Justified or Condemned?

"By thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." -Matthew 12:37 [KJV]

Who then can be saved? Is not this legal doctrine? Does it not contradict that fundamental doctrine of the gospel, justification by faith in the righteousness of Christ only? No: no more than St. James, in maintaining justification by works, contradicts St. Paul, who insists upon justification by faith. They are easy to be reconciled: so are these words to justification by grace. Surely our Lord never meant to contradict His own words: “He who believeth hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life.” (John 5:24.) 

He cannot mean to overthrow our faith, distress our souls, and cause us to rest our final justification, at the last day, upon either our words or our works. If so, woe unto the most perfect! It had been better for that man he had never been born: for eternal condemnation must be his doom. But justification by faith in Christ, is ever to be held fast in the conscience, as the everlasting truth of an unchangeable God; the foundation of hope; the source of peace; an unexhaustible fountain of joy, and the spring of holiness. 

But what means our Lord? O! may He give us to understand. In the preceding verse, He says, “For every idle word men shall speak, they shall give account thereof.” The most learned translate it, malicious or wicked word. Now our Lord, just before, treats of “speaking a word against the Son of man” (verse 32.) Therefore, for these malicious words, resulting from their unbelief and rejection of Christ, men shall be condemned. The words of the lips proclaim the disposition of the heart. 

As words condemn Christ, so, for such words, they shall be condemned by Christ. So by thy words, approving of, and confessing Christ’s blood, to be the one atonement for sin, and His obedience the one righteousness, to justify sinners, thou shalt be justified. “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10.) Thus, the fate of every soul, at the last day, will be determined by his faith in Christ, or his unbelief of Him, declared by his words. They will be called in as evidence of faith, unto eternal life; or of unbelief, unto eternal death. 

They will justify our faith or condemn our unbelief. By our words, we understand the general tenour of our conversation. St. Paul speaks of a conversation becoming the gospel (Philippians 1:27.) St. Peter, of a good conversation in Christ (I Peter 3:16.) Without this, O disciple! what evidence have you, that you have the faith of God’s elect now, or shall be finally justified at the last day? “Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.” -Hebrews 12:14.

 

-preacher Wm. Mason (1724-1797 A.D.)

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