Tom Schreiner concludes his series by showing that justification by faith is not merely a legal doctrine—it profoundly shapes the Christian life. He outlines five pastoral benefits flowing from being declared righteous in Christ.

1. Justification produces praise.
Because salvation rests entirely on God’s grace—not human achievement—believers respond with joy, gratitude, and worship. Understanding our “wretchedness” deepens amazement at God’s mercy and fuels genuine, heart-level praise.

2. Justification brings assurance.
Since righteousness is imputed to us through Christ and not grounded in our works, we may know we have eternal life. This frees us from fear that we have not done “enough,” and roots our confidence in Christ’s finished work. Schreiner recalls Luther, Wesley, and Machen, who found comfort—even in death—in Christ’s righteousness.

3. Justification removes guilt.
Feelings of guilt and shame can paralyze believers, but the gospel declares there is “no condemnation for those in Christ.” Christ’s advocacy and sacrifice silence the accusations of conscience and Satan, restoring peace and stability.

4. Justification makes us realistic.
We are righteous in Christ yet still sinners. This “already/not-yet” tension keeps us humble and dependent on grace while recognizing real, ongoing growth.

5. Justification unleashes love.
Faith works through love. Freed from earning God’s favor, believers express gratitude through obedience, sacrificial love, and transformed living.

Tom Schreiner argues that the New Testament consistently teaches that Christians must persevere in faith to be finally saved. Contrary to some evangelistic clichés (“You’re saved no matter what you do now”), Scripture never assures converts this way. Instead, early Christian leaders—Barnabas, Paul, Peter, Jude—regularly exhorted believers to continue, stand firm, keep themselves in God’s love, and remain in the faith.

Schreiner surveys warnings throughout the New Testament: Jesus warns that only those who endure to the end will be saved; Paul warns the Galatians that receiving circumcision means being “severed from Christ”; Romans 11 warns Gentiles they will be “cut off” if they do not continue in God’s kindness; Hebrews repeatedly warns that falling away leads to judgment. These warnings are real, serious, and addressed to believers about salvation—not merely rewards.

Yet perseverance is not perfection and not works-righteousness. Christians still sin, struggle with desires, and grow gradually. Perseverance flows from faith and is empowered by the Spirit, not by human merit.

Schreiner’s key thesis: God preserves His elect by means of warnings. The warnings do not imply the elect may finally perish; instead, God uses them as instruments to keep His people trusting Christ to the end. The warnings call not to introspection but to ongoing faith and obedience.

Dr. Tom Schreiner argues that justification is central to the Christian gospel and historically was the key point separating Protestants and Roman Catholics. The Reformers saw justification as the doctrine on which the church stands or falls. Though recent ecumenical statements (like Evangelicals and Catholics Together and the Joint Declaration on Justification) sought unity, their definitions often blur classic Protestant convictions.

Schreiner defends the historic Reformation view: justification is forensic—God’s legal declaration that sinners are righteous because of Christ’s obedience and atoning death, received by faith alone. It is not a process of becoming righteous but an accomplished verdict grounded entirely in Christ, not in anything we contribute.

He critiques both Roman Catholic theology and modern trends such as the New Perspective on Paul (Sanders, Dunn, Wright). These reinterpret “works of the law” as ethnic boundary markers rather than moral requirements and shift justification toward ecclesiology (who belongs to the covenant community) rather than salvation. Schreiner argues instead that Paul’s concern is universal sin, moral failure, and humanity’s inability to keep God’s law.

Biblical evidence—from Deut. 25, Psalms, Job, Romans, and Galatians—shows justification language consistently refers to courtroom declaration. Schreiner affirms imputation: Christ becomes sin for us so that His righteousness becomes ours through union with Him. Good works, while necessary as evidence, never form the basis of justification.