The ins and outs of Biblical Justification

There is a common claim by Protestants arguing that Justification is strictly a "forensic" matter whereby all the saving actions taking place during Justification occurs entirely external to us. Protestants make this bold claim in order to undermine the Catholic claim that Justification consists primarily in an inward transformation within your soul. A good way for Catholics to refute the Protestant claim is to show how often the Bible speaks of both internal and external language within the same verse. I made a post about this several years ago (HERE), where I cited multiple passages in Scripture which mentioned God performing both external and internal changes on us when we get saved. This dual aspect view is sometimes called the "duplex" view, which even the Council of Trent permitted when it decreed: 

If any one saith, that men are justified, either by the sole imputation of the justice [righteousness] of Christ, or by the sole remission of sins, to the exclusion of the grace and the charity which is poured forth in their hearts by the Holy Ghost, and is inherent in them; or even that the grace, whereby we are justified, is only the favor of God; let him be anathema. 
(Trent, Session 6, Canon 11)

Notice that Trent is not excluding that there is an external component to justification, and it could even be termed "imputation" in some sense (some definitions of "imputation" are okay, while other definitions are problematic). The catch is that the external cannot be seen as the "sole" factor going on, especially to the more central "grace and charity poured into their hearts by the Holy Ghost" (Rom 5:5). Along with the original duplex texts I presented or were in the large comment box (Acts 15:9,11; Acts 26:18; 1 Cor 6:9-11; Eph 2:5-8; Philip 3:9-11; Col 2:11-14; 2 Thess: 2:13; Titus 3:5; 1 Pet 2:24; 1 Jn 1:9), for this post I would like to add a few more duplex verses which I think will be helpful. 

Here are some more passages I think should be mentioned:

Acts 2:38 Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Notice the dual blessing of external forgiveness and receiving the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is precisely what the dual blessings which highly the New Covenant would consist of (Jer 31:33-34; Eze 36:25-26, see HERE).

Psalm 32: 1 Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 
2 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, 
and in whose spirit there is no deceit.

This passage is important because Paul cites it in Romans 4:6-8, and I think the best way to read it is to see two related but distinct things happening: inwardly transgressions are forgiven, while externally sins are "covered". The term "atonement" is related to the term "cover" since the Hebrew atonement involves patching over imperfections (e.g. God tells Noah to 'cover' [atone] the wood planks of the Ark with pitch to seal up the cracks, Genesis 6:14). Similarly, counting no iniquity would be the external component, while 'no deceit in whose spirit' would be the inward component.

Rom 5:1, 5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ . . . because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Trent cites Romans 5:5 explicitly a few times when discussing Justification. Romans 5 is certainly about Justification, including this very section. Some might say only 5:1 is talking about Justification, but that is a serious presumption, since Justification is certainly the context, and Paul speaks of this love being "poured out" in the past, which can only refer to the moment one was Justified. Furthermore, this is really a Trinitarian passage, like so many others, where we see God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit all mentioned - and each emphasizing a different role. In the latter half of Romans 5, we see Justification language intertwined with death/life, which is clearly a duplex theme (I discuss this more HERE).

In Romans 6 there is a lot of language of living a holy life and sanctification, so much so that Protestants often say that Paul shifts from Justification in Romans 1-5 to now discussing the inward renewal of "Sanctification" in Romans 6-8. But this Protestant claim is inaccurate and misleading. For example, in Romans 6:7 we see Paul say that we have been "set free from sin," but the Greek term for "set free" is "justified," which completely contradicts the Protestant claim of Romans 6 (see Acts 13:38-39 for a similar instance where the Greek of "justify" is used but often translated as "set free from"). Similarly,  Romans 7 is full of language of both inward renewal and outward liberation from the "law" which held us bondage, clearly carrying a forensic/atonement component. And how can we forget the famous Romans 8:1, which Protestants love to cite, though often only in part, when the fuller citation is: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not according to the flesh. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free," clearly showing the Spirit has set you free internally as well.

Galatians 3: 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by[a] the flesh? 4 Did you suffer so many things in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

In a very important chapter dealing with Justification and "works of the law", we see Paul very interested in whether the believers have received the Holy Spirit, been working miracles by the Holy Spirit, living a new life in the Spirit, and says this is "just as" Abraham believed and was justified. Paul even says Christ "redeemed" us precisely so that the Holy Spirit might be given to us (Gal 3:13-14; Gal 4:4-6), which is very strong duplex imagery. Now the Protestant side might be tempted to say all this Holy Spirit talk is about "regeneration" instead of Justification, but who are they to just invent distinctions within such passages where no such distinctions or language are made? What happened to humbly submitting to Scripture and instead having to project Regeneration versus Justification here?

That's all for now, but it is clear that one who is looking to "simply let the text speak" should have little issue with these kinds of texts "mixing" external and interior transformation language within the same verse. Only if one has an agenda to cause problems and cause division where one need not to would have any reason to make up divisive distinctions where the Catholic side has done its best to hand an olive branch out the entire time, constantly seeking ways that will foster reconciliation.

The Pope needing his sins forgiven,
goes to Confession, repents of his sins,
receives forgiveness and pouring out of 
the Holy Spirit, through the hand of a Priest