Justification: Were the Reformers Right? | dr. Tom Schreiner

Dr. Tom Schreiner argues that justification is central to the Christian gospel and historically was the key point separating Protestants and Roman Catholics. The Reformers saw justification as the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. Though recent ecumenical statements (like Evangelicals and Catholics Together and the Joint Declaration on Justification) sought unity, their definitions often blur classic Protestant convictions.Schreiner defends the historic Reformation view: justification is forensic—God’s legal declaration that sinners are righteous because of Christ’s obedience and atoning death, received by faith alone. It is not a process of becoming righteous but an accomplished verdict grounded entirely in Christ, not in anything we contribute.He critiques both Roman Catholic theology and modern trends such as the New Perspective on Paul (Sanders, Dunn, Wright). These reinterpret “works of the law” as ethnic boundary markers rather than moral requirements and shift justification toward ecclesiology (who belongs to the covenant community) rather than salvation. Schreiner argues instead that Paul’s concern is universal sin, moral failure, and humanity’s inability to keep God’s law.Biblical evidence—from Deut. 25, Psalms, Job, Romans, and Galatians—shows justification language consistently refers to courtroom declaration. Schreiner affirms imputation: Christ becomes sin for us so that His righteousness becomes ours through union with Him. Good works, while necessary as evidence, never form the basis of justification.