Research Paper: Justification by Faith in the Book of Romans, BIBL 425

This research paper provides a detailed theological and exegetical analysis of the concept of justification by faith as presented in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans. It begins by defining justification and exploring its significance within Christian doctrine, emphasizing the role of faith in achieving r...Read More

Running head: THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Theology and Religious Studies
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Introduction
The exegetical analysis of the Biblical concepts has long been developed by the experts
of theology. They have already developed their beliefs and values in their writings that are
important for the overall presentation of the Biblical interpretations. This paper will look to
analyze on the justification of faith by the Romans in the Biblical versions because the concept
of faith occupies a broader space in the Christian doctrines.1 The messages of Lord Jesus Christ
have shown the importance of the faith in the Christian doctrines.
The means of this faith and the ways of justifying it properly will be displayed as the
most interesting factor in this context. God will salvage the sins of all people on earth through
Lord Jesus Christ’s sacrifice but all the people in the society should possess the faith in Him. The
process of obtaining the justification will be discussed in this paper along with their fruits these
processes might yield.2 The basis of justification of faith is quite complicated as depicted through
the apostle Paul’s letters.
Definition
In the beginning of this section, it must be mentioned that the people will be justified by
faith and they will achieve the peace they have always thrived for. This has come to be one of the
most crucial doctrines in the theological perspective in the recent years. This is one of those
doctrines that will create a different impact from that of other belief systems in the Biblical
1 Owen, John. The doctrine of justification by faith. Lulu. com, 2016.
2 Edwards, Jonathan. Justification by faith alone. Puritan Publications, 2014.

2THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Christianity. Biblical Christianity is the only sect where people have been saved by the grace of
God as they kept their faith on Him. The concept of justification by faith can be shown in various
Biblical stories.3 The meaning of the word justified is to treat people in a righteous manner as
they have done something good. Through the work of justification, all the sins of the human
beings would be forgiven and God will put all senses of righteousness within the human beings.
In Bible, there are several chapters or passages where justification can be gained through the act
of faith like Romans 5:1 and Galatians 3:24.
The believers of Biblical Christianity have shown that justification will be gained by
people through their own works only. All the people in this world are basically covered by the
righteousness of Jesus Christ. The crucifixion of Jesus and His Resurrection has freed all the
devoted Christians from their sins. According to the Christian believers, it must be said that God
has already completed the work of Justification as a part of faith.
The opposite idea of this justification is sanctification. This is the process of growth in an
ongoing manner. Through this process, believers of Christ will gradually become Christ like
only. They will be saved from all the sins. This view has been expressed in the Corinthians. The
process of sanctification will come after the success of justification. After the salvation from
sins, all devoted and faithful Christians will get the eternal life. This will definitely cater to his
spiritual growth as well.
It has been propagated by most Christian scholars that the concept of justification should
be understood by every people having faith on Christianity. The reasons for this are also very
3 Saarinen, Risto. "Justification by Faith." In The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. OUP Oxford, 2014.

3THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
effective also. The knowledge of justification is the only thing that will encourage people to
commit good works in their lives. When people will achieve sanctification through justification,
they will ensure their spiritual growth in the proper manner also. The act of justification has
already been committed by Jesus Christ.
Therefore, it means that all devoted Christians will achieve salvation in their lives. As per
the will of God, believers of faith have the opportunity to gain the eternity in their lives by this
righteousness. Theological scholars have opined justification is the only means through which a
person could get into heaven.4 The justification of faith comes from the acts of Christ as He has
completed all the works on our behalf. So, Jesus Christ has already helped the human beings to
possess an eternal life by all means.
Basis
There are several religious customs and methods through which justification is achieved.
The complicated theological beliefs are crucial to be understood in this perspective. The works
of human individuals will be ranked as disqualified by the God for salvation. Sometimes, several
religious doctrines are taught to the human beings on the basis of salvation. These doctrines are
evaluated in the name of the Gospel. Some of these Gospels are not at all true to their worth at
all. Heaven can be achieved by the individuals when they will understand the true meaning and
pure essence of God by all means.
However, it should always be kept in the mind that no deeds and rituals will ever be able
to make the human beings similar to the Jesus Christ. The faith of the human beings will make
4 Saarinen, Risto. "Justification by Faith." In The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology. OUP Oxford, 2014.

4THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
them able to achieve the grace of Christ. Otherwise, it is an insurmountable task to be equal with
Christ in terms of righteousness. All the holiness among humans has been credited to Jesus
Christ by His Father, god Himself. This is the reason why both Old and New Testaments opine
“The just shall live by faith” (Romans 1:17).5
It was the act of God when He destroyed all types of negativity from the lives of human
beings and freed them from the cowardice. It reveals the strong nature of man that has been
attributed to him in the recent years. God even sacrificed His son through the pains of
crucifixion. Therefore, God is benevolent enough to grant salvation for all human individuals.
Sometimes it is very hard to understand the truth of God as the basis for salvation. There are
several benefits in having justification by faith by all the human individuals. The union of all
three elements of Holy Trinity will result in the justification by faith. There are no doubts that all
human beings have sinned and Christ will arrange for their salvation freely. This salvation
should be done through the blood of Christ in the Holy Grail.
Means
The justification of faith has been described by critics in a number of ways. The
commonly held belief states the fact that Jesus Christ had to sacrifice4e His life so He could
salvage all the sins human individuals had committed. He had been ‘delivered up’ to the face of
death as per the messages of the Bible. The act of committing sin is a kind of trespassing that
5 Fredriksen, Paula. "Paul's Letter to the Romans, the Ten Commandments, and Pagan" Justification by Faith": For
Alan Segal ז״ ל." Journal of Biblical Literature 133, no. 4 (2014): 801-808.

5THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
can be forgiven by God and Christ only. Only Christ has the power and authority to let humans
get rid of all those sins.
According to some Gospels, Jesus was raised so He could deliver the justification among
the human beings. As far as the Paul’s letters are concerned, the term justification can be found
fifty eight times there. It has been used ninety two times in the New Testament in the noun form
of ‘justification’.6 On the other hand this word has also been used as a verb ‘justify’. This verb
form has appeared in the New Testament around thirty nine times whereas it can be found twenty
seven times in the letters of Paul.
In the words of some critics, it is claimed that the noun form ‘justification’ is the outcome
of being ‘justified’ and it is a long standing legal aspect. When it is said that a person is justified,
it does not prove his innocence. Rather, it only asserts that all his faults and guilt have been
forgiven that he actually deserved. The system of justice depends on Christ and how He will
judge the righteousness of a person across the world.7
A person will attain justification only when that person has been freed of all his sins
during his lifetime. According to this belief, every person is justified from his birth only. It is
because Christ has already sacrificed his life centuries ago that has enabled people to get rid of
their sins completely.8 There are some divisions and classifications between the Orthodox,
6 McClenahan, Michael. Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Faith. Routledge, 2016.
7 Toon, Peter. Justification and sanctification. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018.
8 Schreiner, Thomas R. Faith Alone---The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught... and Why It Still
Matters. Zondervan Academic, 2015.

6THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Catholic and Methodist group of Christians. Still, they all believe in the fact that they can be
justified if Christ salvages all their sins.
Time factors
There is a constant war between the theological masters about categorizing justification
either as an act or a process. After a lot of research studies, it has been taken into account that
justification is a process and an act at the same time. Most critics have supported this opinion
also. Some of them following the Reformed tradition of Protestant Christianity are of the opinion
that the justification is an act i.e. irreversible. This act is associated with the righteousness of
Jesus Christ.9
It is often argued that human beings have declared God to be the epitome of
righteousness. In fact, the declaration of human individuals will never make this so. God is
already the ultimate righteous being in the world. It must always be considered that there is a
vast difference between the declaration of God and human beings.
The basic difference lies in the fact that God is able to create something when he speaks
something. On the contrary, human beings can never create something once he says something.
This process is not all instant. It takes time and gets finalized in a gradual manner. God sees all
latent qualities in human beings through good works and bad works committed by him. Finally
he salvages their sins.10
9 Jüngel, Eberhard. Justification. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.
10 McCormack, Bruce. "Can We Still Speak of ‘Justification by Faith’? An In-House Debate with Apocalyptic
Readings of Paul." Galatians and Christian Theology: Justification, the Gospel, and Ethics in Paul’s Letter (2014):

7THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
The kind of righteousness that God possesses is completely alien to the righteousness of
the human beings. Therefore, it is quite significant that justification is both an act and a process.
Through the process of justification, human beings will get rid of all the sins they have
committed throughout their lives.11 Many believers of Christian faith believe that declaration of
righteousness will make them pure by mind. People who reject the God’s law will be taken care
by the Holy Cross.
The works of God will act as the penalty for the sins they have committed. The act of
justification will always be harmonious with the laws of God. If human beings obey the laws of
God, they will definitely grow with sanctification. In the letters of Paul, he has admitted that he
was a sinner and it was needed for him to get rid of his sins under the umbrella of justification.
Then only he could achieve the sanctification and be obedient to the laws of God.12
Results/ fruits
The results of justification are very crucial for the understanding of the believers of faith.
It should be remembered by each and every human being that all the actions of human beings
will have severe consequences. However, the consequences of actions depend on probabilities.
159-84.
11 Peters, Ted. "The Spirituality of Justification." Dialog 53, no. 1 (2014): 58-68.
12 Faith, Old Doctrine Of Justification By. "The Justice Of God A Fresh Look At The Old Doctrine Of Justification
By Faith."

8THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
In the realms of spirituality, the condition is very similar. In Romans (5:1), it has been mentioned
in Paul’s letters: “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, ... 13
This suggests from the letters of Paul that human beings are already declared as righteous
by all means. People are always justified their Christian faith and their sins have been exhausted
by the sacrifice of Jesus through crucifixion.14 Paul also writes to the believers of faith in
Christianity about redemption of human beings by God through the following line "those in
Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints." (Romans 1:7). As a result of the Christian
faith, people will be entirely justified in this scenario.
Therefore, the risks of attaining damnation will slowly be reduced to a great extent. The
justification can be attained by the God’s grace.15 This is the process of how Abraham and David
were justified. According to Paul in his letters, it can be found that there are certain cases where
the act of believing in God will result in being justified.16
Paul mentions this to be the most fundamental process for the salvation. The grace and
faith in God and Christ will work for the salvation of sins from all the people following
13 McGrath, Alister E. "Luther’s Doctrine of Justification." Evangel 7.
14 Marquart, Kurt. "The Reformation Roots of'Objective Justification.'." A Lively Legacy: Essays in Honor of Robert
Preus.
15 Davis, Richard. Vindication of the Doctrine of Justification & Union before Faith. Lulu. com, 2017.
16 Bates, Matthew W. Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of Jesus the King.
Baker Academic, 2017.

9THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
Christianity. Ithas again been said by Paul in his letters that "To the one who ... believes in him
who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness." (Romans 4:5). The act and
process of justification will bring peace with God for all the human beings.
Assurance
In the final section of paper, the concept of assurance of justification will be discussed. It
is a grave matter of concern to assure all human beings about the justification. The assurance is
made through the activities of God that human beings will be salvaged of their sins and they will
go to the Heaven after death17. These factors of salvation among the human beings would clearly
depend upon the doctrines of salvation.
A human will be assured of justification if he has faith on Christ for his lifetime. He
might be a sinner but his sins will be forgiven by Christ if he confesses them. Thus the act of
justification will be helpful for all human beings. The process of sanctification will follow
justification when the sinful desires of human beings will slowly weaken and thought of grace
will be increased.18 Then only the concerned sinful person will be granted the grace of God and
become a person with a sanctified identity. The obedience to the God will be the only means
through which the actions of the human beings will be judged thoroughly.19
17 Nullens, Patrick. "Luther and Bonhoeffer on the social ethical meaning of justification by faith
alone." International Review of Economics 66, no. 3 (2019): 277-291.
18 Muraoka, Takamitsu. "Justification by Faith." Biblica 99, no. 2 (2018): 281-284.
19 Zahl, Simeon. "Revisiting ‘the nature of Protestantism’: justification by faith five hundred years on." New
Blackfriars 99, no. 1080 (2018): 129-146

10THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
From this perspective, it is indeed very important to show the human beings that they
should have been penalized for their sinful activities but they are given mercy instead of that.
This will lead more people to believe in the grace of God since God only save the human beings
from the eternal damnation.20 Spiritual masters have often addressed the presumptions on the
assurance of faith and grace.
Justification will only be granted when the promise of assurance is not false. There might
be several false assurances like this but people should not lose their belief and faith in the Lord
Jesus Christ because He is the only ray of hope for all human individuals towards justification
and sanctification.21 The engagement with religious services and prayers will always help to get
the assurance from God in every manner. The blessings of God and Jesus Christ could only be
achieved by the human beings when they show the utmost faith in Christ and they get justified
for their actions as a reward.
Conclusion
In the concluding part of the paper, it should be mentioned that justification and
sanctification are the two most integral parts of faith. The ultimate faith in God and Christ will
lead to the justification. Most critics have highlighted justification as a process and faith.
Therefore, it will be a privilege for everyone to be blessed by God and achieve the justification.
Human beings should always look to address the sinful activities in their lives and God will grant
20 Jankiewicz, Darius, and Joel Klimkewicz. "Predestination and Justification by Faith: Was Luther a Calvinist?."
(2017): 42.
21 Strobel, Kyle. "Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Faith. By Michael McClenahan." (2014): 343-345.

11THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
them justification. All these processes of justification have already been discussed by Paul in his
letters. Human beings would look to be justified for their actions and faith on Christ will salvage
their sins in a gradual manner.

12THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
References
Bates, Matthew W. Salvation by Allegiance Alone: Rethinking Faith, Works, and the Gospel of
Jesus the King. Baker Academic, 2017.
Davis, Richard. Vindication of the Doctrine of Justification & Union before Faith. Lulu. com,
2017.
Edwards, Jonathan. Justification by faith alone. Puritan Publications, 2014.
Faith, Old Doctrine Of Justification By. "The Justice Of God A Fresh Look At The Old Doctrine
Of Justification By Faith."
Fredriksen, Paula. "Paul's Letter to the Romans, the Ten Commandments, and Pagan"
Justification by Faith": For Alan Segal ז״ ל." Journal of Biblical Literature 133, no. 4 (2014):
801-808.
Jankiewicz, Darius, and Joel Klimkewicz. "Predestination and Justification by Faith: Was Luther
a Calvinist?." (2017): 42.
Jüngel, Eberhard. Justification. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2014.
Marquart, Kurt. "The Reformation Roots of'Objective Justification.'." A Lively Legacy: Essays in
Honor of Robert Preus.
McClenahan, Michael. Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Faith. Routledge, 2016.
McCormack, Bruce. "Can We Still Speak of ‘Justification by Faith’? An In-House Debate with
Apocalyptic Readings of Paul." Galatians and Christian Theology: Justification, the Gospel, and
Ethics in Paul’s Letter (2014): 159-84.

13THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS STUDIES
McGrath, Alister E. "Luther’s Doctrine of Justification." Evangel 7.
Muraoka, Takamitsu. "Justification by Faith." Biblica 99, no. 2 (2018): 281-284.
Nullens, Patrick. "Luther and Bonhoeffer on the social ethical meaning of justification by faith
alone." International Review of Economics 66, no. 3 (2019): 277-291.
Owen, John. The doctrine of justification by faith. Lulu. com, 2016.
Peters, Ted. "The Spirituality of Justification." Dialog 53, no. 1 (2014): 58-68.
Saarinen, Risto. "Justification by Faith." In The Oxford handbook of Martin Luther's theology.
OUP Oxford, 2014.
Schreiner, Thomas R. Faith Alone---The Doctrine of Justification: What the Reformers Taught...
and Why It Still Matters. Zondervan Academic, 2015.
Strobel, Kyle. "Jonathan Edwards and Justification by Faith. By Michael McClenahan." (2014):
343-345.
Toon, Peter. Justification and sanctification. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2018.
Zahl, Simeon. "Revisiting ‘the nature of Protestantism’: justification by faith five hundred years
on." New Blackfriars 99, no. 1080 (2018): 129-146.