justification

What is justification by faith? Being “justified by faith” is found in Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:1 (NABRE). The idea of justification is essential in Christian theology, but like many concepts that are important in Christianity, the meaning has been slightly distorted over time. Pause for a moment and examine what you think it means to be justified.

The Greek word δίκαιος (dikaios) is the adjective that often is translated as “right” or “just.” In its root concept, however, this word has a slightly different meaning. Originally, dikaios meant “observant of custom or rule,” or “well-ordered.” The person who was just, then, was the person who followed the customs and laws of the land. Someone who is justified is someone who is made to follow the rules or laws.

This concept of justification is especially important to Christianity due to the preeminence of the law. Paul is concerned deeply with the impossibility of following the law in a Christian context, and he raises the idea that it’s impossible. Being made just in a Christian sense, then, is being empowered to follow and to fulfill the law. Paul suggests that it is faith or obedience that enables this fulfillment of the law. In Paul’s theology, faith is the virtue that empowers Christians to follow a law that is otherwise impossible. Further, Paul teaches that it specifically is total surrender to God that allows this obedience. How do you think it is that Christianity makes such justification by faith possible in a way that wasn’t within Judaism?

related topics: belief; believe in Jesus; faith; little faith

you also may like our study of the Letter to the Hebrews (digital only)
Many Christians struggle to understand one of the central mysteries of our faith: how Jesus can be both human and divine at the same time. The Letter to the Hebrews: An Explanation of the Mechanism of Our Salvation, an 18-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, offers an in-depth look at the way in which Jesus’ dual nature allows for the salvation of humanity. The Letter to the Hebrews is designed to provide information that will encourage Christians to remain faithful. Click on the book’s cover to view a sample lesson.

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