New Testament Survey Pauline Epistles Week 7

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New Testament Survey Pauline EpistlesWeek 7

• Romans 1 8
• Justification

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Romans

• Justification by Faith alone in Christ Alone

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Romans

• Author
• Romans 11 clearly states that the writer is Paul
• Tertius was probably Pauls scribe (amanuensis)
• Purpose
• To meet the needs of the immediate readers.
• To clarify the fundamental Christian principle of
  righteousness as contrasted with the Jewish
  approach
• To clarify the problem of Israels failure and
  her relationship to the universal Christian
  Church.

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External Evidence

• Patristic Writers
• Ignatius
• Polycarp
• Justin Martyr
• Irenaeus
• Muratorian fragment
• Marcion

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• Date of Writing
• Probably written from Corinth sometime between 57
  - 58 AD.
• This was at the end of Pauls 3rd Missionary
  Journey
• This letter preceded Pauls visit to Rome (Rom.
  1525-28)
• Occasion and Purpose of Writing
• Announces his impending visit to Rome
• To clarify the relationship of Judaism to
  Christianity (Rom. 116, 9-11)

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The Book of RomansIts Characteristics

• Theological Depth
• Redemptive Themes
• Total Depravity
• Justification by Faith
• Original Sin
• Unconditional Election
• Perseverance of the Saints
• Work of Christ
• Sanctification by the Holy Spirit
• Vocabulary
• Sin, wrath, death, Law, righteousness, justify,
  reckon, faith, believe, life, hope, body, flesh,
  spirit, gospel, salvation, circumcision, Jew, etc.

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• Use of Old Testament Scriptures
• Law
• Rom. 212-16 327-31 520-21 and 71-84
• Sin
• Rom. 118-25 323, 25
• Faith
• Rom. 116-17 321ff 51ff
• Value
• Raises issues relevant today
• Vast amount of material on Christian life
• Fills in where other letters lack
• Sin, Work of Christ, The State, Antinomianism

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Romans Outline

• 11-839 Revelation of the Righteousness of God
• A. 11-320 Condemnation Need for Gods
  Righteousness
• B. 321-521 Justification Inspiration
  of Gods Righteousness
• C. 61-839 Sanctification Demonstration
  of Gods Righteousness
• II. 91-1136 Vindication of the Righteousness
  of God
• A. 91-929 Israels Past Election
• B. 930-1021 Israels Present Rejection
• C. 111-1136 Israels Future
  Restoration
• III. 121-1627 Application of the
  Righteousness of God
• A. 121-1314 Christian Duties
• B. 141-1627 Christian Liberties

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The Work of Christ JustificationNotes from Ladd

• Importance of the Doctrine of Justification
• Justification is Eschatological
• Justification is Forensic
• The Ground for Justification
• The Means of Justification
• Justification and Subsequent Sins
• Imputation

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Importance of theDoctrine of Justification

• Justification is being declared righteous
• Justification is not being made righteous
• Righteousness involves conformity to a norm
• Righteousness involves a relationship
• The relationship in question is that of God Man
• 2 Cor. 99 Paul uses righteousness as an
  ethical quality, but does so in reference to God
  proper.
• If righteousness is not ethical (through mans
  behavior), then, it is forensic (through Gods
  formal legal argument to declare man right.

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Justification is Eschatological

• The verdict (of mans righteousness or
  unrighteousness) will be rendered only at final
  judgment. Matt. 1236-37
• Paul shares this Gospel perspective. Gal. 55
• Pauls view of this is opposed to Judaism
• Paul intimates that future eschatological
  justification has already taken place
• Romans 51, 59, and I Cor. 611
• The Age to Come has reached back into the
  present to bring soteric blessings to human
  beings. Ladd

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Pauls Eschatology isChrists Eschatology

• Kingdom of future is present now
• Eternal life of future may be lived now
• Ultimate resurrection is preceded by a
  resurrection to newness of life now
• Spiritual blessings of the future are realized as
  spiritual blessings, even now
• The final judgment has essentially become a
  present experience with a promise of future
  fulfillment

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Justification is Forensic

• Forensic formal legal argumentation
• One is righteous whom the judge declares so
• Judges acquit the innocent, condemn the guilty
• God is pictured as a judge of human beings
• Psalms 94, 335, and Jeremiah 1120
• Forensic means that God is conceived as the
  ruler, lawgiver, and judge and justification is
  the declaration of the judge that a person is
  righteous. Ladd

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Opposition to Forensic Justification

• Sanday and Headlam
• Person accounted righteous, in fact still ungodly
• Implies that ethical righteousness is not passed
• Vincent Taylor
• Through Christ man gains a righteous mind
• Suggests that ethical righteousness is passed
• Norman Snaith
• Justification has no link to righteousness or
  salvation
• Probably looking at ethical righteousness not
  forensic

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The Ground of Justification

• The Ground of justification is not obedience to
  the Law
• Rom 320 inability to achieve perfect obedience
• Rom. 77-12 true intent of the Law (conviction)
• The Ground of justification is not
• Mans works
• Mans faith
• Not the work of Christ in us (subjectively)
• The Ground of justification is
• The death of Christ (Rom. 59)
• What Christ has done for us (objectively)

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Christs Death Gods Love

• Christs Death
• Was not merited by Him (He was sinless)
• Was a voluntary forensic experience
• Gods righteousness would remain valid, even if
  He condemned each sinner to death
• By Gods grace, mercy and love shown through the
  death of Christ, God vindicates sinners and
  delivers them from doom.

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The Means of Justification

• Faith is the means by which justification becomes
  effective for the individual.
• Justification is a gift bestowed to be received
  by faith (Rom. 324-25)
• Faith is the way to accept this work of God in
  Christ.
• Rom. 328 Man is justified by faith, not works
• It means the relinquishing of any effort to
  justify oneself and a complete reliance on the
  work of God in ones behalf. Ladd

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Justification and Subsequent Sins

• There is an appearance that there is sin before
  and after justification. Not so . . The solution
  the eschatological character of Justification.
• Remember the eschatological character of
  justification
• Justification does not occur at belief
• Justification is the final judgment that is in
  Christ a future fulfillment and a present
  reality.
• So believers are justified from all guilt
  before the time of belief and after.

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I m p u t a t i o n

• Imputation of righteousness is never expressly
  stated in Scripture.
• Rom. 43 Faith was reckoned as righteousness
• Some take this to mean faith is a meritorious
  achievement. Not so.
• Righteousness is reckoned entirely apart from
  human merit.
• 2 Cor. 521 In Him we might become the
  righteousness of God. (Forensic, not ethical)

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