5 Minute Theology: Justification

Justification denotes the transformation of our souls from a state of sin or enmity with

God to the state of righteousness before God and divine friendship.

One becomes justified immediately upon baptism, though in the case of an adult, justification

is preceded by certain preparatory acts, such as fear of God, remorse for sins, acts of

faith, etc.

All of which, of course, are still the effects of prevenient grace, that is, grace is

that anticipate a salutary act and that move us to the act.

So we can say there is both a process of justification, which prepares for the first

infusion of sanctifying grace and a moment of justification, which is the reception of

sanctifying grace for the first time.

Justification can also be said to happen when a soul is restored to the state of grace

after having lost it through mortal sin.

The Catholic Church has always taught that salvation and justification come from grace.

There is no work that can merit the first grace.

But differing understandings of justification are the principle cause of the continued

separation of our Protestant brothers and sisters.

At the risk of over-generalizing, some of the main problems with the Protestant understanding

of justification are the following.

One, the belief that justification is the result of an act of fiduciary faith, a once-in-forever

internal or external declaration of trust in Christ, which is practically the moment

of salvation.

This faith does not have to be a firm ascent to particular revealed truths other than

that one is now considered covered over by Christ's righteousness.

And two, the belief that justification consists in the mere covering of sins or the disregarding

of sin on God's part, rather than an interior recreation and renewal.

According to this belief, we are not really justified before God, not really made pleasing

to Him by grace.

We are merely declared to be just without being so in reality.

All Luther's image of the pile of dung covered with snow.

Now the Catholic would agree that performing works of the Old Law does not bring justification,

nor can justification be merited by any works on our part.

Justification is entirely the work of grace.

However, it is a grave error to take the works mentioned by St. Paul in reference to the

Jewish law and expand it to any works whatsoever.

It is abundantly clear in the gospels that Christ teaches that our salvation is very closely

tied to performing works of charity, which flow from grace.

The belief in a once and for all moment of justification and salvation, which is irrevocable,

is contradicted by more passages in Scripture than we have time to deal with here.

But a few examples will suffice.

Consider St. Paul's ominous exhortation to the Church in Philippi to work out their

salvation with fear and trembling.

These are already baptized Christians who have made their act of faith, yet their salvation

is not secure.

St. Paul also tells the Galatians that some of them have fallen away from grace.

And very surprisingly, St. Paul expresses concern about his own salvation in 1 Corinthians

9, saying that he performs many works of penance, lest after saving others, he himself

be lost.

And Christ himself says that on the day of judgment, many who thought they were saved, presumably

because of their belief in him, are actually unknown to Christ because of their lack of charity.

Furthermore, the idea of a mere fiduciary act of faith without any specific doctrinal

content seems contrary to Christ's words in several places in the gospels.

For his command to baptize all nations is linked with the command to teach them everything

he taught his apostles.

This is why the creed with its specific articles of faith emerged so early on in the church,

and that in the context of baptism.

According to the Catholic understanding, we are justified at baptism, and again whenever

restored to grace.

But justification is not synonymous with salvation, even if it is often used in a similar way.

In this sense, one speaks about having been justified or saved, and the process of being

justified or saved continually as we grow in sanctity.

But salvation, strictly speaking, is the secure, blessed state of the soul after a holy

death.

The state of justification in this life is not secure and can be lost.

The problem with the second belief that justification is not a real interior renewal by grace

but a mere covering over is that it would rob the incarnation of its significance and efficacy.

Remember that Christ took on our human nature to renew, restore, and sanctify it from within.

If justification merely consists in God considering the holiness of the Son and imputing it to

us externally, why would the Son need to become incarnate?

Furthermore, this external legal justification is what the Old Law consisted in and why it

was insufficient.

It is a strange doctrine of justification because, along with it, Protestants say that the Catholic

doctrine of the necessity of good works is legalistic.

But what could be more legalistic than a doctrine of justification which is merely a legal

declaration without any true renewal by grace?

Consider how the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel prophesied about the new law by saying that

it would be internal rather than external.

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you.

To say that our justification and sanctification are a game of pretend that when God the Father

looks at us, he does not see his real adopted sons and daughters made partakers in his divine

nature but only Christ covering over our filth.

Doesn't this seem unfitting?

Doesn't it seem like we are saying that we are so filthy that our renewal and sanctification

are outside of God's power?

This sounds like the belief of someone on the road to despair.

The traditional Catholic doctrine of justification on the contrary is the very heart of the good

news.

God became man so that we can actually partake in the divine life in our souls.