral transformation (Luke 8:15). A "pregnant" faith, if you will, which gives birth to good works sooner or later in a believer's life (Gal 5:22). Unfortunately, this is where we begin to see a black cloud hanging over Roman Catholic theology, as I will demonstrate shortly. For now, let it be said that Catholicism CO-MINGLES virtues such as love and obedience as PART OF the ground of justification before God, while we maintain the exclusivity of Jesus Christ as the ground. Good works FLOW FROM that ground like a plant in the soil.

(6) OBJECTION
Frequently, Catholic apologists assert that, "the admission of Protestants that good works are inevitably tied to faith, reveals yet again, the falsity of faith alone being sufficient for salvation" (2). Apparently, our Catholic acquaintances smell a rat because we do not adhere to a strict literalism of the phrase "faith alone" and wish to find us hypocrites for doing so. Yet I can only marvel at this boisterous complaint being made nowadays. Rome has no problem whatsoever conveniently abandoning the literal sense of "ALL have sinned" (Rom 3:22) and urges us on that Mary was an exception to this rule! May not Protestants qualify their beliefs with a footnote as well?

(7) WHAT DOES "TO JUSTIFY" MEAN?
Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon of the N.T. defines the greek word "dikaioo", as "to declare, pronounce one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be...and therefore acceptable". Consequently, justification means to declare to be righteous legally. It has to do with a person's legal status before God as the Holy Judge. The other Greek word translated "righteousness" (dikaiosune) from the same root, means "the state acceptable to God which becomes a sinner's possession through that faith by which he embraces the grace of God" (ibid). "Dikaiosune" is used 92 times in the N.T. and no honest scholar will deny that the legal (or forensic) use is primary! This is significant because Protestants see justification as a one time EVENT initiated by the act of God at the POINT OF faith alone (Gal 3:2). Then He begins the process of growth in holiness called sanctification. "Sanctification" and "belief" (i.e. faith) are both used in the same sentence in 2 Thess 2:13, proving they are distinct and separate concepts. See also 1 Cor 1:30; 6:11.

(8) Sadly, the Roman Catholic Church has distorted the very essence of biblical salvation by co-mingling the thoughts of justification and sanctification and using them interchangeably as virtual synonyms. (3). However, the biblical evidence deliniates between them and views justification as God's judicial pronouncement that because of a person's faith in Christ, the sinner is now aquitted, irrespective of their personal righteousness at the moment. Then follows sanctification, (growth in holiness) which Scripture designates as "fruit" (Gal 5:22). By stark and radical contrast, our Catholic friends reject the foregoing and replace it with the concept of an "INFUSED" justification! In Catholic theology, justification is the infusion of sanctifying grace (or supernatural ability) which empowers the Catholic to perform meritorious works, who then BECOME righteous and merit eternal life. (4).

(9) On the contrary, this type of justification based on an internal renovation, due to the infused virtues of Jesus, is a foul distortion of the gospel, I must be blunt. First, as one has rightly observed, "That to assert simutaneously (as Catholicism does) that God justifies man on the godly works produced in him, and that God justifies the ungodly (Rom 4:6), is quintessentially oxymoronic." (5). Second, as the premiere Greek lexicon puts it, in relation to justification (dikaiow), "the legal usage is plain and indisputable...(it) does not suggest the infusion of moral qualities." (6). And Thayer's Greek-English Lexicon states, "(it) never means to MAKE (emphasis mine) worthy". Logically then, there can be no doubt that "to justify" means to "declare", rather than "to make" righteous. The verb is even used in Psalm 51:4, Job 32:2 and Luke 7:29 where it is applied to God Himself. Needless to say, it is an impossible thought that He should be "made righteous" in any sense of the Catholic definition, since He already is. Rather, He is seen as, or "declared" righteous before men.

(10) Furthermore, it should be noted that the verb "to justify" is used in Holy Writ in opposition to the word "condemn" (Deut 25:1, Prov 17:15, Isa 5:23; Job 9:20; 34:17, 1 Kings 8:32, Rom 8:33-4). Thus, just as "to condemn" someone does not mean to MAKE them wicked, neither does "to justify" someone MAKE them righteous. While it is true that God "hath MADE Him to be sin for us" (2 Cor 5:21), this obviously does not mean Christ BECAME sinful in and of Himself. Likewise, as I pointed out in paragraph 4, the fact that we will be "MADE righteous by the obedience of the One (Jesus)", does not signify we will BECOME carbon copies of His glorious person this side of heaven. This fact is evident by simply observing human nature, and the apostle agrees as well (Phil 3:12). Hence, just as the sin of Adam was the judicial ground of our condemnation alone, so is the righteousness of Christ the judicial ground of our justification by fath alone.

(11) IMPUTATION
Diametrically opposed to the idea of "infusion", the lucid testimony of the Word of God accentuates rather, the concept of "imputation". It is used 41 times in the N.T. and is an accounting term which is basically a mental evaluation or conclusion regarding a particular issue. In no uncertain terms, righteousness is NOT said to be "infused" into us, but is "imputed" (Rom 4:6;11; 22-24, Jms 2:23). To impute righteousness does not mean to pardon, nor to sanctify...it means to justify, i.e. to attribute as righteous. In other words, just as man's sin was imputed to Christ, legally speaking (2 Cor 5:21, Gal 3:13), so is Christ's righteousness imputed to the believer. Imputation denotes crediting something to someone's account by transfer, and does not speak to the subjective nature of the one to which something is imputed. God transfers the perfect righteousness of Christ to the sinner as an "unspeakable gift" (2 Cor 9:15; Phil 3:9) and transfers all of the sinner's unrighteousness to Christ (Isa 53:6). Truly, Jesus did not only die for us, He lived for us as well.

(12) THE JUSTIFIED TAX COLLECTOR
The perceptive reader may now realize that Rome would like to get around any accusation that her works are not the cause of justification, by piously proclaiming that "our works are not of us...they are of God, and so you see we are not justified by works!" I realize there is a measure of truth to the fact that the Lord does work within us to do His good pleasure (Phil2:13; Eph 2:10), but it is simpy "another gospel" (2 Cor 11:4) when this fact is paraded as THE WAY in which God justifies the ungodly. Let us consider Luke 18 at this juncture. In the temple were two men praying. The first, a Pharisee, stood THANKING GOD that he was such a morally virtuous specimen (the epitome of my opponent's view which teaches, by His grace, He works in us the good deeds that will open the gates of heaven). The text explicitly reveals however, that this man DID NOT go to his house justified! The other fellow, a tax collector, with nothing to offer but the realization that he was a wretch, pleaded for mercy, and in an instant, "God justified the ungodly" (Rom 4:6). This man did not even begin the process of sanctification, but the Lord declared him justified by faith alone, ON THE SPOT, just as surely as He did the thief on the cross (Luke 23:42). No doubt the tax collector would disagree vehemently with the Council of Trent which repudiated the idea that "justifying faith is nothing else than confidence in divine mercy" (chapter 16). Nevertheless, confidence in divine mercy was EXACTLY how this man was justified I am happy to report.

(13) CONCLUSION
It should take the casual observer's breath away to notice the overwhelming urgency Scripture puts on the act of believing. There are about 150 verses in the N.T. that convey one becomes a child of God at the POINT of faith, or (synonymously) that salvation depends on believing. Eighty-six of these are in the Gospel of John, and thus justification by faith alone must be seen to have occured AT THE POINT we have come to trust in Jesus the Messiah. For example, In Eph 1:13, "AFTER that ye believed (justification), ye were sealed with His Holy Spirit of promise (sanctification)". The use of the aorist particple of "to believe" denotes that our inclusion in Christ occurred at some point in the past. (7). Accordingly, justifiction is EXTRINSIC to the saved sinner. Sanctification is INTRINSIC. Justification is wholly antithetical to good works; and if this is so, then it is by faith alone. A final illustration can be seen in 1 Cor 3:14. When our works are judged, we are figuratively told that they will be judged by fire. If a sanctifying good deed withstands the fire (having given glory to God, etc) a reward will be given. If the deed is burned up (selfish motive, etc), "he shall suffer loss, BUT HE HIMSELF WILL BE SAVED, yet so as by fire". This means that wrongly motivated workers will be saved, but like people escaping from a burning building, all his possessions (accomplishments) will be lost. At the Judgement Seat, a believer's salvation is not even under consideration. That issue was once and for all decided when he was justified by faith alone. Frankly, this verse rings the death knell for the Catholic position that the works we do by God's grace are meritorious for eternal life. The example of the unproductive Christian who IS STILL SAVED despite his flawed performance, is glowing testimony that we are justified by faith alone and not by faith and works.

(14) To sum up my opponent's perspective, I will turn to the Roman Catholic Douay version, noting their footnote on Romans 3 and 4: "The justification of which St. Paul here speaks is the infusion of sanctifying grace which ALONE (emphasis mine) renders a person supernaturally pleasing in the sight of God". This is confirmed by the Council of Trent: "(C)hrist Himself continually infuses His virtue into the said justified...we must believe NOTHING FURTHER (emphasis mine) is wanting to be justified, by those very works which have been done in God...and to have truly merited eternal life" (chapter 16). Even though these words may sound attractive to the untrained ear, I am unalterably oppossed. This debate boils down to two choices: justification by faith alone (by what Christ has done FOR us), or justification by sanctifying grace alone (by what Christ infuses IN us). As for me, I joyfully conclude the ground of my justification is the righteousness of Christ imputed TO us; not the righteousness of Christ working WITHIN us. The truth of justification by faith alone means preoccupation with HIS experience, and not ours. "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord" (2 Cor 4:5).

Jason Vanezia
crownofthorns@webtv.net
Word count: Approx 4000.

(1) William Webster, "The Gospel of the Reformation", p. 61.
(2) See the Catholic apologetics website located at www2.netcom.com/~matt1618. The author makes this accusation no less than four times in the article, "Grace-Produced Works".
(3) Council of Trent, chapter 7.
(4) ibid (also chapter 16); The Catholic Encyclopedia, p.541 by Broderick.
(5) Rob Zins, "Theological" newsletter, Third quarter, p. 2.
(6) Theological Dictionary of the N.T., by Kittel, Vol 2, p. 215-16.
(7) My thanks to Stephen Celich of "Take Heed Ministries" for pointing this out to me.

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