Article - How Are We Justified by Works

How Are We Justified by Works?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. – James 2:21-24

The Bible speaks of Abraham being justified by his works. How can this be true when the Bible teaches that we are eternally saved by the grace of God? Could it be that the Bible speaks of other justifications besides eternal? It is my intent to explore the uses of the word justified in the New Testament and discover exactly how it is that there we are justified by our works.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines justification as the remission of sin and absolution from guilt and punishment, or an act of free grace by which God pardons the sinner and accepts him as righteous, on account of the atonement of Christ. This is indeed the case in Jesus Christ laying down his life on the cross for the sins of his people. The Apostle Paul writes of this in Romans 5:9. “Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” We are saved from eternal damnation because of Jesus’ precious blood. It is just as if I’d never sinned because of his work of salvation. Thus we observe one important aspect of justification from the Bible.

We also experience justification in our own consciences. In Romans 5:1 Paul writes, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I believe this to be referencing justification in our own minds. Christians have a peace which passes all understanding when they are able to comprehend the work that Jesus accomplished on the cross. In the verses that follow Paul writes of rejoicing in hope, having patience and experience. This is a confidence in the Lord that resonates in the conscience of those who embrace the teachings of Jesus Christ. When we believe that Christ is who he says he is we enjoy a peace that compares to nothing in this world.

Finally, we observe that the Bible teaches justification in the sight of other people. This is how Abraham was justified by his works. In our opening verses James takes us back to the time when God instructed Abraham to offer his son Isaac upon the altar (Genesis 22). Although God’s request did not make sense to Abraham, he was faithful to obey all that God had commanded him to do on that occasion. Hebrews 11 provides some insight into what Abraham was thinking on this occasion. In verse 19 we read that Abraham’s faith was so strong that he knew that even if he sacrificed his son, God was able to raise him again. Abraham’s obedience was a tremendous example of showing faith by works. It was an example to those that knew Abraham thousands of years ago and it continues to be heralded as a pattern of faithfulness today. Abraham is justified in the sight of others because he showed his faith by his works. It is my prayer that we would follow his pattern and show the love and truth of Jesus Christ through our unwavering obedience in the word of God. When we do this, we are living testaments of a living faith and God is glorified!

Michael Green, Jr. is pastor of Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church (www.palmchapel.org) in Crestview, FL. Palm Chapel meets every Sunday at 10:30am and Wednesday at 6:00pm. Pastor Green can be contacted at (850) 689-3383 or by email at pastormichael@palmchapel.org. Pastor Green warmly invites you to come and worship at Palm Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.