https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/pfbid027uEvhfFW9AfqYo5aDenQ3XJ5q7wHpWNLp1Khd5MZZVFpsGJoHaErMxNoEf9mNDZUl
March
18, 2021
There
is no justification proper in Gen 15:1-6
In
the first paragraph of Romans 4 (v1-4), the Apostle Paul marshals Abraham as
the classic example of experiential/practical justification by faith alone,
THAT IS, experiencing the blessedness of his righteousness before the LORD
withOUT the work of observing the ceremonial laws.
One
big issue that was confronting Apostle Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, is to
deal with the Judaizers' insistence that keeping the ceremonial laws is
necessary to our practical justification. So, Apostle Paul directed their
attention to someone the Jews revered very highly, the father Abraham.
4:1
ask the question - what did Abraham find out; what was his experience? This
ought to inform us right away that the issue under consideration is about
PRACTICAL/EXPERIENTIAL justification. When Abraham EXPERIENCED justification in
Gen 15, did he just believe, or did he observe some ceremonial laws? The
Scriptures say, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
(v3).
I
have said often, "Cultivate the skill of asking questions!" What was
counted unto Abraham for righteousness? This is a question of supreme
importance.
It
is a maxim that legal justification involved an accounting of the righteousness
of Jesus Christ. If there is no accounting of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ, then there is NO legal justification. PERIOD.
But
what was counted to Abraham for righteousness? Verse 9b provides the plain
answer: “… for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness. Rom 4:9b
"Faith
was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness" and "the righteousness of
Christ was reckoned to Abraham for justification" are two radically
different concepts. Only those afflicted with the debilitating disease called
soundbytitis consider them the same.
Despite
such plain declaration and obvious difference, both the Calvinists and their
first cousins Arminians INSIST that Gen 15:1-6 speaks of the legal
justification of Abraham by God. By their own precise definition, legal
justification requires the accounting or imputing of the righteousness of Jesus
Christ. But there was simply NO imputing of Christ’s righteousness whatsoever
in Gen 15:1-6 / Romans 4:1-12. There was the imputing of Abraham's faith by the
LORD God to him.
His
act of believing, his act of faith in the promised seed made to him by God, was
counted/reckoned/imputed to him for righteousness. What does it mean "his
faith was counted unto him for righteousness"? It means God blessed [simple past tense] his
act of believing unto him to experience his righteousness in Jesus Christ, God
had freely justified [past perfect tense - a separate and prior past action!] him by His grace.
Apostle
Paul asked, how was this blessedness experienced by Abraham?
Rom
4:9 “Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness. 10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in
uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.”
But
in uncircumcision, THAT IS, Abraham experienced the blessedness without the works of observing ceremonial laws. The
Judaizers' argument was razed to the ground by their revered father Abraham.
Justification
by the faith, the blood, and the righteousness of Jesus Christ - all these
speak of the LEGAL justification - when the righteousness of Jesus Christ was
IMPUTED by God to all those He had given to Christ. [This happened at the cross.]
Justification
by the free grace of God speaks of the VITAL justification; when God, freely by
His grace, APPLIES the righteousness of Christ to each elect personally at
their effectual calling out of their native state of sin, death, and alienation
to that of righteousness, eternal life, and adoption, in Jesus Christ.
Justification
by faith speaks of the PRACTICAL justification; it takes place when a child of
God (an elect who is already effectually called...) believes the gospel of his
salvation in Jesus Christ; God blesses his believing to experience the
blessedness of his righteousness in Jesus Christ, the blessedness of his
righteous standing with God through the righteousness of Christ.
Apostle
Paul marshals Abraham's example to demonstrate to the stiff-necked Judaizers
that observing the ceremonial laws is UNnecessary in PRACTICAL justification.
Believing alone will do, no need to observe the ceremonial laws - clearly
demonstrated by Apostle Paul in the classic case of Abraham.
BUT
ALAS, this PRACTICAL justification has been twisted and perverted by the
Protestants and the Reformed people into justification by faith alone as the
LEGAL justification.
What
a TRAGEDY!
p/s
Dr
John Gill said,
*...
that which is properly justification, is antecedent to any act of
believing."
"...
that the justification, by, or at, or upon believing, is not properly
justification."
========
PJ
Walters
A
question I have asked the Calvinists and the Arminians is this: "Was
Abraham regenerate before Genesis 15?"
If
not, then how was it that "by faith Abraham...went out, not knowing
whither he went"?
If
so, then what happened in Genesis 15 occurred after his regeneration.
They
stay as confused about him as those Jews seemed to be to whom Paul wrote!
Sing
F Lau
PJ
Walters They would reply, "Of course he was regenerated before Gen 15 BUT
he was not justified by God until he believed.
With
that, they get deeper into the cesspool of nonsense and contradiction, that the
Spirit of God would regenerate a man whose condemnation God the Judge had not
undone through His act of justification.
Justification
is the justification of life; no justification, no life; no accounting of
righteousness, no eternal life. PERIOD.
Justification
must be logically prior to regeneration; the accounting of Christ's
righteousness by God the Judge must be logically prior to the bestowal of life
by the God the Spirit.
Romans
5 KJV
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.
