JUSTIFICATION and SALVATION:

What they are under the Law vs under Grace?

By Venerable Dr. Ifechukwu Ibeme
Websites: http://www.scribd.com/ifeogo ; http://priscaquila.6te.net ;
Comment on The Chapel of Grace Blog: http://thechapelofgrace.wordpress.com
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JUSTIFICATION is any form of temporal or eternal cancellation of guilty records by penal reparation or
judicial acquittal from wrongdoings. Justification acquits sin and thereby imputes righteousness –
legally/morally, outwardly/inwardly or temporarily/eternally. (Propitiation is ritual and spiritual
absolution of sin by atonement or cleansing from defilement.)

Before Christ came, JUSTIFICATION came outwardly and temporarily in sundry ways: through
forgiveness of the sinner, or through cleansing of the sinner, or through atonement for the sinner, or
through restitution by the sinner, or through repentance by the sinner. Good works do not usually
justify the sinner but proves the righteous. When Christ came, He brought atonement through His most
precious Blood for inward and outward as well as temporal and eternal JUSTIFICATION. But God’s main
purpose for justifying we sinners by the power of His Blood and saving us by the power of His Grace is
so that those justified from sin should be zealous for good works and be fruitful unto good works (Tit
2:11-14).

SALVATION in Christ is not only ETERNAL Justification from damnation of sin and guilt, but also
COMPLETE Redemption from demonic and depraved bondage, as well as INWARD Regeneration to
partake in the Divine Nature of HEAVENLY Sonship through Christ for ETERNAL Inheritance in glory.
Therefore, Eternal Salvation offered in the New Testament by the Blood of Christ supersedes temporal
salvation offered in the Old Testament by the cleansing rituals of the Law and its priestly mediations.
The offer of this uttermost super-salvation which is in Christ alone (Heb 7:25) is the message of the
Gospel of Christ!

The finished Messianically mediated saving Work on the Cross superseded and outdated the repetitive
Priestly mediated cleansing Works of the Law. BUT SUCH GREATER SALVATION PUTS GREATER
RESPONSIBILITY ON THOSE WHO ARE THUS SAVED. The righteousness of those saved under the Gospel
should now exceed the righteousness of Pharisaic good works of carnal righteousness, because they are
now furnished with the operations of Grace and the power of Holy Spirit to do SPIRITUAL GOOD WORKS
called the FRUIT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
Titus 2:11-12
(11) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all people.
(12) It trains us to renounce ungodly living and worldly passions so that we might live sensible,
honest, and godly lives in the present world
Titus 2:14 
(14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
a people for his own, zealous of good works. 
Titus 3:7-8
(7) That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal
life.
 (8) This is a faithful saying, and these things I desire that you affirm constantly, that they who
have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and
profitable unto men.
Titus 3:14
(14) And let our own also learn to maintain good works for urgent needs, that they not be
unfruitful.

PENAL/RITUAL WORKS THAT ATONE are not same as MORAL WORKS THAT APPROVE! The Church often
muddles up these two categories of works.

Many seem to miss the point that the guilty person is not counted righteous by MORAL WORKS of
righteousness even under the scriptural Law or any rudimentary culture. A guilty man is accounted
righteous or acquitted by PENAL WORKS of paying a ransom and suffering a penalty or by RITUAL
WORKS of mediated cleansing done by a priest. This always holds true under the Jewish Law as well as
Gentile cultures. Even if you do righteous works they will never atone your unrighteousness but at the
best approve you in your righteousness. Christ came to deal with our sin and guilt by paying the penalty
for our sins and by mediating our cleansing from our sins.

Christ did not sin but suffered the penalty acceptably and adequately, paid the acceptable and adequate
ransom and performed the acceptable and adequate works of cleansing for all human sins.

WORKS that SAVE the guilty or sinner are not really about good works of righteousness (RIGHTEOUS
WORKS) but actually about redeeming works of penalty, ransom and cleansing (REDEMPTIVE WORKS).

Works of the Law and the finished Work on the Cross are PENAL/RITUAL WORKS. These atone for sins.
Works of Righteousness and Fruit of the Spirit are MORAL WORKS. These don’t atone for sins.

The RITUAL works/ceremonies of the Law performed by the Priests on Israelites with blood, sacrifices,
water, hyssop and other rites/observances of the Law, were provided by God as TEMPORARY means to
ritually work OUTWARD sacerdotal atonement for wrongdoings until Christ comes (Heb 9:1-15). This Old
deficiently symbolic and intermittent priesthood under the Law was to ensure Israel’s corruptible
inheritance of the temporal Promised Land while this life and the earth last, but NOT for incorruptible
inheritance of Heaven (1Pet 1:3-5) when this life and the earth pass away. Only under the New
efficaciously substantive Priesthood of Christ is Heavenly Eternity graciously offered to all humanity
through Faith in Christ.
Hebrews 7:22-28
(22) By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better covenant.
(23) And they truly were many priests, because they were not allowed to continue by reason of
death:
(24) But this man, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood.
(25) Therefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever lives to make intercession for them.
(26) For such a high priest was befitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from
sinners, and made higher than the heavens;
(27) Who needs not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and
then for the people's: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.
(28) For the law makes men high priests who have weakness; but the word of the oath, which
was since the law, makes the Son, who is consecrated forevermore.
Until the guilty sinner is justified, all righteous morality of such sinner remains filthy. Before and after
the Law or within and without the Law, God always requires MORAL goodworks or works of
righteousness from all persons and peoples for conscience sake (Rom 2:14-15), but such FADING
righteousness by the guilty does not and cannot cancel guilt or acquit records of wrongdoings, therefore
they remain FILTHY because of such uncancelled sins (Isa 64:6). Only by the blood of Christ are such
fading and filthiness effectively propitiated by grace for whosoever believes in Christ. To be sure, every
righteous work sown by anyone (under or outside the Law) always reaps guaranteed TEMPORAL reward
(Psa 1; Prov 11:18; 15:6), but ETERNAL reward is only for righteous works done by those already saved
through Christ. This exceedingly great and precious provision in Christ (2Pet 1:3-4) is the Goodnews we
preach!

After one is saved in Christ, MORAL goodworks or works of righteousness done through the enabling
Grace of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, become worthy to fully please God (Col 1:10) and shall
be rewarded eternally (Rev 22:11-14). This is God’s purpose for saving us and endowing us with Grace
through Christ and indwelling us by the Holy Spirit (Eph 2:10). Whatever we think Gospel Salvation in
Christ to mean or meant for is not important except the Scriptures say so.
Simply put:
 It is God, not ourselves, Who in His mercy saves us BY the power of His grace THROUGH our faith in
Christ.
 Our salvation is not possible to be OF works of the Law (whether PENAL WORKS and RITUAL WORKS,
MORAL GOOD WORKS and RIGHTEOUS WORKS of the Law) but is meant to be UNTO goodworks of
GRACE, works of FAITH and FRUIT of the Spirit IN Christ.
 THE FRUIT OF GOOD WORKS IS THE DIVIDEND WHICH GOD INTENDED AND PURPOSED IN SAVING
US AND INVESTING THE RICHES OF HIS SAVING GRACE IN US.
Ephesians 2:8-10
(8) For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(9) Not of works, lest any man should boast.
(10) For WE ARE HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS UNTO GOOD WORKS, which
God has before ordained that we should walk in them.
Titus 2:14 
(14) Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself
A PEOPLE FOR HIS OWN, ZEALOUS OF GOOD WORKS. 

Believers saved by Grace must be stirred up to diligently ensure that their Faith and God’s Grace in them
produce the Spiritual Fruit of goodworks (2Pet 1:5-13) and never to disappoint God (Heb 10:26-31) or
disdain “so great a salvation”! (Php 2:12-13; Heb 2:1-3). Believers must always remember that using
Grace to sin is forbidden (Rom 6:14-15) and any Faith that lacks goodworks is dead (Jas 2:17-20).

In summary, these are spiritual means to various degrees of blessings:

1. OUR WORKS of righteousness: This, whenever sowed by whosoever, reaps temporal reward but
cannot cleanse sins or attain eternal salvation. Nevertheless, the Goodworks of the believer
done through the Fruit of the Spirit and Christ’s enabling Grace are rewarded with eternal
crowns.
2. OUR FAITH in God and in His Christ: Through this alone could we receive imputed righteousness
and eternal salvation.
3. The ritual WORKS OF THE LAW: This has temporal and external cleansing power but lacks
inward and eternal saving power.
4. The saving GRACE OF CHRIST: By this alone are we granted inward and eternal salvation, but
this also favours us with temporal blessings, though it puts greater responsibility on us too.

Updated March 10, 2017

by Ven. Dr. I. U. Ibeme
Copyright  © PriscAquila Publishing, Maiduguri, Nigeria.
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