Grace And Justification

By George E. Meisinger [1]

George Meisinger is Dean of Chafer Theological Seminary, as well as Professor of Old and New Testament Survey. He earned a B.A. from Biola University, a Th.M. in Old Testament Literature and Exegesis from Dallas Theological Seminary, a D.Min. in Biblical Studies from Western Seminary, and presently pursues a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology. He also pastors Grace Church in Orange, California. His email address is: cts@school.com

Introduction

Centuries ago, a man named Job asked a question that multitudes have since pondered: How can a man be righteous before God (Job 9:2)? [2] This Old Testament saint was painfully aware of personal imperfection when he asked that question. He had no illusions about himself. The apostle Paul shared Job’s perspective and established in Romans chapters 1–3 that whether one is immoral, self-righteous, or religious, no man is righteous before God. Not even one!

Sensing that he falls short of God’s perfect standards, man has from the beginning sought ways to bridge the gap between where he is morally and where he should be before God. The vast array of religions past and present is worldwide testimony to man’s search—a search that seeks through various kinds of good works to win God’s approbation.

According to Romans 3:19–20, however, no person may gain a righteous standing before God through good works. Man has a universal inability to please God through righteous deeds. Romans 3 verses 9–20 stress that sin dominates all men, the evidence of which is that he commits many acts of sin. Man, therefore, before the Lord, is neither righteous nor able to do acceptable deeds of righteousness. He often does good deeds that benefit his fellow man, but all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags before a holy God (Isaiah 64:6). Indeed, man’s heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it (Jeremiah 17:9)?

A universal problem requires a universal solution. The news is good. In his epistle to the Romans, Paul reveals God’s universal solution.

Justification (Romans 3:21-24)

The basis of justification

But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets (Romans 3:21).

After the previous chapters, But now [3] is like a refreshing breeze for a man in a 120° desert. This is because chapters one and two are a terrible courtroom scene that leaves all men guilty and condemned—with no help from the law. The law stands as an unrelenting prosecuting attorney saying, “You’re guilty! And, your good works will not help. All attempts to keep rules and laws only compound sin, guilt, and condemnation” (cp. Romans 7:5).

Then Paul says but now, marking a great transition from man’s guilty status to the possibility of an innocent status. In effect, he says, it is true there is no way a man may be justified by doing good works, but now he may be justified by faith. But now all people may be made right with God through an act of faith in Christ.

What is the universal solution?—The righteousness of God! [4] The Bible reveals five categories of righteousness: 1) Self-righteousness (Romans 10:1–3; Philippians 3:9); 2) God’s attribute of righteousness (Psalm 7:9); 3) The quality of life of a believer walking by the Spirit, being a doer and not just a hearer of the Word (James 5:16); 4) The fruit (righteous production) of a believer walking by the Spirit (Revelation 19:8; cp. Romans 8:4); and lastly, 5) Imputed righteousness. It is this final category of imputed righteousness that Paul has in view throughout Romans 3:21–24.

What is imputed righteousness? To begin, it helps to note that the article “the” does not occur in the Greek. He says a righteousness of God (Romans 3:21 a). Thus, Paul does not specify God’s divine attribute. Furthermore, of God is a genitive construction that speaks of kind. Thus Paul speaks of a God-kind of righteousness—a righteousness fully compatible with God’s character.

God gives this kind of righteousness to all who believe. He only imputes or credits a worthy righteousness to the account of a believer (Romans 3:22; Philippians 3:9).

Moreover, the apostle makes very clear how one does not receive imputed righteousness when he says it is revealed apart from the law (Romans 3:21b). Apart from is placed first to emphasize how we do not get righteousness credited to our accounts. Apart from means to be “separated from, or without making use of, or without connection to” [5] law.

Furthermore, there is no article before law—in the Greek text it simply reads “apart from law.” The absence of the article stresses quality, namely a God—kind of righteousness distinct from any quality or characteristic of law. The righteousness God gives is totally unrelated and foreign to man’s attempts to keep the works of the law.

Accordingly, it is futile to seek an acceptable righteousness before God through good works such as prayer, fasting, giving, repentance, confession, reforming ourselves, submission, and any other meritorious deed.

This wonderful and hope-inspiring righteousness—imputed righteousness—stands revealed in the historical events of Jesus Christ’s birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. However, it does not stand silently.

It is being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets (Romans 3:21c). The thought may be expressed by translating: “Being witnessed to by the law and the prophets.” The law and the prophets speak of the entire Old Testament, showing that the writers of the Old Testament spoke of God’s righteousness, which one acquires by faith in Christ.

The Law (Torah or Pentateuch) points to Christ, especially through the sacrificial system of the Tabernacle and Temple. The Prophets pointed to Jesus in many ways. For example:

[To Christ] all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins (Acts 10:43).

Isaiah 53:11 says:

By knowledge of [Christ], My righteous Servant shall justify [impute righteousness to] many, for He shall bear their iniquities.

Therefore, the first thing we see is that God’s solution for man’s sin problem is imputed righteousness, which He gives apart from the law.

How one receives righteousness

Even the righteousness of God which is through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22a and b).

Even (δὲ [6]) introduces a phrase that clarifies how man receives the righteousness of God. The apostle now expounds upon the only righteousness that satisfies God’s holy standards.

Imputed righteousness is exactly what God demands from all those who will enter heaven—nothing more, nothing less. God is a perfect God and cannot accept anyone with less than a perfect righteousness. His holiness demands perfection, a radical and uncompromising demand.

Verse 21 implies that law-keeping, or doing good works, is how not to become acceptable. Disastrously, some imply that good works are a necessary or inevitable consequence of genuine faith. Under this scenario neither good works nor faith maintain a distinctive nature. Those who believe such a doctrine have a nagging question in the back of their mind, “Am I righteous enough yet?”

The next five words explain exactly how one receives the God—kind of righteousness that prepares him to spend eternity with God: Through faith in Jesus Christ (Romans 3:22a), is in sharp contrast to the law. [7]

The law opens a person’s eyes to his sinfulness and need for a Savior (Romans 3:20; Galatians 3:24); then it is by faith alone that a sinner takes refuge in Christ who at that time forgives. [8] When we say that God gives us righteousness through our faith, we mean that faith is an instrument to appropriate Christ’s work and merit. God bases our righteousness upon Christ’s death and resurrection.

The righteousness a man needs is totally outside of himself, not within himself, leaving him with the need to reach out of himself to receive the free gift God offers. What is the gift? A God—kind of righteousness. How do we reach out to receive it? Through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

It is like a man with a wheelbarrow moving between his gold mine and bank. The bank is not impressed with his wheelbarrow, but very impressed with his gold. So it is with the person who looks for spiritual wealth. Your wheelbarrow is your faith in Jesus Christ; it is fine for transporting gold, but not impressive or meritorious in itself. Your gold is imputed righteousness, received by the wheelbarrow of your faith. The heavenly bank will one day admit you—not because you have a wheelbarrow (faith)—but because you have gold, the gold of imputed righteousness.

Paul then adds that the bank, as it were, through which the believer receives the gold of imputed righteousness, [9] is Jesus Christ. This identifies the Object of saving faith. It is Christ alone. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Man is not saved by random or imprecise faith, but by specific faith—not merely faith in God, but by faith in Jesus Christ. [10] God grants forgiveness and eternal life to those who believe in Him. Imputed righteousness has never and will never come to those who attempt to do good works, or who without exception rest in good works along with their faith in Christ.

In effect, those who seek to be righteous through good works say, “We cannot manage with Christ alone, we must after the first act of faith in Christ add our good works to what He did at Calvary.” This is tantamount to saying Christ’s work on the Cross was deficient. Those who imply that good works are necessary for imputed righteousness either before, during, or after faith in Christ, terribly distort the gospel.

How do people receive a God—kind of righteousness? It is to all and on all who believe (Romans 3:22b). The righteousness of God is for everyone who believes—no exceptions (cp. 1:16). There is not a word here of good works inevitably following and serving as proof of the genuineness of one’s salvation! Nor is there a word indicating that good works of necessity flow from saving faith! What is said is that God gives righteousness to all and on all who believe, period. [11] The notion of belief alone is not new in Paul’s argument. Note how many times the terms believe and faith have occurred in Romans: (a) The tone setter: 1:16–17; and, (b) the essential passage: 3:22, 25–28, 30.

Calvin was not hesitant to lay great stress upon the doctrine of “justification by faith alone.” While he admits that the qualifying term [“alone”] is never employed specifically in the Bible, he insists that the concept or idea is implicit in such passages as Romans 4:2ff; 1:17; 3:21; Galatians 3:l0ff. The editor of the most recent English edition of the Institutes points out in a footnote how often in 3:17:7, 8, 10 the term “faith alone” is repeated …. Thus since faith alone is the means by which one receives justification and reconciliation to God, the merit of every work “falls to the ground.” Therefore, if justification by faith alone is a specifically Lutheran doctrine, we must put Calvin in the Lutheran rather than in the Reformed camp. [12]

Why man needs righteousness through faith

For there is no difference; for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:22c–23).

For (γάρ) explains why the offer of salvation is to all and on all who believe—it is because all need it! All are without merit in God’s eyes for there is no difference (Romans 3:22c) between the immoral, self-righteous, and religious person. A penitentiary may have murderers, rapists, embezzlers, and petty thieves. Though their crimes differ as to how heinous they were, they share one thing—all are lawbreakers. [13]

When flying in an airplane at 32,000 feet, every building looks to be the same height. In addition, if an airplane were to become a space ship and hover at 5000 feet, no one could jump up to it. Some would jump a few inches. Others would jump up a couple of feet. World-class athletes could jump up seven feet. However, there is no distinction in that none would reach the hovering spaceship. Regardless of whether one jumps inches or feet, all fall short of the mark.

The apostle goes on to elaborate saying for all have sinned (Romans 3:23a). For introduces an explanation as to why there is no difference between Jews and Gentiles, or between the immoral, self-righteous and religious. Why? Because all have sinned. The all continues the notion of universal sin that began in Romans 1:18 and that became especially prominent in 3:9–20.

However, what does Paul mean by all have sinned? Sinned is a Greek tense summarizing what he says about personal sin in 1:18–3:19. Why conclude that? Let us ask ourselves this: What kind of sin has Paul revealed? Note three aspects that Paul develops:

• For the immoral person there is sexual immorality, envy, pride, and untrustworthiness, to bring up a few sins from 1:29–31.
• For the self-righteous person: hypocrisy (2:1–16).
• Moreover, for the religious person: external display that is devoid of internal spiritual reality (2:17–29).

The preceding context refers to personal acts of sin. [14] Thus, personal sin is both the contextual issue and the evidence that man does not measure up to the righteousness of God. Consequently, the apostle concludes that all … fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23b), [15] where fall short denotes that everyone lacks or goes without [16] the glory of God. [17] Luther said the thrust is that “Men are altogether without any virtue in which they may glory [before God].” [18]

All men universally fall short of God’s glory. The aspect of God’s glory in view is the quality of divine righteousness, which all men lack, thus need imputed to their accounts. Thankfully, the Lord does not desire any one to remain in this fall short condition. Therefore, we have what follows.

How God justifies a person

This must be one of the most animating and hopeful statements in Scripture:

Being justified freely by His grace (Romans 3:24a).

Being justified looks at a series of points in history—each point speaking of those moments in time that one believes—modifying those who have sinned and fall short of God’s glory. This greatly encourages because it shows that God is not in the business of justifying good people, self-righteous, and religious people. He justifies bad people—sinners. The Lord justifies people who fall short of His glory, of His standards for righteousness!

Justified means to declare one righteous, not to make one righteous. It is like a judge who declares someone innocent. The judge does not make that person innocent, but simply declares him to be. [19] Note three usages:

• Deuteronomy 25:1. It is a principle in most Western courts of law, as in Moses’ code of law, that a sentence in any case must be in accordance with the facts presented. If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked (Deut. 25:1). No judge has the right to clear the guilty or to condemn the innocent; and if justice is to be served, the judgment by the judge must be in keeping with this principle. [20] Accordingly, a judge does not make a man righteous; he declares him to be so.
• Luke 7:29. Certain tax collectors are said to justify God. They did not make God righteous because He is eternally righteous. They justified Him in the sense they declared Him to be what He is.
• 1 Timothy 3:16. Here we see that Jesus Christ’s life justified Him in the sense that His perfect life declared Him what He always was. His perfect life did not make Him what He is, but gave evidence to what He is: the perfect Son of God.

Now those whom God justifies, He freely declares righteous, or innocent. Freely (δωρεάν) is a crucial word that denotes the method of one’s justification as a gift, without payment, or gratis. [21] The last invitation of the Bible says:

Come! Let him who thirsts come. And whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely (Revelation 22:17).

The most eloquent of the Old Testament prophets said:

Ho! Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price (Isaiah 55:1).

Imputed righteousness is free to us because it is by His grace, pointing to the origin of our justification. [22] Grace speaks of how God is for us, not against us, capturing in a word how the Lord does all the doing on our behalf. There is a memo on a bookmark that says:

Dear friend— 

I’m working on all of your problems. Please get out of the way. 

—God

The Lord does all the work! By action from the source of His matchless grace, He pronounces righteous all who believe—referring to their first act of faith alone in Christ alone. Moreover, He declares them righteous at the beginning of their entrance into God’s family. [23] The Lord does not wait until the end of our lives to see how we turn out, then pronounce us “not guilty.” In addition, if He declares us righteous up front, imputed righteousness has nothing to do with works that follow. How reassuring to know that God justified us freely through faith at the beginning of our spiritual pilgrimage, than to hope—without full assurance—that in the end our works will justify us, supposing they are the necessary and inevitable evidence of saving faith.

Other passages add to our understanding of grace and justification and do so without augmenting what man must do to receive the free gift of righteousness and eternal life.

An eternal result of justification

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

Therefore transitions us from Paul’s teaching in Romans 1:18–4:25 to the results of justification by faith alone in Christ alone. It serves as a door which, as we go through, we leave our past without justification and enter the believer’s present justified status before God.

Having been justified by faith (Romans 5:1 a) is the background to what follows. Our part is simply stated with two words: by faith. Faith is a non-meritorious act that reaches out to Jesus Christ who is infinite in merit before heaven’s tribunal. The verb justified looks at that event in the past when you believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. It was an event when God justified you en toto, not partially. He did a perfect job and does not require you to add anything. In other words, you can not do good works to improve upon God’s justification. That which He has done, He has done completely.

Having been justified also denotes that believers were the recipients of God’s justifying activity. We believed; God did all required to give us a righteous standing in the eyes of Heaven’s Court. Moreover, the verb justified, being a participle that here—in view of the eternality of what God has done for our justification—denotes contemporary action with the main verb, we have peace with God (Romans 5:1b). That is, being justified and establishing peace with God are coeternal realities in the plan of God, taking place the moment you believe on Jesus Christ.

Having been justified by faith, we have [24] peace with God. Peace with God is a result of justification by faith and is tantamount to being reconciled to God (cp. 5:10–11). This peace is not a subjective peace or a feeling of peace and contentment, [25] but the objective state of being at peace with God instead of at war with God. [26]

Indeed, the condition in which we found ourselves before the Lord justified us was not a happy one:

• God revealed His wrath against us (Romans 1:18).
• We treasured up wrath for the day of wrath (Romans 2:5; cp. 3:5–7).
• God had given us up to self-destruct (Romans 1:24, 26, 28).
• We were worthy of the second death (Romans 1:32).
• We were inexcusable (Romans 2:1).
• We were all under sin (Romans 3:9, 23; 5:8).
• We were guilty in the eyes of the divine courtroom (Romans 3:19).

These seven points make clear that we were enemies of God (5:10). There existed a state of hostility—not because God wanted it that way, but because man pursued his own rebellious way. Yet, God invites sinners—His enemies—to:

Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord, though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow (Isaiah 1:18). 

Come unto me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28).

Prior to the moment of justification, man was hostile toward God; but now, after justification, a truce is declared so that peace exists. God and believers are reconciled, no longer enemies. Where there had been war, there is now a state of peace, regardless of how one may feel!

At the very heart of God’s justification is love graciously poured out. He is the one true and personal God intimately concerned about us, so much so that he has numbered the hairs on our head. It is the very nature of God’s love to replace wrath with peace and hostility with friendship as a glorious exercise of perfect justice and unmerited favor toward man.

The personal nature of our peace with God comes out of the preposition with that includes the idea of contact. In addition, that peaceful contact with the Almighty is through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1b). Luther says, “That is, through our Mediator, and not through ourselves, we are justified by faith.” [27]

We possess justification because one perfectly qualified man stands between each person and God: The Man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5). No pastor, no evangelist, no saint, no virgin stands between a believer and peace with God. Jesus Christ alone holds that unique position. F. F. Bruce well says that:

Men and women who were formerly in a state of rebellion against [God] have now been reconciled to Him by the death of Christ. It was the purpose of God … to ‘reconcile all things unto himself’ by Christ, but pre-eminently to reconcile those who were formerly ‘alienated and enemies’ to Him at heart (Col. i.20–22). [28]

To have peace with God is a wonderful possession because it means to be no longer the object of divine wrath, but to be reconciled to the Lord.

Justification in the perspective of eternity

Whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:29–30).

Justification is part of God’s eternal plan that extends from eternity past to eternity future. To be justified “is that divine gift of a status of righteousness before God with which so much of the epistle has been concerned.” [29] What a basis for hope this is: Justified! Declared innocent or forgiven of all charges of wrong—doing forever. It does not get any better than that!

And whom He justified, these He also glorified (Romans 8:30). This is the climax for “those whom God did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son” (v. 29). [30] This is the decisive factor for genuine hope. What God has done for us not only included eternity past (foreknew and predestined) and time and history (called and justified), but also eternity future: glorification.

Glorified is a proleptic aorist tense denoting that a future event is certain, absolutely fixed and unchangeable. In fact, it is so certain that Paul pictures it as a present reality—which is especially true from the standpoint of God who is not subject to the limitations of time and space.

Christians live between the historical event of justification and future glorification. In the meantime—between our present experience and future certainty of glorification—we must continue to be more and more conformed to the way Christ thinks and acts. As Bruce points out:

the difference between sanctification and glory is one of degree only, not one of kind. Sanctification is progressive conformity to the image of Christ here and now (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18; Col. 3:10); glory is perfect conformity to the image of Christ there and then. Sanctification is glory begun; glory is sanctification completed. [31]

Our justification by grace through faith, in the perspective of eternity, adds to our assurance of future glorification.

An eternal result of justification

Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies (Romans 8:33).

Who or what kind of person? Paul uses courtroom terminology in this context, thus we may paraphrase this: “What sort of prosecuting attorney shall bring a charge?”

Bring a charge is a legal technical term meaning to accuse, to bring legal charges against. [32] The scene is the Supreme Court of heaven. Those pictured as on trial are believers, or God’s elect (Romans 8:28–29), that is to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28b). The elect are people who have become a part of God’s eternal plan and purpose through faith alone in Christ alone. To bring a charge against an elect person is to put him on trial and to seek a verdict of guilty against him. It is impossible to succeed at this in Heaven’s Court.

Now who is the prosecuting attorney in the divine courtroom? It is Satan (Job 1:6–12; 2:1–7; 1 Kings 22:19–23; Zechariah 3:1–2). Revelation 12:10 shows Satan, the accuser of’ the brethren, functioning in heaven’s tribunal in this capacity.

Yet who, including the devil himself, may bring a successful charge against God’s elect when it is God who justifies (Romans 8:33b)? The Greek places God first in the clause, stressing who He is and then what He does: justifies. It is God Himself who justifies, who declares that we stand acquitted.

It is the Lord who has foreknown, predestined, called, justified, and even glorified us as believers (Romans 8:29–30). It is God who has a purpose and plan that is sovereign over men and angels that graciously includes the believer’s justification. Accordingly, every Christian in God’s courtroom stands justified despite whatever legal charges the devil may bring before the Judge. There are no legitimate grounds upon which Satan can make an accusation stick.

Christ died and rose again for any and every sin a Christian commits. The moment a person believes that Jesus Christ died for his sins, he receives an absolutely free gift. He is eternally justified; God imputes the perfect righteousness of Christ to his account.

The New English Bible translates, It is God who pronounces acquittal (Romans 8:33). That is good as far as it goes. Nevertheless, justification involves more than a pronouncement of innocence. It includes imputed righteousness. God credits to our accounts perfect righteousness, thereby pronouncing believers to be acquitted and forever made right in His eyes.

On the one hand, God does a negative thing: He takes away our sin. On the other hand, He does a positive thing: He adds righteousness to our accounts in the bookkeeping system of heaven. Thus, every accusation Satan brings against us in court, the Lord throws out. Satan’s prosecuting efforts are futile. He has not won even one case against God’s elect and never will.

If God, who is the greatest, justifies us, then no one in or out of this world can usurp His declaration that we are justified. The lesser cannot topple the judgments and sentences of the greater. In the same way a Federal court cannot topple a decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Regardless of what Satan accuses us of before God, our eternal standing is secure in the Supreme Court of creation (Revelation 12). No one can turn our status of declared innocence upside down, because no one is greater than God.

No one can undo what God has done, not even God Himself, because He is immutable. No heavenly or earthly prosecutor can overthrow God’s justification.

Conclusion

A God—kind of righteousness is the righteousness God imputes to the account of every believer. It is as though the Lord deposited an unearned sum into the believer’s bank account. The righteousness, which God credits to this account, leaves the believer forever justified before the court of heaven.

God’s justification of the believer has nothing to do with the believer keeping rules, the law, or doing good works, but has everything to do with the believer’s non-meritorious faith in God’s most gracious provision, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Being justified by grace through faith alone is to be declared righteous in the divine courtroom. Justification is the not guilty verdict the Supreme Judge freely gives to every one who believes.

Moreover, since God justifies the believer, his justification stands forever. No man can neutralize his justification; the devil cannot nullify his justification. God Himself cannot reverse His once-for-all sentence that through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone the believer is forever declared innocent!

—End—

Notes

1. This article is scheduled to be included in a Festschrift to Dr. Art Farstad, published by the Grace Evangelical Society, editor Dr. Bob Wilkin.
2. Quotations are from The New King James Bible unless otherwise indicated.
3. C. E. B. Cranfield, “The Epistle to the Romans,” The International Critical Commentary [Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1990], 1:201 Cranfield argues that the temporal force of Νυνὶ,( nuni) maintained against its logical force. But now marks the “contrast between the impossibility of justification by works, on the one hand, and on the other hand, the fact that in the recent past a decisive event has taken place, by which a justification which is God’s Gree gift … now is [revealed].”
4. “Righteousness” here denotes, as in 1:17, “a status of righteousness before God which is God’s gift” (Cranfield, Romans, 1:201).
5. Walter Bauer, F. Wilbur Gingrich, and Frederick W. Danker [BAGD], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature [Logos 2.1e CD-ROM] (Chicago: University of Chicago Press), 1979. See discussion of lexical options.
6. δὲ “introduces a closer definition” (Cranfield, Romans, 1:203).
7. This sharp distinction between faith and good works is consistent with Paul’s ministry in Antioch of Pisidia. The apostle preached that by (Christ) everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the laws of Moses (Acts 13:14, 39).
8. “Through justification we acquire the very righteousness of God, which is credited to us on the basis of faith alone (Ro 3:21, 22). Through regeneration we acquire the very life of God, which is imparted to us likewise on the basis of faith alone. Therefore, in a moment of time we obtain both perfect acceptance before the bar of God’s justice as well as full membership in His family” (Zane C. Hodges, Absolutely Free! [Dallas, TX: Redención Viva, 1989; Grand Rapids: Academie Books, 1989]), 64.
9. Bruce identifies ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ as an objective genitive (F. F. Bruce, Romans, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1963], 102).
10. Chester McCalley, Romans (Kansas City: Word of Life Publications, n.d.), 69.
11. Though the apostle could not be clearer, some modern Reformed writers turn upside down Paul’s statement regarding faith apart from works. For example, “Jesus is the only Savior from this judgment and hell, and He gives righteousness to the one who will confess his sins, turn away from all his sins to Jesus, and cast himself solely on the mercy of Jesus (Rom. 3:21–4:11)” (Curtis Crenshaw, Lordship Salvation: The Only Kind there Is [Memphis: Footstool Publications, 1994], 51–52). Imputed righteousness, he supposes, comes not to him who believes in Christ alone, but only to him who believes and confesses and turns from all (not some, or most) of his sin.
12. W. Stanford Reid, “Justification by Faith according to John Calvin,” Westminister Theological Journal, vol. 42, (Spring 1980), 296
13. McCalley, Romans, 71.
14. Bruce Romans, 102, says that “The two words (pantes hemarton) are identical with those at the end of Romans v. 12, but whereas there the context suggests that the reference is to the participation of all in ‘man’s first disobedience’, here we have rather a statement of the fact that all men, as individuals, have sinned.”
15. BAGD.
16. BAGD.
17. Cranfield says the reference is to that share in the divine glory man possessed before he fell away from his true relationship to God and which will be restored in the eschatological future. Even believers lack this glory in its ultimate sense, not to be had until the resurrection (Cranfield, Romans, 1:204).
18. Martin Luther, Commentary on Romans, translated by J. Theodore Mueller (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1976), 77.
19. Curtis Crenshaw, Lordship Salvation: The Only Kind There Is, on page 88, states: “once the sinner is declared righteous, then God begins to make him righteous by sanctification, by making him like the Lord Jesus in his moral character. One either has both justification and sanctification or neither.” Crenshaw holds that God makes the believer progressively and inevitably or automatically righteous (89–90). To introduce the notion that God automatically makes believers righteous goes beyond the biblical evidence, opening the door for such theological aberrations as (a) sinless perfection, (b) the absence of carnality even in the face of overwhelming biblical evidence (e.g., 1 Cor. 3:1–4), or (c) the playing down, if not disregard, of Christian responsibility. His position make a mockery of every imperative mood addressed to believers in the epistles.
20. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1965), 102.
21. BAGD.
22. Cranfield, Romans, 1:2–6.
23. Comments suggested by Bruce, Romans, 102–103.
24. The textual debate over whether ἔχομεν is indicative or subjunctive is decided in favor of the indicative, though external evidence favors the subjunctive, because of the strong internal/contextual flow.
25. Luther, Commentary on Romans, 89, takes “peace” in a subjective sense saying, “This peace consists properly in an appeased conscience and in confidence in God, just as conversely the lack of peace means spiritual anxiety, a disturbed conscience and mistrust over against God.”
26. Cranfield, Romans, 1:258.
27. Luther, Commentary on Romans, 89.
28. Bruce, Romans, 119.
29. Cranfield, Romans, 1:433
30. Luther, Commentary on Romans, 133.
31. Bruce, Romans, 178.
32. BAGD.