Theological Term of the Week

 

forensic
Having to do with legal proceedings or a court of law; used in regards to justification in order to designate it  as a judicial act of God.

• From scripture:

  Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? (Romans 8:33-34 ESV)

  He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous
  are both alike an abomination to the Lord. (Proverbs 17:15 ESV)

• From The Second Helvetic Confession, Chapter 9:

  Of the True Justification of the Faithful

  WHAT IS JUSTIFICATION? According to the apostle in his treatment of justification, to justify means to remit sins, to absolve from guilt and punishment, to receive into favor, and to pronounce a man just. For in his epistle to the Romans the apostle says: “It is God who justifies; who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:33). To justify and to condemn are opposed. And in The Acts of the Apostles the apostle states: “Through Christ forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38 f.). For in the Law and also in the Prophets we read: “If there is a dispute between men, and they come into court…the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty” (Deut. 25:1). And in Isa., ch. 5: “Woe to those…who acquit the guilty for a bribe.”

• From Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem:

  The idea that justification is a legal declaration is quite evident … when justification is contrasted with condemnation. Paul says, “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn?” (Rom. 8:33-34). To “condemn” someone is to declare that person guilty. The opposite of condemnation is justification, which, in this context, must mean “to declare someone not guilty.” This is also evident from the fact that God’s act of justifying is given as Paul’s answer to the possibility of someone bringing an accusation or “charge” against God’s people: such a declaration of guilt cannot stand in the face of God’s declaration of righteousness.

• From Sole Fide: The Reformed Doctrine of Justification by J. I. Packer:

  2. The meaning of justification. What justification is, said the Reformers, must be learned from Paul, its great New Testament expositor, who sees it clearly and precisely as a judicial act of God pardoning and forgiving our sins, accepting us as righteous, and instating us as his sons. Following Augustine, who studied the Bible in Latin and was partly misled by the fact that justificare, the Latin for Paul’s dikaiou’n, naturally means “make righteous,” the Mediaevals had defined justification as pardon plus inner renewal, as the Council of Trent was also to do; but the Reformers saw that the Pauline meaning of dikaioun is strictly forensic. So Calvin defines justification as acceptance, whereby God receives us into his favour and regards us as righteous; and we say that it consists in the remission of sins and the imputation of the righteousness of Christ.” Justification is decisive for eternity, being in effect the judgment of the last day brought forward. Its source is God’s grace, his initiative in free and sovereign love, and its ground is the merit and satisfaction—that is, the obedient sin-bearing death—of Jesus Christ, God’s incarnate Son.

Learn more:

1. Charles Hodge: Forensic Justification
2. Francis Turretin: Justification: Forensic or Moral?
3. S. Lewis Johnson: Justification (mp3 and more)

Related terms:

• imputation
• justification

Do you have a a theological term you’d like to see featured here as a Theological Term of the Week? If you email it to me, I’ll seriously consider using it.

I’m also interested in any suggestions you have for tweaking my definitions or for additional (or better) articles or sermons/lectures for linking. I’ll give you credit and a link back to your blog if I use your suggestion.

Clicking on the Theological Term graphic at the top of this post will take you to a list of all the previous theological terms organized in alphabetical order or by topic.

Status Report: June

It’s that time again—the time when I copy Lisa and post a status report.

Sitting…I wish I could tell you I’m sitting out on the front porch enjoying the summer sunshine. Yesterday I might have been out there, but today I’m at the dining room table/desk again. There’s no sunshine right now and I put a sweater on to water the garden this morning.

Drinking…hot chocolate. I needed something hot and creamy to warm my bones and I’d rather die than put anything creamy in my coffee.

Wondering…what it would be like to go through some sort of major illness and treatment for it while alone.

Surveying…the landscape and noting how good the yard looks after my son’s mowing job. First mow of the year, by the way. Last night, I heard running mowers everywhere. Everyone in the neighbourhood seemed to be out doing that first mow all at the same time.

Enjoying…my May Day tree in bloom and thinking that I really must stop to look at it more often because the blooms won’t last much longer.

Reading…Always Ready by Greg Bahnsen. Yes, same book as last month. In my defense, I’ve been very busy with raking, tilling, and planting and watering. And washing windows, hanging screens, and putting out deck furniture.

Also reading…Romans by Paul. I love that book, but it’s not an easy read.

Painting…nothing. Although I have had “paint the living room ceiling” on my to-do list since April. This summer, I also plan to paint the dining room and as much first floor trim as I can. Outdoors, I plan to paint the railings on the back deck and touch up some of the deck floor paint. And I might paint a few doors, including the garage door.

Anticipating…the wedding.

Thinking…about how I should prepare for a difficult task I’m going to do tomorrow. What should I bring? What should I say? Praying for guidance—for help. I’m asking for the ability to do something well that isn’t one of my natural gifts. And that’s really all I can say about that.

Breaking…dishes and glassware. Really. I don’t know how many times I’ve had to sweep glass up off the kitchen floor in the past month. Thankfully, it isn’t just me doing the dropping or I’d start to worry.

Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy 17

What do Christians mean when they say the Bible is inerrant? The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy tells us what leading inerrantist mean by inerrancy. I’ll be posting a section of this statement each week until I’ve posted the whole thing.

You can read previously posted sections of this statement in by clicking here. After a preface and a short statement, the Chicago Statement contains a section called Articles of Affirmation and Denial.

---

Article XV.

We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.

We deny that Jesus’ teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.