Let us look a little more closely at this doctrine of justification
Faith 89 (Hab. 11. 1), and the discovery was of the certainty of the appearance of the promised Messiah in the fullness of time, notwithstanding some delays. This is there called "the vision", by way of eminence, as elsewhere "the promise''. While that time is coming, as well as when it has come, "the just shall live by faith". Thus is the evangelical righteousness from faith to faith—from Old Testament faith in a Christ to come to New Testament faith in a Christ already come.
2. JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH
Let us look a little more closely at this doctrine of justification by faith, and more particularly as St. Paul develops it in Romans and Galatians. Paul infers from an examination of the condition of those under the law that it is vain to look for justification by the works of the law. It is to be had only by faith, which is the point he sought to prove throughout the passage from Romans i. 17 to iii. 28. In that last verse he sums up the conclusion of his argument. "' We conclude that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law''; not by the deeds of the first law of pure innocence, which left no room for repentance, nor the deeds of the law of nature how highly soever improved, nor the deeds of the ceremonial law (the blood of bulls and goats could not take away sin), nor the deeds of the moral law,which are certainly included, for he speaks of that law by which is the knowledge of sin, and those works which might be matter of boasting.
Man in his depraved state under the power of such corruption could never, by any works of his own, gain acceptance with God; but it must be resolved purely into the free grace of God, given through Jesus Christ to all the believers that receive it as a free gift. If we had never sinned, our obedience to the law would have been our righteousness. "Do this, and live." But having sinned, and being corrupted, nothing that we can do will atone for our former guilt. It was by their obedience to the moral law that the Pharisees looked for justification (Luke xviii. 11). Now there are two things from which the apostle here argues: the guiltiness of man, to prove that we cannot be justified by works of the law; and the glory of God, to prove that we must be justified by faith.
3. Man's GUILTINESS He argues from man's guiltiness, to show the folly of expecting