The meaning of justification by faith alone has been largely forgotten in the professing Christian Church. The meaning of justification has been forgotten, and so has the meaning of faith. But mere forgetting is not the whole issue. In addition to our sinful tendency to forget God’s truth (a tendency that the writers of the New Testament were well aware of, for they repeatedly said that they were writing to remind believers), false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, have worked diligently to twist the Scriptural doctrine of justification. The teaching of the Roman State-Church is a prime example of this. The following ten questions are designed to test your knowledge of justification by faith. After you have taken the quiz, perhaps you could ask a teacher in your church to take it as well. You might be surprised to find that many more than you expected are confused on this cardinal doctrine of Christianity.
In each of the following 10 choices, mark either (a) or (b), whichever is correct.
1. (a) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by mercifully accounting him innocent or virtuous.
(b) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by actually making him into an innocent and virtuous person.
2. (a) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by placing Christ’s goodness and virtue to his credit.
(b) God gives a sinner right standing with himself by putting Christ’s goodness and virtue into his heart.
3. (a) God accepts the believer because of the righteousness found in Jesus Christ.
(b) God makes the believer acceptable by infusing Christ’s righteousness into his life.
4. (a) If a person is “born again” (regenerate), he will receive right standing with God on the basis of his new birth.
(b) If a person is “born again” he receives right standing with God on the basis of Christ’s work alone.
5. (a) We receive right standing with God by faith alone.
(b) We receive right standing with God by faith which has become active by love.
6. (a) We achieve right standing with God by having Christ live out his life of obedience in us.
(b) We receive right standing with God by accepting the fact that Christ obeyed the law perfectly for us.
7. (a) We achieve right standing with God by following Christ’s example by the help of his enabling grace.
(b) We follow Christ’s example because his death has given us right standing with God.
8. (a) In justification, God pronounces that we are good in his sight.
(b) In justification, God sends his Spirit to make us good.
9. (a) Christ’s intercession at God’s right hand gives us favor in the sight of God.
(b) It is the indwelling Christ that gives us favor in God’s sight.
10. (a) Only by faith in the doing and dying of Christ can we satisfy the claims of the Ten commandments.
(b) By the power of the Holy Spirit living in us, we can satisfy the claims of the Ten Commandments.