Friday, March 19, 2010

Commonplaces, Grace and Justification

Justification means the remission of sins, reconciliation, or the acceptance of a person unto eternal life. To the Hebrews, "to  justify" is a forensic term, as if I were to say that the Roman people "justified" Scipio when he was accused by the tribunes, that is, they absolved him or pronounced him to be a righteous man. Therefore Paul took the term "justify" from the usage of the Hebrew word to indicate remission of sins, reconciliation, or acceptance. All educated people understand that this is the thrust of the Hebrew expression, and examples are encountered frequently.

Melanchthon, Phillip, Commonplaces of Theology, 1543, p. 86.  (J.A.O. Preus,Tr.) Concordia Publishing House, 1992.

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