The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1908, Page 19

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"The Lutheran Pioneer.

19

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Justification Before God.

(A paper read before Immanuel Lutheran Conference, and
published by its request.)

II.
God justifies us without works, for Tis own sake.
; 2

People generally do not like to hear that man
can do nothing to move God to count him righteous;
but you will readily admit, if it is the truth, it
ought to be brought out plainly and often for the
-very reason that men naturally think otherwise.
If we read the Bible carefully, we find that the
Spirit does not tire of telling us that we cannot be
declared just because of our works. St. Paul states
three times in one verse that we are not justified by
the works of the Law. Speaking to St. Peter, he
says: “IXnowing that a man is not justified by the
works of the Law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ,
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might
be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the
works of the Law: for by the works of the Law
shall no flesh be justified,” Gal. 2, 16.

Some persons might try to get round the plain
teaching of Scripture by laying hold of the expres-
sion, “the works of the Law,” and claiming that
this phrase denotes mere external works. Not by
outward obedience, they will argue, can you be justi-
fied, for God “looketh on the heart.” If, however,
your obedience comes from the heart, God will con-
sider it and count you righteous. Now, while God
does condemn those who outwardly appear righteous
unto men, but within are full of hypocrisy and
iniquity, this does not prove that we are able to
obtain justification before God by spiritual observ-
ance of the Law. And St. Paul, in declaring it
impossible for man to be justified by the works of
the Law, cannot mean to say: You cannot be justi-
fied by mere outward conformity to the Law, but
you can be justified by obeying it in your heart or
spirit. He says Rom. 3, 20: “Therefore by the
deeds of the Law there shall no flesh be justified in
His sight: for by the Law is the knowledge of sin.”
Why does St. Paul teach justification without the
works of the Law? Because “by the Law is, the
knowledge of sin.” If you truly know the Law and
apply it to yourself, you behold yourself a sinner.
And by the Law you get just this knowledge, that
the thoughts and imaginations of your heart and
mind condemn you. St. Paul evidently thinks thus:
The Law proves every man a sinner, and for this
reason no man can be justified by the deeds of the

Law. Would it not be foolish to explain “the deeds
of the Law” as being outward obedience to the Law
and thereby make St. Paul’s argument run thus:
The Law proves every man a sinner, and therefore
you are justified, not by external works, but by in-
ward obedience to the Law? Must we not rather
take “the works of the Law” to denote all that the
Law demands, also inward obedience, and under-
stand St. Paul as teaching that we cannot be justi-
fied by keeping the Law because the Law reveals
our sins?

Furthermore, if you want to make “the works
of the Law” mean the external observance, what
will you do with the words “without the deeds of
the Law”? Will you say that outward obedience is
not necessary; if you but inwardly obey, outwardly
you may do as you please? You will, perhaps, ask,
What do you make of it? If you claim that “the
deeds of the Law” designate all that the Law de-
mands, must you not say then, that God does not
look for any obedience to His Law in us when He
justifies us? Yes, and that St. Paul means to say
just this, we see from his using the phrase “without
the Law” in Rom. 3, 21, where he speaks of “the
righteousness of, God without the Law,” which, ac-
cording to the context, must mean that we are
justified without the Law. He also says: “No man
is justified by the Law,” Gal. 3, 11. Therefore we
are not justified by the Law at all, neither by mere
external works, nor by spiritual obedience to the
Law, but without the Law, in .that God does not
deal with us according to the Law when He justi-
fies us. ,

Nor can we get round this teaching of Scrip-
ture by claiming that when the Bible speaks of
justification without the Law, it is not speaking of
the moral law, but is treating of the Jewish law, of
circumcision, ete. It is true that St. Paul also
speaks of the Jewish law, as is clearly seen in the
Epistle to the Galatians. This does not prove, how-~
ever, that he is not also thinking of the moral law;
on the contrary, he includes the moral law. He
says Gal. 3, 21: “If there had been a law given
which could have given life, verily, righteousness
should have been by the Law.” That passage cer-
tainly takes in the Ten Commandments, the moral
law, and declares that by them we cannot get
righteousness and life. Furthermore, St. Paul
teaches that Abraham was not justified by works,
Rom. 4. He does not say, “works of the Law,” but
simply, “by works.” Again, according to the same
chapter, David describes the blessedness of the man