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| 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
