Some time ago we noticed a statement of a certain bishop in a large Protestant Church, declaring that “not Justification, but the Divinity of Christ, is the great fundamental doctrine that conditions the standing or falling of a church.”  At first sight this seems plausible.  But when we come to reflect, we cannot but see that the true doctrine concerning the Person of Christ is not only implied, but embraced in the doctrine of Justification by Faith.  A man might be sound on the Divinity of Christ, and yet not know aright the Way of Salvation.  But a man cannot be sound on Justification without being sound, not only on the Person of Christ, but also on His work and the Way of Salvation through Him.

So much has been written and preached in our Church on this subject, that it is not necessary for us to enter upon a full discussion here.  We will endeavor, therefore, merely in outline, to call attention to a few of its most prominent and practical features.

We inquire briefly into its meaning and nature.  Justification is an act of God, by which He accounts or adjudges a person righteous in His sight.  It is not a change in the person’s nature, but it is a change in his standing in the sight of God.  Before justification he stands in the sight of God, guilty and condemned.  Through justification, he stands before God free from guilt and condemnation; he is acquitted, released, regarded and treated as if he had never been guilty or condemned.  The justified person stands in the sight of God, as if he really had never committed a sin and were perfectly innocent.  Thus it is clear that justification treats of and has regard to the sinner’s relation to God.  It has nothing to do with his change of nature.  It is of the utmost importance that this be kept constantly in mind.  It is by applying justification to the change in the sinner’s nature that so many become confused, and fall into grievous and dangerous errors.

The original source, or moving cause of justification, is God’s love.  Had God not “loved the world” there would have been no divine planning or counseling for man’s justification.  Truly it required a divine mind to originate a scheme by which God “could be just and yet justify the ungodly.”  All the wisdom of the world could never have answered the question:  “How can mortal man be just with God?”

Man stood, in the sight of God, as a rebel against His divine authority, a transgressor of divine law, guilty, condemned, and wholly unable to justify himself, or to answer for one in a thousand offences.  God had given His word that, because of guilt, there must be punishment and suffering.  This word was given before sin was committed, and was repeated a thousand times afterwards.  There must then be obedience to an infinite law, or infinite punishment for transgression.  How could this gulf be bridged, and man saved?