One question I often ask reformed Protestants is: when was Abraham justified? Even though their theology maintains that “[j]ustification is a once-for-all, nonrepeatable act of God”, Abraham is said to be justified three distinct times throughout the Bible.
According to Hebrews 11, “[b]y faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was to go” (Hebrews 11:8). This refers to Genesis 12, when God tells Abraham to leave his home country and Abraham obeys. Without being justified first, Abraham could not have had faith that allowed him to obey God; thus, he must have been justified then.
But Saint Paul claims Abraham was justified later, in Genesis 15:
“For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness’” (Romans 3:2-3).
Lastly, Saint James says Abraham was justified once more in Genesis 22, when he offered Isaac on the altar:
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?” (James 2:21).
So when was Abraham truly justified? Although reformed Protestants may struggle to answer this question, Catholics do not; Abraham was justified all three times. This is because justification is not a one-time event in someone’s life, but a continual process wherein one turns away from being a son of the old Adam to being a child of the new Adam, Jesus Christ.
Abraham is the perfect example of this transformation. Originally he distrusts that God will give him a son in his old age, taking a second wife for himself; but he gradually transforms into a man willing to sacrifice his only son to God, believing “that God was able to raise men even from the dead” (Hebrews 11:19). Abraham’s increase in faith corresponds with an increase in grace and righteousness. This is why we can truly say he was justified multiple times throughout his life.