Does Psalm 106:30-31 Refute Justification By Faith Alone?

• Discussion:

          -Roman Catholic apologists and others sometimes cite the text of Psalm 106:30-31 as evidence of works being a necessary condition in addition to faith for justification before God. It is claimed that Phinehas was given the same kind of righteousness that Abraham had on the basis of a good work, thereby showing that we can indeed merit for ourselves a righteous standing in His sight. Consider this excerpt from Steve Ray as an example of how this argument has been made:

         "...centering on Abraham's faith in Genesis 15:6: "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." Catholics agree with this Scripture, but the same words ("it was reckoned to him as righteousness") are applied to another person in the Old Testament besides Abraham, and the "justification" was there attributed to actions and zealousness, not faith alone. The phrase used in Psalm 106:31 is the same (in both the Hebrew Masoretic text and the Greek Septuagint) as is used in Genesis 15:6. In Psalm 106:30, 31 we read, "Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. And that was counted unto him for righteousness unto all generations for evermore" (KJV). Evangelicals say his faith justified him, like his father Abraham-but the Psalmist must not have understood the faith alone doctrine, for he attributes the imputation of righteousness to Phinehas' zealousness." 

          The background of this event is recorded in Numbers 25. Jewish men were committing fornication with the women of Moab. Therefore, God was provoked to wrath. He cast a plague over Israel. Then, Phinehas took a spear and drove it through a couple in the act of fornication. He obtained mercy from God, terminated the plague, and was regarded as a righteous man due to his desire for righteousness. His deed would be blessed and remembered from generation to generation. The reality of his faith was demonstrated before other men. This is a testimonial of covenant loyalty, not how lost souls find a right standing with God. Psalm 106:31 in the New English Translation says, "This brought him a reward, an eternal gift" (Psalm 106:31). The New Jerusalem Bible says, "for this he is the example of uprightness, from age to age for ever."

          What the text exemplifies is the practical side of righteous character. In the case of Phinehas, lies a deep concern for maintaining the purity of God's people, preserving the purity of their worship from any cultus influence. He boldly took action during a time of peril, now being known forever in the Jewish annals as a man of impeccable integrity. God does indeed consider a man who acts righteously to be righteous, but that is not the kind of righteousness that is able to satisfy the demands of divine justice for sin. Nor is the peace between God and men enabled by Jesus Christ's atonement tantamount to a temporary ceasefire during a war.

          The similarity in sentence structure between Genesis 15:6 and Psalm 106:30-31 (i.e. "it was reckoned unto him as righteousness") has no bearing because the context of the latter passage is not soteriological in nature. It is a historical commemoration of covenant fidelity within Israel’s national life. Psalm 106:30-31 would be out of place for Paul to use because he emphasized faith rather than works in being justified before God. Moreover, the passage in Genesis 15 is not the moment of Abraham's justification, but rather is God's pattern of giving him and posterity an upright standing, through faith. Genesis 15:6 foretells the foundational message of salvation, revealed more fully through the gospel. That is what makes it relevant to Paul's argument.

           We are not justified by works of righteousness, but saved because God is merciful (Titus 3:5). He delivered us from eternal damnation in spite of our unrighteousness (Deuteronomy 9:3-6; Ephesians 2:4-9). The gospel requires that one must believe in order to receive pardon from sin by God, not perform various deeds of merit. God considered the conduct of Phineas to be righteous and assured him that the priesthood would not depart from his line. However, it is not as though Christ would commend His servants for driving spears into unconverted pagans. Further, Christianity has a greater emphasis on grace and mercy that is foreign to ancient Judaism.