The
believer’s eternal security is guaranteed by their
justification.By Jack Kettler
A
comprehensive exploration of the doctrine and its
profound implications is not
only beneficial but crucial to fully comprehend the
assertion in this study's
title. It's not uncommon to encounter those whose
understanding of
justification is lacking. For instance, some may
interpret justification as
“just as if I never did it.” While this
interpretation holds truth, it only
scratches the surface of the profound riches of
Christ’s grace in justification.
To
start, scratching the surface:
Justification
is
an act of God's free grace. It's not about infusing
righteousness into us,
but rather God pardoning our sins and accepting us
as righteous because of
Christ’s work. Moreover, it's not for anything we've
done or will do but for
Christ's sake alone. This is an improvement on the
above simplistic view.
Explaining
the
doctrine of justification:
The
phrase “Simul Justus Et Peccator” is a Latin
expression commonly
associated with Reformed theology, particularly in
the context of the
Protestant Reformation. It translates to
“simultaneously justified and sinner”
in English. This concept captures a key aspect of a
Reformed understanding of
the Christian's state before God and what it means
to be justified.
The
English word justification comes from the Latin word
justificare. Luther
saw in Scripture that being justified involved the
believer being made
righteous by Christ’s righteousness, not our own.
Hence, it is called justitia
alienum, a foreign or alien righteousness, a
righteousness that belongs to
someone else, namely, Christ. Christ’s righteousness
is credited to us through
the instrumentality of faith, which is a gracious
gift as seen in Ephesians 2:8.
In
Reformed theology, “Simul Justus Et Peccator”
emphasizes a paradoxical
tension in a believer's life. It acknowledges that,
through faith in Christ, a
person is justified before God and declared
righteous on account of Christ's
atonement for their sins. Justification is seen as
an act of God's grace, not
based on human merit but on the imputed
righteousness of Christ. Moreover, this
justification is a one-time event. This will become
clear as the study unfolds.
However,
at
the same time, believers continue to grapple with
their sinfulness. The
phrase underscores the ongoing reality of human
sinfulness and the struggle
against sin that Christians experience throughout
their lives. Despite being
justified in the sight of God, believers still
contend with the effects of sin
in their daily lives.
In
summary, “Simul Justus Et Peccator”
encapsulates the Reformed
theological understanding that believers are both
justified before God through
faith in Christ and, at the same time, continue to
struggle with sin as they
await the full realization of their redemption. It
reflects the tension between
the already accomplished justification and the
ongoing process of
sanctification in the Christian life.
Scriptural
proof
for the phrase “Simul Justus Et Peccator:”
The
phrase “Simul Justus Et Peccator” is not
explicitly found in the Bible
but is a theological concept derived from biblical
teachings. The idea behind
the phrase is rooted in various passages that
highlight the tension between
justification and the ongoing reality of sin in a
believer's life.
Common
Bible
verses that are often referenced in support of
this concept:
1.Romans
3:23-24:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of
God; Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus.”
Romans
3:23-24
emphasizes the universal reality of sin but also
points to
justification through God's grace in Christ.
2.Romans
7:14-25:
“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am
carnal, sold under sin. For
that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that
do I not; but what I hate,
that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I
consent unto the law that it
is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but
sin that dwelleth in me. For
I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no
good thing: for to will is
present with me; but how to perform that which is
good I find not. For the good
that I would I do not: but the evil which I would
not, that I do. Now if I do
that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but
sin that dwelleth in me. I
find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is
present with me. For I
delight in the law of God after the inward man: But
I see another law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing me into captivity to
the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched
man that I am! who shall
deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God
through Jesus Christ our
Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law
of God; but with the flesh
the law of sin.”
In
Romans
7:14-25, the Apostle Paul describes his ongoing
struggle with sin while
acknowledging his deliverance through Jesus Christ.
3.Philippians
3:12-14:
“Not as though I had already attained, either were
already perfect:
but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which also I am
apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not
myself to have apprehended:
but this one thing I do, forgetting those things
which are behind, and reaching
forth unto those things which are before, I press
toward the mark for the prize
of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus..”
Paul
in Philippians 3:12-14 acknowledges that he is not
yet perfect but continues to
press on toward Christ, indicating an ongoing
process.
4.1
John 1:8-10:
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive
ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just
to forgive us our sins, and
to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say
that we have not sinned, we
make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
This
passage from 1 John 1:8-10 underscores the need for
ongoing confession of sin
and the assurance of forgiveness through Christ.
Justification
is
a Forensic Declaration:
The
Protestant doctrine of Justification is forensic
because it involves God
declaring sinners righteous based on Christ's
righteousness rather than their
own merit or works. This declaration is a legal,
judicial act of God, not a
process of making the sinner righteous over time,
such as the infused
righteousness scheme, which confuses justification
and sanctification.
Scriptural
support
for a forensic declaration includes:
1.Romans
3:21 -
24: “But now apart from the law, the righteousness
of God has been made known,
to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This
righteousness is given through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is
no difference between Jew
and Gentile, for all have sinned and fall short of
the glory of God, and all
are justified freely by his grace through the
redemption that came by Christ
Jesus.”
2.Romans
4:2-8 – “If,
in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had
something to boast about—but
not before God. What does Scripture say? 'Abraham
believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness.' Now to the one
who works, wages are not
credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to
the one who does not work
but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their
faith is credited as
righteousness. David says the same thing when he
speaks of the blessedness of
the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from
works: 'Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered.'”
3.Romans
5:1 – “Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have
peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ.”
4.Galatians
2:15
- 16: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful
Gentiles know that a person is
not justified by the works of the law but by faith
in Jesus Christ. So we, too,
have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be
justified by faith in Christ
and not by the works of the law, because by the
works of the law no one will be
justified.”
5.Ephesians
2:8-9
– “For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith—and this is not from
yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so
that no one can boast.”
These
passages show that justification is a declaration of
God based on faith in
Christ, not on the sinner's own works or merit. This
declaration is a one-time
event; to maintain otherwise opens the door to
complete nonsense and
contradictions.
An
important further clarification:
Justification
is
a free act of God. What sins are considered when
someone receives this
declaration of justification? Are only past sins up
until the present
considered when the recipient is declared just, or
are all of a person’s past,
present, and future sins considered?
According
to
Reformed theology, when someone receives the
declaration of justification,
all of their sins are considered—past, present, and
future. This is often
referred to as the “full, free, and irrevocable”
nature of justification.
Reformed
theologians
emphasized that justification is not a process such
as
sanctification but a one-time declaration by God
based on Christ's finished
work on the cross. This means that when a person is
justified, all of their
sins—past, present, and future—are forgiven and
covered by Christ's
righteousness. At this point, the diligent student
can see that justification
and the believer’s security are inseparable.
Security follows from
justification.
This
understanding is rooted in passages like Romans 8:1,
which states, “There is
therefore now no condemnation for those who are in
Christ Jesus.” Reformed
theologians interpret this to mean that once a
person is in Christ, they are
forever free from condemnation, regardless of their
future sins.
To
review,
Reformed theology teaches that when a person
receives the declaration of
justification, all of their sins—past, present, and
future—are forgiven and
covered by Christ's righteousness, which guarantees
their eternal security.
The
Reformed doctrine of eternal security, often
referred to as the “perseverance
of the saints,” holds that once a person is truly
saved, they cannot lose their
salvation. This doctrine is based on several key
points:
1.God's
Sovereignty:
Reformed theology emphasizes God's sovereignty in
salvation. If
God has chosen someone for salvation, He is believed
to ensure their
perseverance until the end.
2.The
Power of
Christ's Death: The doctrine of eternal security is
closely tied to the belief
that Christ's death is fully atoned for the sins of
those who believe in Him.
Since Christ's sacrifice is considered sufficient
and complete, it would be
inconsistent for a believer to lose their salvation.
3.The
Seal of the
Holy Spirit: The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit
indwells believers and acts
as a seal, guaranteeing their inheritance in Christ.
This is seen as proof that
a believer cannot lose their salvation, as the
Spirit's presence is a permanent
mark of God's ownership.
4.The
Nature of
Faith: In Reformed theology, faith is not seen as
something that can be lost or
abandoned by the believer but rather as a gift from
God that is preserved by
Him.
5.The
Promises of
Scripture: The doctrine of eternal security is
supported by various Bible
passages that promise the believer's security. For
example, John 10:28-29
states that no one can snatch believers out of the
Father's hand.
In
summary, the Reformed doctrine of eternal security
holds that once a person is
truly saved, they are eternally secure in Christ,
and their salvation cannot be
lost. This is based on the belief in God's
sovereignty, the power of Christ's
death, the sealing of the Holy Spirit, the nature of
faith, and the promises of
Scripture.
Justification
from
the Westminster Confession of Faith Chapter 11:
“I.
Those whom God effectually
calls, He also freely justifies; not by infusing
righteousness into them, but
by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and
accepting their persons as
righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done
by them, but for Christ's
sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of
believing, or any other
evangelical obedience to them, as their
righteousness; but by imputing the
obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they
receiving and resting on
Him and His righteousness by faith; which faith they
have not of themselves, it
is the gift of God.
II.
Faith, thus receiving and
resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the
alone instrument of
justification: yet is it not alone in the person
justified, but is ever
accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no
dead faith, but works by
love.
III.
Christ, by His obedience and
death, did fully discharge the debt of all those
that are thus justified, and
did make a proper, real and full satisfaction to His
Father's justice in their
behalf. Yet, in as much as He was given by the
Father for them; and His
obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead;
and both, freely, not for
anything in them; their justification is only of
free grace; that both the
exact justice, and rich grace of God might be
glorified in the justification of
sinners.
IV.
God did, from all eternity,
decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in
the fullness of time, die
for their sins, and rise again for their
justification: nevertheless, they are
not justified, until the Holy Spirit does, in due
time, actually apply Christ
unto them.
V.
God does continue to forgive the
sins of those that are justified; and although they
can never fall from the
state of justification,yet they may, by
their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure,
and not have the light of
His countenance restored unto them, until they
humble themselves, confess their
sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and
repentance.
VI.
The justification of believers
under the Old Testament was, in all these respects,
one and the same with the
justification of believers under the New Testament.”
The
Westminster Confession of Faith, a foundational
document for many Protestant
denominations, affirms the eternal security of
believers in the following
statement:
“They,
whom God hath accepted in His
Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by His
Spirit, can neither totally
nor finally fall away from the state of grace: but
shall certainly persevere
therein to the end, and be eternally saved.” This
quotation is found in the
chapter “Of the Perseverance of the Saints,”
specifically in section 1.
The
Confession
teaches that believers who have been chosen by God,
called by Him, and
sanctified by the Holy Spirit will not ultimately
fall away from their faith
but will continue in their spiritual journey and be
saved eternally.
The
Golden Chain of Salvation:
The
“Golden
Chain of Salvation” in Romans 8:29-30 refers to a
sequence of five actions of
God in the process of salvation:
1.Foreknowledge
(Romans
8:29)
2.Predestination
(Romans
8:29)
3.Calling
(Romans
8:30)
4.Justification
(Romans
8:30)
5.Glorification
(Romans
8:30)
These
verses in the King James Version read as follows:
“For
whom he did foreknow, he also
did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his
Son, that he might be the
firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8:29)
“Moreover
whom he did predestinate,
them he also called: and whom he called, them he
also justified: and whom he
justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 8:30)
In
Review:
In
theological terms, the doctrine of justification
refers to the act by which God
declares a sinner righteous through faith in Jesus
Christ. It is a legal or
forensic term, meaning that God declares the sinner
to be not guilty and
righteous, not because of any righteousness of their
own, but because of the
righteousness of Christ imputed to them.
The
significance of justification being a past-tense
event lies in its finality and
completeness. When a person places their faith in
Jesus Christ, they are
immediately and fully justified. This means they are forgiven of all their sins - past, present, and
future - and declared righteous in God's sight.
This justification is not a
process that happens over time but a once-for-all
event.
This
doctrine is important because it emphasizes God's grace in salvation. It is not something that we can
earn or work towards, but a free gift that is
given to us by God's grace alone.
It also provides assurance of salvation, as it is
not based on our own
performance or worthiness but on the finished work
of Christ on the cross.
In
summary, the
fact that
the believer’s justification is a past-tense event
underscores the completeness
and finality of God's forgiveness and
righteousness in the believer's life and
the assurance of salvation that comes from God's
grace alone.
Romans
chapter
8, verses 29 and 30. As you know, these verses are
what we're calling
“God's golden chain of salvation,” and there are
five links in this golden
chain of salvation. It begins in eternity past in
verse 29. It extends into
time and then into eternity's future in verse 30.
In
closing, true justification guarantees the eternal
security of believers,
logically stated:
Premise
1:
True justification is a forensic declaration by God
that a person
is righteous based on their faith in Christ.
Premise
2:
God's declarations are true and cannot be revoked or
contradicted.
Premise
3:
A person who is truly justified has been declared
righteous by God
and has been given eternal life.
Conclusion:
Therefore, true justification guarantees the eternal
security of believers, as
God's declaration of their righteousness cannot be
revoked, and they have been
given eternal life.
Justification
and
the believer’s eternal security are inseparably linked. If you have been justified, you
will be glorified!
The
above study was Groked and perfected with Grammarly
AI.
“Study
to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that
needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)
Mr.
Kettler is a respected author who has previously
published articles in the Chalcedon Report and Contra
Mundum. He and his wife, Marea, are active
Westminster, CO, RPCNA Church
members. Mr. Kettler's extensive work includes 18
books defending the Reformed
Faith, which are available for order online at
Amazon.