The originating cause of justification is the free grace and spontaneous love of God towards fallen man (Kom. i, 5 ; iii, 24 ; Tit. ii, 1 1 ; iii, 4, 5). Our Lord Jesus Christ is the sole meritorious cause of our justification, inas- much as it is the result of his atonement for us. The sacrificial death of Christ is an expedient of infinite wisdom, by which the full claims of the law may be ad- mitted, and yet the penalty avoided, because a moral compensation or equivalent has been provided by the sufferings of him who died in the sinner's stead (Eph. i, 7 ; CoL i, 14 ; Rev. v, 9). Thus, while it appears that our justification is, in its origin, an act of the highest grace, it is also, in its mode, an act most perfectly con- sistent with God's essential righteousness, and demon- strative of his inviolable justice. It proceeds not on the principle of abolishing the law or its penalty, for that would have implied that the law was undiUy rigorous either in its precepts or in its sanctions. See Atone- ment.
Faith is the instnimental cause of justification, pres- ent faith in him who is able to save, faith actually ex- isting and exercised. See Faith, The atonement of [ Jesus is not accepted for us, to our individual justifica- tion, until we individually believe, nor afler we cease to live by faith in him. See Ijipi'tation,
The immediate results of justification are the restora- tion of amity and intercourse between the pardoned sin- ner and the pardoning God (Rom. v, 1 ; James ii, 23) ; the adoption of the persons justified into the family of God, and their consequent right to eternal life (Rom. viii, 17) ; and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Acts ii. 38; Gal. iii, 14; iv, C), producing tranquillity of con- science (Rom. viii, 15, 16), power over sin (Rom. viii^ 1). and a joyous hope of heaven (Rom. xv, 13 ; Gal. v, 3), See Spirit, Fruits of.
We must not forget that the justification of a sinner does not in the least degree alter or diminish the evil nature and desert of sin. Though by an act of divine clemency the penalty is remitted, and the obligation to suffer that jienalty is dissolved, still it is naturally due, though graciously remitted. Hence appear the propri- etj' and duty of continuing to confess and lament even pardoned sin with a lowly and contrite heart (Ezek, xvi, G2) — Watson, Theolor/. Lict. s, v. See Penitence,
II, History of the Doctrine. — 1, The early Church Fa- thers and the Latin Church. — Ecclesiastical science, from the beginning of its development, occupied itself with a discussion on the relation of faith to knowledge; but even those who attributed the greatest importance to the latter recognised faith as the foundation, A merely logical division into subjective and objective faith, and an intimation of a distinction between a his- toric and a rational faith (in Clemens Alexandrinus, Stromat. ii, 454: Augustine, De Trinitate, xiii, 2), were of little consequence. Two conceptions became prevail- ing : Faith as a general religious conviction, particular- ly as confidence in God, and the acceptance of the en-
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tire doctrine of the Church, fiiks catholica. Tlie for- mula that faith alone without the works justifies is found in the full Pauline sense in Clemens Komanus (1 ad Corinthios, c. 32), and is sometimes used by Augus- tine polemically in order to defend the freedom of grace and the priority of faith. More generally it is used as an argument against the necessity of the Jewish law (Irenreus, iv, 25; Tertullian, adv. Marcell. v, 3). The oecumenical synods were instrumental in gradually giv- ing to the conception of Jides catholica the new sense that salvation coidd be found only by adherence to ec- clesiastical orthodoxy. But as a mere acceptance was possible without a really Christian sentiment, and as the Pauline doctrine was misused by heretics in an an- tinomian sense, it was demanded that faith be proved by works. Church discipline developed this idea with regard to the sins of the faithful, so as to demand a sat- isfaction through penances and good works (Augustine, Sei-ni. 151, 12). It became, therefore, the doctrine of the Church that such faith alone works salvation as shows itself in acts of charity, while to merely external works faith or charity is ojiposed as something ac- cessory. Pelagius assumed only a relative distinction between naturally good works and the good works that proceed from faith ; in opposition to which Augustine insisted that the difference is absolute, and that with- out faith no good works at all are possible. As salva- tion was thought to be conditioned by w^orks also, it was, even when it was represented as being merely an act of God, identified with sanctification. The impor- tance attributed to abstention created gradually a dis- tinction between commands and advices, and the belief that through the fulfilment of the latter a virtue greater than required would arise (Hernias, Pastor Simil. iii, 5, 3; Origen, /« Epistolum ad Rom, iii; Ambrose, De Vi- cluis, iv, 508).
2. The Greek Church. — Little discussion and little controversy lias occurred on this doctrine in the Greek Church. Faith and works together are regarded as the conditions of salvation. The words of James are refer- red to first, yet faith is declared to be the stock from which the good works come as the fruits. The descrip- tion of faith proceeds from the definition in the Epistle to the Hebrews to the acceptance of the entire ecclesi- astical tradition. Man is said to participate in the merit of the Mediator not only through faith, but also through good works. Among the latter are comprised the fulfilment of the commandments of God and of the Cluircli. and, in particular, prayers, fastings, ]iilgrimages, and monastic life. They are considered useful and nec- essary not only as a means of promoting sanctification, but also as penances and satisfaction.