JUSTIFICATION: Contrasting the Reformers with Rome

                                       JUSTIFICATION: A DIVIDING LINE

Rome vs. the Reformers: Contrasts & Comparisons

Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh, PA; 9/08/24

The REFORMERS	ROME
1. FORENSIC. “Forensics” deals with speech; something is called “JUST” based upon the spoken declaration of God (Rom. 4:3). This is a Divine Act that happens apart from & outside of a man—it is God’s declaration of a man’s legal status before Him. If a sinful man is connected by Faith to Christ, he is declared to have a righteous status by God. Inwardly he remains a sinner—but legally his status is “RIGHTEOUS!”	1. LEGAL FICTION! Roman Catholics despise the Reformers’ doctrine of Forensic Justification, believing that it involves God in some sort of legal fiction, whereby He is found dishonestly calling a man “righteous” when in fact it he not righteous! The God of Truth will not “call an ashtray a rose,” and He will only call a man “just” when He actually sees a genuine justness or righteousness within him.
2. SYNTHESIS. The Reformers responded to Rome’s charges that they were teaching a “Legal Fiction” by affirming that something has been added to the sinner’s account (i.e., a synthesis has taken place)—namely, the atoning death and righteous life of Christ has been reckoned or imputed unto the sinner. We are justified in the merits of Christ.	2. ANALYTIC. Rome believes that Justification is a matter of Divine analysis: What does God actually see within the man? The judicial outcome is based upon God’s analysis or examination of what He sees within the life of the man. God will only legally declare a man “JUST” when He sees real and authentic righteousness within the man.
3. IMPUTATION. The merits of Christ are reckoned unto the account of the believing sinner— even as the believer’s sins were reckoned (or imputed) unto Christ at Calvary (2 Cor. 5:21, Phil. 3:9, Rom. 5:12-19, Isa. 53). The believer stands before God in union with Christ. See Philemon 1:17-18 for a beautiful example of this double-imputation.	3. INFUSION. This term describes how a believer can have a real internal righteousness that will meet the demands of Divine analysis. Christ’s power and God’s preparing-grace is infused or placed into the sinner. As the sinner co-operates with this grace, he can reach a state of internal justness that merits a Divine declaration of righteousness.
4. NO HUMAN MERIT. Believers have no internal merits that stand as a basis for legal Justification before an infinitely holy God. For the Reformers, the basis for a believer’s legal Justification before God is CHRIST HIMSELF, to whom the believer is united through faith! Our Justification is never based upon the believer’s inherent internal righteousness, or upon his own obedience or good works (Rom. 3:21-22, 4:5; Eph. 2:8-9; Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:5).	4. CONGRUOUS MERIT. For Catholics, the basis for Justification is the righteousness that God actually finds within the man who has both co-operated with and been transformed by the grace of God that has been infused into him via the Sacraments. While the co-operative believer will not attain earthly perfection, he will live the sort of life whereby it is fitting (i.e., congruous) for him to be granted Justification. A man’s good works thus earn him justifying merit before God—and are absolutely necessary for justification to be granted.
5. BY FAITH ALONE (Rom. 3:28, 4:1-5, 5:1-2). Saving faith is placing our trust exclusively in the Biblical Jesus and in His saving work on the Cross. Our faith places us in covenantal solidarity with the One whose Atonement answered for our sins and whose righteousness becomes our white robe of perfection before God (Isa. 61:10; Jer. 23:6, 33:16). Faith itself is NOT to be deemed a meritorious “work;” rather, it is an instrument that connects us to CHRIST—who is the grounds of our Justification.	5. FAITH AND WORKS. For Roman Catholics, Faith Alone is insufficient. Faith produces meritorious works, which serve as the instrumental cause of Justification (based upon Rome’s misapplication of James 2:14, 24 that confuses the relationship between Sanctification and Justification). Catholicism fails to apprehend that good works are the resulting fruit and evidence of genuine saving faith—and NEVER the grounds of Justification. Because good works are introduced as the basis for Justification, Roman Catholicism stands in denial of Eph. 2:8-9.
6. CAN’T LOSE IT! (Phil. 1:6) Our salvation is eternally secure in Christ, its Divine Author. A denial of Eternal Security is a lapse in unbiblical LEGALISM.	6. CAN LOSE IT! As a merit-based works system, Romanism regards an affirmation of Biblical Eternal Security as the “sin of presumption.”