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“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” (Romans 8.31-33; emphasis mine, jb).

The word “just” and its cousins (justify and justification) are not uncommon words in everyday usage. We talk about justifying margins on our word processor, or we speak of “justifiable homicide,” or we might say regarding an irrational act, “His actions were simply without justification!” This illustrates the common use of the word, each usage having a connection to the root meaning of the word, i.e. “right.” Things that are right are just and vice versa. Just means right.

The word most frequently translated just in the New Testament is also rendered right in at least 6 passages (cf. Matthew 20.4,7; Luke 12.57; Acts 4.19; & 2 Peter 1.13). Perhaps one of the better known passages is this: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” (Ephesians 6.1; emphasis mine, jb). Extending this thinking a bit, to justify means to declare right; in a similar manner, justification is the process of declaring someone or some action to be right. With these basic principles in view, to say that it is God who justifies is simply to say that it is God who declares things and/or people to be right. The balance of our study today will revolve around this fact.

Hitler declared the killing of certain ethnic groups to be right. Modern-day terrorists declare that the intentional killing of innocent women and children is right. Mass-murderers declare their deeds to be right under certain circumstances such as the infamous son of Sam in claiming that he did not want to kill, but he had to “honor thy father.” In point of fact, anyone can declare anything to be right! Unfortunately, given time and circumstance, almost every imaginable crime and heinous deed has been declared by someone at some time to be right. This sets the stage for a reality of life; it is God (and we might add, God alone) who declares things to be right!

That is the force of Paul’s argument in our focus text. God is the ultimate source of all declarations of right and wrong. I may have a clear conscience about a thing, thousands upon thousands of counselors may declare a thing to be right, the entire world might follow a particular point of view, BUT at the end of the day, it is God and God alone who determines (declares) a thing to be right. My view counts only as my view; yours counts only as your view – and both of us may be wrong. The western world in the recent past had an absolute standard of right and wrong (i.e. the Bible, or God’s word), however, that kind of “black and white thinking” has gone the way of the 8 track tape player – it has been replaced by things much more modern and forward thinking!

Sadly, the genesis of much of this thinking has been in the churches of the west. Many of them have no standard except that of popular opinion, or personal preferences. Some lament the idea that God was expelled from the schoolroom in the 60’s; I lament the ironic and unconscionable fact that many churches have withdrawn fellowship from God by declaring His word null and void!

Questions:

1. In the book of judges, the writer states at least twice that every man did that which was right on his own eyes. What is the problem with such guidelines for life?

2. Why does God get to decide what is right or wrong? Are His judgments ever wrong?

3. If I desire to be right/just, what fundamental fact must I realize about God?

4. If I do everything in my life correctly except for one sin, can I be legitimately justified (declared right)? If yes, can I do it myself? Can you do it? Can a priest do it? Then who?

"The Way" from Kevin Pauley

A World of One