Justification

[Hanseng]

Central to Luther's Reformation message was the doctrine of justification by faith.  The teaching is also known as justification by imputed righteousness. The word impute is translated by other words such as reckon, count, conclude. The idea is that God considers us or thinks of us as righteous because of our faith in Christ. Works are not a factor in God's considering us righteous. It is based solely upon our faith. That's why we sometimes hear the expression justification by faith alone. Genesis 15:6 is the foundation of this teaching. "Abraham believed the Lord and it was counted to him as righteousness." Abraham lived prior to Moses. There was no legal system to which he was obligated to comply. He was counted righteous prior to circumcision. The Roman papacy took issue with Luther over this issue, arguing that people must prepare themselves for justification by loving God; consequently, justification was not by faith alone. E.J. Waggoner dwelt more upon the idea of imparted righteousness instead of imputed righteousness. He considered justification in the sense of actually being made righteous, not just being thought of as righteous.

Commandment keeping didn't factor into Luther's thinking on justification. He emphasized living a Spirit filled life, guided by the Holy Spirit. Luther's thinking on justification is probably best understood by reading his Galatians commentary, especially on chapter 3. In his comments on chapters 1-4 of Galatians, he uses the word abrogate/ed around 40 times to describe the place of the law, including Decalogue, ceremonies, and social, i.e, all laws. We are not however, to use our freedom from law as a license to indulge our flesh. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live in a more Christlike way. Laws only show us how we fail to do that.

[Joe Knapp]

It is my understanding that EGW believed Justification was a process that we went through. An experience. 

[Hanseng]

On 2/14/2026 at 8:44 AM, Joe Knapp said:

It is my understanding that EGW believed Justification was a process that we went through. An experience. 

Joe, Have you got any statements to illustrate that?

[Joe Knapp]

Quote

But while God can be just, and yet justify the sinner through the merits of Christ, no man can cover his soul with the garments of Christ’s righteousness while practicing known sins, or neglecting known duties. God requires the entire surrender of the heart, before justification can take place; and in order for man to retain justification, there must be continual obedience, through active, living faith that works by love and purifies the soul.
Review and Herald  Nov 4 1890, par 4

 

Just a note. Every year, the https://egwwritings.org/ gets harder to use. It's very annoying. 

[Hanseng]

2 hours ago, Joe Knapp said:

Just a note. Every year,

Joe,  I've, more or less, given up trying to harmonize some things EGW said with the Bible. Many years ago, when I asked W.D. Frazee about a text that appeared to contradict his heavy on EGW presentation, he replied, "Oh Brother, Don't worry about what the Bible says, just read Sr. White." Maybe he had also given up trying to harmonize Scripture and EGW. He chose Sr. White, I choose the Bible. I once asked Des Ford, loved by many  for his justification teachings, where he got his justification teachings from. Ellen White and Spurgeon, he replied. On another occasion, he referred to a section in Selected Messages as the best he had read on the topic. You might want balance the statement you quoted with chapter 62, "Justified by Faith", in the first volume of Selected Messages.

When it comes to justification, the Bible is quite clear. Regardless of what EGW said or we think she said, Scripture is unequivocal. We are justified by faith alone in the same way Abraham was, prior to circumcision, prior to Moses, prior to the papacy. Abraham made a lot of mistakes after he was justified in Genesis 15, after he was circumcised.  Paul said Abraham was strong in faith yet his faith failed when he took Hagar.  His dealings with Abimelech were dodgy, if not outright sinful. Abraham didn't lose his justification  when he sinned.

In the case of that particular statement, I would agree that people who practice known sin or neglect known duty need to repent. Sins of presumption, also called high handed sin were unforgivable in OT times. Scripture says under the new covenant, we can be justified from all things for which the law of Moses would have  condemned us. (if we repent, Acts 13:39).

Not sure what is meant  by "surrendering the entire heart" or even the word "obedience." To obey God is to have faith in Jesus, to repent of our sins, to live a spirit filled life. I'm going to guess that surrendering the entire heart has to do with the prayer of Jesus, "Not my will but thy will be done." Most SDA immediately think Decalogue when the word obedience is mentioned. That's a mistake. The teachings of Christ are what we should be obeying, what the NT calls us to obey (John 14:23,24). The teachings of Christ are God's commandments. 

A lot depends on how we understand the idea of surrendering the entire heart to God.

 

[Joe Knapp]

55 minutes ago, Hanseng said:

A lot depends on how we understand the idea of surrendering the entire heart to God.

 

I would agree, we are justified by faith.  But what is the evidence we have faith?  It is process where we are cooperating with God's Spirit to become the person He wants. That was Abraham. Of course, we will make mistakes. But as long as we are in the process, that is what matters. 

What I see in the ministry that God has given me here, are some RC people who become baptized and believe they have a ticket to heaven. They think the fact that they made the decision and were baptized is all that is needed. Just come to church once a week, throw some money in, and we are good to go. They have not surrendered the heart to God.  Sometimes when they discover later, that this is required, they back out. The price is too high.  They want to have a worldly life and still believe that they can go to heaven. Sometimes they cannot let go of that worldly life. Sometimes it is a lifestyle problem that they cannot let go of. 

I often think of this:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Sad verses. Sad that there are few. 

 

[Hanseng]

6 hours ago, Joe Knapp said:

I often think of this:  “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.  For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

I rarely think of that verse. I prefer verses such as " If thou should mark iniquity, O Lord, who would be able to stand? But there is forgiveness with thee that thou mayest be feared (Ps. 130).

Stretched out on an ER table, in the midst of a devastating heart attack, that's the verse I thought of. Staring death in the face, with a BP of 72/26, that was the verse I clung to. There was no process. I had already been judged and justified by faith in Jesus who died on the cross for me. The faith God gave me worked in. No fear, no sadness, just acceptance of whatever God planned for me.

Deuteronomy 25 describes justification as a judicial decision, not a process. When Absalom was stealing the hearts of the men of Israel, he did so by promising them justification in their complaints ( 2 Samuel 15:4). No process there. If they came for justification/vindication and they would get it.

Judah asked  "How can we justify ourselves?" when the cup of Joseph was found in one of their sacks (Gen. 44:16). There is no process implied in these texts.

Romans6:7 uses a perfect tense to describe justification. "He who is dead has been freed (justified)from sin. The perfect tense is normally used to describe a a punctiliar event with an ongoing result as in     *---------- .

The word translated "mark" in Psalm 130 is often translated "watched" in the NT. It describes how the Pharisees watched Jesus to find some fault in him. God is not like that with us.

There may be few who come to faith in Jesus but those who do are good!

[Hanseng]

Sr. White said: 

Christ is a risen Saviour; for, though He was dead, He has
risen again, and ever liveth to make intercession for us. We are to
believe with the heart unto righteousness, and with the mouth make
confession unto salvation. Those who are justified by faith will
make confession of Christ. “He that heareth my word, and believeth
on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into
condemnation; but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24). The
great work that is wrought for the sinner who is spotted and stained
by evil is the work of justification. By Him who speaketh truth
he is declared righteous. The Lord imputes unto the believer the
righteousness of Christ and pronounces him righteous before the
universe. He transfers his sins to Jesus, the sinner’s representative,
substitute, and surety. Upon Christ He lays the iniquity of every
soul that believeth. “He hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2
Corinthians 5:21). 1SM 363