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 justif