Of Justification
Church Councils Stages of Preparation for Justification Why the Gentiles Achieved Righteousness and not the Jews
Pighius Argues that Justification Cannot be Separated from Charity or Good Works Faith Begins with the Holy Spirit Does Genesis Demonstrate that God Values Works over Faith?
Insights of the Church Fathers and how their viewpoints align with ours on the matter of faith and justification
We Affirm that Justification is by Faith Alone
Of Justification Upon the epistle to the Romans, at the end of the 11th chapter. This place is also treated upon in the first epistle to the Corinthians, around the end, and upon Genesis, verse 6 of chapter 15.
It shall now be a profitable thing to discuss justification, which is the focus and goal of all that Paul teaches in the epistle to the Romans.
Let this question be proposed in the following manner: are people justified by works or by faith? But first of all, it shall be good to discuss the terms of the proposed question; and we will begin with the term 'justification'. This verb Tsadac, in Hebrew in the first conjugation, signifies 'to be just'; but if it is transferred into the third conjugation, it signifies 'to transfer righteousness to another and to make just'. For this is the effect of the form of those verbs, which they call Hiphil. Just as Amad signifies 'to stand', so Heemid signifies
'to appoint', that is, 'to make another thing to stand'. Therefore, Hitsdic in Hebrew signifies 'to justify', that is, 'to make one just', which when done by God, is accomplished in two ways. Firstly, when
God, with His Holy Spirit, reshapes them and completely renews them by restoring the strength of their minds and freeing the faculties of man from a significant part of his natural corruption; and this is the first righteousness, which adheres to our minds, by the grace of God, through Christ. Secondly, once He has restored and renewed them, He gives just and holy works; through the use and continuation of which works, a quality, or (as they call it) a habit is engendered in our minds, making us compliant to live honestly and godly. We do not deny, but this type of righteousness is in the hearts of the regenerate.
But sometimes God justifies us by absolving us from sins and ascribing and imputing righteousness; then this word Hitsdic, is a term taken from the law, which pertains to judgment, as also the word Heschiah, which signifies 'To declare one to be an offender and a wicked person'. To justify in judgment is by words, testimonies, and affirmation, to count one as just. And as these are the two meanings of the word 'To justify'; namely, either in deed, or in account and estimation; and as God is the author of either of them: which of these two shall we follow in the discussion proposed?
Indeed the latter; because the renovation inspired by the Spirit of