Roman
Catholics, since the Reformation have stated that the idea of justification by
faith alone is a “legal fiction”. And
taken by itself, they are right.
Absolutely right. The Bible
teaches, without apology, that God justifies sinners, simply based on faith –
on belief. “for all have
sinned and . . . are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 3:23–24, ESV). It is no secret that evangelical Christians (Protestants
in general) have embraced this truth with confidence and fervor. Justification (the legal declaration that a
person is free from any condemnation or guilt) is given freely to those who
embrace faith in Jesus Christ.
To that assertion, Rome calls it a “fiction”. It is a fanciful, fantasy. Why?
Because simply saying that a sinner is just, doesn’t make a sinner
really just. There is no intrinsic (inner) transformation. The soul of the sinner, they argue, is still
sinful – still corrupt – still unclean. On that information alone, Rome is
right: It is merely extrinsic (outside). Just the simple fact of God, divinely declaring a sinner as being righteous
does not affect the inner person.
But that is also where they are wrong!
Note again this classic text: “But now the righteousness
of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the
Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This
was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had
passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time,
so that he might be just and the justifier of
the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:21–26, ESV) [Emphasis is
mine]
Clearly a sinner is declared righteous without faith in
Jesus. Now here is where Rome (and
Arminians in general) fail in their assumption.
They deny or at least are unaware of the necessary precondition for a
sinner to exercise faith. Notice the
following texts:
1. 1 John 5:1 (ESV), “Everyone who
believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who
loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” John affirms that a person who believes “has
been” (past tense) “born of God”. He
affirms that the precondition to anyone believing is the “New Birth”.
2. John 1:12–13 (ESV), “12
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to
become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of
the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” The result of
those who “were born of God” (past tense) is to receive Christ – to believe on his
name.
3. Ephesians 2:1–5 (ESV), “1
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins . . . 4 But God, being
rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even
when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by
grace you have been saved . . ..” The
initial, definitive, act in saving grace is to be “made alive”. Before God extrinsically declares a sinner justified, he by grace alone, makes
that sinner intrinsically new.
Where Rome errs is not in the judgment that justification
does not inwardly make a sinner new.
Rome errs because they fail to understand that before anyone can
exercise faith in Christ that must experience the New Birth. Spiritual dead people cannot believe. But people who have, by sovereign grace,
experienced the New Birth, will believe, and will therefore be justified. God effects both an intrinsic and extrinsic transformation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is
a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2
Corinthians 5:17, ESV).
