Reflections on Justification by Faith

[RICHARD GOYNE]

In past issues of Proclamation! there have been noteworthy articles by various authors dealing with such pertinent topics as the liberating power of the gospel, the Sabbath, the investigative judgment, and the authenticity of Ellen White’s writings. As important as these topics may be, there is one doctrine which above all others needs to be plainly taught because it is so pivotal to Christian beliefs. That is the doctrine of justification by faith, which is more fully expressed as “justification by God’s grace through the believer’s faith in Christ.” 

It was his commitment to this doctrine that gave the ministry of Martin Luther a degree of success which previous attempts to work reform had been unable to attain. For three centuries before Luther, there had been efforts to initiate reforms in the Catholic Church. Peter Waldo, Francis of Assisi, Wycliffe, Has and Savonarola had tried in some way to correct prevalent errors and abuses without lasting success.

The salient points of Luther’s message were the authority of Scripture and the doctrine of justification by faith, which Luther derived from Scripture. “For therein [in the gospel] is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, the just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).¹ Like the Apostle Paul, Luther taught that the repentant sinner is justified in God’s sight by grace alone without any other merit than his faith in Christ’s saving merit.² “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). 

The sanctified life, or sanctification, of the repentant one who has been justified (declared righteous) by God because of his faith in Christ is manifested by his subsequent good works, but such good works are the result of his justification and not a component of it. “Being justified freely by his (God’s) grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).

To Luther the doctrine of justification by faith was the summary of all Christian teaching upon which the church stands or falls.³ It teaches us that a merciful God justifies the sinner who repents so that he can live out his days with peaceful assurance by his faith in Christ Jesus. “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).

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The believer no longer needs to fear a decision to be announced at the last judgment because God has already decided to account him justified and righteous for Christ’s sake.

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The believer no longer needs to fear a decision to be announced at the last judgment because God has already decided to account him justified and righteous for Christ’s sake. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit” (Romans 8:1).

The Christian thereafter endeavors to lead a righteous life because he has been forgiven, but he is not forgiven because of his attempts to lead a righteous life. Any good deeds that he performs are evidence of his gratitude to God for the freedom from guilt that he enjoys because of his faith in the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. “Even as David also described the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Saying, blessed are those whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered” (Romans 4:6,7). 

Such was the doctrine of justification by faith as taught by Luther and the other major reformers of the sixteenth century. The Roman Catholic Church responded to this teaching with a statement on the subject by the Council of Trent (Section IV, January 1547). The Council anathematized (rejected) the proposition “that justification once received is not preserved and increased by good works; but that those good works are only the fruits and signs of justification, and not causes of its increase.”⁴ So the lines of conflict were drawn on the role of good works in salvation.

The Fundamental Beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church state that “Through Christ we are justified, adopted as God’s sons and daughters, and are delivered from the lordship of sin. Through the Spirit we are born again and sanctified—and given the power to lead a holy life.” (F.B. 10)⁵ This statement must be considered along with the Adventist doctrines of probation and the investigative judgment.

In Adventism the sinner is pardoned when he repents and confesses Christ as his Savior. He is then given the grace to obey the commandments and live a holy life. He will, however, live in a state of probation (subject to a period of testing and trial to ascertain fitness). The record of his sins will not be blotted out but will be kept in the heavenly records until he faces the investigative judgment which will determine his eternal destiny based upon his use, or misuse, of the grace given to him (The Great Controversy, pp. 421, 422).

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It is evident that by making perfect obedience to the commandments a requirement for salvation, the effort made by the individual to attain such obedience makes his salvation depend in part upon human effort and not solely by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice.

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It is evident that by making perfect obedience to the commandments a requirement for salvation, the effort made by the individual to attain such obedience makes his salvation depend in part upon human effort and not solely by faith in Christ’s atoning sacrifice. The commandments, meanwhile, are made an ongoing legal restraint.

Such is the Adventist doctrine of justification. It is akin to the error which Luther opposed: the doctrine of salvation by faith plus works. Luther and his fellow Reformers taught sola fides (faith only) as the key to salvation. So did the Apostle Paul who wrote, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Romans 3:28). 

One result of the Adventist teaching about salvation has been that many give up their Christian experience, knowing that they will never be able to attain the perfection that Adventist doctrine requires. Many more live out their lives trying to perfect their characters in preparation for the investigative judgment.

Those who are discouraged and tempted to give up should remember, “Therefore he (Christ) is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them” (Hebrews 7:15NIV). The many who seek salvation by the keeping of commandments and perfecting their characters should consider “…the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works” (Romans 4:6).

And we can all take comfort in the words of Paul, “For by grace are you saved by faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not of works lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2: 8,9).

It may be difficult for someone who has been indoctrinated in a faith plus works doctrine of salvation to grasp the Biblical teaching that we are saved solely by God’s grace through our faith in Christ. It will not be easy for such a person to understand that “If by grace then it is no more works: otherwise grace is no more grace…” (Romans 11:6).

In our humanity we are prone to bring to God the fruits of our own labors as an offering. Those so inclined should carefully study the words of the apostles in a modern translation of the Bible (not a paraphrase). They will find there, among other truths, “That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). †

Endnotes

1. Biblical quotes are from the King James Version, except where noted.
2. ____, The Augsburg Confession, Philadelphia Fortress Press, 1980 ed.
3. Paul Althaus, The Theology of Martin Luther, Philadelphia Fortress Press, p. 224
4. ____, Document of the Christian Church, Oxford University Press, second ed., p. 263
5. ____, Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists, Church Manual Revision, 1980

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When this article was first published in 2004, Richard Goyne was a retired professional engineer, aged 95. Since retiring, he had earned a Master of Arts degree in theology and a Master of Sacred Theology degree and published the book Roots and Branches of Christian Belief. He lived in Oxford, Maryland at the time.