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Studies
Subjects
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The Truth of Christianity: Justification
Justification: declared righteous.
That man is justified before God, declared righteous by grace alone
through faith alone - is unique to Christianity. Only the Christian
faith, among the 1000’s of religions, teaches that a person can get
to heaven by grace alone through faith alone. All other religious
systems are based on man’s performance. The Christian message alone
stands up and declares one cannot make it to heaven or paradise
by one’s works. The Bible teaches over and over that if one flees
to Christ and trusts in His finished work, one goes to Heaven on
Christ’s
merit alone. This is good news and
demonstrates the uniqueness of Christianity.
The truth of Christianity is also uniquely expressed in that it is
the only faith that believes in the Trinity, has over 300
predictions written
down about the founder before His birth (Jesus ). These prophecies
predicted key events of His life. It is the only faith that
proclaims its
founder rose from the dead (all the others are still in their
grave). And it is the only faith system that comports with the
Transcendental
Argument for the existence of God (the Argument from the
Impossibility of the Contrary: all use of logic, morality and
induction
presuppose the existence of the Biblical God. The doctrine of
Justification is also only found in Christ:
Rom 5:9 ...being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from
wrath through Him.
The Negative Element of Justification: The Christian’s record is
wiped away through the Blood of Jesus Christ. His death on the Cross
removes our sins. Through His sacrificial death, our sins, our
debts and our demerits are rinsed away and Jesus Christ’s Record,
His
righteousness, His obedience, His assets and His merits are given
to us by grace alone, through faith alone. That is the only way an
unjust, unrighteous sinner can ever stand in the presence of a just
and Holy God.
John 1:29 The next day John sees Jesus coming to him and says,
Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
The Positive Element of Justification: When one put his trust for
our salvation in Christ and Him alone, then God transfers to our
spiritual
account the perfect record of Jesus. His record of perfection, His
holiness is made ours - this is now our status, our spiritual legal
position - it is an alien righteous. This is the Positive element
of Justification - Christ imputed righteousness.
Rom 4:5 But to him who doesn’t work, but believing on Him
justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted/imputed for
righteousness.
“There was nothing in Abraham that caused the action; it began in
God and went out to the man in sovereign grace. Upon a sinner, the
righteousness of God was placed. In the accounting the very
righteousness of God was reckoned, credited, imputed. The Lord God
Himself, by an act of grace moved by His sovereign love, blotted
out everything that was against Abraham, and then wrote down on the
record that He, God,....credited... this man Abraham to be perfect
even at a moment when Abraham was ungodly in himself. That is
justification.” Barnhouse.
1. Justification is a Legal act (Forensic in nature) - Judge /
Judgment/penalty/condemnation
- Its a pardon and more than a pardon. Negative & positive elements.
2. Declared righteous.
Justification is not progressive- but sanctification is progressive.
A. Negative Element of Justification - Sins washed away - done by
passive Obedience of Jesus Christ
Vicarious atonement - in place of. Jesus died in our place.
Zech. 3:4 The angel said to those who were standing before him,
"Take off his filthy clothes." Then he said to Joshua, "See, I have
taken
away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you."
B. Positive justification - Christ’s righteousness is imputed to
us. His right life,His merit, His perfection, His holiness, His
sinless record -
imputed / given to us by His active obedience
- the sinner is counted righteous.
Justification is not renewal, it is not infused ( it is declared) ,
it is not Sanctification. It is a Judicial Act of God - God
declares on the Basis
of Christ’s death and his righteousness that all claims of the law
are Satisfied with respect of the sinner.
C. Justification takes place outside the sinner in the tribunal of God.
Sanctification takes place in the inner life of man & gradually
affects his whole being.
Justification passes into the soul of the believer as
Justification meets Sanctification - actus transiens
Justification reflects our position in Christ.
Genesis 15:6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to
him for righteousness.
Ps 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.
Ps 32:2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD does not impute
iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Gal 3:11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of
God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”
Rom 3:20-28 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be
justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin...
even the
righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on
all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned
and fall
short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus... Therefore we
conclude that a
man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.
Romans 4:2-5 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has
something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the
Scripture
say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for
righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as
grace but as debt.
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the
ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.
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$17.25 plus 3.50 shipping
ISBN 1-4208-2762-6
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