The
CONTEXT of "justification by faith alone" is
How does a man, ALREADY freely justified by
the grace of God,
experiences
the blessedness of
his justified state;
- is
it by faith in Christ alone,
- or
by keeping the ceremonial laws,
- or
both?
That's
the question.
It WASN'T how a condemned man is justified by God, the righteous
Judge.
To this question, there is ONLY ONE SOLITARY answer.
"Being justified
freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Romans 3:24 KJV
Read
Romans 4 - Apostle Paul marshalled Abraham to demonstrate this obvious truth.
God
is the JUSTIFIER of the condemned;
- "freely by grace" is the METHOD of
justifying the condemned;
- "through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus" is the ALONE BASIS/GROUND of justifying the condemned.
Faith
in Christ justifies the believing ones - it's the just (those already
freely justified by God) who shall live by faith in Christ. Apostle Paul set
forth Abraham as a classic example, and proof.
Romans
4:9 ¶Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the
uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for
righteousness."
(too
many read this as "faith was reckoned to Abraham for justification";
they are addicted to sound bytes.)
Do
you see the force of Paul's rhetorical question? He was dealing with the
Judaizers who insisted on the works of observing ceremonial laws to experience
their justified state, freely by God's grace alone based on the finished work
of Christ alone.
In
hermeneutics, the first three principal rules are:
1.
Context.
2. Context.
3. Context.
Ignoring
these basic rules, the popular justification-by-faith-alone had been turned
into a pernicious heresy.
2Peter
2:
1¶But
there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
2And
many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of.
May
our gracious Lord gives you understanding.
Amen.
Peruse
this article:
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2011/05/three-distinct-sets-of-contrast-in.html
