I know just enough Latin (very little) to love the language. I’ve never been forced to take a Latin class, so that probably explains my affinity. The title of this article is taken from Martin Luther’s description of the justified sinner. R. C. Sproul wrote an excellent explanation for the phrase in his book, The Holiness of God.
Simul is the Latin, word from which our English word simultaneous is derived; it means “at one and the same time,” justus is the Latin from which our word just comes, and et is the Latin word for and, The word peccator is probably least familiar to us. We derive the English words impeccable and peccadillo from it. It is the Latin word for sinner. Putting the words together, we get simul justus et peccator; “at the same time just and sinner.”
This is the singular point where Jesus and all saved people meet. This is the good news! This is the Gospel! This is the point where we can be described with exactly the same words as describe our Lord and Savior: Simul justus et peccator.
When Jesus went to the cross, He was at the same time just and sinner. 1 Corithians 5:21 explains this extraordinary statement, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Jesus was the only man to ever live a perfectly righteous life. He completely fulfilled the Law and in so doing, earned justification. “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief;” (Isaiah 53:10a) God looked at Jesus and saw all of our sins and let His blood be spilled for sins He did not commit.
When we repent and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior, We are at that moment just and sinner. “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;” (Romans 3:23-24) Though we live completely unrighteous lives, God justifies us because of the blood of the Lamb of God. The only perfectly righteous man who ever lived bore our sins and now God looks at us and sees the righteousness of Jesus.
The sins of the saved go to Him; and His righteousness goes to the saved. He deserved justification and a place before the face of God, yet He received suffering and a death He did not deserve. We deserve suffering and death, but God clothes us in an alien righteousness and gives us a place before His throne that we do not deserve.
May His holy name ever be praised! For His lovingkindness is everlasting. (Psalm 136:1-26)
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