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| It is, "The just shall live by faith." It is NOT, "By faith, the condemned shall be justified." The latter puts the cart before the horse! |
August 30, 2018
"The
just shall live by faith" is such a simple statement but it has confounded
multitudes of people, even the revered theologians.
Why? Prejudice, and soundbytism.
The
just shall live by faith - have you understood?
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The
just shall live by faith - the biblical fact versus the sola fideists' fable
Ro
1:17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as
it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Ga
3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Heb
10:38 Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall
have no pleasure in him.
It
is the just who shall live by faith, i.e. those whom God has justified that
shall live by faith. Justification by God is the CAUSE and believing and living
by faith is the EFFECT.
But
the sola fideists - those who teach and believe that a man is justified before
God by his faith alone - insist the very opposite, that the unjustified who
live by faith is justified by God.
That's
putting the cart before the horse, perverting the simple and repeated truth that 'the just shall live by faith' into a fable of 'the unjustified who believe is
justified.'
The
just shall live by faith.
The
just shall live by faith.
The
just shall live by faith.
But
many read these words as:
By
faith a condemned unjustified man is justified by God!!
The
just (justified by God) WERE in their native state of condemnation and death.
How did they become justified and live? It can't possibly be by their act of
believing; for faith is IMPOSSIBLE when a man is STILL in his unjustified state,
his native state of condemnation and death.
But
first, how did a man get into that native state of condemnation and death? Here
is the plain answer:
Read
carefully please:
Rom
5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and
so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned... 17 For if by one
man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ.) 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.
Here
is stated in the plainest and simplest form THE GROUND and THE MANNER a man in
his native state of condemnation of death is transferred into that gracious
state of justification of life.
The
sole ground is the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF ONE... the legal basis of the justification
of life is the righteousness of One, Jesus Christ (not your faith!!!). This is
LEGAL Imputation of Christ's righteousness; it took place at the cross... just
as the legal imputation of Adam's sin occurred at the fall.
The
sole manner is the free grace of God... God freely applies the righteousness of
Christ to an individual elect personally at the effectual calling unto grace
and salvation. This is VITAL Application of Christ's righteousness to an elect
personally... just as the vital application of condemnation is applied to a man
at conception; a man is conceived in sin.
Only
when the righteousness of Christ has been APPLIED to an elect personally, i.e.
when God HAS JUSTIFIED him, that he is capable of believing. His act of
believing EVIDENCES his justified state by the free grace of God based wholly
and solely upon the righteousness of Christ.
But BOTH the Calvinists and their first cousins Arminians INSIST that they are justified
by God WHEN they believe in Christ... their justification by God is conditioned
upon their faith!
