Things New and Old

Ancient truths revealed in the Scriptures are often forgotten, disbelieved or distorted, and therefore lost in the passage of time. Such ancient truths when rediscovered and relearned are 'new' additions to the treasury of ancient truths.

Christ showed many new things to the disciples, things prophesied by the prophets of old but hijacked and perverted by the elders and their traditions, but which Christ reclaimed and returned to His people.

Many things taught by the Apostles of Christ have been perverted or substituted over the centuries. Such fundamental doctrines like salvation by grace and justification have been hijacked and perverted and repudiated by sincere Christians. These doctrines need to be reclaimed and restored to God's people.

There are things both new and old here. "Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things" 2Ti 2:7.

Friday, January 19, 2024

Do you believe in order to be justified? Can the unjustified believe?

Those whom God effectually calls,
he also freely justifies,
not by infusing righteousness into them,
but by pardoning their sins,
and by accounting and accepting
their persons as righteous... (1689.11.1a)

January 18, 2010  ·

Do you agree with this statement, 
"The reason why any are justified IS NOT because they have faith;  but the reason why they have faith  IS because they are justified"  ---
from a Circular Letter issued by the Ministers and messengers of the several Baptist churches, convened in Association, at Philadelphia, October 4, 1785.

sing
How does the statement above compare with the popular idea "justified by faith alone"?

Erick Chanax
Justified by faith alone...we do not mean that faith itself justifies us, for it is only an instrument with which we embrace Christ our righteousness...what is meant is faith apart from works article 22 Belgic Confession of Faith...for your info,i didn't write the whole article down

Jason Sides

I would agree with it we are justified by faith alone however it is the kind of faith only Christ can give and never is alone but always works.

sing
I pasted here what I wrote under the previous update... a bit long, but read it slowly, and may our Lord bless you with understanding to know the truth!
====
The same Confession (1689 BCoF) declares that faith is a grace, among many other graces, found in a justified person, i.e. faith is a PRODUCT of our free grace justification.

Faith is a PRODUCT of our free grace justification. It debunks the whole idea of 'justification by faith alone' as a complete LIE and HERESY!

The product of justification CANNOT be the instrument of that justification in the same sense - it is as simple as that.

The same Confession declares these aspects of justification that the Reformed people have become completely ignorant of: 1689.11.4

"God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, (11) and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification;(12) nevertheless, they are not justified PERSONALLY, until the Holy Spirit doth in time due actually apply Christ unto them.(13)"

Decretal justification of all elect in the decree of God.

Legal justification of all the elect by the blood of Christ at the cross.

Vital/Personal justification of an individual elect at God's effectual call out of the state of sin and death to that of grace and eternal salvation.

Legal justification is actually applied to an individual elect PERSONALLY. What was legal becomes personal. This makes the grace of faith (and all other graces) possible. This is spoken of in 1689.11.2

Experiential justification by FAITH ALONE: "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)"

But all the reformed people make this aspect of justification the SUM-TOTAL teaching of the Bible on justification. I wrote an article: "One Fingered Hand is a Monstrous Deformity." Read it here http://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/.../one-fingered...

Note carefully please concerning 11.2 above:

First: faith is the alone INSTRUMENT of justification. We all know that the FUNCTION of an instrument is to manifest/evidence the presence of something. The function of an instrument is not to secure or produce something. An instrument MANIFESTS something that is there. And God in His infinite wisdom has appointed faith in Jesus Christ as the sole instrument to manifest the justified state by the free grace of God.

Why? I wrote this in my book "An instrument is a device to make manifest or to demonstrate or to evidence the presence of something for which the instrument was designed. It has pleased God in His own infinite wisdom to appoint ‘faith in Christ’ as the sole instrument to bring to light His gracious work of justification at effectual calling, since justification is grounded solely upon Christ and His finished work. The just shall live by faith."

Second: saving grace is a grace found in the person justified, along with many other graces. Justification is the CAUSE, saving graces, including faith, are FRUIT/EFFECTS.

THEREFORE the statement "the just shall live by faith" debunks and discredit the MOST popular lie of your 'justification (before God) by faith alone'.

Therefore this statement,
"The reason why any are justified
IS NOT because they have faith;
but the reason why they have faith
IS because they are justified" by the PBA is perfectly correct, and debunks the popular idea that "justification is by faith alone" is a very popular LIE and FALSEHOOD.

The truth should be, "Justification is experienced by faith alone." But this simple biblical truth is rejected by ALL the reformed people, and condemned as heresy!

Thank you, if you have read down to this point. May our Lord grant you understanding.

Erick Chanax
Sing, the thing about your posts is that it makes me study the scriptures, keep posting brother, for I will keep on studying. Though I must admit I am not as educated in theology as you, but nevertheless I keep on studying, thanks my brother.

sing
Jason & Erick... read through what I have written above, and you will understand more completely what justification by faith is all about.

Justification is by God's free grace... and this justification by God's free grace is EXPERIENCED by faith alone, and EVIDENCED by faith as well as works.

Jason Sides
Sing I still contend we are justified by grace through faith; justification by faith alone is not a lie but maybe needs clarification. He is the one who gives the faith to believe not by our trying to conjure up the faith to believe but rather him giving it to us not of any merit on our own.

Erick Chanax
it makes sense,but as a berean,i must study this matter,to fully grasp it.I have to search the scriptures and some commentaries

sing
Goading friends to study Scriptures for themselves is all I desire. But many don't study the Scriptures anymore. They quote this man and that man, and they repeat this and that, without really understanding what they regurgitate.

sing
jason@ "I still contend we are justified by grace through faith justification by faith alone is not a lie but maybe needs clarification he is the one who gives the faith..."

Justification unto life is the opposite of condemnation unto death. Justification unto life MUST be PRIOR to the ability to believe. Believing is AN EFFECT of justification; being an effect of justification, the only role it plays is acting as an instrument to manifest that justification that has taken place!

Justification by faith alone is a big lie and error!

Justification by free grace EXPERIENCED by faith alone is a biblical truth. This is the uniform declared of the many old school 'reformed' Confession of faith... e.g. 1689 CoF.

Erick Chanax
hmm, justified by faith, it basically is being justified without works of righteousness, maybe the wording is what throws some off, but like I said I will search the scriptures

Jason Sides
Sing hopefully we both agree on eph 2:8-9

Erick Chanax
I will also look at the 1689 CoF

Jason Sides
I am justified by the work of Christ and his grace in causing me to believe in him for salvation.

sing
Jason, please read this, and see whether we agree. Thanks.
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/01/saved-by-grace-through-faith-whose.html

May our Lord grant you understanding beyond mere words repeated endlessly. Time to move beyond that.

sing
Erick, our justification before God is NEITHER by faith nor by works... but by the righteousness of Jesus Christ alone.

Experiential justification is by faith ALONE, without works. No amount of work will enable us to experience the blessedness of our justified state. Faith in Christ is the ALONE instrument appointed for that.

Evidential justification is by BOTH faith and works.

Jason Sides
Sing the problem is justification is by a work just not our work but as you stated righteousness of Jesus Christ. I do for the most part agree with your link. Repent and believe the Gospel was penned by Christ and it is he who causes the person to do both. We have no capacity to do either.

Jason Sides
I do agree with John Gill's exposition of Eph 2:8-9

sing
Jason @ "I am justified by the work of Christ and his grace in causing me to believe on him for salvation."

That's more like the truth. So where does your faith comes in in your justification by God now? Does it still figure in your justification by God's grace alone - since it is INSISTED that it is SOLELY and WHOLLY based on the finished work of Christ - before God?

What kind of salvation did (simple past tense) the justification by free grace bring to you?

What kind of salvation does (simple present tense) your believing in Christ bring to you?

Are they the same?

sing
Jason@ "I do agree with John Gill's exposition of Eph 2:8-9"
What is the gist of what Gill says?


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