Date: Tue, 14 Nov 2006 16:31:36 +0800
Dr Lee wrote:Pastor Lau,
Thanks for that. From the statement of the
confession: [1689.11.1]
“Those whom God effectually calleth, he also
freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning
their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for
anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; not by
imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience
to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto
the whole law, and passive obedience in his death for their whole and sole
righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift
of God.”
This is what I understand it to say:
1) It is God who justifies the elect
2) He does that by pardoning their sins,
accepting them as righteous
3) He accepts them as righteous not by
anything done in them or done by them
4) He accepts them as righteous not by
imputing faith (act of believing), or any other evangelical obedience
5) He accepts them as righteous by imputing
Christ's active obedience (to the law) and passive obedience in His death
6) The imputation of righteousness is
"by faith", which is a gift of God.
"Faith thus receiving and resting on
Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet it
is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other
saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love." [1689.11.2]
7) This faith acts by receiving and resting
on Christ and his righteousness
8) This faith, by receiving and resting on
Christ, is the sole instrument of justification.
9) However, in the person justified, faith is
not now present alone, but is accompanied by other saving graces (doesn't this
also assume regeneration has already taken place?)
Assuming you are in agreement with #1-5, how
do you understand the 'by faith' in the first paragraph?
How do you understand para 2, where faith is
described as being the 'instrument' of justification?
Tony
====================
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 17:51:31 +0800
Brother Tony
I'm glad that you are interested in considering the
Confession, which I take as a faithful summary of the Bible's teachings. It has
much to teach us what the old-school Baptists did believe, and where the
new-school Baptists (Fullerites) have gone wrong.
You have made some good observations and
asked some good questions. I will try to interact with your observations and
make some comments, marked ##. (Some uppercases are for emphasis, not
shouting!)
Please take time to read... and feel free to
ask further...
From the statement of the Confession
[1689.11.1], please note the words in red.
"Those whom God effectually calleth, he
also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by
pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as
righteous; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's
sake alone; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other
evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ's
active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his death for
their whole and sole righteousness; [they receiving and resting on Him and His
righteousness] by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the
gift of God.” [1689.11.1]
Tom == This is what I understand it to say:
1) It is God who justifies the elect.==
This is a faithful statement, and an
excellent place to start, too.
It is God who justifies... i.e. God the Judge
has the sole prerogative to declare a guilty condemned sinner not guilty but
righteous. He does this entirely by His sovereign and free grace, based solely
on the merits of Christ's righteousness, not conditioned upon anything wrought
in them, or done by them.'
The good statement begs a question: WHEN does
God justify the elect?
Put it in another way - in what spiritual
state are the elect when God justify them?
Scriptures say, God justifies the ungodly;
new school Baptists insist God justifies the believing. Scriptures do say that
faith and works justify, not forensically as God justifies, but evidentially,
demonstrating that they are indeed God's children, i.e. justified, regenerated
and adopted by God.
Note these plain words, 'Those whom God
effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth...'
Consider the relationship between the two.
Please remember that the effectual call is
that divine calling of the elect "out of that state of sin and death in
which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ."
New school Baptists think of the effectual
call as the gospel call blessed by the Spirit to bring conversion. That's a
most serious error. The effectual call is the divine call, therefore always
accomplishing its end, that brings the elect out of that state of sin and death
in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ."
And please remember that effectual call is
not - not - not regeneration (see 13.1 where the two are clearly
distinguished). Effectual calling "out of that state of sin and death in
which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ" requires
far more than regeneration. It requires justification to remove the just
condemnation and the bestowal of the righteousness of life by the Father.
Justification gives divine warrant for the Spirit's work of regeneration. Them whom
the Spirit regenerates, the Father adopts and receives into the divine family.
What do the words, "Those whom God
effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth..." indicate about the
relationship between the effectual calling and the justification of the elect?
I suggest that in the mind of the Framers, effectual call and justification
occur simultaneously... 13.1 indicates that effectual call and regeneration
happen simultaneously too.
The spiritual state in which the elect are
effectually called is the SAME STATE in which the elect are justified. The
spiritual state in which the elect are effectually called is the SAME STATE in
which the elect are regenerated. And the regenerated are adopted as sons.
The Confession bears out these truths in
plain, unmistakable statements.
10.1 "Those whom God hath predestined
unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to
call... out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to
grace and salvation by Jesus Christ." [This is 'definitive
sanctification.]
11.1 “Those whom God effectually calleth, He
also freely justifieth...”
12.1 “All those that are justified, God
vouchsafed, in and for the sake of His only Son Jesus Christ, to make partakers
of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy
the liberties and privileges of children of God..."
(One is made a partaker of the grace of
adoption through regeneration. Justification PRECEDES both regeneration and
adoption - isn't this plain enough from the words of the Confession?)
13.1 "They who are united to Christ,
effectually called, and regenerated, having a new heart and a new spirit
created in them through the virtue of Christ's death and resurrection, are also
farther sanctified, really and personally..." (Note the distinction
between effectual call and regeneration. They are NOT the same.)
The PLAIN ORDER, if anyone wants to know what
the 1689 says, is simply this:
10.1 says about the effectual call;
11.1 says about justification in the
effectual call.
12.1 says about the grace of adoption; and
13.1 says about regeneration in the effectual
call...
Justification PRECEDES regeneration, and
regeneration precedes adoption... in that logical order. The effectual call
"out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace
and salvation by Jesus Christ" requires these acts of God (simultaneously
but in that logical order):
Justification (the application of Christ's righteousness to an elect personally) to remove the condemnation of death.
- Rom 5:18 "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."
- Removal of the condemnation of death through the justification of life LOGICALLY LEADS to the bestowal of life through Regeneration.
Regeneration removes the spiritual
deadness, and bestows eternal life.
Adoption, with the gift of the Spirit of adoption to dwell within a child of God, working in him all the graces of salvation, including faith. Adoption into the divine family gives access to all the privileges that belong to God's children.
ONLY when these gracious and free and
sovereign acts of God HAVE TAKEN PLACE, is an elect able to exercise faith. If
you disagree, please say so. Only those that ARE SAVED are enabled to believe.
The gospel ministry is to call such to faith in what is ALREADY true, 'the word
of truth, the gospel of your salvation.'
THINK ABOUT THESE STATEMENTS very carefully -
these truths deserve your careful attention and believing.
The simple fact is, only an effectually
called person - i.e. justified, regenerated and adopted - has the ability to
believe. Put it in other words, only one who is already DEFINITIVELY SANCTIFIED
by the effectual call (i.e. once-for-all separated from sin and death to grace
and salvation) can be FARTHER SANCTIFIED by Christ's Word and Spirit dwelling
in them (i.e. a life-long process of separation from ignorance and falsehood to
knowledge and truth both in doctrines and practice) That's what Chapter 13 is
about. Chapter 14 takes up the grace of faith as the chief means by which God's
children are further sanctified. Just take your time to read 1689.10-14 slowly
and notice the flow of careful and tight logic upholding the truth of the
Scriptures.
Tom == 2) He does that by pardoning their
sins, accepting them as righteous.
## That's a faithful statement: "... by
pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as
righteous."
The question is: what is the spiritual state
of the elect when God pardon their sins, and accepts them as righteous: when
they are in a state of sin and death, or when are they in a state of grace and
salvation - that is, when they believe?
The elect is either in the state of sin and
death or in the state of grace and salvation. Only when they are effectually
called out of the former and into the latter are they able to exercise the
grace of faith. There is no middle ground - that's obvious enough.
If you disagree with my simple conclusion,
please kindly indicate.
Tom == 3) He accepts them as righteous, not
by anything done in them or done by them
## This is a faithful and true statement -
"... not for anything wrought in them, or done by them."
The Framers say 'faith' is wrought in them -
"The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the
saving of their souls, is the work of the Spirit of Christ in their
hearts..." 1689.14.1 In this sense, 'faith' is a gift of God because it is
a saving grace worked by the Spirit of Christ WITHIN them. Faith is NOT a gift
in the sense that salvation (Eph 2:8), eternal life (Rm 6:23), righteousness
(Rm 5:17) and justification of life (Rm 5;16,18) are spoken of as gifts -
something coming to us from ABOVE and WITHOUT, James 1:17.
I think you would agree that believing is a
spiritual act done by them. You would also want to agree that spiritual life
MUST PRECEDE any spiritual activities. (The term 'spiritual life' is not found
in the Bible... but of course, eternal life is spiritual in nature). If you
disagree, please state so, and say why.
Some new school Baptists, e.g. Pastor Ho,
define regeneration as giving spiritual ability, and this spiritual ability
must be exercised to believe, and in believing one is given eternal life. So,
he agrees that 'regeneration' must precede faith, but his definition of
regeneration is a plain and open perversion of the biblical regeneration. Some
standard reformed people can speak of spiritual ability apart from spiritual
life!
I conclude that justification before God - to
be declared by Him as righteous, and not guilty - cannot possibly be by the instrumental
means of faith in Christ. It is explicitly and plainly repudiated by the
Confession.
Tom == 4) He accepts them as righteous not by
imputing faith (act of believing), or any other evangelical obedience.
## This is a good statement. The Framers
explicitly warn against a very common error embraced by so many new school
Baptists (same with the paedobaptists) - grievously mistaking the imputation of
faith as having anything to do with forensic justification by God.
Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture?
Abraham believed God, and it [Abraham's believing] was counted [imputed] unto
him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted [imputed] for righteousness.
Gen 15:6 "And he believed in the LORD;
and he counted it to him for righteousness.”
There is NO - NO - NO forensic (Actual)
justification here in Gen 15:1-6. There is NO - NO - NO imputation of Christ's
righteousness involved here... There is the imputation of the believer's faith,
and the Confession plainly warns against the common error of mistaking the
imputation of faith as involving justification.
Abraham was justified by God while UNGODLY in
Ur. His believing in Gen 15 vindicates the glorious truth, 'the just shall live
by faith.' Abraham's faith DEMONSTRATES and GIVES EVIDENCE of his just state by
the grace of God when an ungodly idolatrous man in Ur. Gen 12-14 gives us a
picture of a justified man by God's free grace.
Faith and evangelical obedience VINDICATE and
CERTIFY their justified state by God's free grace.
His faith is accounted to him for
righteousness means through his faith, he was blessed to experience the
blessedness of his justified state. The Scriptures say, 'whoever believes HAS
eternal life.' Whoever believes experiences the blessedness of having eternal
life.
Tom == 5) He accepts them as righteous by
imputing Christ's active obedience (to the law) and passive obedience in His
death
## This is a faithful statement. His active
obedience secures the righteousness of life needed, and his passive obedience
atones for the sins and bears away the just condemnation.
The Scriptures speak of the faith OF - OF -
OF Christ. The old-school Baptist who knew the KJT speaks of the faith of
Christ - His believing and obeying the will of the Father for Him as the Redeemer
of His people.
By the faith OF Christ, the elect is
justified before God.
By the believer's faith IN Christ, they
demonstrate and give evidence that they are God's children - i.e. justified,
regenerated and adopted.
Tom == 6) The imputation of righteousness is
_by faith_, which is a gift of God.
## Please check your quotation of the
paragraph carefully and see whether you have missed some important words.
Otherwise, you would never come up with such a popular and misunderstood notion
from the Confession. This statement - if you can find it from 1689.11.1 -
plainly contradicts the other statements in the paragraph.
Mine have these words at the end, "...
righteousness; [semicolon] they receiving and resting on Him and His
righteousness by faith, .." Please note the SEMI-COLON after the
righteousness - the semicolon distinctly SEPARATES the imputation clause from
the receiving and resting clause which follows. I will deal with the
significance of this phrase later.
If imputation of righteousness is by faith -
conditioned upon the instrumentality of faith, then;
- The statement 'he also freely justifieth'
is contradicted and repudiated. If imputation is by faith, then justification
is conditioned upon faith. It is no longer 'freely' by God's grace.
- The statement 'not for anything wrought in
them, or done by them' is also contradicted and repudiated. Faith is a grace
wrought in them; believing is the grace of faith exercised, something done by
them.
The imputation of righteousness is NOT - NOT
- NOT by faith! It is NOT in the Confession. It is the imagination of the new
school Baptists. The imputation of righteousness is FREELY by God's grace. See
Pruning pp. 172-4 on what William Kiffin, signer of both the First (1644) and
Second London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) say on the role and function
of faith.
The Confession does say, "they receiving
and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith." God justifies FREELY
by His grace, and His children receiving and resting on Christ and His
righteousness by faith are TWO very distinct and different actions. The former
is God's action upon the ungodly justly condemned sinners dead in sin; the
latter are acts of God's children in obedience to the gospel call.
God's free grace justification (necessarily accompanied
by regeneration and adoption at effectual call to grace and salvation) enables
the elect to exercise faith to receive and rest on Christ and His righteousness
through the ministry of the gospel. There are sentient elect who are incapable
of being outwardly called...
I have used this illustration often in SDC.
Towkay, by his free grace, credited a million dollars into a coolie's account.
Towkay sends his messenger to tell the coolie the good news (what ALREADY
happened). Coolie believes and goes to the bank to receive the money. The
crediting is done before the news comes... the crediting produces the good
news... the crediting is not conditioned on the coolie going to the bank.
“Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ
and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification; yet it is not
alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving
graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.” [1689.11.2]
Tom == 7) This faith acts by receiving and
resting on Christ and his righteousness
## Justification by God's free grace is based
solely upon Christ and His righteousness... "Those whom God effectually
calleth, he also freely justifieth... for Christ's sake alone... by imputing
Christ's active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in his
death for their whole and sole righteousness."
That being the truth, faith in Christ, i.e.
receiving and resting in Christ and His righteousness, is understandably the
sure and certain evidence and proof of one's justification by God's free grace.
Remember a MOST basic truth... ONLY the
justified, regenerated and adopted elect is capable of exercising faith, of
receiving and resting in Christ and His righteousness. He is already in Christ
and clothed with Christ's righteousness by grace... that is why he is
able to receive and rest in Christ.
Tom == 8) This faith, by receiving and
resting on Christ, is the sole instrument of justification.
## An instrument serves a function or
purpose. A telescope is an astronomical instrument. A voltmeter is an
electrical instrument. A stethoscope is a medical instrument. What is the
relationship between these instruments and their purpose? Are they not to make
manifest the presence of those things they were designed and purposed to do?
The telescope discovers and makes manifest those celestial objects that are
already present there. A voltmeter detects the presence of voltage already in
the circuit; it is not an instrument to bring voltage to the circuit. A
stethoscope is not an instrument to bring heartbeats to a patient; the heart
must be beating for the stethoscope to detect the heartbeats.
Faith, receiving and resting in Christ, is
the sole instrument to manifest and disclose the justified state of a person.
Works cannot be the sole instrument... first, works are not the ground and
basis of justification before God, second, works are shown by those who reject
Christ.
But saving faith is always accompanied by all
other saving graces. The effectual call out of sin and death to grace and
salvation equips a child of God with all the graces of salvation, NOT just
faith. The gospel ministry is ordained to cultivate and bring these graces out
in the lives of God's children. Faith that is alone, not accompanied by other
saving graces, is a suspect faith at best, and the faith of the devil at worst.
The Holy Spirit DOES NOT just work faith in the person indwelt by Him... He
works all the saving graces... "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness,
temperance..."
Tom == 9) However, in the person justified,
faith is not now present alone, but is accompanied by other saving graces
(doesn't this also assume regeneration has already taken place?)
## Faith and all other graces are only to be
found in a justified person - simple grammar tells us that justification
precedes faith. It is like saying, breath and other activities of life are
found in a resuscitated person.
Only in the justified person is faith found.
A justified person is a regenerated and adopted person, with the Spirit of God
dwelling in him. Only a regenerated person can exercise faith. A regenerated
person is one born with eternal life and indwelt by the Spirit of God. A living
person evidences their life in so many ways. Even so, a regenerated person
manifests his life through his faith, accompanied by all other saving graces.
Faith is accompanied by all other saving graces - i.e. graces produced by the
effectual calling to grace and salvation.
Tom == Assuming you are in agreement with
#1-5, how do you understand the 'by faith' in the first paragraph? How do you
understand para 2 where faith is described as being the 'instrument' of
justification?
##Reception of the righteousness already freely imputed by grace is by faith. Abraham was imputed with righteousness when he was an
ungodly man in Ur. Abraham experiences the blessedness of his righteous state
by faith in Gen 15:1-6.
Imputation/Application of righteousness is NEVER by
faith; it is by God's free grace.
Imputation of righteousness is a once-for-all
legal act by God.
Receiving and resting in Christ is a
lifelong experience by faith in Christ.
If anything is unclear, please feel free to
ask further questions. I have not lost all hope that you might come to see the
plain old truth and be instrumental in saving my RB brethren from their
grievous errors, James 5:19.
I also learn as I interact with you. Thanks
for the opportunity. Please feel free to forward the exchanges to others in
your church to read.
sing
