JUSTIFICATION: JUDGE OF UNIVERSE SAYS ‘NOT GUILTY’,PART 3.

According to New Dictionary of Theology , “Although, therefore, the doctrine of justification is discussed quite rarely in the New Testament, the fact of it is everywhere apparent. God has redefined His covenant people around Jesus.”6 It goes on to say that when the question of the identity of the covenant people is raised there are some points that need to be observed. For example, the question of justification is a matter of covenant membership. That the question that surfaces is ‘Who are the true children of Abraham?’ where Paul answers by saying that it is all those who believe in the gospel of Jesus, whether Jew or gentile. Another point, which I do not know if I am understanding correctly, is that justification establishes the church as a new entity, the renewed Israel. If this means replacement theology, I do not agree with it! This, because I believe physical Israel still remains His Chosen people; the promise of the New Covenant as fulfilled through Jesus is for them but just that it has been broadened in its extent to include the gentiles by faith in Jesus. When the Jews are justified by faith, they become the one physical and spiritual Israel, the Messianic Jews. Of course, the Church has been blessed in becoming grafted in as God’s people, as part of Abraham’s spiritual children since by faith in Jesus they are His children! In other words, they can also be justified by faith! The New Covenant has been extended to them, thanks to the Jews! As it says in Romans 1: 16 : “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” So ‘justification by faith’ is a shorthand for ‘justification by grace through faith’ and it is extended to the Jews and Gentiles alike, whoever will choose to turn to God!

So I see the following steps in salvation so far: gift of grace where we get the gift of faith, conversion, justification, regeneration. But even though grace and faith are gifts, still it is a person’s free-will to say ‘yes’ to God, that is, turn to God by turning from sin and self! Then after that comes God’s part where He proclaims the sinner ‘not guilty’ and then comes the ‘new-birth’, or becoming ‘born-again’ which is a creative act of the Holy Spirit which I believe is the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

NOTES

6Sinclair B. Ferguson, David F. Wright and J.I. Packer, eds., New Dictionary of Theology, (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1988), 359.