Dear MM,

Thanks for writing and sharing your comments. I would take strong issue with you conclusions and understanding of the verses you quote.

First, there is no indication that the idea of justification as Paul used it is a "process." Rather, it is taught as an event. It occurs at the moment that God counts, reckons, credits, or imputes (or whatever translation you use) the righteousness of Christ to those who believe in Christ. You assert that Luther "invented" the idea of imputed righteousness. That is not true. He got it from the New Testament:

KJV Romans 4:6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,

KJV Romans 4:11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also

KJV Romans 4:23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him;KJV Romans 4:24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;

KJV Romans 4:22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

KJV James 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The word justify is used throughout the Bible to mean "declare" as in a verdict and not make righteous in one's own nature. I shared this in my paper "What is Justification?" --

As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. (Isaiah 53:11 NAS)

And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. (Luke 18:13,14 KJV)

Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38,39 KJV)

Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. (Rom. 3:28 KJV)

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ( Romans 5:1 KJV)

Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Gal. 3:24 KJV)

Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. (Gal 2:16 KJV)

But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. (Gal. 2:17 KJV)

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. (Gal 3:11 KJV)

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. (Gal 5:4,5 KJV)

The word justification is a legal term. The whole Bible has a legal "cast" to it. It speaks about salvation in legal language. God is Lawgiver, Judge and finally Justifier. The word justification is connected to the court of law as it is used in the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament the word "justify" (sadaq) means to declare righteous (not make righteous):

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. (Exodus 23:7 KJV)

If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, (Deuteronomy 25:1 NAS)

Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. ( Job 32:2 KJV)

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD. (Proverbs 17:15 KJV)

Then hear Thou in heaven and act and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. (1 Kings 8:32 NAS; Cp. 2 Chronicles 6:23 NAS)

Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! (Isaiah 5:23 NAS)

In the New Testament the word "justify" (dikaioo) refers to an objective judgment or declaration. Because it was used in the Roman forum, it is called a forensic word or a word of the law-courts. "It has to do with acquittal, vindication, acceptance before a judgment seat." It does not mean to make one righteous, spiritual, pure, regenerate or holy. Justification is clearly a verdict. It is a pronouncement of God. It is God’’s Word!

We can best begin to understand this word by considering its common usage. Usually, it is employed in reference to a position before a judge or jury. It means, fundamentally, to win a favorable verdict or a sentence of pardon. Justification does not mean to make one right or better. It means to receive a verdict of pardon. It does not mean improvement, it means to vindicate:

If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, . . . (Deuteronomy 25:1 NAS)

Keep thee far from a false matter; and the innocent and righteous slay thou not: for I will not justify the wicked. (Exodus 23:7 KJV)

Then hear Thou in heaven and act and judge Thy servants, condemning the wicked by bringing his way on his own head and justifying the righteous by giving him according to his righteousness. (1 Kings 8:32 NAS; Cp. 2 Chronicles 6:23 NAS)

Who justify the wicked for a bribe, And take away the rights of the ones who are in the right! (Isaiah 5:23 NAS)

The word pardon or vindicate could be substituted for the word justify in these verses. (As it is in some translations.) It does not mean to perfect, or improve. In Luke 7:39 it says that "they justified God." This does not mean they made God righteous. It means that they declared or announced that God was just. Its basic meaning is to win a verdict at the bar of judgment. This is seen in how it is contrasted with the idea of condemnation:

For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. (Matthew 12:37 KJV)

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. (Romans 5:16 KJV)

Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. (Romans 8:33-34 KJV)

The truth that justification is a declaration and not a process is all the difference between Paul and the Judaizers. It is what divides Rome from the Reformation. It is the difference between the Gospel and "another Gospel" about which Paul warned the Galatians:

In simple terms the issue boils down to this: Are we justified by a process by which we become actually just or are we justified by a declarative act by which we are counted or reckoned to be just by God? Are we declared just or are we made just by justification? [R. C. Sproul, “The Forensic Nature of Justification,” Justification by Faith Alone: Affirming the Doctrine by Which the Church and the Individual Stands or Falls, (Morgan, PA: Soli Deo Gloria Publications), 1995, p. 25.]
 

When God justifies he declares or reckons one righteous. On what basis does God count one as righteous? How can God declare one who is a sinner by nature, to be right in His sight? Can’t God only pronounce as righteous those who are righteous in themselves? Certainly God could render a verdict of "righteous" upon those who are righteous in themselves. The reason He doesn’t is because the Bible says, "None is righteous, no, not one;" (ESV). Then how can he declare a sinner righteous? Are you saying that God justifies the wicked!? I am not saying it; the Bible says it: "However, to the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness." (Romans 4:5 NIV).

You quote from Romans 5:19 as proof that one is made literally righteous in themselves and not by the imputed righteousness of Christ. I would point out that the meaning of the word "made" in this verse is the Greek word kaqistatai which can mean to appoint or assign to a position. It does not necessarily mean to literally change something in its nature. In the context of the verse Paul is speaking not of the believer's own righteousness (being made righteous in himself) but the "gift of righteousness" from Christ: "even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." You have not understand this verse in its proper context. And then you have used this one verse in an attempt to reverse the general meaning of justification within the whole Bible. You interpretation doesn't hold.

Finally, your comments about Luther betrays a great lack of understanding of Luther's life. I don't know what history you have read, but you do not seem familiar with his background prior to coming to a knowledge of the Gospel. He was the most devout monk in his order. He was rebuked for his scrupulosity by his leaders. His problem was not that he could not or would not keep the Word of God or the rules of his order, so he tried to find an out. Quite the opposite is true. After keeping all the disciplines required of him and adding his own, he still did not feel like he was right with God. When he discovered the righteousness of Christ imputed to the believer he realized why his own righteousness was not enough. Only the perfect righteousness of Jesus was enough. Here are Luther's own words:

I greatly longed to understand Paul's Epistle to the Romans and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, "the justice of God," because I took it to mean that justice whereby God is just and deals justly in punishing the unjust. My situation was that, although an impeccable monk, I stood before God as a sinner troubled in conscience, and I had no confidence that my merit would assuage him. Therefore I did not love a just and angry God, but rather hated and murmured against him. Yet I clung to the dear Paul and had a great yearning to know what he meant.

Night and day I pondered until I saw the connection between the justice of God and the statement that "the just shall live by his faith." Then I grasped that the justice of God is that righteousness by which through grace and sheer mercy God justifies us through faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of Scripture took on a new meaning, and whereas before the "justice of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gate to heaven . . . .

If you have a true faith that Christ is your Savior, then at once you have a gracious God, for faith leads you in and opens up God's heart and will, that you should see pure grace and overflowing love. This it is to behold God in faith that you should look upon his fatherly, friendly heart, in which there is no anger nor ungraciousness. He who sees God as angry does not see him rightly but looks only on a curtain, as if a dark cloud had been drawn across his face.

MM, I do not wish to be unkind, but you are mistaken in the things you assert. And I fear, much more than that, you are missing the glorious Gospel of our loving Savior, Jesus Christ.

May God open your eyes to the Gospel as he has to me -- a poor, wretched sinner, who has nothing to boast save Jesus.

God bless you!