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.

Wednesday, January 24, 2024

The Doctrine of Imputation

The doctrine of imputation is at the heart of the gospel; no imputation, no salvation.

 A few brief notes on the subject:
- The word “impute” is a legal and accounting term; it means “to credit to one’s account.”
- Imputation is a legal act of God the Judge alone.

1. There was a single imputation in the Garden of Ede
- Adam’s sin was imputed to every single human of the whole human race represented by him; he was appointed as the representative head by the LORD God the Creator.
- The imputation of Adam’s sin brought condemnation and death and alienation upon the whole human race, EVEN THOUGH none represented by Adam has personal existence yet, except the woman of whom Adam said, “bones of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”

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.”
- how did the sin of one man (Adam) relate to “all have sinned”? He was appointed the representative head.
- how did the sin of one man (Adam) relate to “so death passed upon all men”? His sin was IMPUTED to all represented by him.

1Co 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”
- How in Adam all represented by him die? His sin was imputed to all represented by him, i.e. the whole human race.

2. There was a double imputation on the Cross of Calvary
- Please note well, the double imputation took place at the cross; the misguided reformed people believe it takes place when a sinner believes in Jesus Christ.
- “There WAS” – a simple past complete legal action executed by the LORD God alone; you did nothing; you did not have personal existence yet even though your name has been in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the foundation of the world.
- Christ’s righteousness was imputed by the LORD God the Judge to all represented by Christ, and all the sins of all those represented by Him were imputed to Him. Christ’s life of perfect obedience to all the laws of God secured the righteousness needed for the justification of His people, to reverse the condemnation brought about by the imputation of Adam’s sin (this is called “original sin”) and their own actual sins.
- Christ bore the curse of and suffered fully all the sins of all His people that were perfectly and completely imputed to Him by the LORD God. No, no, no, it was not you who give your sins to Christ; you did nothing, absolutely nothing in this GREAT EXCHANGE; you were not even around yet! It was all the free and sovereign act of the LORD God for all those whom He had given to His Son to redeem.
- This Great Exchange has secured and accomplished the LEGAL justification of God’s elect; the legal justification of all God’s elect took place at the cross by the one legal act of God in imputing the righteousness of Christ to them, and imputing all their sins to Christ.
- This is the LEGAL justification.

2Cor 5:21
"For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
- The LORD God has made Christ Jesus to be sin for us: "has made" - present perfect, a past action with the effect of that action remaining true to the present moment.

3. An elect that is LEGALLY justified is not yet PERSONALLY justified; they are NOT, NOT, NOT the same.
- The legal imputation of righteousness to you does not need your personal existence; the application of righteousness to you personally requires your personal existence; without it, the righteousness of Christ cannot be applied to you personally. What was legally imputed has to be applied to an elect personally.
- The righteousness that was LEGALLY IMPUTED to all the elect (a class action) at the cross event is PERSONALLY APPLIED to each elect at his effectual calling out of his native state of sin, death, and alienation to that state of righteousness (justification), eternal life (regeneration), and sonship (adoption).  This is the VITAL justification.
- The effectual call is the free and sovereign act of God alone in bestowing the eternal salvation Jesus Christ the Redeemer has secured and accomplished for His people.
- The effectually called elect is bestowed with the Spirit of adoption; this Spirit of adoption works in him all the saving graces, including faith; this saving grace of faith enables a child of God to believe the gospel of his salvation. Believing in the gospel of his salvation by the righteousness and blood of Jesus Christ, his faith justifies/demonstrates/vindicates that he has been freely justified by God. This is PRACTICAL justification.

B. The above truths have been beautifully summarized by the Old School Baptists in the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith.

1689.11.4 "God did from all eternity decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did in the fullness of time die for their sins, and rise again for their justification; nevertheless, they are not justified PERSONALLY, until the Holy Spirit in time does actually apply Christ to them."

i. God decreed the justification of all the elect before the foundation of the world. This is the ETERNAL justification - a term often misunderstood as though it says that the elect was already justified personally in eternity. So, to avoid that, I use Decretal justification, i.e. justification decreed in eternity.

ii. Christ Jesus secured the legal justification of all the elect at his death and resurrection. They are LEGALLY justified; this is the LEGAL justification.

iii. Though LEGALLY justified, they are not justified PERSONALLY until the Holy Spirit in time does actually apply Christ to each of them personally; this happens at the effectual calling. This is the VITAL justification.

iv. Effectual calling makes believing in Jesus Christ possible, leading to PRACTICAL salvation.

It's the genius of the Baptist Framers to add that most significant word "personally" in the 1689 COF; it's not in the WCF.

I hope this helps.

I pray that you want to learn and know these things and cherish them.

Ignorance of these vital gospel truths is bad, but representing them wrongly is even worse.

May the LORD save us from this evil. Amen.

Job 42
7 ¶ And it was so, that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.
8 Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job. 

Posted by at