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| Therefore, as by the offence of one, judgement came upon all men to condemnation [of death]; even so, by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. Romans 5:18 The justification of life precedes the activities of that life. Believing is an activity of spiritual life. |
John
3:3 KJT
Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Ephesians
2:1 KJT
And
you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;
It's
common sense that life precedes the actions of that life; faith is an activity
of spiritual life. except a man be born again (regenerated) with spiritual
life, he is still dead in trespasses and sins, utterly incapable of exercising
faith.
EVEN
SO...
To
say that your faith is the cause of your justification by God is to put the
cart before the horse.
It's
equally common sense to say that a man's justification, freely by God's grace, precedes
his faith in Jesus Christ. Why? you ask.
It's
common sense.
An
unjustified man is a man still in his native state of condemnation and death; a
man in his native state can't possibly exercise faith in order to be justified
by God. Sola fide is fiction.
Have
you not read these words:
Romans
3:24 KJT — Being justified FREELY by his grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus.
Romans
5:18 KJT — 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.
Adam's
sin brought the condemnation of death upon all represented by him; EVEN SO,
Christ's righteousness secured the justification of life to all represented by
Him. Amen.
At
the justification freely by God's grace, the righteousness of Christ is freely
APPLIED to an elect personally (it's already IMPUTED to all the elect during
the double imputation at the cross) in his native state of condemnation and
death UNTO the justification of life.
The
Father's free and gracious act of applying Christ's righteousness to the
redeemed gives the divine warrant to the Spirit of God to regenerate such; that
is why justification is termed as justification of life. (Rom 5:18)
Your
faith evidences your justified state, freely by God's grace; even so, your
breath evidences the prior impartation of life; your breath is not the cause of
getting you your life.
May
the gracious Lord grant you to understand this blessed good news.
p/s
- just in case, if any is misguided in this too:
-
Faith is NOT the gift of God; eternal salvation is the gift of God, Eph 2:8.
Eternal salvation is through the faith of Christ, i.e. Christ's faithfulness in
discharging the redemptive work to save His people.
-
Faith is ONE of the many saving graces worked in a child of God (an elect that
has been justified, regenerated, adopted and bestowed with the Spirit of
adoption to indwell him) by the Holy Spirit, Gal 5:22.
- A
gift comes from without; it's a saving grace that is worked from within by the
indwelling Spirit of God.
