Chp.92-93 ~ Apart From Christ There Is No Righteousness Of The Law
“Unless, therefore, a man by God’s great grace receives the power to understand what has been said and done by the prophets, the appearance of being able to repeat the words or the deeds will not profit him, if he cannot explain the argument of them. And will they not assuredly appear contemptible to many, since they are related by those who understood them not? Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 245). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company.
Justin is now concluding, for Trypho, that apart from Christ and Him crucified the righteousness of the Law cannot be understood. And if the Law cannot be understood in the righteousness of this man who was given over to the Roman crucifixion, then it would appear that God has two forms of righteousness. But this was not the purpose of the Law; for the Law wasn't given to be a means of righteousness but a means to understand the unrighteousness of the sin within man. Accompanied with visual signs, which were a shadow that pointed forward to the righteous life of Christ, given as the actual sacrifice and atonement for these sinners, the Law was the beginning of knowledge which led to the wisdom of the fear of the Lord in the cross of Christ. Salvation had always been by grace through faith, and this not through the keeping of the Law, but faith in the promises which the Law was to illustrate until Christ's crucifixion. In Christ, the Law is accomplished and complete (Deut.32:4;Matt.5:17;Rom.2:27;13:10;Jn.19:30). But since the Scripture is true, God is always willing that such even as you be neither foolish nor lovers of yourselves, in order that you may obtain the salvation of Christ,2 who pleased God, and received testimony from Him, as I have already said, by alleging proof from the holy words of prophecy. Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 246). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. Justin also argues that Trypho's lack of understanding results from his view of the Scripture. Justin is trying to make the point that the Scripture cannot contradict itself; and therefore if something so plain cannot be reconciled in Trypho's current understanding, the problem is not with the testimony of Scripture; it's with Trypho's presupposition of the Scripture; and therefore his understanding of God leads him and others to doubt the power of God's Word, which (paraphrasing Justin) charges Trypho with slandering the testimony of God to the third degree based on his presumption of the Law. Deuteronomy 32:4 (NKJV) 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. And therefore, Justin also reminds Trypho that righteousness was "not" obtained through observing the Law externally but through "the understanding" of the Law with faith in the grace of which the Law was given to reveal (Deut.29:29). In other words, the Law was given to reveal the testimony of sin within mankind, and the testimony of righteousness in God; the two working together as a means of grace to give the understanding necessary for us to obtain the faith that leads to the salvation of the soul. But "these things" were veiled in the Law until Christ's crucifixion reconciled them in the Holy Spirit. John 10:34–38 (NKJV) 34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’? 35 If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), 36 do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? 37 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; 38 but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”
Justin uses the faith of Abraham to show that God's righteousness hasn't changed from being in the Law to now being in Christ. The righteousness of God has always been in Christ, and never was of the Law; for Abraham was justified by faith through the grace of God, not by the external sign of that faith before men. Christ wasn't even righteous before God through Law keeping (Matt.12:8). Christ was righteous simply because He was the Lord. It was the love in Abraham's heart for God, with all understanding, that made the external act righteous before God, not merely the external formality of the sign of circumcision, for this sign was given to show a particular love for his neighbors that he was in covenant with the Creator God. Therefore, it was love for God working itself out before men that was credited as righteousness to Abraham. But Israel, as a whole, had neglected this "understanding" and made righteousness a matter of the external sign in its formality apart from the circumcision (of the heart) in love toward God. Romans 10:1–13 (NKJV) 1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. 5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) 7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him. 13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” In other words, the faith of Israel was not according to genuine heart religion before God, but was a faith in the external traditions apart from the needed "understanding" that connected those signs to God. And therefore, their faith was not counted as righteous before God. Although they "knew" His name, their confession was worthless because Christ was not in the faith of their heart. The Word was not in them to call upon the Lord for "His righteousness;" and therefore their appearance of righteousness was not according to His grace but of their own works (2Tim.3:5;Jer.23:6;33:16).
Therefore, since all righteousness is divided into two branches, namely, in so far as it regards God and men, whoever, says the Scripture, loves the Lord God with all the heart, and all the strength, and his neighbour as himself, would be truly a righteous man. But you were never shown to be possessed of friendship or love either towards God, or towards the prophets, or towards yourselves, but, as is evident, you are ever found to be idolaters and murderers of righteous men, so that you laid hands even on Christ Himself; and to this very day you abide in your wickedness, execrating those who prove that this man who was crucified by you is the Christ. Nay, more than this, you suppose that He was crucified as hostile to and cursed by God, which supposition is the product of your most irrational mind. For though you have the means of understanding that this man is Christ from the signs given by Moses, yet you will not; but, in addition, fancying that we can have no arguments, you put whatever question comes into your minds, while you yourselves are at a loss for arguments whenever you meet with some firmly established Christian. Justin Martyr. (1885). Dialogue of Justin with Trypho, a Jew. In A. Roberts, J. Donaldson, & A. C. Coxe (Eds.), The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus (Vol. 1, p. 246). Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Company. The Word was, indeed, near to all who lived in Israel, but what kept them from calling upon the Lord was from "not" continuing until the Word was performed within their heart. Deuteronomy 6:24–25 (NKJV) 24 And the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the Lord our God, as He has commanded us.’ In context, Moses is not declaring to them a righteousness that is of the Law, but that if they continue "in all things" in the Law, the "understanding" of the Law will lead them to call upon the Lord for His righteousness; and so in this, when "the understanding" comes in their perseverance, their practices will be righteousness to them through the understanding of the Law. But apart from the Law's purpose there would be no understanding, and so the need to continue in it was necessary for the purpose of the Law to be performed in them, like a schoolmaster to lead them to the grace which is of Christ (Rom.10:4). Galatians 3:22–25 (NKJV) 22 But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. 24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. 25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.
