Are You Right With God?

MANY people may see no point in that question. In their view, feeling right with oneself is more important. ‘Do your own thing’ is a popular maxim these days. ‘Don’t feel guilty’ is another.

This is not just the viewpoint of a few youngsters imbued with the ‘me-first’ philosophy of life. For example, in France, where 82 percent of the population are baptized Catholics, a survey carried out in 1983 revealed that only 4 percent of the people accept the idea of sin. As to the United States, several years ago Dr. Karl Menninger, said to be the “father of American psychiatry,” felt prompted to write a whole book on the subject Whatever Became of Sin? In it he wrote: “As a nation, we officially ceased ‘sinning’ some twenty years ago.” The cover of the book stated: “The word ‘sin’ has almost disappeared from our vocabulary.”

Indeed, the concept of sin is so obscure today that many people, even those claiming to be Christian, would have trouble explaining what sin really is.

Modern-Day Misgivings

In spite of this devaluation of the notion of sin, several recent developments on the world scene have set people thinking. One is the large number of abortions in many of the world’s most developed countries. Some of these, although predominantly “Christian,” have very liberal abortion laws. This glut of fetal killings has produced reactions that people who reject the concept of sin must find hard to explain.

Why, for example, should some women whose philosophy of life permits them to have an abortion have feelings of guilt afterward, even to the point of becoming psychologically ill? Yet, “studies show a high proportion of abortees to be maladjusted,” even in communist Yugoslavia. (The New Encyclopædia Britannica) Professor Henri Baruk, member of the French Academy of Medicine, explains this phenomenon as being due to the violation of “a fundamental principle written in the heart of all people.” Written by whom?

Another recent phenomenon that has set people thinking is the worldwide spread of sexually transmitted diseases. AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), with its high death rate, has triggered a wave of doubt and anguish among many people for whom promiscuous sex had supposedly brought liberation from outmoded taboos. The high price many are paying for their sexual “freedom” is causing some of them to wonder if, after all, they are not being punished. Punished by whom?

Such modern-day reminders that man cannot with impunity flout moral principles are making some thinking people reassess their opinions of sin and accountability to God.

The Churches and Sin

“The sin of this century is the loss of all sense of sin.” Pope Pius XII made that forceful statement as early as 1946. Obviously, the situation has worsened since then. In his recent document on sin and confession, called “Reconciliation and Penance,” Pope John Paul II quoted those words of his predecessor and deplored what he called the eclipse of the concept of sin in today’s secularized society.

The pope also reminded Catholic priests, and Catholics in general, that collective confession and absolution, as practiced in many Catholic churches today, is not good enough. He stated that individual confession is “the only ordinary and normal way” of observing the sacrament of penance. In Catholic dogma penance is associated with good works in reconciling the sinner with God.

Most Protestant churches deny the need for private confession to a priest. They hold that confession to God is sufficient for the forgiveness of sins, but some favor general confession and absolution at the “Communion service.” Many Protestants believe that faith alone is necessary to be justified before God.

Such conflicting doctrines within the so-called Christian churches on the subject of confession, penance, and justification, or how to find a right standing before God, leave many people perplexed. They have a vague feeling that they should be doing something to get right with God, but they do not know how to go about it.

The following article will explain why we need to be put right with God, and it will examine the Catholic and Protestant viewpoints on “justification.” Two other articles will explain what the Bible teaches on the subject of obtaining a righteous standing before God, and how this affects you.

Righteousness Before God​—How?

“GOD ’e say ’im alrite.” Such is apparently the way “justification” has been presented in a recent New Guinea Pidgin version of the “New Testament.” As quaint as this may seem, it does express the basic idea behind the word translated in many English-language Bibles as “justification,” or “declaration of righteousness,” as expressed in Romans 5:16.

On the other hand, some people say: ‘I lead a decent life. I do good to others when I can. I am prepared to meet my Maker.’ They apparently understand justification to mean self-justification. According to the Bible, the doctrine of “justification” relates to the way God regards us and the way he deals with us. Jehovah is “the Creator.” (Isaiah 40:28) He is “the Judge of all the earth.” (Genesis 18:25) Nothing, therefore, could be more important than the way he considers us.

Why We Need to Be Put Right With God

The Bible says of Jehovah: “The Rock, perfect is his activity, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness, with whom there is no injustice; righteous and upright is he.” (Deuteronomy 32:4) He is the embodiment of righteousness. As the Creator and Life-Giver, he has the right to set the standard, or norm, for determining what is right and what is wrong. That which is in conformity with God’s standard is righteous.

Thus, God sets the mark that his intelligent creatures must reach if they wish to live in harmony with their Creator. Missing that mark, or standard, is what the original languages of the Bible call sin. Sin is, therefore, unrighteousness. It is a failure to conform to God’s definition of right and wrong. Consequently, sin is also a form of disorder, a form of lawlessness.​—1 John 5:17; 3:4.

Jehovah “is a God, not of disorder, but of peace.” (1 Corinthians 14:33) Originally, all his creatures in heaven and on earth were perfect. They were endowed with free will. (2 Corinthians 3:17) They enjoyed “the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:21) As long as his righteous standards were respected, peace and order prevailed throughout the universe. Disorder intruded into the universe when, first in heaven, later on earth, some creatures became lawless before God, rejecting his right to rule over them. They deviated from God’s standard of right and wrong. They missed the mark and thus made sinners of themselves.

This was the case with our first parents, Adam and Eve. (Genesis 3:1-6) “That is why . . . sin entered into the world and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men because they had all sinned.” (Romans 5:12) Ever since their rebellion, sin has “ruled as king with death,” because all Adam’s descendants “have sinned and fall short” of God’s righteous standard. (Romans 5:21; 3:23) Hence our need to be put right with God.

The Catholic View of “Justification”

This need for reconciliation with God is recognized by all the churches that claim to be Christian. However, the understanding of the way in which it is attained and of the Christian’s standing before God differs in Catholic and Protestant doctrine.

As to Catholic dogma, The Catholic Encyclopedia states: “Justification denotes that change or transformation in the soul by which man is transferred from the state of original sin, in which as a child of Adam he was born, to that of grace and Divine sonship through Jesus Christ, the second Adam.” A Catholic Dictionary further explains: “We confine ourselves here to the process by which adults are elevated from a state of death and sin to the favour and friendship of God; for with regard to infants the Church teaches that they are justified in baptism without any act of their own.”

Briefly put, the Catholic Church teaches that “justification” is an act of God whereby a person who is baptized in the Catholic faith is really made righteous and sanctified by the gift of divine “grace.” It also claims that such justification can be (1) increased by personal merit, or good works; (2) lost by mortal sin and by unbelief; (3) regained by the sacrament of penance. Within this arrangement, the justified Catholic must confess his sins to a priest and receive absolution. Any “temporal punishment” still due after absolution can be atoned for by good works or remitted by means of an “indulgence.”a

The Protestant View

The abusive sale of indulgences in the early 16th century sparked the Protestant Reformation. Catholic monk Martin Luther attacked this practice in the 95 theses he posted on the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, in 1517. But, in reality, Luther’s disagreement with official Catholic dogma went deeper than that. It embraced the church’s entire doctrine of justification. Confirming this, A Catholic Dictionary states: “The difference of belief on the way by which sinners are justified before God formed the main subject of contention between Catholics and Protestants at the time of the Reformation. ‘If this doctrine’ (i.e. the doctrine of justification by faith alone) ‘falls,’ says Luther in his Table Talk, ‘it is all over with us.’”

What, exactly, did Luther mean by ‘justification by faith alone’? As a Catholic, Luther had learned that man’s justification involves baptism, personal merit, and good works, as well as the sacrament of penance administered by a priest, who hears confession, grants absolution, and imposes compensatory works that can involve self-punishment.

In his efforts to find peace with God, Luther had expended all the resources of Roman dogma on justification, including fasting, prayers, and self-punishment, but to no avail. Unappeased, he read and reread the Psalms and Paul’s letters, finally finding peace of mind by concluding that God justifies men, not because of their merits, good works, or penance, but solely because of their faith. He became so enthused by this thought of “justification by faith alone” that he added the word “alone” after the word “faith” in his German translation of Romans 3:28!b

Most of the Protestant churches basically adopted Luther’s view of “justification by grace through faith.” In fact, this had already been expressed by the French pre-Reformer Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples. Summing up the difference between Catholic and Protestant views on justification, A Catholic Dictionary states: “Catholics regard justification as an act by which a man is really made just; Protestants, as one in which he is merely declared and reputed just, the merits of another​—viz. Christ​—being made over to his account.”

Neither Catholic nor Protestant “Justification”

Catholic dogma goes beyond what the Bible teaches when it claims that “a man is really made just,” or righteous, by the gift of divine grace bestowed at baptism. It is not baptism that washes away original sin, but it is Christ’s shed blood. (Romans 5:8, 9) There is a big difference between really being made righteous by God and being counted, or considered, as being righteous. (Romans 4:7, 8) Any honest Catholic, struggling in his fight against sin, knows that he has not really been made righteous. (Romans 7:14-19) If he were really righteous, he would have no sins to confess to a priest.

Furthermore, if Catholic dogma followed the Bible, the sin-conscious Catholic would confess his sins to God, asking forgiveness through Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:9–2:2) The intercession of a human priest at any stage of “justification” has no foundation in the Bible, no more than the accumulation of merits upon which the doctrine of indulgences is based.​—Hebrews 7:26-28.

The Protestant concept of justification, as meaning a Christian’s being declared righteous on the merits of Christ’s sacrifice, is without a doubt nearer to what the Bible teaches. However, some Protestant churches teach “justification by faith alone,” which, as we will later see, overlooks specific reasonings presented by the apostle Paul and by James. Those churches’ spiritually smug attitude is summed up by the phrase “once saved, always saved.” Some Protestants believe that it is sufficient to believe in Jesus to be saved and, therefore, that justification precedes baptism.

Further, certain Protestant churches, while teaching justification by faith, follow the French reformer John Calvin and teach personal predestination, thus denying the Biblical doctrine of free will. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20) It can, therefore, be stated that neither the Catholic nor the Protestant concepts of justification are totally in harmony with the Bible.

What Does the Bible Teach?

Yet the Bible definitely teaches the doctrine of “justification,” or the way in which a human can be granted a righteous standing before God. We have earlier seen why we need to be put right with God, since we are all born, not as God’s children, but as “children of wrath.” (Ephesians 2:1-3) Whether God’s wrath remains upon us or not depends upon our accepting or refusing his merciful provision for reconciliation with him, the holy, righteous God. (John 3:36) That loving provision is “the ransom paid by Christ Jesus.”​—Romans 3:23, 24.

The apostle Paul showed that Christ’s ransom sacrifice opens up two hopes, one “upon the earth” and the other “in the heavens.” He wrote: “God saw good for all fullness to dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile again to himself all other things by making peace through the blood he shed on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.”​—Colossians 1:19, 20.

To share in either of these two hopes, it is necessary to have a righteous standing before God, and this involves much more than merely “believing in Jesus.” Just what is involved for Christians who have the heavenly hope and for those whose hope is to live forever in a paradise on earth will be considered in the following two articles. Please read on, and do not hesitate to ask the witness of Jehovah who supplied you with this magazine to discuss these articles with you, Bible in hand.

[Footnotes]

[Blurb on page 5]

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH teaches that justification makes man really righteous, but that justification can be lost by mortal sin or enhanced by personal merit

[Blurb on page 6]

MANY PROTESTANTS believe in justification, or declared righteousness, by faith alone, and that belief in Jesus ensures salvation. Some believe that justification is predestinated

[Blurb on page 7]

THE BIBLE teaches that man has free will and that Christ’s ransom sacrifice opens up two hopes, one heavenly and the other earthly. Both hopes involve receiving a righteous standing before God

Declared Righteous “for Life”

“Through one act of justification the result . . . is a declaring of them righteous for life.”​—ROMANS 5:18.

1. Who are hungering and thirsting for righteousness, and how will their desire be fulfilled?

“HAPPY are those hungering and thirsting for righteousness, since they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6) Such thirst for righteousness will be fully satisfied not only for those to whom “the kingdom of the heavens belongs” but also for those who “will possess the earth.” (Matthew 5:10; Psalm 37:29) Both classes share in the hope expressed by the apostle Peter when he wrote: “There are new heavens and a new earth that we are awaiting according to his [God’s] promise, and in these righteousness is to dwell.” (2 Peter 3:13) Yes, Jehovah God has promised a righteous new heavenly government, “the kingdom of the heavens,” and a righteous “new earth,” or human society in a paradise earth.

2. What relationship exists between Jehovah, righteousness, and our hope for a peaceful New Order?

² But what exactly is to be understood by righteous new heavens and a righteous new earth? It means that both the new heavenly government and mankind on earth ruled by it must recognize God’s standard of right and wrong. Jehovah is “the abiding place of righteousness.” (Jeremiah 50:7) Righteousness is the very foundation of his sovereignty, or throne position in the universe. (Job 37:23, 24; Psalm 89:14) For there to be peace in the universe, Jehovah’s creatures have to recognize his right to establish the standards for what is righteous and for what is wicked. Conversely, our hope of a righteous New Order depends on Jehovah’s abiding by his standards.​—Psalm 145:17.

3. In view of Jehovah’s absolute righteousness, what question comes to mind?

³ The question thus arises as to how the holy and righteous God Jehovah could have dealings with unrighteous sinners. (Compare Isaiah 59:2; Habakkuk 1:13.) How could he, while remaining faithful to his exalted standards of righteousness, choose from among sinners those who are to share in the righteous governmental “new heavens” and accept as his friends those who will be a part of the righteous “new earth”? To answer this, we must understand the Biblical doctrine of justification, or declaration of righteousness.

A Merciful Credit Arrangement

4. Why is fallen mankind heavily indebted to God, and why can we not relieve ourselves of this debt?

⁴ In the Scriptures, sins are likened to debts. (See Matthew 6:12, 14; 18:21-35; Luke 11:4.) All men are sinners and are, therefore, heavily in debt before God. “The wages sin pays is death.” (Romans 6:23) Since they had been “sold under sin” by their forefather Adam, his descendants could do nothing to relieve themselves of this crushing debt. (Romans 7:14) Death of the debtor alone could wipe it out, “for he who has died has been acquitted from his sin.” (Romans 6:7) No good works done during a sinner’s lifetime could buy back what Adam lost, nor even give him a righteous standing before God.​—Psalm 49:7, 9; Romans 3:20.

5. How did Jehovah provide relief for sinful mankind while still respecting his perfect justice?

⁵ How could Jehovah provide relief for fallen mankind without compromising his own standards of righteousness? The answer highlights Jehovah’s wisdom and undeserved kindness. The apostle Paul explains this beautifully in his letter to the Romans. He writes: “It is as a free gift that they [sinners] are being declared righteous by his undeserved kindness through the release by the ransom paid by Christ Jesus. God set him forth as an offering for propitiation through faith in his blood. This was in order to exhibit his own righteousness, because he was forgiving the sins that occurred in the past while God was exercising forbearance; so as to exhibit his own righteousness in this present season, that he might be righteous even when declaring righteous the man that has faith in Jesus.”​—Romans 3:24-26.

6. (a) How were Jehovah’s standards of justice satisfied by Christ’s sacrifice, and what is Jehovah thus willing to do? (b) How can God credit righteousness to the account of a person having faith?

⁶ By his undeserved kindness, Jehovah accepted Jesus’ sacrifice in behalf of Adam’s descendants. (1 Peter 2:24) It was an equivalent, or corresponding, sacrifice seeing that, as a perfect man, Jesus bought back what the perfect man Adam lost. (See Exodus 21:23; 1 Timothy 2:6.) Justice having been satisfied, Jehovah is lovingly willing to “wipe out,” or ‘blot out,’ the sins charged against the account of “the man that has faith in Jesus.” (Isaiah 44:22; Acts 3:19) If such a man remains faithful, not only does Jehovah refrain from ‘reckoning to him his trespasses’ but He actually credits righteousness to his account. (2 Corinthians 5:19) By means of this merciful credit arrangement, ‘many have been constituted righteous.’ (Romans 5:19) This is one aspect of justification, the act of God whereby a person is accounted guiltless. (Acts 13:38, 39) Who are the ones who have been justified, or declared righteous, during this system of things?

144,000 “Holy Ones”

7. In what way was Christ declared righteous, and what therefore became possible?

⁷ Naturally, Christ himself needed no credit of righteousness, since he was really righteous. (1 Peter 3:18) Having proved faithful unto death as a perfect man (“the last Adam”) and having sacrificed his right to life on earth, Jesus was resurrected by his Father, Jehovah. Jesus was “declared righteous in spirit,” that is, pronounced fundamentally righteous on his own merit and raised as “a life-giving spirit.” (1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Timothy 3:16) By his sacrificial death, he provided the basis whereby Jehovah could credit righteousness to men and women of faith.​—Romans 10:4.

8, 9. (a) Who are the first ones to benefit by a credit of righteousness, and why? (b) Who make up the “new heavens,” and over what will they rule?

⁸ Logically, those whom Jehovah chooses to make up the righteous “new heavens,” or Kingdom government under the King Jesus Christ, are the first to benefit fully from this merciful arrangement in this system of things. The book of Daniel depicts the ceremony in the heavens by which Christ, the Son of man, receives “rulership and dignity and kingdom,” so that “the peoples, national groups and languages [on earth] should all serve even him.” Then Daniel shows that “the kingdom and the rulership” are also given to “the holy ones of the Supreme One,” Jehovah.​—Daniel 7:13, 14, 18, 27; compare Revelation 5:8-10.

⁹ The number of such “holy ones” chosen to rule with the Lamb Jesus Christ on the heavenly Mount Zion is revealed as being 144,000, “bought from among mankind.” (Revelation 14:1-5) These, together with Christ, make up the righteous “new heavens” of Jehovah’s new system of things.

Counted Righteous​—How and Why?

10. (a) Which Bible book is the most explicit on justification, and to whom was it written? (b) Who are principally involved in the Bible doctrine of justification?

¹⁰ The Bible book that is doubtless the most explicit on God’s declaring men righteous is Paul’s letter to the Romans. Interestingly, he addressed this letter to those “called to be holy ones.” (Romans 1:1, 7) This explains why the doctrine of “justification,” or declaration of righteousness, as outlined by Paul, is used in connection with the 144,000 “holy ones.”

11. What relationship is there between faith, works, and justification?

¹¹ The thrust of Paul’s reasoning in Romans is that neither Jew nor Gentile can obtain a righteous standing before God by means of works, whether these be done to conform to the Mosaic Law or simply out of respect for instinctive moral law. (Romans 2:14, 15; 3:9, 10, 19, 20) Jew and Gentile alike can be declared righteous only on the basis of faith in Christ’s ransom sacrifice. (Romans 3:22-24, 29, 30) However, the counsel in the closing chapters of Romans (12–15) shows that such faith must be backed up by godly works, as James also explains. (James 2:14-17) Such works simply prove that the justified Christian has the faith that is a prerequisite for justification by God.

12, 13. (a) Why do the 144,000 “holy ones” need to be declared righteous? (b) What do they do with the life rights they receive?

¹² Still, for what impelling reason do Christians who are “called to be holy ones” need to be declared righteous? This is where the second aspect of justification comes into account, namely, God’s declaring a person worthy of life as His perfect human son. Due to the role they are called upon to play in the righteous “new heavens,” the 144,000 must renounce and sacrifice forever any hope of life everlasting on earth. (Psalm 37:29; 115:16) In this sense they die a sacrificial death. They ‘submit themselves to a death like Christ’s.’​—Philippians 3:8-11.

¹³ Now, in line with the principle set forth in the Mosaic Law, any sacrifice presented to Jehovah must be without defect. (Leviticus 22:21; Deuteronomy 15:21) The 144,000 “holy ones” are spoken of as “righteous ones who have been made perfect.”​—Hebrews 12:23.

Adopted as Spiritual Sons

14, 15. (a) What change with reference to sin do the 144,000 undergo? (b) In what way are they raised up to “a newness of life”?

¹⁴ While still living in the flesh, these “righteous ones” undergo a symbolic death. The apostle Paul explains: “Seeing that we died with reference to sin, how shall we keep on living any longer in it? Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with him through our baptism into his death, in order that, just as Christ was raised up from the dead through the glory of the Father, we also should likewise walk in a newness of life . . . because we know that our old personality was impaled with him, that our sinful body might be made inactive, that we should no longer go on being slaves to sin. For he who has died has been acquitted from his sin.”​—Romans 6:2-7.

¹⁵ During their human life, the 144,000 “holy ones,” of whom only a small remnant remain on earth in this time of the end, ‘die with reference to sin.’ After their symbolic death, those “called to be holy ones” are raised up to “a newness of life.” Having declared them righteous, Jehovah is in a position to beget them by his spirit to be his spiritual “children.” They are “born again” and adopted as “God’s sons.” (John 3:3; Romans 8:9-16)a They become spiritual Israelites and are taken into the new covenant.​—Jeremiah 31:31-34; Luke 22:20; Romans 9:6.

Heirs to Priesthood and Kingship

16. To what do the 144,000 “holy ones” become heirs?

¹⁶ As adopted spiritual “sons” of God, the 144,000 “holy ones” also become ‘heirs.’ (Galatians 4:5-7) Paul wrote to fellow spirit-begotten Christians: “If, then, we are children, we are also heirs: heirs indeed of God, but joint heirs with Christ, provided we suffer together that we may also be glorified together.” (Romans 8:17) What is Christ’s heritage? Jehovah has made him a King-Priest “according to the manner of Melchizedek forever.” (Hebrews 6:19, 20; 7:1) As “joint heirs” with Christ, spirit-begotten Christians are also anointed by Jehovah as spiritual priests. (2 Corinthians 1:21; 1 Peter 2:9) Furthermore, one of the ultimate objects of their being declared righteous by Jehovah is for them later to “rule as kings in life through the one person, Jesus Christ.”​—Romans 5:17.

17. (a) Although declared righteous, what do anointed Christians need to do daily? (b) How do they receive their reward?

¹⁷ While yet on earth, these anointed Christians, although declared righteous, still have to fight their sinful tendencies. (Romans 7:15-20) They need Christ’s blood to cleanse them from their daily sins of imperfection. (1 John 1:7; 2:1, 2) When they remain faithful until the end of their earthly lives, they literally die and are resurrected “to an incorruptible and undefiled and unfading inheritance” as part of the righteous “new heavens.”​—1 Peter 1:3, 4; 2 Peter 3:13.

“Waiting for the Revealing of the Sons of God”

18, 19. (a) What is human “creation” awaiting? (b) How will “the sons of God” be ‘revealed,’ and why is human “creation” living in eager expectation of this?

¹⁸ How does all of this affect those​—far more numerous than the 144,000 spiritual “sons of God”—​who hunger and thirst for righteousness but whose hope is to possess the earth? Of these, the apostle Paul writes: “For the eager expectation of the creation is waiting for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility . . . on the basis of hope that the creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.”​—Romans 8:19-21.

¹⁹ Such human “creation” whose hope is to live forever in a paradise earth are living in “eager expectation” of the time​—now near—​when the King Jesus Christ and the resurrected “sons of God” will be ‘revealed’ in destroying the present wicked system of things and thereafter ruling as kings and priests “for the thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4, 6) During the Millennial Reign of Christ, human “creation itself also will be set free from enslavement to corruption.”

20. What will be considered in the following article?

²⁰ Just how humans living in the righteous “new earth” will finally attain to “the glorious freedom of the children of God,” and how the Biblical doctrine of justification affects them even now, will be considered in the following article.

[Footnotes]

Declared Righteous as a Friend of God

“‘Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he came to be called ‘Jehovah’s friend.’”​—JAMES 2:23.

1, 2. How are “things in the heavens” and “things upon the earth” being reconciled to God?

“GOD saw good for all fullness to dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile again to himself all other things by making peace through the blood he shed on the torture stake, no matter whether they are the things upon the earth or the things in the heavens.” (Colossians 1:19, 20) This divine purpose of reconciliation is moving to its climax.

² “The things in the heavens” are not spirit creatures, for angels are not ransomed by Christ’s blood. Rather, they are the humans bought with the Lamb’s blood to be “a kingdom and priests” with Christ in the “new heavens.” These have already been fully declared righteous through the blood of Christ. In addition, for some 50 years now, Jehovah has been making peace with “things upon the earth,” those humans who will become a part of the righteous “new earth.” (Revelation 5:9, 10; 2 Peter 3:13) This gathering of “all things together,” both things earthly and things heavenly, “is according to his [Jehovah’s] good pleasure which he purposed in himself.”​—Ephesians 1:9, 10.

God’s Purpose for His Son Adam

3, 4. What was Adam’s standing before God, but in what respect did he still need to be declared righteous?

³ Adam was created a perfect, righteous, human son of God. (Luke 3:38) His righteousness was not credited, or imputed. It was inherent. From the standpoint of guiltlessness before Jehovah, Adam had no need to be “declared” righteous. As long as he submitted to God’s legitimate rulership, he maintained a good standing before his Creator.

⁴ However, he had not yet proved himself to be an integrity keeper and had not yet been judged worthy of the right to everlasting life on earth. For that, he had to show, over a period of time, faithfulness to Jehovah and attachment to righteousness. Had he thus proved his integrity under test, he would have received the right to everlasting life on earth. It would have been as if God had declared, or gone on record as stating, that Adam merited endless life. In symbol of this, Jehovah no doubt would have led him to “the tree of life” and allowed him to eat of its fruit.​—Genesis 2:9, 16, 17; 3:22.

5. (a) What did Adam lose for himself and for his offspring? (b) What hope of deliverance from sin and death did Jehovah give to human creation?

⁵ But Adam failed when tested and thereby lost perfection, righteousness, and sonship for himself and his offspring. (Romans 5:12) Consequently, Adam’s descendants were all born estranged from God, inherently unrighteous. (Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:10) Thus, human creation “was subjected to futility” but “on the basis of hope,” which hope of deliverance from sin and death was given immediately after the rebellion in Eden.​—Romans 8:20, 21; Genesis 3:15.

Declared Righteous Before Christ​—How So?

6, 7. (a) To what extent were some humans declared righteous before Christ’s sacrificial death? (b) What are some examples of pre-Christian servants of Jehovah who received a righteous standing?

⁶ Mankind’s hope for deliverance from sin and death depended on the coming of the promised “seed,” God’s only-begotten Son. (John 3:16) Before Christ’s sacrificial death, there was no way for men to obtain “acquittal and life,” or “a declaring of them righteous for life.” (Romans 5:18, Revised Standard Version; New World Translation) Nevertheless, even before Christ paid the ransom for man’s deliverance, some men and women put faith in God’s promise and backed up that faith by works. Because of this, Jehovah kindly pardoned their sin and accepted them as his servants. He lovingly accounted them relatively guiltless, when compared to the majority of mankind alienated from God. (Psalm 32:1, 2; Ephesians 2:12) He gave them a righteous standing, declaring them righteous to the extent that was appropriate at the time.

⁷ Thus, by faith Abel “had witness borne to him that he was righteous.” (Hebrews 11:4) Noah “became an heir of the righteousness that is according to faith.” (Hebrews 11:7) In spite of his failings, Job was said to be “blameless and upright.” (Job 1:1, 22; 7:21) Phinehas showed zeal for pure worship, “and it came to be counted to him as righteousness.” (Psalm 106:30, 31; Numbers 25:1-13) “By faith” and by her works of kindness toward God’s people, the non-Israelite harlot Rahab received a righteous standing, or was declared righteous.​—Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25.

How Abraham Was Accounted Righteous

8, 9. (a) Whose righteousness is the main topic of Paul’s letter to the Romans? (b) In what respects does the declaration of righteousness of the “holy ones” go beyond that of Abraham?

⁸ The case of Abraham deserves particular attention. His being declared righteous is mentioned by two writers of the Christian Greek Scriptures, both of whom were writing to first-century Christians who were called to be a part of the 144,000 members of spiritual Israel.​—Romans 2:28, 29; 9:6; James 1:1; Revelation 7:4.

⁹ In his letter to the Romans, Paul argues that those “called to be holy ones” (Ro 1:7), both Jews and Gentiles (Ro 1:16, 17), are declared righteous “by faith apart from works of law.” (Ro 3:28) To substantiate his argument, he opens a long explanation (Ro 4:1-22) and quotes Genesis 15:6 in saying: “Abraham exercised faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Then, in the concluding verses of Ro chapter 4:25, Paul says that Jesus “was delivered up for the sake of our trespasses and was raised up for the sake of declaring us [that is, “the holy ones” (Romans 1:7)] righteous.” “Us” cannot include Abraham, since he died long before Christ’s death and resurrection. Consequently, when, in the following chapters, Paul speaks of those who are to “rule as kings” and of their being declared righteous “for life” with a view to becoming “God’s sons” and “joint heirs with Christ,” he was obviously speaking of something quite different from God’s attributing righteousness to Abraham.​—Romans 5:17, 18; 8:14, 17, 28-33.

10. How does James shed light on the scope of Abraham’s being declared righteous?

¹⁰ James also mentions Abraham as an example to prove that faith must be backed up by godly works. After stating that Abraham was declared righteous, quoting Genesis 15:6, James adds a comment that helps us to see the scope of Abraham’s justification. He writes: “The scripture was fulfilled which says: ‘Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,’ and he came to be called ‘Jehovah’s friend.’” (James 2:20-23) Yes, due to his faith, Abraham was declared righteous as a friend of Jehovah, not as a son with the right to perfect human life or to kingship with Christ. Interestingly, in his Synonyms of the Old Testament, Robert Girdlestone wrote concerning Abraham’s righteousness: “This righteousness was not absolute, i.e. such as would commend Abraham to God as a rightful claimant of the inheritance of sonship.”

Jehovah’s Book of Remembrance

11. Whose names are written in Jehovah’s book of remembrance, and why?

¹¹ The credit of relative righteousness to faithful men and women before Christ was a token of the real, or actual, righteousness and perfection associated with everlasting life that they may gain in God’s new earth. In view of their life prospects, they may be viewed as having their names written in a book of remembrance. (Compare Malachi 3:16; Exodus 32:32, 33.) It contains the names of those who are viewed by Jehovah as “righteous ones” who have demonstrated their faith by righteous works, and who are in line to receive everlasting life on earth.​—Psalm 69:28; Habakkuk 2:4.

12. What will the “righteous” who are resurrected have to do to keep their names in Jehovah’s book of remembrance?

¹² However, such names are not yet written in Jehovah’s “book of life.” (Revelation 20:15) When such faithful men and women of the past come back on earth in ‘the resurrection of the righteous,’ they will no doubt accept with faith Jehovah’s provision for life through Christ’s ransom sacrifice. (Acts 24:15) Thus they will become a part of Jesus’ “other sheep,” together with the “great crowd” who will have survived the “great tribulation.” (John 10:16; Revelation 7:9, 14) So doing, they will keep their names in Jehovah’s book of remembrance.

Accounted Righteous as Friends for Survival

13. Whom is the Fine Shepherd now bringing in, and how do they get inscribed in Jehovah’s book of remembrance?

¹³ The Fine Shepherd, Jesus Christ, is now bringing in “other sheep” that are not of the “little flock” of 144,000 “holy ones” to whom the heavenly Kingdom is given. (Luke 12:32; Daniel 7:18) These “other sheep” listen to the voice of the Fine Shepherd. (John 10:16) They exercise faith in Jehovah and in his Son. They dedicate their lives to Jehovah on the basis of Christ’s ransom sacrifice. They are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit” and recognize the need to cultivate “the fruitage of the spirit.” (Matthew 28:19, 20; Galatians 5:22, 23) Their names are written in Jehovah’s book of remembrance.

14. What gives the “other sheep” a clean standing before Jehovah, but for what do they need to ask God?

¹⁴ These “other sheep” gathered in this time of the end will make up the “great crowd” whom the apostle John saw in vision, after he had seen the 144,000 members of spiritual Israel. (Revelation 7:4, 9) He described the “great crowd” as having “washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” (Re 7 Verse 14) Because of their faith in the Lamb’s shed blood, a degree of righteousness is credited to them. This was depicted by their symbolic white robes. They have a clean standing before Jehovah, and “that is why” he allows them to ‘render him sacred service day and night in his temple.’ (Re 7 Verse 15) Still, each day they must confess their sins to Jehovah and ask for forgiveness through Jesus Christ.​—1 John 1:9–2:2.

15. (a) How does the parable of the sheep and the goats show that the “other sheep” have a righteous standing with God? (b) To what extent are they declared righteous at the present time?

¹⁵ That the “other sheep” are God’s friends and even now have a relatively righteous standing before him is also made clear in Jesus’ prophecy on ‘the sign of his presence,’ which includes the illustration of the sheep and the goats. Because the “sheep” do good to the remnant of Christ’s 144,000 “brothers” still on earth, they are blessed by Jesus’ Father and are called “righteous ones.” Like Abraham, they are accounted, or declared, righteous as friends of God. Their righteous standing will also mean survival for them when the “goats” depart into “everlasting cutting-off.” (Matthew 24:3–25:46) They will “come out of the great tribulation” that will mark the end of the present wicked system of things.​—Revelation 7:14.

Brought Up to Perfection

16. How do we know that the great crowd are not declared righteous for life before the “great tribulation”?

¹⁶ The “great crowd,” who survive the “great tribulation,” are not already declared righteous for life. We can see this from the fact that the chapter that mentions them goes on to say: “The Lamb, who is in the midst of the throne, will shepherd them, and will guide them to fountains of waters of life.” (Revelation 7:17) So, even though God previously counted them as righteous compared to mankind in general and as his friends, they need additional help, or steps to be taken, so that they can be declared righteous for life.

17. (a) What is meant by “the curing of the nations”? (b) Who will need to have their names inscribed in “the book of life”?

¹⁷ During the Millennium, the enthroned Lamb, Christ Jesus, together with his 144,000 associate kings and priests, will apply a program of spiritual and physical “curing of the nations.” (Revelation 22:1, 2) Such “nations” will be made up of the survivors of the great tribulation, any children born to them after Har–Magedon, and those who come back in the “resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15) All who put faith in Christ’s blood and accomplish appropriate “deeds” will eventually have their names written in “the book of life.”​—Revelation 20:11-15.

18. To what condition will earth’s inhabitants have been raised by the end of the Millennium?

¹⁸ By the end of Christ’s Millennial Reign, those of earth’s inhabitants who have shown that they accept Christ’s ransom and will live by Jehovah’s standards will have been raised to perfection. (Revelation 20:5) They will be as Adam was before he sinned. Like him, they will be tested as to their obedience.

“Glorious Freedom” as “Children of God”

19. (a) What will occur immediately after the Millennium? (b) What will happen to those whose names are not found written in “the book of life”?

¹⁹ Immediately after the Millennium, Christ will hand over to his Father a perfect human race. (1 Corinthians 15:28) “Satan will be let loose” for a decisive test of mankind. (Revelation 20:7, 8) The names of any who fail under test will not be “found written in the book of life.” They will symbolically be “hurled into the lake of fire,” which “means the second death.”​—Revelation 20:15; 21:8.

20. (a) Whom will Jehovah declare righteous for life, and why? (b) How will Jehovah’s merciful arrangement of justification have served its purpose?

²⁰ Those who prove loyal to Jehovah will have their names indelibly written in the “book of life,” as being perfect in integrity and worthy of the right to everlasting life on earth. Jehovah himself will then declare them righteous in the complete sense. (Romans 8:33) They will have been justified to life eternal. God will adopt them as his earthly sons, and they will enter into the promised “glorious freedom of the children of God.” (Romans 8:20, 21) Peace and harmony will have been restored to the universe. Reconciliation with God will be complete for “things upon the earth” and “things in the heavens.” (Colossians 1:20) Jehovah’s merciful arrangement of justification will have served its purpose. To the question, “Are you right with God?” every creature in heaven and on earth will be able to answer yes and add: “To the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might forever and ever.”​—Revelation 5:13.