Justification as Liberation
There are people today who would argue that any suggestion that ‘justification’ includes liberation is practically denying the foundation of the Christian faith — the hermetically sealed dogmatic categories of justification and sanctification. I stumbled across this while reading Calvin today:—
Respecting the phrase, the sanctuary shall be justified, some translate it — “Then the sanctuary shall be expiated;” but I prefer retaining the proper sense of the word. We know how usually the Hebrews use the word “justify” when they speak of rights. When their own rights are restored to those who have been deprived of them — when a slave has been blessed with his liberty — when he who has been unjustly oppressed obtains his cause, the Hebrews use this word “justified.” As God’s sanctuary was subject to infamy by the image of Olympian Jove being exhibited there, all respect for it had passed away; for we know how the glory of the temple sprang from the worship of God. As the temple had been defiled by so great disgrace, it was then “justified,” when God established his own sacrifices again, and restored his pure worship as prescribed by the Law. The sanctuary, therefore, shall be justified; that is, vindicated from that disgrace to which for a time it had been subject. [Commentary on Daniel 8:14]
Justification cannot ultimately be distinguished from God’s activity of setting things to rights, just as faith cannot ultimately be distinguished from faithfulness. If people would only pay careful attention to the thought-world in which Paul operated — the thought-world of the Torah and the prophets — his epistles would make a lot more sense, and much of our dogmatics would suddenly begin to look very confusing.
