The commentaries of M. John Calvin upon the Acts of the Apostles, faithfully translated…The commentaries of M. Iohn Caluin vpon the Actes of the Apostles, faithfully translated…

Be justified in the Law. This place doth plainly show, what the word Justify doth import in all other places where it is used: to wit, to be delivered & acquitted. There was mention made of remission of sins, Paul affirmeth that there is no other way whereby we can obtain the same but the grace of Christ. Least any man should object that there be remedies to be found in the law: he answereth that there was in them no force. Therefore the sense is plain, That they cannot be justified from sin in the law, because the rites of the law were neither just nor lawful prices to remove guiltiness, they were nothing worth of themselves to deserve righteousness, neither were they sufficient recompenses to appease God. Certainly it cannot be denied (but wickedly) that that justification annexed to remission of sins, is as it were the means & way to obtain the same. For what else doth Paul go about, but to confirm that saying, that our sins are forgiven us through the benefit of Christ: by answering contrary objections? And he proveth it, because neither satisfactions, neither all the rites of the law can justify us from sin. Therefore he is justified by Christ, who is freely loosed from the gilt & judgment of eternal death, to which he was subject. This is the righteousness of faith, whiles that God counteth us just, by not imputing our sins. This only propriety of the word is sufficient to refute the cavils of the Papists, who hold that we are not justified by pardon or by free accepting, but by habit and infused righteousness? ⟨p. 319⟩Therefore let us not suffer them to rent in pieces unworthily & wickedly this text of Paul, when he saith that we are justified from all things, that we may be assured of remission of sins. And now we must know that the law of Moses is set against Christ, as the principal mean to obtain righteousness, if there had bin any besides Christ, Paul disputeth in deed of ceremonies: but we must note that there was nothing omitted in them, which might serve to purge sins & to appease god. Yet there was not one of all the ceremonies of the law, which did not make man guilty, as a new handwriting: as Paul teacheth Col. 2. What then? Assuredly God meant to testify, that men are justified by the death of his son alone,¹ because he made him sin for us, who did no sin, that we might have righteousness in in him.