1689.11.1
- Justification by free grace stated and defined
"Those
whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth,(1) not by infusing
righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and
accepting their persons as righteous;(2) not for anything wrought in them, or
done by them, but for Christ's sake alone;(3) not by imputing faith itself, the
act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their
righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law,
and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness,(4)
they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith, which faith
they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.(5) 1. Ro 3:24; 8:30. 2. Ro
4:5-8; Eph 1:7. 3. 1Co 1:30-31; Ro 5:17-19. 4. Php 3:8-9; Eph 2:8-10. 5. Jn
1:12; Ro 5:17.
1.
The Context of Justification
a.
Effectual call to grace and salvation: ‘those whom God effectually called, He
ALSO…’
-
Therefore they are never separated! The effectual call to grace and salvation
involves justification, regeneration, and adoption.
b.
ALL these THREE divine activities are necessary to bring an elect out of his
native state of condemnation, death, and alienation to that of grace and
salvation in Christ Jesus.
-
These divine activities of justification, regeneration and adoption are
necessary to UNDO the condemnation, death, and alienation respectively,
bringing a man into s STATE of grace and salvation in Jesus Christ.
2.
The Subject of Justification
a.
It is God the Father: ‘He also…’ Whom He effectually calls, He ALSO justifies.
-
He effectually calls those dead in trespasses and sins; He ALSO justifies such.
God justifies the ungodly who are INCAPABLE of faith
-
So the particular aspect of justification here is the applied/vital
justification at the effectual calling by God the Father.
3.
The Manner of Justification
a.
It is freely by God’s grace: ‘He also freely justifieth.’
-
Freely means without man meeting any condition… for an unjustified man, still
in his native condemned state, can’t meet any! This is simple and plain enough.
-
Freely means just that... without any condition on man's part.
-
The fiction of justification by faith alone is repudiated! Do you get it?
4.
The Essence of Justification
a.
Errors negated: It is...
-
‘not by infusing righteousness into them…’
b.
Truth affirmed:
:
‘but by pardoning their sins
:
and accounting (a legal transaction)
:
and accepting their persons as righteous…’
-
God APPLIES the righteousness of Jesus Christ to them personally, and forgives
them of all their sins; on this ground alone He accepts them as righteous.
5.
The Ground of Justification
a.
Errors negated:
-
i. 'not for anything wrought in them, or done by them…’
-
The grace of faith is a fruit wrought in them.
-
Faith, (their act of believing) is something done by them.
-
Both are excluded from justification by God.
-
Sola fidei is repudiated. Do you read it? Is that too hard to understand, or is
it of wilful unbelief???
ii.
‘not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing…’
-
Therefore in Gen 15:6, where faith is imputed, is NOT NOT NOT talking about the
justification of Abraham BEFORE God.
iii.
‘or by any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness…”
-
Faith, believing in Christ IS evangelical obedience. Isn't that simple and
plain enough?
-
The "justification before God by faith alone" (man's act of believing
- an act of evangelical obedience) is fiction and fable plainly repudiated! Do
you read it? Is that too hard to understand, or is it of wilful unbelief???
b.
Truth affirmed:
i.
‘but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law …’
-
Christ's active obedience to the whole law is the righteousness of God's own
provision; justification before God requires the imputation of Christ's to the
condemned.
-
Imputation of the faith to the believing one, as in Gen 15:1-6, is NOT
justification per se. That's a fable.
ii.
‘and passive obedience in His death …’
-
In His death, Christ suffered and endured the curse and condemnation of sins in
the place of His people, securing full forgiveness for all their sins.
iii.
‘for their whole and sole righteousness.’
-
The righteousness of Christ (by His active and passive obedience is the whole
(complete, nothing lacking) and sole (alone, only) righteousness of the
justified.
-
Man's faith is NOT, NOT, NOT in the equation of God's act of justifying the
condemned; it is so carefully excluded. Isn't that simple and plain enough?
6.
The Evidence of Justification
a.
The pronoun "they receiving and resting..." speaks of those whom God
has ALREADY freely justified. This is obvious.
-
Those still in their native state of condemnation, dead, and alienated are
INCAPABLE of receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness by faith. To
say otherwise is just stupid, i.e. lacking common sense.
b.
Faith in the context is defined as ‘receiving and resting on Him [Christ] and
His righteousness.’
-
The application of righteousness by free grace precedes the reception of the
same by faith in Christ.
-
Justification by free grace is completed before believing its truth is
possible!
c.
Both the Calvinists as well as the Arminians fail to recognize this BASIC fact,
and end up conditioning their justification before God upon their faith! What a
gross and grievous error!
-
Faith is the work of grace by the Spirit of Christ in the hearts of those
already freely justified by God; it is not a native ability in an unjustified
condemned man, exercised by the unjustified in order to be justified!
=======
Don't
jump and say what about the next paragraph!
Just
stay with Para 1 first. Any question?
Wait
for the exposition on 1689.11.2
