Simul Justus et Peccator ~ At the same time Just (or Righteous) and sinner

The Mall Baptist Church holds to the reformed view of Justification by Faith alone, In that we are not made just or righteous rather we are counted righteous or just. And so at the heart of the reformed doctrine of Justification is the Greek word “Dikaiosune” “to count” or “to treat” as righteous, in that while we are still unrighteous, we are declared to be righteous by Gods applying the righteousness of Christ through imputation. This imputation enables a still sinful man to be counted or declared righteous by a Holy God through his Faith alone in Christ alone for the atonement of his sin past, present and future.

This scriptural understanding of the justification of a still sinful man through the reformers became synonymous with Martin Luther’s Latin phrase “Simul Justus et Peccotor” where we are not righteous in ourselves, we are fully being counted in the sight of god as righteous by faith. 

To further define this view of justification and the pardox of how one can be both counted righteous and yet still remain unrighteous in themselves we must start with the fraise “Simul Justus et Peccotor” which means “at the same time just or righteous and sinner”. The seeming pyridoxal or contradiction of “Simul Justus et Pacator” is when understood correctly non-existent as they are unrelational to each other therefore they do not contradict each other. As we remain still a sinner and yet righteous by the transfer of Christ’s righteousness to ourselves by virtue of imputation.

This Reformed view is contrasted by that of the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification whereby one is made Righteous in of themselves by the infusion or imparting of Christ rightness through the sacrament of Baptism and a life devoted to acts of work’s and penitential confession enabling the sinner to count rightness their own.

Therefore, when we use the term justification by faith alone we affirm the righteousness we possess is not our own but an alien righteousness, a righteousness that is “Extra Nos” “outside or apart from us” a righteousness that is counted for us but not of us.

Romans 4:5 ESV

5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

Romans 4:22-25 ESV

22 That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” 23 But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, 24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Romans 5:1 ESV

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

We also must understand “by Faith” in how one has faith, that is it is God who draws by undeserved Grace through predestined election. (Romans 9) We call this “predestined monergistic regeneration”. (regeneration precedes faith by the sole act of grace alone by God alone to produce faith in Christ alone.) for further information on this please see our “Post Tenebras Lux” page