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| Life precedes the activities of that life; Justification by God's grace precedes the ability in Christ; Regeneration precedes the ability to believe in Christ. |
John
3:3 KJT
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man
be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Ephesians 2:1 KJT
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
It's common sense that life precedes the actions of that life; faith is an
activity of spiritual life. except a man be born again (regenerated) with
spiritual life, he is still dead in trespasses and sins, utterly incapable of
exercising faith.
EVEN SO...
To say that your faith is the cause of your justification by God is to put the
cart before the horse.
It's equally common sense to say that a man's justification freely by God
precedes his faith in Jesus Christ. Why? you ask.
It's common sense.
An unjustified man is a man still in his native state of condemnation and
death; a man in his native state can't possibly exercise faith in order to be
justified by God. Sola fide is fiction.
Have you not read these words:
Romans 3:24 KJT — Being justified FREELY by his grace through the redemption
that is in Christ Jesus.
Romans 5:18 KJT — 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.
Adam's sin brought the condemnation of death upon all represented by him; EVEN
SO, Christ's righteousness secured the justification of life to all represented
by Him. Amen.
At the justification freely by God's grace, the righteousness of Christ is freely
APPLIED to an elect personally (it's already IMPUTED to all the elect during
the double imputation at the cross) in his native state of condemnation and
death UNTO the justification of life.
The Father's free and gracious act of applying Christ's righteousness to the
redeemed gives the divine warrant to the Spirit of God to regenerate such; that
is why justification is termed as justification of life. (Rom 5:18)
Your faith evidences your justified state, freely by God's grace; even so, your
breath evidences the prior impartation of life; your breath is not the cause of
getting you your life.
May the gracious Lord grant you to understand this blessed good news.
p/s - just in case, if any is misguided in this too:
- Faith is NOT the gift of God; eternal salvation is the gift of God, Eph 2:8.
Eternal salvation is through the faith of Christ, i.e. Christ's faithfulness in
discharging the redemptive work to save His people. - Faith is ONE of the many
saving graces worked in a child of God (an elect that has been justified,
regenerated, adopted and bestowed with the Spirit of adoption to indwell him)
by the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:22.
- A gift comes from without; it's a saving grace that is worked from within by
the indwelling Spirit of God.
