Justification by Faith
JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
An Apologist View
Professor John Markley
BIBL 425 - ROMANS
BY
KELLY RANDALL
JUNE 2012 Introduction
Dating to the writing of the book of Romans there has been a basic misunderstanding as to what Paul meant by justification by faith. The Jewish culture had been educated in the law and yet the Gentile culture was being instructed that the law was death. The Jewish community was confused and aghast that God would justify sinners. Nonetheless that is exactly what Paul said God would do and he would do it based on the simple faith of the believer.
Our early church fathers also struggled. Martin Luther and other reformers emphasized justification over salvation by works. In response the Catholic Church formulated its own view of salvation as a process involving both faith and works. The opposition to Luther came to a head at the Council of Trent which began its first session in 1545. It was affirmed at Trent that justification was a process which included both works and faith.
Even in contemporary times we have divisions within the religious community over this doctrine. The most recent push to redefine Pauline theology has been with the baby boomer generation. They have questioned the reality of objective truth in abstract ideas. If there is no objective truth then why should we argue over any lines of demarcation between religious groups and their doctrines? In attempts to strive for a softer canon and unity within the church, they have weakened the very foundation of the Christian faith. Church unity should not result from a lack of integrity. Integrity demands “that we not oppose error for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. We must instead oppose error for the right reasons and in the right way.”
What is Justification by Faith? Some of the hardest words to understand in the New Testament are justification, justify, justice and just. The simple reason is linguistics. An English reading of Paul’s text would say that
An Apologist View
Professor John Markley
BIBL 425 - ROMANS
BY
KELLY RANDALL
JUNE 2012 Introduction
Dating to the writing of the book of Romans there has been a basic misunderstanding as to what Paul meant by justification by faith. The Jewish culture had been educated in the law and yet the Gentile culture was being instructed that the law was death. The Jewish community was confused and aghast that God would justify sinners. Nonetheless that is exactly what Paul said God would do and he would do it based on the simple faith of the believer.
Our early church fathers also struggled. Martin Luther and other reformers emphasized justification over salvation by works. In response the Catholic Church formulated its own view of salvation as a process involving both faith and works. The opposition to Luther came to a head at the Council of Trent which began its first session in 1545. It was affirmed at Trent that justification was a process which included both works and faith.
Even in contemporary times we have divisions within the religious community over this doctrine. The most recent push to redefine Pauline theology has been with the baby boomer generation. They have questioned the reality of objective truth in abstract ideas. If there is no objective truth then why should we argue over any lines of demarcation between religious groups and their doctrines? In attempts to strive for a softer canon and unity within the church, they have weakened the very foundation of the Christian faith. Church unity should not result from a lack of integrity. Integrity demands “that we not oppose error for the wrong reasons or in the wrong way. We must instead oppose error for the right reasons and in the right way.”
What is Justification by Faith? Some of the hardest words to understand in the New Testament are justification, justify, justice and just. The simple reason is linguistics. An English reading of Paul’s text would say that
Bibliography: Barclay, William. The Letter to the Romans: Daily Study Bible Series. Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1975. Collinson, Patrick. The Reformation: A History. New York, NY: Modern Library, 2003. Couch, Mal. “The Catholic View of Justification by Faith.” Conservative Theological Journal CTJ 04:13 (December 2000). Felce, BG. “The Ground of Justification.” Tyndale Bulletin TYNBUL 02:1 (Winter 1956). Http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+faith&qpvt=define+faith&FORM=DTPDIA. Philadelphia: Encarta, 1975. www. bing.com (accessed June, 2012). Lockyer, Herbert. All the Doctrines of the Bible. Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Books, 1967. Malone, Fred. “Justification by Faith Alone in Contemporary Theological Perspective.” Reformed Baptist Theological Review RBTR 01:1 (January 2004). Olson, Roger. The Mosaic of Christian Belief. Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2002. Shepherd, Norman. “Justification by Faith Alone.” Reformation and Revival RAR 11:2 (Spring 2002). Shivers, Douglas. “Justification: A Pastoral Perspective.” Reformation and Revival RAR 06:4 (Fall 1997). Stallard, Mike. “Justification by Faith or Justification by Faith Alone.” Conservative Theological Journal CTJ 03:8 (April 1999). [ 2 ]. Roger Olson, The Mosaic of Christian Belief (Downers Grove, Illinois: InterVarsity Press, 2002). [ 3 ]. Mike Stallard, “Justification by Faith or Justification by Faith Alone,” Conservative Theological Journal CTJ 03:8 (April 1999). [ 9 ]. Http://www.bing.com/Dictionary/search?q=define+faith&qpvt=define+faith&FORM=DTPDIA (Philadelphia: Encarta, 1975), www. bing.com (accessed June, 2012). [ 11 ]. Douglas Shivers, “Justification: A Pastoral Perspective,” Reformation and Revival RAR 06:4 (Fall 1997). [ 12 ]. Herbert Lockyer, All the Doctrines of the Bible (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Books, 1967). [ 21 ]. Fred Malone, “Justification by Faith Alone in Contemporary Theological Perspective,” Reformed Baptist Theological Review RBTR 01:1 (January 2004). [ 26 ]. Patrick Collinson, The Reformation: A History (New York, NY: Modern Library, 2003). [ 27 ]. Mal Couch, “The Catholic View of Justification by Faith,” Conservative Theological Journal CTJ 04:13 (December 2000). [ 34 ]. BG Felce, “The Ground of Justification,” Tyndale Bulletin TYNBUL 02:1 (Winter 1956).