#93. Romans 3:24 – A Word Study, Part 1 (Justification Series, Part XVI)

Being justified gratuitously in His grace…

Paul’s Message

Oh – right.

A few chapters ago, I referenced the concept of “exhaustion,” or, more specifically, “Investigative Exhaustion.” When a detective (or team) wants to pursue a greater form of action – such as prosecution, in a court of law – they must run through every available lead, piece of physical evidence, and/or any witness testimony before deciding they have enough evidence to move forward. If you’ve ever seen the show The Wire, you will find that the show abridges this concept for its first four episodes in regards to a wiretap, saying, “Exhaustion is a legal requirement for using electronic intercepts. We have to prove that nothing else works.”

This is exactly how the Old and New Testament function! God is not bugging your phone, but the vast majority of the text uses Israel as an example, to show exhaustion. Nothing else works!

Repentance, a change of mind, has not led to a change of disposition or a change of action. Sin still rules in such a case (see: literally anyone who has ever ‘repented,’ in or out of scripture.) Baptism, a dip in the pool, has not removed sin’s rule. And, most notably, forgiveness and pardon has not removed sin’s rule. God demonstrates these points repeatedly in the text, and, when viewed in this way, much of the Hebrew scriptures especially are understood properly.

A Word Study

Since all other options are exhausted, Paul’s message of justification becomes the only plausible route in which God can bless both the Jew and the Greek, using His power to save everyone (Rom. 1:16.) He uses belief to impart a measure of His righteousness, to exonerate the sinner on an individual basis. It is not that their sins are right, but that, when God’s perspective and directive are known, it is seen that their sins are productive in serving His end goal of justifying life (Rom. 5:18,) teaching the Israelites and bringing about their intended blessings (Rom. 11:11-15,) and much, much more (1 Cor. 15:22-28, Col. 1:15-20, Eph. 1-3.)

This doctrine is not taught by any other individual in the Bible. It is unique to Paul, the foremost of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15,) who was severed into this message first (Rom. 1:1, 3.) To show this, we will conduct a brief word study of every occurrence of the word “justify” outside of Paul’s letters, to show how it is employed apart from the nations’ apostle.

The verb ‘justify’ is dikaioo. It means to “acquit,” or “vindicate.” The CLV defines it, “to constitute righteous.” It appears 39 times in the New Testament – 27 of which are used by Paul. This is notable, since Paul comprises a little over 20% of the New Testament. This is to say around 80% of the New Testament mentions the word on 12 disparate occasions. This staggering statistic shows conclusively the wide distinction between Paul’s “uncircumcision” message in contrast to Peter’s “circumcision” message, and justifies God’s distinctions between the two (Rom. 15:8-9, 16, Gal. 2:2, 7-9, as well as the doctrinal differences.)

Whereas Matthew uses aphiemi 47 times, he mentions justification only twice. The first is in Matt. 11:19, Jesus speaking–

“Now to what shall I be likening this generation? Like is it to little boys and girls sitting in the markets, who, shouting to the others, are saying, ‘We flute to you and you do not dance! We wail and you do not grieve!’ For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they are saying, ‘A demon has he!’ The Son of Mankind came eating and drinking, and they are saying, ‘Lo! a man gluttonous and a tippler, a tribute collectors’ and sinners’ friend!’ And justified was Wisdom by her acts.”

The first justification in the New Testament is for wisdom, personified. I will have much to say on a word study concerning “wisdom,” especially in 1 Corinthians, where the topic is first truly breached by Paul. For now, you may conduct a word study on “wisdom,” sophia, and find that the word is best defined as “discerning” knowledge that you are given – that you may both understand the knowledge given, and apply it properly.

The passage itself draws a comparison to John’s ministry and Jesus’ ministry. It is not that these two opposed each other, but that the Jews, who had oft-searched for their promised Messiah, did not know whether John or Jesus were their Messiah ben Joseph (the Messiah who would suffer.)

Jesus spends plenty of other passages affirming that He is both their Messiah ben Joseph and their Messiah ben David (the Messiah Who would be glorified,) and that these “two” were really the same “one.” Thus, this was not His point in the above passage. He was pointing out, rather, that it did not matter who the Messiah truly was for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees to be exposed. In either case, the Pharisees had a cockamamie reason by which they would dismiss the merits of scriptural truth.

It is the wisdom of God to display the different ministries so closely together, then (Mal. 3:1,) that He may expose the stubbornness of Israel. This justifies Wisdom in her acts, for the relative purpose of both ministries is thus revealed. The faithful student of scripture can therefore compare and contrast the two, gain this understanding, and apply the insight into Israel’s true attitude in all four accounts, and even Acts, moving forward.

Yet by tracing the word “justification,” we can further see that this is a great thematic allusion to the necessity for Paul’s message. The stubbornness of Israel was incurable, and could not be pardoned in expectation that they would willfully change. The discernment of God is justified because this was the very demonstration needed – this pretensive aversion to God – to show that a pardon would never succeed, and that the greater doctrine of justification is necessary for creation’s maturity.

Our next passage concerns Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, Matt. 12:37–

“Progeny of vipers! How can you be speaking what is good, being wicked? For out of the superabundance of the heart the mouth is speaking. The good man out of his good treasure is extracting good things; and the wicked man out of his wicked treasure is extracting wicked things. Now I am saying to you that, for every idle declaration which men shall be speaking, they shall be rendering an account concerning it in the day of judging. For by your words shall you be justified, and by your words shall you be convicted.”

Some have pointed at this passage to show that man can be justified in some manner other than faith. Yet keep in mind that this passage is not a treatise on justification, but a treatise on judgment, and how the relative action of justification, as in a judicial courtroom, will be carried out at God’s throne.

This is a critical distinction. The word “justify” means, simply, to be “constituted just.” The application and context of the word is what differentiates its use. Since faith is not in view, neither is Paul’s teaching. Instead, we see an extremely relative use of justification, in regards to daily moral conduct – which concerns the millennial kingdom greatly. In the appraisal of their daily actions, they will be acquitted in regards to some actions, and yet convicted in regards to other actions. These will vary on a case by case basis. Yet, when all the details are sorted out, Paul’s conclusion in Rom. 2:1-3:20 will still be found – that none have truly self-justified, where convictions are inevitably passed.

Aside from Matthew, only Luke uses the word “justify.” Luke points at the term slightly more often, with five passages for us to look at. First is Luke 7:29–

“For verily I am saying to you, A greater prophet, among those born of women, than John the baptist, there is not one. Yet the smaller, in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” And hearing, the entire people, even the tribute collectors, justify God, being baptized with the baptism of John.

This passage offers a different perspective of the proclamation Jesus had made before diving into the distinction between John’s ministry and His own, back in Matthew. Here, it is noted that the entire people justify God. Luke’s writings, then, begin with a justification of God first – a telling statement, seeing as this same writer gives a biographical account of Paul in Acts.

The Pharisees were Jesus’ primary example of those who deemed it fit to justify themselves. We will see this a few times in the following passages from Luke (these examples are never in short supply.) Paul, too, will confront this problem directly (Rom. 10:2-4.) Yet those among Israel who did not have a death wish had the common sense to justify God, and did so by being baptized by John. This, like repentance, would not save them, but served a physical illustration of their acknowledgement of their own sinfulness.

Here next is that famous passage, Luke 10:29–

And lo! a certain lawyer rose, putting [Jesus] on trial, and saying, “Teacher, by doing what should I enjoy the allotment of life eonian?”

Now He said to him, “What is written in the law? How are you reading?”

Now he, answering, said, “You shall be loving the Lord your God out of your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole strength, and with your whole comprehension, and ‘your associate as yourself.’”

Now He said to him, “Correctly have you answered. This be doing and you shall be living.”

Yet he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my associate?”

Jesus then proceeds to give the parable of the good Samaritan – a good man of the nations, distinctly not an Israelite – as an example, not only of the lawyers’ associate, being his national neighbor, but as an example of the poor “self-justifying” practice of the Levites. They believed that they would be acquitted because of their religious rites, while in truth this self-justification would only condemn them (Rom. 2:1, 13, 3:10, 20, Gal. 3:10, Deut. 27:26.)

Our next example of “justified” appears at the doorway to yet another famous passage, Luke 16:15–

Now the Pharisees also, inherently fond of money, heard all these things, and they scouted Him. And He said to them, “You are those who are justifying yourselves in the sight of men, yet God knows your hearts, for what is high among men is an abomination in the sight of God.”

For the sake of time, I will briefly summarize what is discussed in more detail in this article on hell, and its follow-up. Luke 15-16 spans a five-fold parable, complete with its own structure. Each illustration relates to each other, expanding upon Jesus’ criticism of the tax collectors and the pharisees, while emphasizing the underlying faith which they lacked. The above citation is wedged between the fourth and fifth illustrations – that of the unjust administrator (Lu. 16:1-8,) and that of Lazarus and the rich man (Lu. 16:19-31.)

Both of these illustrations criticize some aspect of the Pharisees’ actions. The unjust stewards represent corrupt Israelite traditions (Matt. 23:23, Mark 7:1-13, Luke 11:39, etc.) Just as the unjust stewards discounted their lord’s claims so that they could gain wealth for themselves apart from him, so also the pharisees discounted the law’s righteous claims so that they could establish their own righteousness apart from God (Rom. 10:2-4.) And what’s even worse is witnessing that the unjust steward is commended by the unjust lord! This correlation between the pharisees and a false lord is not an unfamiliar one. Jesus spent plenty of time during His ministry highlighting that the pharisees’ father is not God, but Satan (John 8:15-55.)

Thus the illustration concludes with a reference to that same thematic undertone which Luke brings – those who self-justify are condemning themselves. The fourth illustration begins with the affirmation that the unjust administrator shall be removed from office (Lu. 16:2.) This is why “Jesus was scouted.” He was saying that those inherently fond of money, believing in the unjust mammon (deifying their own wealth,) would have to be removed from their office of “mediator” between man and God. Of course, when the temple curtain is rent at Jesus’ passing, this statement was fulfilled.

We have one more passage from Luke to consider – one more parable, toward 18:14–

Now He said, also, to some who have confidence in themselves that they are just, and are scorning the rest, this parable:

“Two men went up into the sanctuary to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tribute collector. The Pharisee, standing, prayed this to himself: ‘God, I am thanking you that I am not even as the rest of men, rapacious, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tribute collector. I am fasting twice of a sabbath. I am taking tithes from all whatever I am acquiring.’

Now the tribute collector, standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, ‘God, make a propitiatory shelter for me, the sinner!’

I am saying to you, this man descended to his home justified, rather than that one, for everyone who is exalting himself shall be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.”

Here is the concluding parable Luke shares regarding the self-justifying nature of the pious. They exempt themselves from the reality that they are sinners, without basis, which ironically makes them worse than those they were indicting. The tribute collector, in contrast, could come to terms with his sin, and knew better than to attempt to place themselves on equal footing with God, apart from any action or express declaration of God. They understand the need for a propitiatory shelter – the very phrase Paul uses to describe the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24, 26.)

This is a foreshadowing, in a small type, of the justification which the sinner now has. Since, at the time in which Jesus spoke, Paul’s message of justification had not yet been revealed, it was clear that “justification” was not to be given on the basis of Jesus Christ’s faith and death, but here is a relative distinction, based on each individual action, is made. Justification of one action in the circumcision message could never breach a justification of every action. For example, when a cop shoots someone, and the court justifies that action, deeming it right under the circumstances, it does not give the cop a justification for every subsequent shooting. When a man does what is right, it may be said of him, in this respect, that he is a righteous man (Luke 18:14.)

- GerudoKing