How Can God Declare One Righteous Who Is Not Righteous? by H. W. Pope

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Apr 30, 1914

How Can God Declare One Righteous Who Is Not Righteous?

By H. W. Pope

"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5:1. The word justify means to reckon or declare righteous. Forgiveness is a negative term, meaning to put away or remit. Justification is a positive act, and means not simply forgiving the sinner, or letting him off from the punishment which he deserves, but declaring him righteous. Rom. 4:5.

How can God reckon one righteous who is not righteous? This is a fair question, and we must face it. Suppose a merchant in a small town had fallen into debt. He is not a good buyer, he is not accurate in his accounts, and he is shiftless. Suppose a rich uncle who has made a fortune in the same business, and has retired, should pay him a visit. After a few days he says to his nephew: "John, I hear bad reports about you; people say that you are sadly in debt and that your credit is poor. I have had a good year, and I believe I will help you. If you will foot up all your debts, I will give you a check for the whole amount."

John accepts his offer and pays off his creditors. As they go out of his store they say to one another: "We are fortunate in getting our money this time, but we will not trust him again. He is the same shiftless John, and he will soon be as badly in debt as ever." Now what has his uncle accomplished for John? He has paid his debts, but he has not restored his credit.

Suppose, on the other hand, that the uncle had said: "John, I have been out of business a few years and I find that I am getting rusty. I like this town, and I have about decided to go into partnership with you." John is delighted, of course. The uncle says: "I will put in all my capital and experience, but I shall insist upon being manager of the business. You can be the silent partner and work under my direction. And, John, I think you had better take down that sign over the door, for your name does not command the highest respect in this town. Suppose you put up my name instead, & Co. I think it will look better, and you can be the company."

John gladly complies with the conditions, and the business opens under new auspices. John goes out to buy goods, and what does he find?—Instead of refusing to trust him, every merchant in town is glad to give him credit, because his rich uncle has become identified with the business. In the one case the uncle paid his debts, but did not restore his credit. In the other case he restored his credit by going into partnership with him.

God's law says that the soul which sinneth shall die. When Jesus took our place on the cross and died for our sins, that paid our debt, but it did not restore our credit, it did not make us righteous. Had there been no resurrection of Jesus, we could not have been justified, though it is conceivable that we might have been forgiven. But when Jesus rose from the dead and identified himself with us by faith, coming into our heart and taking possession of our life, then he not only paid our debts, but he restored our credit. He made it possible for God to declare us righteous, since we have gone into partnership with a righteous Saviour, who has not only kept the law perfectly himself, but who is able to help us to keep it. He is the managing partner, and we simply obey his orders. We have even taken down the old sign, and now we bear his name—Christian.

Martin Luther said: "If any one knocks at the door of my heart and inquires if Martin Luther lives here, I should reply, 'Martin Luther is dead, and Jesus Christ lives here.'" Paul had the same idea, for he said: "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God."

If Jesus lived a holy life in one body, he is surely able to do it in another, if that body is yielded to his control. God then can properly and justly reckon the believer righteous because of his union with the righteous Saviour, who has atoned for his past sins by his death on the cross, and who guarantees his present and future conduct because that life has been committed to his keeping.

If, as he says, he is able to save unto the uttermost, able to keep us from falling (Jude 24), and if he guarantees to present us before the presence of God's glory absolutely faultless, surely God can safely reckon us as righteous. The ground of our justification, then, is not what we are, but whose we are, not our own good works, or our desire to be righteous, but our union with the Lord Jesus, who was "delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification." Rom. 4:25.—Rev. H. W. Pope, in Glenburn (N. Dak.) Advance.