The Bible shows that the second aspect of justification is before men. We obtain this gradually after we are saved.
1. “A man is justified by works” (James 2:24).
When we were saved, the justification we obtained before God was by faith and had nothing to do with works. But after we are saved, our justification before men is by works, not by faith. Faith caused us to be justified by God at the time of our salvation; works cause us to be justified by men after our salvation. Although a person is justified by God through faith at the time of salvation, he may not necessarily be justified by man through works after salvation. After we are saved, we must bring forth the fruits of repentance and live righteously with righteous behavior by the life and Spirit within us. We will then be a righteous person who does righteousness and is justified by men.
2. “Let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works” (Matt. 5:16).
After we were saved and justified by God, we became children of light. Following our salvation, we must be children of light, letting the light of life in us shine before men so that they may see our good works and call us righteous.
3. “We exercise foresight for what is honorable not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men” (2 Cor. 8:21).
We should exercise foresight for what is honorable in the sight of men in order to match our justified status. Otherwise, even though we may be justified before God, we will not appear to be justified before men.
4. “He who serves Christ in this is well pleasing to God and approved by men” (Rom. 14:18).
After our salvation, we should live a life of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit to serve Christ. If we do, we will not only be well pleasing to God but also approved by men, that is, justified by men and before men.
Although our justification before God does not require works, we should do works before men after we are justified by God in order to be justified by them. We say that we are a Christian, but our behavior may speak to the contrary. We say that God has justified us, but our works may not be that of a righteous man of God. We say that we have faith before God, but there is no testimony of works before men. Faith is before God; works are before men. Many brothers do not have a testimony of works before their wives, so they cannot be justified by their wives. Many sisters do not shine out the light of life before their husbands, so they are not approved by their husbands. There are also many brothers and sisters who are without shining and righteous works in the presence of their colleagues, schoolmates, relatives, and neighbors, so they do not obtain praises from them. I dare not say that such persons are not saved, but they are not justified before men, even though they have been justified before God. After our salvation, we must, by the Lord’s grace, have a testimony before men with righteous works so that our being and doing will match God’s justification in order to be justified by men.
The third aspect of our justification is before the judgment seat of Christ. This will occur when our Lord comes back to judge the saints.
1. “I am conscious of nothing against myself; but I am not justified in this, but He who examines me is the Lord...until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then there will be praise to each from God” (1 Cor. 4:4-5).
In many places in the books of Romans, Galatians, and Philippians, Paul clearly and definitely states that he was justified before God. But in 1 Corinthians, he spoke of the justification that would be obtained when the Lord comes again to judge the saints, not of the justification obtained at salvation, and for this he had no assurance that he would be justified by the Lord. This justification is based on our being and our doing, our works and our living, after salvation. Our life and work, our being and doing, determine whether we will be justified by the Lord when He comes to judge the saints. The Lord will judge us and decide whether we are righteous according to our work, action, thought, and counsel.
2. “We must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done through the body according to what he has practiced, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10).
At the Lord’s coming, those who are saved will be judged before His judgment seat to receive the things they have done, according to what they practiced, whether good or bad. This is the judgment at the judgment seat of Christ, and it is different from the judgment at the great white throne. The world will be judged at the great white throne to determine who will be saved or who will perish. The judgment seat of Christ is related to whether the saints should be rewarded or punished; it does not concern our salvation. This judgment is based on our work after our salvation. If our work and actions please the Lord, we will be approved and justified by Him at His judgment. This justification is in the future, and it is related to our reward, not our salvation.