In | Justification: An Introduction

The central concept of justification in Romans developed into one of the more complex and contested doctrines in Christian tradition. Over time this doctrine developed well beyond the scope of Paul’s original concept. In some traditions, the language of justification became the primary way of describing our salvation in Christ. While it was an important concept for Paul, it was not an isolated or even primary way of talking about our new life in Christ in his letters.

For this reason, Dr. Alister McGrath reminds us that “the concept of justification and the doctrine of justification must be carefully distinguished”: 

Quoted from: Alister E. McGrath, Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification, 1998, p. 2.

The doctrine of justification—as a theological tradition—has become a description of the inner workings of God’s saving work in Jesus, often incorporating Pauline ideas and speech patterns. But the concept of justification that we find in Paul is not really a description of the means of salvation. When Paul uses this language, he’s not trying to describe exactly how we are saved. He’s proclaiming that we are saved.

In other words, Paul isn’t explaining our salvation so much as he is insisting on it. Justification in Paul is our situation in Christ, more than it is the process by which this situation has come to be. Paul insists on our justification in Christ, much like he insists on our participation in Christ, though justification is a less common theme. 

While Paul’s use of justification language may not be systematic or complete enough for a tidy summary, we can say with certainty that it should be understood in the context of a relationship. As we’ll hear throughout these letters, we’re justified “before God” (Galatians 3:11), “in Christ” (Galatians 2:16) and “by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). The driving message behind Paul’s use of this term is that we are restored in Christ to a renewed and elevated encounter with God.

As we explore this theme of reconciliation in Paul, we need to keep a couple of things in mind: 1) While we are already justified, there is justification yet to come. This concept is included in Paul’s conception of the “already” and “not yet” that we’ve seen in other places. 2) We’re not passive recipients of justification, but rather members of Christ’s body who actively participate in it. God doesn’t “do justification to us”; He invites us into our justification as covenantal partners, just like He did with Abraham.