“But
we have to have faith to be justified! Paul wrote that we are justified by
faith,” Ian told me after hearing me teach this truth.
“I
agree,” I replied. “Romans 5:1 says, ‘Therefore, having been justified by
faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.’ The question is, whose faith causes us to be justified?”
“Our
faith in Christ,” he responded.
Ian
interpreted this verse the way most Evangelicals do today. He believed our
faith in Christ is the catalyst for justification. This puts the burden on us
to place our faith in Him in order to be justified.
That,
however, is not what the Bible actually teaches, nor is it the view of the
early church. Faith is indeed the conduit through which justification comes,
but it’s Jesus’s faith that has justified us. It’s not our own faith that we
have placed in Him. He has justified us. He isn’t waiting for us to do
something so we can be justified through our own actions.
Two-Letter Words
That Make a Huge Difference
Two
pivotal words in this discussion of justification are in and of. To be
justified by faith in Christ is very
different from being justified by the faith of
Christ. One depends on our faith, and the other rests in His faith.
This
is where we must take a serious look at what the Bible says and what it means.
You can’t just take somebody’s word for it regardless of how much you respect
that person. Sincere people who love Jesus are sometimes wrong. It is important
that we all study the Bible to understand the truth. Translations vary from one
another. That’s why it is always important to compare translations when we
study the Bible.
Consider
how these translations differ in the way they approach this important matter of
faith. As you compare the difference between the verses, ask yourself, does
this translation suggest that the necessary faith originates with God or with
man? As you know, grace always originates with God. It’s not us giving Him
something (such as our faith), but always a matter of Him giving us something.
It is the unilateral expression of His love toward us. We could compare
numerous translations, but I’ll use two of the most popular translations that
have endured the test of time—the King James Version and the New International
Version. Remember to answer the question about whether the verse suggests that
the faith necessary for justification originates with God or us.
Romans
3:22
The
KJV translates this verse, “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.” Compare that with the NIV: “This righteousness is given through
faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew
and Gentile.”
The
righteousness of God comes by faith, but whose
faith? The KJV says it is by the faith of
Jesus Christ, but the NIV says it comes through faith in Jesus Christ. (A footnote in the NIV indicates the verse could
be translated, “through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ.”) Do you see how
important this distinction is? The difference lies in whether the source of our
righteousness is His faith or our faith.
Galatians
2:16
The
KJV reads, “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.” The NIV says, “[We] know
that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus
Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified
by faith in Christ and by works of the law, because by the works of the law no
one will be justified.”
Again,
are we justified by the faith of
Christ or by putting our faith in
Christ Jesus? The difference between the two is huge. How you answer the
question will determine your theology in this area.
Galatians
2:20
The
KJV renders this verse, “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet
not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I
live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” The
NIV renders it, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but
Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son
of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Again,
whose faith is the catalyst for our righteousness—His or ours? It isn’t our faith, but the faith of Jesus Christ
that has made us righteous. We must not ignore an important principle in
interpreting the Bible if we want to properly understand it. It is the
Christocentic (“Christ centered”) principle. The other way to interpret the
Bible is the egocentric (“self-centered”) approach. Which one do you believe is
the best way to rightly understand the Bible? Look again at the verses in the
paragraphs above and decide which translation approaches the verses from a
Christ-centered approach and which takes the self-centered approach.
I’m
not campaigning here for the King James Version, although I believe it is a
wonderful translation. I’m simply making the point that we need to compare
versions of the Scripture when we study. Don’t think for a minute that
translators didn’t bring their own preconceived ideas to the text when they
translated from the Greek or Hebrew into English.3 That
doesn’t mean we can’t trust our Bibles, but the fact is that we don’t have the
original manuscripts anymore, so it is always wise to compare translations. Too
many of us have simply believed what we have been told for so long that we feel
uncomfortable questioning it. But some things need to be questioned. In this
case, the grace of God is impugned when we think our faith causes us to be justified.
Consistency Is Key
This
importance of the distinction between the words in and of can further be
seen in the way many translators handle two specific texts in Romans. Carefully
notice the immediate context of the word faith
in these passages. The first is Romans 3:25-26: “This was to demonstrate His
righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins
previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the
present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has
faith in Jesus.” Take special notice of the phrase “faith in Jesus” in verse
26.
Now
compare what Romans 4:16 says about faith: “For this reason it is by faith, in
order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be
guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.”
The
first text refers to “faith in Jesus,” and the second text mentions the “faith
of Abraham.” One verse uses the word in,
and the other chooses the word of.
Here is a perfect example of why so many have come to the wrong understanding
about faith. Would it surprise you to know that Romans 3:26 and 4:16 use the
same words, with the exception of the names Jesus and Abraham?4
Only the names are different, and yet the verses are translated completely
differently!
The NASB translators chose to render
the reference to Jesus as “faith in
Jesus,” but they didn’t translate the reference to Abraham as “faith in
Abraham.” Rather, they chose to rightly render it as “the faith of Abraham.” If the NASB were
consistent, Romans 3:26 would read, “for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness
at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who is
of the faith of Jesus.” (The NASB
footnote offers this as an alternate translation.) The inconsistency here
belies the bias of the translators. They wouldn’t suggest that Paul was saying
his readers should have faith in
Abraham, but neither did they assert that we are justified by the faith of Christ. Their view was obvious—that
we are justified by placing our faith in
Christ.- Steve McVey
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