Fine Distinctions
You Mean, 'Justified'
Category: Fine Distinctions
A question that is often posed in conversations among Christians is, Would a person who perfectly obeys God's Laws be saved?. The question is usually intended to stimulate discussion regarding how a person obtains salvation so that the gospel can be clearly articulated and any dependence on an individual's works can be jettisoned. That is a worthy goal. However, the question itself should be called into question.
The first question about the question involves the definition of 'salvation'. Saved from what?
Salvation means "rescue" or "deliverance," and the correct answer is that we are saved from the just wrath of God. A person who has been saved has been rescued or delivered from God's punishment. The next question would then be, Why do we need to be rescued from God's punishment? The answer is that anyone who disobeys His Laws is subject to punishment because God has promised to punish all evildoers.
Now let's put our definitions back into the original question: Would a person who has perfectly obeyed God's Law be rescued from God's punishment for disobeying. The answer, of course, is that a person who has perfectly obeyed God's Law does not need to be rescued from His punishment. It is an illogical question.
A better question would be, Would a person who perfectly obeys God's Laws be justified? Justify means "to declare a person 'righteous.'" When we disobey God we become unrighteous and unworthy to be called "righteous." However, a person who never disobeys God would be righteous, and it would be correct to declare him so ("... the doers of the Law will be justified" Romans 2:13).
In summary, then, to ask whether a person who keeps God's Laws will be saved is to ask a nonsensical question. The question of whether a person who keeps God's Laws will be justified should receive an answer in the affirmative. Now, whether any man has kept God's Laws is another question altogether. I only know of one who did (and He was punished by God, but that's yet another question).