Sola fide fable

(picture was taken from the Protestant Reformation page.)
"Sola Fide stated that
salvation is a free gift
to all who believe through faith."
John 1:12-13, 3:16."

"Sola fide stated that salvation is a free gift to all who believe through faith." John 1:12-13, 3:16."

========

Let me rephrase the above; "All who believe through faith - obviously without salvation yet - is given the free gift of salvation."

THIS IS PATENTLY FALSE... for plain and obvious reasons. However, the fable continued to be embraced.

Those without salvation are NOT ABLE to believe in order to get the free gift of salvation. Only those to whom God has FREELY bestowed salvation - effectually called out of their native state of sins and death to grace and salvation in Jesus Christ - are capable of believing.

The effectually called is indwelt by the Holy Spirit - the Spirit of adoption, the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession - who works all the saving graces in God's children. That grace of faith worked in them makes believing possible.

Sola fide, rightly understood, declares that believing in Christ is the only instrument/mean that those whom God has saved can experience the blessedness of their salvation, and not by the works of keeping the ceremonial laws.
See here - https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2018/12/a-popular-protestant-fable.html/

Believing is an effect of salvation; an effect of salvation CANNOT be the instrument in any sense whatsoever to obtain that salvation. That's elementary. An effect manifests the cause just as breath reveals life.

John 1:12-13 and John 3:16 DO NOT teach that fable.

For John 1:12-13 peruse this article

https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2012/07/to-them-gave-he-power-to-become-sons-of.html/

For John 3:16, peruse this article

https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2013/11/john-316-18-excessively-mouthed-but.html/
There are links at the end.

Don't REMAIN one described by Apostle Paul as who is "ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth"; that's a mark of the perilous time we live in. 2Tim 3:7.

What an Earthquake!

Think about this: an earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison YET left it standing BUT loosening the bands of every prisoner in it! Only the dead can be oblivious of the mighty yet gentle hand of God in the whole incident.

Acts 16

25 ¶ And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.

27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?

31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

32 And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house.

33 And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway.

34 And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.

Some questions:

1. Verse 25 noted, 'the prisoners heard them'. Heard them in what sense? Were any of them converted that night?

2. What explains why the prisoners did not escape when everyone's bands had been loosened, and all the prison doors had been opened?

3. When the prison keeper called for a light, who brought the light? One of his family members or one of the fellow prison keepers?

4. What is the connection between the prison keeper wanting to commit suicide and his supposition that the prisoners had escaped?

5. What salvation was in the mind of the prison keeper when he asked, "what must I do to be saved?" From what did he want to be saved?

6. When apostle Paul said, 'Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house' is he teaching salvation by proxy, i.e. the jailor believes, and all his house shalt be saved? What salvation is Paul speaking of?

7. Who are the 'all' that were in the prison keeper's house? His family members, or the other prison keepers?

Who made up the people in the house of the Philippian jail keeper?

- His family members?

- His fellow prison keepers?

8. Is the term 'his house' the same as the term 'his family'? Could 'his house' refer to his fellow prison keepers?

9. What does 'and all his' in verse 33 consist of?

10. Were any unbeliever baptized that night?

Put on your thinking cap, and give me some light.
Thanks.

Redemption: Accomplished, Applied, and Manifested/Experienced

Dr. Hodge's statement is true. However, many people don't understand or they just blindly reject the plain and obvious truths related to Hodge's statement.

1. The sin of Adam was legally imputed unto all those represented by him as their federal head, resulting in their legal state of condemnation and death before God.

- This imputation took place in the garden of Eden, i.e. before anyone has been born. Romans 5:12,18.

- Their legal state of condemnation and death was not the result of their unbelief; their unbelief is a manifestation of their state of condemnation and death.

2. The sin of Adam - imputed, leading to the legal state of condemnation and death - is applied to a man at his conception in the womb of his mother.

- Every descendant of Adam is conceived in sin and born in sin, in the native state of condemnation and death.

- The legally imputed sin is now applied personally at conception; what was only legal is now applied, it has become personal.

3. Actual acts of sin, the transgression of God's holy, righteous and just laws, are evidence of that native state of sin and death. Actual acts of sin did not bring about that state of condemnation and death; they are the manifestation of that state.

- Actual acts of sins result in an actual sense of guilt and condemnation.

If divine grace, free and sovereign, does not intervene, then all represented by Adam will end up in the lake of fire on the great judgment day.

EVEN SO, EVEN SO, EVEN SO...

1. The righteousness of Christ was legally imputed to all those represented by Him as their federal head, resulting in their state of legal justification before God. This imputation took place at the death and resurrection of Christ.

- Their legal state of justification is NOT the result of their faith in Jesus Christ, their faith is an evidence of their state of legal justification based on the righteousness of Christ. freely imputed to them.

2. The righteousness of Christ - legally imputed, leading to the legal justification - is applied to a man personally, while dead in trespasses and sins, at his effectual calling out of his native state of condemnation and death to that of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ

- The righteousness of Christ is applied to him personally, resulting in his justification of life. What was only legal is now applied personally, it has become vital and personal.

3. Actual acts of righteousness - only those effectually called out of their native state of sin and condemnation are capable of these works of righteousness - like believing, are evidence of that state of grace and salvation.

- Faith is an evidence of the justified state. It is declared repeatedly, "The just shall live by faith."

- Works of righteousness like faith enable a child of God to experience the blessings of his justified state freely by the grace of God.

Divine grace has intervened, predestinating many to eternal glory, through the redemption of Jesus Christ, and freely applied to each one while in the state of condemnation and death.

May the Lord bless you with an understanding of these things.

Amen.

A popular Protestant Reformation Fable

This is the Protestant Reformation's popular fable:
"Christ's righteousness is imputed to us through faith alone".
(The Cover Photo of the Protestant Reformation Facebook Page)

Let us reason together a bit concerning this popular Protestant Reformation doctrine: the righteousness of Christ is imputed - obviously to those without that righteousness - through their faith alone.

Let me say upfront that this idea is not from the Bible but a popular fable of the Protestant Reformation. Here are some obvious reasons.

1.  This popular idea is irrational

This popular Protestant doctrine necessarily presupposes the idea that without the imputed righteousness of Christ a man is capable of faith in order to be imputed with the righteousness of Christ.

- A man without the righteousness of Christ APPLIED to him personally (imputation of Christ's righteousness has already taken place at the cross, see point 3) is a man STILL in his native state of condemnation and death. There is NO possibility of faith by a man in such a state.

- The Protestants will retort and say, "but he is regenerated, that's why he is capable of believing." But this is just inventing another lie to cover a lie. Why?

- Righteousness is the prerequisite for life. Adam's sin brought condemnation and death; Christ's righteousness secured justification and life.

- The condemnation of death by sin and the justification of life by righteousness is stated plainly here: Romans 5:18¶ "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

- The accounting of righteousness by God to the condemned logically precedes the Spirit's act of regenerating the dead.

- Justification of life freely by God's grace secures the divine warrant for the Spirit's work of regeneration of life. Justification by God's free grace logically precedes regeneration; regeneration logically and chronologically precedes faith.

- So, the imputation of Christ's righteousness through faith alone is irrational.

2.  This popular idea contradicts plain Scriptures

- Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus”

- Note the plain words here: justification is FREELY by God’s grace; it repudiates the fable of justification (imputation of Christ's righteousness to us) by faith alone.

- Note another plain fact, justification by God's free grace is based solely on the redemption of Christ Jesus; this also repudiates the fiction of justification through faith alone.

- The faith of the man needing justification before God DOES NOT come into the equation of God’s act of justifying him, the condemned.

- Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 
- Justification before God is by His grace, without the justified meeting any condition, like faith.

 3 This popular idea betrays ignorance of the distinct aspects of justification

a. The ground and basis of justification: The righteousness of Christ, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. 
- Justification requires righteousness, either the righteousness provided by God in Jesus Christ, or man’s own righteousness, both through the perfect obedience unto God’s holy, righteous, and just laws.

- Romans 5:9 KJV — Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

- Rom 3:22 KJV "Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference." The righteousness of God is secured by the faithfulness of Christ in discharging the work of redemption.
- This righteousness is IMPUTED to all the elect at the death and resurrection of Christ EVEN AS the sin of Adam was imputed to all his race at the fall. 

b. The manner justification is applied

- Romans 3:24 KJV — Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

- How is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, which was LEGALLY IMPUTED at the cross, PERSONALLY APPLIED to each elect redeemed by Jesus Christ?

- Is it through something they do, like believing, or is it freely by the grace of God? The answer is the latter; freely by the grace of God.
- Titus 3:7 “That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” 
- Justification by God's grace logically precedes being made heirs of eternal life; the righteousness of Christ applied to those under the condemnation of death leads to justification of life, Rom 5:18.
- The righteousness of Christ is freely and sovereignly APPLIED to each elect personally at his effectual calling out of his native state of sin condemnation and death. 

 c. The means justification (already freely by God's grace) is experienced

- Romans 1:17 KJV — For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."

- Note a simple fact please: it is the just (the justified ones by God) who are capable of living by faith; it is NOT the unjustified ones through faith shall be justified and live - that is how this biblical statement has been twisted and perverted by the sola fideists. 

- "Justification by faith" answers the question, how does a man whom God has freely justified experience the blessedness of his justified state? Is it by observing the ceremonial laws or simply by believing in Jesus Christ, in whose name and merits he has been freely justified by God. Apostle Paul marshalled Abraham to show us that it is by faith alone; it wasn't through observing ceremonial laws. Read Romans 4:1ff. 

The first aspect (a) speaks of the legal imputation of the righteousness of Christ to all the elect at the death and resurrection of Christ, EVEN AS the sins of Adam was legally imputed to all in the fall. Both Adam and Christ were representative heads of their respective people.

The second aspect (b) speaks of the vital application of the righteousness of Christ to each elect personally when still in the spiritual state of condemnation and death, EVEN AS the imputed sins of Adam is applied to a man when he is conceived and born in sin. What was legal is now made personal.

The third aspect (c) speaks of the practical manifestation of the justified state through the poor, imperfect act of man (already freely justified by God.). Faith evidences the justified state by the free grace of God EVEN AS acts of sin are the evidential manifestation of the state of condemnation

THIS IS IMPORTANT:

****** Justification by faith ALONE was set in the context of the MIGHTY battle the Apostle Paul was waging against the sincere but misguided zeal of Jewish believers in imposing the yoke of observing the ceremonial laws upon the Church of Jesus Christ. That was the context of the BATTLE CRY of "justification by faith alone." ******

It deals with the practical experiential aspect of justification. BUT the Protestants have twisted and confounded it with BOTH the legal and vital aspects of Justification.

How did Abraham experience the blessedness of his justified state by the free grace of God? (Abraham was ALREADY a man justified by God in Gen 12-14.) In Gen 15, his act of believing was imputed to him for righteousness - (it is NOT the righteousness of Christ that was imputed - don't be so obtuse!) - THAT IS, his faith in the promised seed was blessed to him to experience the blessedness of his justified state. He experienced that state of blessedness by faith in the promised Seed of God; it was NOT by observing any ceremonial laws - as the sincere Jewish believers were trying to impose upon the Church of Jesus Christ.

Why is such a simple thing so hard to understand Why twist it into something to repudiate the plain truth declared by the Holy Scriptures?

4.  This idea, if true, will damn all the elect who are incapable of faith

- If the imputation of Christ’s righteousness is through faith alone, then those incapable of faith are necessarily damned indeed since without faith they could not have the righteousness of Christ imputed to them.

- The Protestants can retort and insist that there are no elect who are incapable of faith, that God’s sovereignty will guarantee that each elect will both have the opportunity as well as the ability to hear and understand the gospel and to exercise faith IN ORDER to be imputed with the righteousness of Christ for their acceptance and redemption.

- I have only these words to such Protestants, “Good luck to your great idea." Such lofty fiction is outrightly repudiated by reformed confessions of faith. 

I will rather believe in this: “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” - Romans 3:24. Justification freely by God's grace shall most assuredly embrace each and every elect in the righteousness of Jesus Christ no matter their outward circumstances (thus causing no opportunity to hear the gospel) and personal condition (thus causing so inabilities to hear the gospel.)

- This divine manner of justification, i.e. freely by His grace upon those in their native state of condemnation and death, alone guarantees the justification of every elect at the divinely appointed and approved time.

2Tim 4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

LORD, have mercy and save this untoward generation from this popular Protestant fable. Amen.

Pristine grace? Far from it!

See the short article here:
http://www.pristinegrace.org/media.php?id=405&fbclid=IwAR2YPJnG2404CGd-e-i9sqSwN_j1K27F4G6nMUPXvMlWJ5yCPwdgSRdgpQM

I happened upon a short article above at the PristineGrace.org and inquired a bit.

“… I, of course, believe that all the elect come to a knowledge of their Lord through faith alone. This is the cardinal doctrine of the reformation, and anything that goes against this is plain anti-christ….”

Here is the exchange that took place

Sing 

In your short article, I read this line:

"I, of course, believe that all the elect come to a knowledge of their Lord through faith alone. This is the cardinal doctrine of the reformation."

=====

May I inquire to make sure I understand what you are saying:

1. Are you saying that all the elect, without exception, will come to a knowledge of their Lord, i.e. there is no elect who will not come to a knowledge of their Lord?

2. Does the elect's coming to a knowledge of their Lord through faith alone require them to hearing and believing the gospel of Christ?

Thanks. I am curious to see how pristine is the grace you set before us.

Predestinarian Network
1) All elect come to knowledge - without exception.

2) How will they believe unless they hear the truth? God imparts knowledge of the Gospel to all of His people.

Sing

How does God impart knowledge of the gospel to all His people? You say, "It is through the preaching of the gospel to all His people, and all of His people hearing the gospel and believing the gospel."

Do I understand you right?

Predestinarian Network
The Holy Spirit directly imparts knowledge of the Gospel to His people at His appointed time.

"And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul." Act 16:14 (KJV)

Sing
Now, that confusing.

Acts 16:14 DOESN'T say the Holy Spirit directly imparts knowledge of the gospel. If that is true, the preaching of Paul would be redundant.

The passage says the Lord opened her heart to attend unto the THINGS WHICH WERE SPOKEN OF PAUL.

So, it is not directly but through the instrument of the preached word.

Do I get it right? God will impart the knowledge of the gospel to each and every of His elect, without exception, through the preaching and hearing and believing of the gospel.

Thanks.

Predestinarian Network
God causes the preaching of the Gospel. He also causes the understanding of the Gospel. In fact, He causes ALL THINGS. He does it all for His Glory. We hope that is a satisfactory answer for you.

Sing

Actually, I'm just trying to understand your idea of pristine grace. Thanks.

So, God causes the preaching of the gospel, He causes the preaching of the gospel to reach every single elect in every generation and in every place, He causes every elect to have the mental capacity to hear the gospel and to believe the gospel. Therefore, every elect without exception, by absolute divine sovereignty, will hear the gospel and be converted.

Is my understanding of pristine grace correct? Thanks.

Predestinarian Network

Yes, we would agree with that.

Sing

Thank you. (The pronoun “we” does not include me. I’m merely stating your position.)

You said, "I, of course, believe that all the elect come to a knowledge of their Lord through faith alone. This is the cardinal doctrine of the reformation.”

-------

By the cardinal doctrine of the protestant reformation, do you mean:

- ALL THE ELECT come to a knowledge of their Lord?

- or all the elect come to a knowledge of their Lord THROUGH FAITH ALONE?

If I can demonstrate to you from Protestant confessions of faith the FALSITY of both, will you accept it?

Predestinarian Network

This is not a debate channel, nor do we place any stock in the reformed creeds or confessions. Thanks.

Sing

I'm not debating, just doubting your magisterial claim of something being the cardinal doctrine of the reformation.

You place great value on the cardinal doctrine of the Protestant reformation. So I thought we should see what their confessions say.

Thanks. I take my leave.
========

Four weeks later, Predestinarian Network responded.

Predestinarian Network

Sing, we saw what you did there on your blog. Your questions were not asked in good faith - but as a way to attack and smear us on the internet. At least have the decency to say what you think is wrong.

We also notice that you associate with that cult - Church of Greenville and Jonathan Crosby.

Sing

Thanks for responding. There is no need of accusing me of this and that. Just stick to the issue dealt with in the article.

It is a pity that you felt attacked and smeared - even though I have only copied and pasted our question@answer exchanges.

I did ask in good faith, very careful of understanding your point correctly, to make sure I do not misrepresent you.

Perhaps in your understanding as an absoluter, this carefulness on my part is also predestinated, your precise answers were also predestinated, your accusation of being attacked and smeared was also predestinated.

I would appreciate it if you reason out which part of my article is wrong, and what is the truth. That way there may be some benefits for us both.

Predestinarian Network

[PN made further nasty remarks about GC and JC... shameless and disgraceful. 

After being warned of his dastardly and evil act of not dealing with issues but picking on people, PN deleted slanderous posts. 

In God's act of justifying you, the redemption that is in Christ alone matters.

In God's act of justifying you,
the redemption that is in Christ alone matters.

Your faith is not relevant in God's act of justifying you; you should greatly rejoice at this truth. Why? A man not yet justified by God, being STILL in his native state of condemnation, is incapable of faith. You should rejoice that you have been "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

Read and learn the truth. It is pretty simple.

Be deceived no more.

Sins, the transgression of God's law' brought condemnation and death. Adam was the cause of this for ALL represented by him.

Righteousness, the obedience to God's law secured justification and life. Christ is the source of this for ALL represented by Him.

God's act of justifying sinners in their native state of condemnation and death is based solely on the righteousness of Christ alone. You ought to be very thankful for this truth; any other way, you will be left in your helpless state of condemnation and death.

Rom 3

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

There is not the slightest hint of the faith (man's act of believing) in this declaration. Verse 22 speaks of the righteousness of God which is by the faith OF Christ, that is, the righteousness of God secured and accomplished by the faithfulness of Christ in discharging and executing the work of redemption, stated in verse 24.

Faith, man's act of believing, DOES NOT register in the equation of God's gracious and sovereign act of justifying sinners under condemnation and death.

Your faith in Christ is an effect, and evidence that you have been justified freely by God's grace based solely and wholly on the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

"If any man has ears to hear, let him hear."

Therein the righteousness of God is revealed... Romans 1:17

This is a great passage, declaring a glorious truth. Sadly, it is not only hardly understood by many; worse, it is twisted and perverted by the wise and prudent. But the Lord is pleased to reveal it to babes

Let's draw out what it declares.

1. For therein...

- that is, in the gospel mentioned in verse 16, of which Apostle Paul is not ashamed, i.e. of which he is not only not ashamed to embrace but also has bold confidence in proclaiming it. Why?

2. ... the righteousness of God...

- in the gospel, the righteousness of God's own provision in and through Jesus Christ is proclaimed.

- this righteousness of God's own provision is at the heart of the gospel. It is based solely on the righteousness that Christ had secured that God freely justifies justly condemned sinners

- Sins, the transgressions of God's laws, bring condemnation and death; righteousness, the obedience to God's law, secures justification and life.

- The wages of sin is condemnation and death; the reward of righteousness is justification and life. Adam through his sin brought the former to all represented by him; Christ, the second and last Adam secured the latter for all represented by Him.

3. ... is revealed...

- the ministry of the word is appointed to reveal - i.e. to uncover, lay open what has been veiled or covered up, disclose, to make known, make manifest, disclose what before was unknown.

- the gospel is the good news, the glad tidings God having provided righteousness in and through His only begotten Son for the redemption of His people.

- no gospel, no knowledge of this righteousness of God in and through Jesus Christ.

- The gospel "give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins" in Jesus Christ; To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:77,79.

4. ... from faith to faith...

- in the context of the gospel ministry and of Apostle Paul being not ashamed in proclaiming the gospel, it is from the faith of the one who has great confidence in the gospel and boldly preaches it;

- it is to faith; to those whom God has regenerated and the indwelling Spirit has worked the grace of faith, thus enabling them to receive the gospel as the good news declaring the power of God in Jesus Christ in their salvation.

- put simply, the gospel is intended to inform and instruct those in whom the Spirit had worked faith. There will always be such who will hear and believe the gospel.

5. ... as it is written...

-  this is confirmed by what has been written in the law, see Hab 2:4. This is ancient truth. It was first exemplified by Adam, after he had been clothed with the garment of skin by God (God's gracious act of justifying Adam) calling the woman Eve, the mother of all living, upon hearing the gospel concerning the Seed of the Woman. It was the same in Abraham; the justified Abraham (He was ALREADY a justified man in Gen 12-14, it is just stupidity to say otherwise!) believed when heard God's promise about the seed. 

6. The just shall live by faith.

- this simple statement of truth has been perverted and twisted to promote a popular error, i.e. "justification by faith alone."

- "The just shall live by faith" is as far from "justification by faith alone" as the east is from the west. 

- "The just shall live by faith alone" is a statement concerning the just, those already justified free by the grace of God. It is a declaration concerning the character of those justified by the grace of God - such shall live by faith. It is like saying, the living shall live by breath.

- "The just shall live by faith" has been twisted and made to mean sola fidei, I.e. "the unjustified by faith alone shall be justified!"

- "the just shall live by faith alone" saying nothing on how they are justified. How condemned sinners (only such need justification before the Judge!) are justified is stated plainly for all to read.

- Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

A sinner who needs justification before God is a man still in his native state of condemnation and death; a man in such native state is incapable of faith in order to be justified by God. Justification by faith alone, popularly understood by the "wise and prudent" is just pure nonsense, a fable.

2Ti 4

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

Scriptures whisper',

24Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

Men scream,

I'm justified on condition of my faith alone in Jesus Christ.

Let God be true but every man a LIAR.

"... faith is a poor, imperfect act of man."

"... faith is a poor, imperfect act of man."
(meme copied from Protestant Reformation page.)

https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/10212820287357480

"... faith is a poor, imperfect act of man."

That is a truthful statement by Mr. Bonar.

And yet multitudes are intoxicated to the fable "justification by faith alone"!

Justification by faith alone is really just "justification by a poor,  imperfect act of man alone."

Confusion reigns among the reformed as well as the deformed!

(meme copied from Protestant Reformation page.)

There are several distinct aspects of justification:

1. The ground and basis of justification: the righteousness of Christ, the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

- Romans 5:9 KJV — Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

2. The manner justification is applied:

- Romans 3:24 KJV — Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

3. The means justification is evidenced:

Romans 1:17 KJV — For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

The first speaks of the legal imputation of the righteousness Christ to all the elect at the death and resurrection of Christ.

The second speaks of the application of the righteousness of Christ to each elect personally when in the spiritual state of condemnation and death.

The third speaks of the practical manifestation of the justified state through the poor, imperfect act of man (already freely justified by God.) Faith evidences the justified state by the free grace of God.

The three are distinct. Don't confuse them.