But that no man is justified
There are some that are justified, as all God's elect are, in his
own mind and will from eternity; which will of his to justify
them, upon the righteousness of his Son, undertook by him to
bring in, is their justification in the court of heaven; and all
that believe in Christ are openly and manifestly justified in the
court of conscience, under the testimony of the Spirit of God:
but no one is justified
by the law;
it is in the Greek text, "in the law"; there were many justified
before the law was given, as Noah, Job, Abraham, and all the
Ante-Mosaic believers; and there were many justified "in", or
under the legal dispensation; but none of them were justified by
their obedience to the law, but by the righteousness they
believed they had in the Lord: especially no man is justified
in the sight of God;
who sees the heart, knows the spring of actions, and whose
judgment is according to truth; that is, by the law and the deeds
of it, however they may before men:
it is evident;
it is a clear case, out of all dispute, as appears from (
Habakkuk
2:4 )
for the just shall live by faith;
which may be read either, "the just by faith, shall live": that
is, the man who is just by faith, or justified by faith, not by
it as a principle or act, or as the cause or matter of his
justification, but by the object of his faith, Christ and his
righteousness apprehended by faith, and so not just or justified
by works; he shall live a life of justification, through that
righteousness his faith receives; he shall live comfortably, with
much peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, as the result of his being
justified by faith; and shall live eternally, and never die the
second death: or the "just shall live by faith"; he that is
righteous, not by his own works, but by the obedience of Christ,
shall live not upon faith, but by it on Christ, and his
righteousness, which is revealed from faith to faith; and this
makes it a clear point, that he is not justified by the law, for
if he was, he would not live by faith on Christ, but in and by
the deeds of the law.