Chapter 11
Of Justification
- Those whom God effectually calleth,
He also freely justifieth,
1 not by infusing righteousness
into them, but by pardoning their sins,
and by accounting and accepting their
persons, as righteous;2 not for anything wrought
in them, or done by them, but for
Christ's sake alone;3 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;4 they
receiving, and resting on Him, and His
righteousness by faith; which faith
they have not of themselves: it is the
gift of God.5
- Faith thus receiving and resting on
Christ and His righteousness, is the
alone instrument of
justification:6 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.7
- Christ, by His obedience and death,
did fully discharge the debt of all those
that are justified; and did by the
sacrifice of Himself, in the blood of His
cross, undergoing in their stead the
penalty due unto them, make a proper,
real and full satisfaction to God's
justice in their behalf;8 yet, inasmuch as He was
given by the Father for them, and His
obedience and satisfaction accepted in
their stead, and both freely, not for
anything in them,9
their justification is only of free
grace, that both the exact justice and
rich grace of God might be glorified in
the justification of sinners.10
- God did from all eternity decree to
justify all the elect,11 and Christ did in the
fullness of time die for their sins, and
rise again for their
justification;12
nevertheless, they are not justified
personally, until the Holy Spirit doth in
due time actually apply Christ unto
them.13
- God doth continue to forgive the sins
of those that are justified;14 and although they can
never fall from the state of
justification,15 yet
they may by their sins, fall under God's
fatherly displeasure;16 and in that condition,
they have not usually the light of His
countenance restored unto them, until
they humble themselves, confess their
sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith
and repentance.17
- 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.18
Footnotes:
1. Ro
3:24; 8:30.
2. Ro
4:5-8; Eph 1:7.
3. 1Co
1:30-31; Ro 5:17-19.
4. Php
3:8-9; Eph 2:8-10.
5. Jn
1:12; Ro 5:17.
6. Ro
3:28.
7. Gal
5:6; Jas 2:17,22,26.
8. Heb
10:14; 1Pe 1:18-19; Isa 53:5-6.
9. Ro
8:32; 2Co 5:21.
10.
Ro 3:26; Eph 1:6-7; 2:7.
11.
Gal 3:8; 1Pe 1:2; 1Ti 2:6. 12. Ro
4:25.
12.
Ro 4:25.
13. Col 1:21-22; Tit
3:4-7.
14.
Mt 6:12; 1Jn 1:7,9.
15.
Jn 10:28.
16.
Ps 89:31-33.
17.
Ps 32:5; Ps 51:1-19; Mt 26:75.
18.
Gal 3:9; Ro 4:22-24.
©1998 Limerick Free
Baptist Church
|
Free Baptist Church of Limerick