Things New and Old: The CONTEXT of "justification by faith alone"

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.

Tuesday, July 23, 2024

The CONTEXT of "justification by faith alone"

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