Eastside Evangelical Fellowship
Study on the
Chapter XI with Scripture Proofs and Comments
Of Justification
1.
Those whom God effectually calleth, He also
freely justifieth: (Rom. 8:30, Rom. 3:24) not by infusing righteousness into
them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their
persons as righteous; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them, but
for Christ’s sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or
any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by
imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, (Rom. 4:5–8, 2
Cor. 5:19,21, Rom. 3:22,24–25,27–28, Tit. 3:5,7, Eph. 1:7, Jer. 23:6, 1 Cor.
1:30–31, Rom. 5:17–19) they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness
by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God. (Acts
10:44, Gal. 2:16, Phil. 3:9, Acts
a)
The doctrine of Justification, Luther
said, is the test of a standing or of a falling Church. The Roman Church has grossly corrupted this
doctrine. But many Protestant churches
have great errors themselves, and far too many are ignorant over the importance
of this doctrine.
b)
Justification is the judicial act of God,
whereby He pardons our sins and accounts, or imputes,
the righteousness of Jesus Christ to us.
It is not poured into us. We do
not become righteous. We are declared
righteous.
c)
We are not justified for anything we have
done, nor anything God does in us. We are justified for Christ’s sake
alone. Our justification originates
completely apart from us.
d) Faith
is a gift of God, and a command from God.
We are not justified by imputing faith or the act of believing, or else
we would be justified by a work of obedience.
Faith is distinguished from the righteousness by which we are justified
–“the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ…” (Rom
e) The
imputation of righteousness does not mean that God is lying about us. He is not pretending we are righteous. He is putting down on our legal account
‘righteous’ although we have not preformed works of righteousness. Paul says something similar in Philemon 18 –
“if he has wronged you or owes you anything, put that on my account”.
2. Faith,
thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone
instrument of justification: (John 1:12, Rom. 3:28, Rom. 5:1) yet is it not
alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving
graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love. (James 2:17,22,26, Gal. 5:6)
a)
We are saved by faith alone, but never
through a faith that is alone. This is
not a tricky statement to wiggle out of a hard doctrine. Saving faith is living. It is wrought by the Spirit of God, and it
will have its way with the believer.
Saving faith always is accompanied with all other saving graces – you
can’t get it a la carte.
3. Christ, by His
obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus
justified, and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father’s
justice in their behalf. (Rom. 5:8–10,19, 1 Tim.
2:5–6, Heb.
a)
Our sins were imputed to Christ,
revealing God’s justice. Christ’s
righteousness was imputed to us, revealing God’s grace. Grace is not the setting aside of the
requirements of God’s law. Salvation is
of grace, but this grace comes in the way of righteousness. God is glorified in the manifestation of His
justice and mercy. This is the
righteousness of God, ‘that He might be just and the justifier of the one who
has faith in Jesus.’ (Rom
4. God
did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, (Gal. 3:8, 1 Pet. 1:2,19–20, Rom. 8:30) and Christ did, in the fulness of time,
die for their sins, and rise for their justification: (Gal. 4:4, 1 Tim. 2:6,
Rom. 4:25) nevertheless, they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit doth, in
due time, actually apply Christ unto them. (Col. 1:21–22, Gal. 2:16, Tit.
3:4–7)
a)
Justification of the elect was eternally
decreed, was historically accomplished in Christ, and yet is applied in time by
the Holy Spirit. Even after the work of
Christ, for a time, we remain the enemies of God. When we are effectually called (chapter 10),
then we are reconciled to God and declared righteous for Christ’s sake.
b)
Another way to think of this is that
justification requires faith as its instrument, and until God grants faith, the
individual cannot believe and have it credited to his account. This in no way sets aside God’s decreed will
for His elect. Christ’s death secured
their salvation.
5. God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified; (Matt. 6:12, 1 John 1:7,9, 1 John 2:1–2) and, although they can never fall from the state of justification, (Luke 22:32, John 10:28, Heb. 10:14) yet they may, by their sins, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure, and not have the light of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and repentance. (Ps. 89:31–33, Ps. 51:7–12, Ps. 32:5, Matt. 26:75, 1 Cor. 11:30,32, Luke 1:20)
a)
b)
But there is a difference between your
justification and the joy of your justification. You are in a family, and Your Father will
discipline you appropriately when you sin, to lead you to humble yourself
before Him, confess your sin, and renew your faith and repentance.
6. The justification of believers under the old testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the justification of believers under the new testament. (Gal. 3:9,13–14, Rom. 4:22–24, Heb. 13:8)
a)
Anyone who has been justified in the
history of the world has been justified upon the same ground – the perfect
obedience of Jesus Christ and the pardon of their sins by His blood. For everyone, the instrument of that
justification was the same – salvation has always been through faith. What God had promised to the saints in the
Old Testament He could impute then, for His Word is sure and Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today, and forever.