The Method and the Standard of Justification
By A. Delos Westcott
“Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3: 20. WHY is it that men can not be justified by the deeds of the law? Is it because the law of God is an imperfect standard, and its deeds are therefore not acceptable in His sight? To affirm that would be to charge God with folly. Besides, the Scriptures declare, “The law of the Lord is perfect.” Ps. 19: 7. “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.” Rom. 7: 12. There is nothing wrong, then, about the deeds of the law; they are absolutely perfect; and Christ has said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Why, then, can we not be justified by the deeds of the law? A nobleman of vast estates has a large number of debtors to whom he has loaned money, every pound payable in gold. Famine and pestilence sweep over the land devouring the substance of every one. “It is plain to my mind,” says the nobleman, “that by the payment of these debts in gold, there shall no debtors be justified.” Why not? Is it because gold is no longer acceptable in the nobleman’s sight?—Ah, no; it is because the debtors are unable to bring forward the gold. God is the nobleman, we are the debtors. The deeds of the law were always, and are now, acceptable to Him; but the trouble is, we are not able to perform the deeds. So our heavenly Father has placed on deposit, subject to our demand, the righteousness of Christ, which is in very truth the righteousness of the law, that we may draw out and discharge our obligation to the government of heaven. “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Gal. 2: 16. “But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference; for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Rom. 3: 21-23. Here is where the trouble lies; we have all come short, and God can not accept anything short of absolute perfection. Notice that the righteousness of God, which we may receive by faith, is witnessed by the law and the prophets. This shows that it is in perfect harmony with the law; that it is, in fact, the righteousness of the law, else the law would not be able to witness in its favor. As we can not be saved by the works of the law, because we are unable, in our own strength, to do the works, neither can we be saved by our own works, because they are not the works of the law. The Jews promised to obey the law of God, and thought they could do it. They thought their works would be the works of the law, but they fell far short. Paul says, “But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore?—Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling-stone.” The Lord never found any fault with His people for seeking to be in harmony with His law, for that is just what He has commanded them to do. Their method of seeking is the only thing criticized. Instead of seeking by a method which was sure to bring success, they have often adopted a method which was certain to result in failure. For an unrighteous man to undertake to do the works of the law, and to act righteously, is to undertake to reverse a law of nature. “Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” “A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things; and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” From this law of nature, plainly stated, it follows that a man must be good before he can do good; he must be righteous before he can act righteously. Until our hearts and natures have been changed, we can no more obey the law of God than a sour crab-apple tree can bear peaches. Every attempt in that direction will result in failure because of the weakness of our flesh. “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.” There is no method by which we can manufacture or earn righteousness for ourselves. We can receive the righteousness of Christ as a gift, and that is the only way we can get it. The word of God tells us that we can have it; all we have to do is to believe the word, accept the righteousness, and thank God that He has given it to us. Then there will be no trouble about our works. Obedience to God’s law will be the natural fruit of the righteousness of Christ which is in us. “Thru sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience,” we shall be able to say with Paul, “I can do all things thru Christ which strengtheneth me.” “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” The good works which God hath before ordained are enumerated in His law. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, thru the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, thru Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” “For what the law could not do, in that it was weak thru the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” The “righteousness of the law” is the only righteousness that can be witnessed by the law and the prophets. “Harken unto Me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is My law,” says the Lord thru the prophet. See Isa. 51: 6, 7. “Do we then make void the law thru faith? God forbid: yea, we establish the law.”