Before continuing with Romans, I want to look deeper into the meaning of justice, since it plays such a prominent part in this epistle. But what does it really mean? In Romans it mainly makes its appearance in the form of “justification.” As I mentioned in my first post on this subject, Righteousness and Justice: What are they?, the Greek word most commonly declined as dikaiosune in the NT is translated alternatively as righteous or just with variants for righteousness and justification, right and just.
If you take a moment to read the previous post on this topic, you’ll see that this word is also allied to kindness and mercy. We tend to see justification as a legal process whereby Christ’s righteousness covers us like a garment, making us acceptable to God. It is true that we are made righteous by Jesus’ blood; by His sacrifice on our behalf, but that may not mean quite what we thought. This is not a tricky bit of legal fiction whereby God can justify His acceptance of such miserable, filthy pieces of trash as we have become to Him. It isn’t like that at all; it’s REAL.
I submit that righteousness and justice and kindness and mercy are all part of the same package. I’ve heard it preached that righteousness means right standing with God, and in studying, I’ve found that to be a good and a true definition. It doesn’t go far enough, though. Righteousness comes from an old English word: right ways ness. To be righteous means to have right ways in all of our relationships. Our relationship to our Father and relationships amongst our fellow humans; all of these are included in dikaiosune. We are to treat one another with righteousness, justice, kindness, and mercy.
That is God’s way. That is the way He treats us. And when He justifies us, it is so much more than a legal fiction to enable Him to do something that goes against His innate sense of justice. He is drawing us close, into right relationship with Himself. You’ve heard it said that Jesus catches His fish before He cleans them? Well Jesus is just like the Father. We are justified with the Father because our relationship with Him is restored. It is right that we should be in the house of our Father; that’s where He wants us, whether we are snotty brats or joyfully obedient children. Sanctification will follow. We will learn to obey. But as of the moment we return, we are restored to relationship with Him.
In Jesus’ story of the Prodigal Son, who rejected whom? Was there a need to persuade the father to receive his son back to his bosom? No way! He RAN to meet his son (and I’m told such behavior is highly undignified even today for a middle eastern adult). He didn’t even allow the miscreant child to give his speech of repentance. He called for the best robe and a ring for his son’s finger and shoes for his feet. He threw a feast with music and dancing. Has the prodigal said a word all this time? The focus is not on the son, but on the father’s joyous reception of him.
Are you seeing this? THE FATHER DID NOT NEED TO BE RECONCILED TO HIS SON. We were the ones who did the leaving. WE took the good things our Father provided and WE turned our backs on Him and walked away. He has always only wanted us back and has been ready all along, eager to receive us the moment we returned. It was WE who needed to be reconciled to HIM.
But we couldn’t return. We couldn’t escape our evil master. That was Jesus’ gift to us. He died as our representative, not to save us from the wrath of the Father, but to set us, the captives of sin, free. He gathered all the children of Adam back into one bundle in His own body and He put the whole race of mankind to death in Himself. He has set us free from the law of sin and death. This is the gospel. As He conquered the grave, so we also can now be free and alive in our Lord. We are no longer the slaves of sin unto death, but we can now offer ourselves as the slaves of righteousness and have the fruit of that; the never ending life of God. Rejoice! For the next post on righteousness, click here: How to Right a Wrong
“When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ So he got up and went to his father.
The Prodigal Son still had to repent and return to his Father, without that he would have never real know the love of his Father. He had to repent (believe) and return (action), “But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?”
That’s true, even though it isn’t the point of this post. This is one of a trio of parables discussing the Pharisees’ and Priests’ irritation with Jesus’ treatment of the outcasts of society, who heard Him gladly. We often forget, or don’t notice, that just before this, Jesus has told the story of the lost sheep (or rather, of the Good Shepherd), and the story of the lost coin (which really centers on the woman, who valued it so highly and persisted in seeking it). The story of the Prodigal Son is more accurately the story of the Loving Father.
A son who had betrayed his father in this way during Jesus’ time and in His culture would have more likely been soundly rejected on his return, but this father was different. THIS was Jesus’ major point. **Of course** the son had to return (although the lost sheep and coin were sought after and had no part in their restoration) — I think this series of parables is also a picture of different kinds of lostness. Some are sought and brought back, and others must be allowed to come to the point that they are desperate enough to return on their own. The coin has no power at all to return, and the sheep, while it may desire to come home, is unlikely to be able to find its way.
Note, the prodigal did NOT return for what we might consider honorable reasons; he was hungry; he came home in hope of being fed. Jesus never says this young man is sorry for the anguish he’s caused his father. IMO, that will come, but the clear motivation for the return was his personal lack of resources. His repentance is real in the sense that he now knows he had it better in the father’s house, but there must be more to come. Likewise the older brother (the scoffing Jewish religious leaders) shows no concern for the father. He is only worried about his own concerns and is even willing to dishonor his father by refusing to enter the house and join the party.
The parable (like most of Jesus’ parables) is left open ended. Will the father succeed in persuading the older brother to join the celebration? We aren’t told. How will the younger son behave after his life lesson? Again, we’re left to surmise on our own. It remains to be seen.
That’s why I do see this parable as an illustration of the Father’s righteousness and justice being very similar and certainly entwined with His mercy. The father in the parable received a traitor son who had rejected him, at a time when other fathers would have (and would have been expected to) given such an unworthy son a justly (in their eyes) shaming and final rejection. But God doesn’t do that. To him, the relationship is the most important thing of all, and offspring are not to be discarded — though they may have hard lessons to learn if necessary. And I believe this is the main point of the parable of the Loving Father. God’s mercies are new every morning.
Honorable reasons? Consider the following from Luke 18:
“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
It is not about reason, it is about humility. The prodigal son says:
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.
Both the tax collector and the prodigal son came before the Father with humility and were justified.
Yes, you’re right. We are agreed. So I’m puzzled — you sounded (to me) like you thought I would disagree with you. Did I misread you? If so, please forgive my misinterpretation. Communication via print only is always a challenge and sometimes I’m not as good at it as I’d like to be.
At any rate, I appreciate your visiting and commenting.
Thanks.
The issue, if there is one, had to do with the third paragraph in your first response dealing with the prodigal son’s motive, lack. In my second response I was trying to point out that prodigal son’s motive was actually minor in relationship to his repentance, humility and his desire to return to his Father.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. (Psa 51:17)
Disagreement? No, more likely a redirect on what I felt was more relevant than the prodigal son’s motives.
I too am sorry if the was a misunderstanding.
I actually only mentioned his motive as a side point. So are you saying that the prodigal has cause to boast? Not trying to be contentious here, but it’s a fine line. God calls and we come (or not). We do need to choose to answer His call, of course, but He can be very persuasive. Has the tax collector justification to boast over the Pharisee?
“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luk 18:14)
False humility would boost but true humility would not, but I think in both the prodigal and the tax collector we are talking about true humility. Based on Luke 18:14, who will be doing the exalting.
Excellent point! “False humility would boast, but true humility would not.” It seems obvious to me in scripture that we ARE asked to DO things, yet the work is done by God. That’s been a difficult thing for me to describe in understandable terms. Your comment helps. Thanks!
Strange that you said “It seems obvious to me in scripture that we ARE asked to DO things, yet the work is done by God.” There are two scriptures that speak on works but they seem contradict each other.
We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy cloth. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isa 64:6, NRSV)
Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? (Jas 2:20, NRSV)
I said “Strange” because I have some experience with the idea of works. It is actually part of my testimony. Moments after receiving Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior; the Lord answered one of my prayers (prayed prior to being saved). This prayer and the Lord’s answer required me to make a great leap of faith and it also required me to act on what the Lord was telling me to do. Since I true believe the Lord was in the matter I acted and my life was forever changed. Isaiah 64:6 speaks of works initiated by the flesh, while James 2:14 to 26 speaks of works initiated by the Holy Spirit and through faith is acted upon by the believer.
As for your comment “It seems obvious to me in scripture that we ARE asked to DO things, yet the work is done by God”, usually when we are asked to do things there is usually a faith component tied to it, so I am not sure were this statement fits in. Maybe this grounds for one of your future blogs.
I’ve enjoyed your comments on this vital teaching of Scripture. I haven’t read all your blog – came from YA, so perhaps you’ve mentioned this elsewhere. I’ve often heard it said that justification means “just as if I’d never sinned.” That’s true as far as it goes, however, there is so much more than that. It really is, “just as if I’d always obeyed,” which to my mind is something far greater.
I like that — just as if I’d always obeyed. Because that’s what Jesus has done, isn’t it? And We have entered into His righteousness. What a beautiful, wonderful savior!