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This
is what the old school Particular Baptists summarized in the 1689 CoF, the
second paragraph of chapter 11:
2.
Justification and its Relation to Man's Faith
Faith
thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone
instrument of justification;(6) yet it is not alone in the person justified,
but ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but
worketh by love.(7)
6.
Ro 3:28. 7. Gal 5:6; Jas 2:17,22,26.
Some observations on the above:
1.
The essence of faith defined:
-
‘Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness.’
-
Justification before God is based on solely Christ and His righteousness alone,
and thus justification manifests/evidences itself in the same, i.e. receiving
and resting on Christ and His righteousness.
-
This is the faith produced during the effectual call to grace and salvation,
SPECIFICALLY, worked within the heart of a justified elect by the indwelling
Spirit of God, the Spirit of adoption who works all the saving graces in an
effectually called elect.
2.
The function of faith as ‘the alone instrument of justification' :
a.
Error negated
:
it is not the function of an instrument to secure/obtain justification. This
has been repudiated and denied multiple times in paragraph 1. Yet, this is the
fiction believed by many who claim they hold to the 1689 CoF as their doctrinal
standard.
b.
Truth affirmed
:
the function of faith as an instrument is to manifest, evidence, demonstrate,
or attest to the justified state by God’s free grace.
:
Faith is the instrument/means to experience the blessedness of the justified
state by God’s free grace.
-
The way faith is related to justification is like the way breath is related to
life; they are both effects and manifestations.
3.
Faith is a saving grace worked by the Holy Spirit in the person justified by
God
a.
‘Yet it is not alone in the person justified.’
-
The grace of faith can only be found in a justified man; it is an effect of
justification. The just shall live by faith; it is only the justified that is
capable of believing, i.e. living by faith!
-
The unjustified is INCAPABLE of having faith in order to be justified before
God. Sola fidei is just a lie and fable.
-
But faith is NOT the only saving grace worked by the Holy Spirit in the
justified ones. It is one of the many saving graces worked by the Spirit!
b.
The grace of faith ‘is ever accompanied with all other saving graces.’
-
All saving graces are worked WITHIN the child of God by the ONE SAME indwelling
Spirit of adoption. Gal 5:22.
-
It is like saying, "Breath is ever accompanied by all other life
activities."
4.
The liveliness of justifying faith (i.e. faith produced by God’s free and gracious
act of justifying condemned sinners)
-
Faith ‘is no dead faith, but worketh by love.’
-
Dead faith is faith that is not active; dead faith is NOT false faith; it is
barren faith. God’s children can sin into a state of dead faith, being
fruitless, and barren. Mt 13:22 2Pe 1:8; Ja 2:26.
-
A faith that works is a lively faith, it works by love; love towards God, His
words, His righteousness, His ordinances, His people, etc.
Some
questions for discussion:
Q.
How do we know that faith is a saving grace, i.e. a fruit of salvation at
effectual call?
Q.
Why is faith ever accompanied by all other saving graces?
Q.
How can one know whether his faith is saving faith?
Q. Why is faith the sole instrument to manifest the justification by God’s free grace?
