Justification

Although the doctrine of justification is typically associated most with Protestant soteriology, Ussher tied it to the eschatological dimension of the covenant of works in a more integrated way than some of his forebears. He did not consider justification to be an ad hoc doctrine that came in once sin had to be penalized. Instead, justification was always the sought declaration for humankind. People were made in such a way that it was necessary for them to fulfill a requirement of righteousness. Although Adam was made good and upright, God still obligated him to reach the consummate declaration of righteousness— namely, justification. Most significantly, justification in Ussher’s thought was by faith alone only after the Fall. Prior to the entrance of sin, Adam was fully capable of receiving the righteous status by works.

 

Harrison Perkins, Catholicity and the Covenant of Works (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2020), 75