The Context of Justification by faith alone

#The_Context_of_Justification_by_faith_alone

The CONTEXT of "justification by faith alone" is how 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 is justified by God, the righteous Judge. There is ONLY ONE SOLITARY answer to this question - Romans 3:24 KJV — "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

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 of justifying the condemned.

STOP barking up the wrong trees, doggies!

Have you understood? In hermeneutics, the first three principal rules are:

1. Context

2. Context

3. Context.

Ignoring these 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.

The Four Alones of Justification

#The_FOUR_Alones_of_Justification

Romans 3:24 KJV — "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus."

The ALONE JUSTIFIER

God the Judge is the ALONE JUSTIFIER of the condemned; only the condemned - and all in Adam are in their native state of condemnation, being conceived in sin, and born in sin - are in the need of God's free and gracious act of justifying them, i.e. of declaring them not guilty but righteous by forgiving them all their sins and accounting to them the righteousness of Christ.

The ALONE METHOD 

"Freely by his grace" is the ALONE METHOD of God the Judge justifying the condemned. Any other methods WON'T work; justification by faith WON'T work, the condemned are INCAPABLE of faith. It is as basic as that; so many are either misguided and deceived.

The ALONE BASIS

"Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" is the ALONE BASIS of God justifying the condemned. There is no other basis; the justification of the condemned requires righteousness, even the perfect righteousness secured by the sinless and perfect obedience of Christ to all the laws of God, i.e. the righteousness of God's own provision.

The ALONE MEANS

Believing in Jesus Christ - whose righteousness is the sole basis of one's justification - and NOT the observation of ceremonial laws, is the ALONE MEANS for the freely justified by God's grace to EXPERIENCE the blessedness of their justified state. ONLY those whom God has ALREADY FREELY JUSTIFIED by His grace are capable of believing. 

Why are these basic elementary biblical truths so very difficult for so many theologians to understand? Why all the obfuscation by the sola fidei that the justification of a condemned man before God is by his faith alone?

Who has bewitched them?

The faith of God... the faith of Christ... your faith in Them

The faith of God... the faith of Christ... your faith in them.

Rom 3:3

For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?

Rom 3:22

Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:

God has faith in Jesus, His only begotten Son. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased... be hearing him."

For thousands of years, God had freely justified multitudes of His elect, and gave them eternal life based on what the promised seed of the woman would accomplish when the eternal Word was made flesh in time and begotten the Son of God.

How could God justly forgive the sins of His people prior to Christ making the actual payment for them on the cross?

Ro 3:24-25

24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God..."

In the above text...

- Through whose faith in Christ blood?

- What do 'sins that are past' refer to? Whose sins? 'Past' with reference to what?

- Is 'his righteousness' referring to God's attribute of righteousness, or to God's provision of righteousness?

- To what is the forbearance of God related? What would have happened if there was no such divine forbearance?

Joe

I'll give you my view of the passage.

I believe Paul is referring to all the sins of God's elect that were committed prior to Calvary. God didn't save His people in the Old Testament era one way and now in the New Testament era another way. He saves all of His chosen ones alike.

If this be the case, God relied on the finished work of Christ for the salvation of His Old Testament people just as He does for us. From a human, temporal perspective, Paul could describe this work as the Father's faith in His Son's blood long before the Son came and shed His blood.

"Faith" in this sense certainly does not carry the notion of hope, or of trusting what we do not know. It rather carries the idea of perfect reliance. The Father applied the finished work of Christ to His elect in regeneration, fully relying on the work, although it was yet future. Hope this helps.

Dav

Q. Through whose faith in Christ blood?

A. God the Father’s – Knowing that the Son would be faithful to die for the sins of many.

Q. What do 'sins that are past' refer to? 'Past' with reference to what?

A. Sins of God’s children prior to the coming of Christ.

Q. Is 'his righteousness' God's attribute of righteousness, or God's provision of righteousness?

A. Christ’s righteousness as the only acceptable sacrifice.

Q. To what is the forbearance of God related?

A. God tolerated the sins of His people and considered them as already forgiven, even though the actual act of redemption had not been accomplished.

Bernie

Br. Joe, you have exactly expressed my understanding of Paul's language in these precise verses (Rom. 3:24-25).

People err when they attempt to define the Father's faith in His Son by applying Paul's faith definition that is labelled in Hebrews 11:1. This particular verse (11:1) describes the faith of the regenerated elect, not the faith God had in His Son. God's faith is that confidence and reliance had in His Son by reason of God's perfect, absolute knowledge.

Man's faith is variable (neither consistent nor absolute); whereas, God's faith is constant and is with the absolute perfection of certainty. Brother Joe's post is with such clarity of truth. Many thanks for it.

I appreciate this needed discussion

Wells

Thanks for your post, Bro. Sing. Just today I saw someone post this verse and then go on to say that "past sins" refers only to the sins of believers prior to regeneration. I appreciate your explanation.

========

This illustration will help...

When I was growing up in a little village, my late father had to go away for works, often for weeks on ends. He would make the arrangement with the local grocery store, to ensure that the shop should supply whatever his household would need in his absence. Dad would leave the family with a notebook; we would bring along that notebook to the shop to get whatever supplies the household required, and the shopkeeper who had faith in my father would gladly supply us everything we had need of in the Dad's absence, recording every item in the notebook.

When Dad returned, we would bring the notebook along and settled all the debts incurred. The grocer man had faith in Dad and supplied us the groceries on credit.

God had faith in the Word, the second person of the Godhead, absolutely confident that the eternal Word would be made flesh and be begotten the Son of God in order to execute the work of redemption for all those given to Him in the eternal covenant of redemption.

Perversion of sola fidei by the Protestants

Perversion of sola fidei

Take a look at the post below; taken from the Protestant Reformation page, maintained as a Reformed Baptist page.

https://www.facebook.com/…/a.208406455846…/2666900313330802/

On faith alone, it says thus:

"Faith alone - Sinful man is declared righteous or justified by faith alone before a Holy God (Rom 5:1-2). Being justified is a gift through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ (Rom 3:24)."

Come, let us reason together; I assume you have a sound mind capable of reasoning.

The statement above necessarily convey these irrational and unbiblical notions:

1. That a sinful man - i.e. still in his native state of sin and death, unjustified and therefore still in his native state of condemnation - is capable of believing, exercising faith.

- The Protestants will immediately retort, "why not? He has been freely given the gift of faith! Of course, he is capable!"

- Perhaps the Protestants should try giving a dead man the gift of a magic wand and teach him how to wave the magic wand in order to be declared a Protestant. Give it a try, then think again what you have just stated.

2. The Protestants will swiftly rebut, "why not? He has been regenerated by the Holy Spirit! Of course, he is capable of utilizing the gift of faith."

- Now the Protestants are into deeper error; an error will inevitably lead to another. The Protestants are now saying that a sinful man, whom God has not justified freely by grace, is already born again by His Spirit!

- The Protestants have forgotten that righteousness is the indispensable prerequisite for life. Sin brings condemnation and death; righteousness secures justification and life.

- This is an elementary biblical truth; without righteousness, there can be no life. Without justification, the accounting of Christ's righteousness to the sinful man, there can be NO life for the sinful man; he remains as spiritually dead as ever, completely impotent of any spiritual activities like discerning spiritual things and believing them.

- Spiritual life must precede the activities of that life; it is as basic as that.

3. The Protestants' sola fidei have repudiated one basic biblical fact.

- A sinful man - in his native state of sin and condemnation, and completely incapable of any spiritual activities like discerning spiritual things and believing - is justified freely by God's grace based solely upon the righteousness of His own provision through the obedience of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

- Romans 3:24 KJV — Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

- Doesn't this passage completely debunk the sola fidei fiction? The justification of the sinful man can't possibly be freely by the grace of God and also by man's faith at the same time, can it? No, one is the cause, the other is the effect and evidence. Basic, is it not?

- In justifying a man (i.e. who is still in his native state of condemnation, only such a man is in need of justification by God; isn't that basic!), God freely accounts to him personally the righteousness of Christ the redeemer and declares him not guilty but righteous.

- God's free and gracious act of accounting to him personally Christ's righteousness is the divine warrant for the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration. Justification logically precedes regeneration. This is why justification is described as the justification of life.

- Romans 5:18 KJV — "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment 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."

- Sin brought condemnation and death, righteousness secures justification and life. This is basic too.

4. The Protestants have ignored the repeated statements that a man believes the gospel because he has already been freely justified by God. The Scriptures declare that it is "the just shall live by faith." (Hak 2:4, Rom 1:17, Gal 3:11, Heb 10:38).

- Who shall live by faith? The just.

- Who are the just? Those condemned dead whom God has freely justified.

- When were they freely justified by God? When they were in their native state of death and condemnation.

- Did their believing/faith play any role in their justification by God's free grace? No, they were incapable of faith in their unjustified state.

- On what ground did God freely justify them? They have been freely justified solely on the ground of Christ's righteousness accounted to them personally.

- Why are the just able to believe? The justified are regenerated because the justification is the justification of life.

Aren't all these simple and basic???

What has bewitched the Protestants?

Sound bytes?

Just as breath justifies/vindicates that the dead man has been freely made alive, EVEN SO, faith justifies/vindicates that the condemned man has been freely justified by God. Isn't this so basic? Why are the brainy and smart Protestants not seeing the obvious?

And why are the Baptists following the Protestants so blindly? Haven't they heard of the Baptist John Gill? [Baptists were no Protestants; Protestants are descended from those in the bosom of RCC who rose up to protest against their Mother Harlot.]

Matthew 11:25 KJV — At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

=======

5 Solas of the Reformation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2AUewLNM3w

https://www.facebook.com/ReformedEvangelical/photos/a.208406455846879/2666900313330802/

The 1689 CoF repudiates the fiction of Gospel Regeneration

#1689CoF_Repudiates_Gospel_Regeneration

#The_gospel_effects_conversion_to_God

The Westminster Confession of Faith and the London Baptist Confession of Faith (1689) have a similar chapter division from chapters 1 to 19. They are NOT exactly the same. There are some very significant differences between the two in the first 19 chapters.

For chapter 20,

WCF has "Of Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience", whereas 1689 has

"Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace Thereof."

That probably explains a great deal why nearly all Calvinists are gospel regenerationists; even the Reformed Baptists, a.k.a. baptized Presbyterians, who hold to the 1689 CoF as their doctrinal standard, also embrace the same doctrine of the gospel regeneration.

Chapter 20 of the London Baptist Confession of Faith is a plain and clear repudiation of the fiction of gospel regeneration, i.e. that the preaching, and hearing of the gospel is the necessary means for the Holy Spirit to execute His work of regeneration; i.e. no preaching, and hearing of the gospel, there can be no regeneration by the Holy Spirit. A fable has just neutered the sovereignty of the Spirit of God in His work of regeneration.

The gospel is stated as the abundantly sufficient means of...

- "calling the elect", (obviously those that are ALREADY regenerated, see paragraph 4)

- "begetting faith and repentance," (obviously in those that have been quickened!)

- "conversion and salvation of sinners," (only those regenerated can be converted to God in Christ; this conversion to the gospel of God brings salvation in this life.

- "conversion unto God," not regeneration unto eternal life.

The role of the gospel in regeneration is not even remotely hinted.

Have you perused the chapter yet? Please, take off your colored glasses first.

Feel free to ask any questions, but please stick to the subject.

Thank you.

===============

Chapter 20

Of the Gospel and the Extent of Grace Thereof

PARAGRAPH 1

The covenant of works being broken by sin, and made unprofitable unto life, God was pleased to give forth the promise of Christ, the seed of the woman, as the means of calling the elect, and begetting in them faith and repentance;1 in this promise the gospel, as to the substance of it, was revealed, and [is] therein effectual for the conversion and salvation of sinners.2 1 Gen. 3:15 2 Rev. 13:8

PARAGRAPH 2

This promise of Christ, and salvation by him, is revealed only by the Word of God;3 neither do the works of creation or providence, with the light of nature, make discovery of Christ, or of grace by him, so much as in a general or obscure way;4 much less that men destitute of the revelation of Him by the promise or gospel, should be enabled thereby to attain saving faith or repentance.5 3 Rom. 1;17 4 Rom. 10:14–15,17 5 Prov. 29:18; Isa. 25:7; 60:2–3

PARAGRAPH 3

The revelation of the gospel to sinners, made in divers times and by sundry parts, with the addition of promises and precepts for the obedience required therein, as to the nations and persons to whom it is granted, is merely of the sovereign will and good pleasure of God;6 not being annexed by virtue of any promise to the due improvement of men's natural abilities, by virtue of common light received without it, which none ever made, or can do so;7 and therefore in all ages, the preaching of the gospel has been granted unto persons and nations, as to the extent or straitening of it, in great variety, according to the counsel of the will of God.

6 Ps. 147:20; Acts 16:7 7 Rom. 1:18–32

PARAGRAPH 4

Although the gospel be the only outward means of revealing Christ and saving grace, and is, as such, abundantly sufficient thereunto; yet that men who are dead in trespasses may be born again, quickened or regenerated, there is moreover necessary an effectual insuperable work of the Holy Spirit upon the whole soul, for the producing in them a new spiritual life;8 without which no other means will effect their conversion unto God.9

8 Ps. 110:3; 1 Cor. 2:14; Eph. 1:19–20 9 John 6:44; 2 Cor. 4:4,6