The Doctrine and the Experience of Justification by Faith

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 26, 1907

The Doctrine and the Experience of Justification by Faith

JUSTIFICATION by faith has always been a fundamental principle of Protestantism. It stands opposed to any form of self-salvation or self-righteousness. It exalts Jesus only, and makes prominent his merits, his spotless character, and the sufficiency of his atonement. It presents the greatness and the power of God in contrast with the littleness and the weakness of man, and always says, “Behold, your God!”

There is a wide difference, however, between justification by faith as a doctrine and justification by faith as an experience. It is one thing to teach that we can be made righteous only through faith in Christ, but it is quite another thing to reveal the change of heart and life which bears witness to the actual experience of justification. It is quite possible to hold and advocate the theory, but to know little of the experience, or to lose the experience, while still teaching the doctrine.

All this may become clearer to our minds if we consider the definition of justification by faith as an experience. We have a very simple and forcible definition given to us through the spirit of prophecy. Here it is: “What is justification by faith?—It is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust, and doing for man that which it is not in his power to do for himself.”—“Special Testimony, No. 9, page 62. Two special features of the experience of justification by faith should be noted,—the glory of man is laid in the dust, and an actual work of divine grace is accomplished which can be wrought by no human power. “Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay; but by a law of faith.” “By grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, that no man should glory.” “Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

It is plain, then, that genuine humility is a necessary accompaniment of the experience of justification by faith. When the grace of humility is lacking, and one breathes the atmosphere of self-justification, even though he may not consciously deny the merits and the justifying work of Christ, yet he stands upon the ground of the man whose creed is justification by works.

The third angel’s message proclaims a warning against the beast and his image. It is a protest against popery and a degenerate Protestantism—a Protestantism which repudiates the very principles which led to the separation from Catholicism. In the very nature of the case the essence of this message must be justification by faith, not merely as a doctrine, but as a personal experience, and those who give the message must be clothed with humility. One may make a specialty of setting forth the evils of the papacy,

and may expound those portions of the Scriptures which describe the work of the papacy, and may inveigh against the doctrine of justification by works as virtually taught by the papacy, and in the doing of all this may exhibit such a boastful spirit of self-justification and self-righteousness, as to make it perfectly clear that the vital essence of justification by faith—the truly humble heart—is painfully lacking.

“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. . . . Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.” This is justification by faith as an experience.