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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Theological Term: Justification | Rom 8:33 | DocTrinsograce | 151785 | ||
The next benefit we will discuss in the ordo salutis is justification. This is critically important for all true believers to understand. A great deal of error has been promulgated due to the lack of understanding of this word as it is used in the Scriptures. "Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins as forgiven and Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in His sight." --Wayne Grudem "Justification is a judicial act of God, in which He declares, on the basis of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, that all the claims of the law are satisfied with respect to the sinner." --Louis Berkhof "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. (Romans 3:24; 8:30; 4:5-8; Ephesians 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:30, 31; Romans 5:17-19; Philippians 3:8, 9; Ephesians 2:8-10; John 1:12; Romans 5:17 )" --1689 BCF, chapter 11, paragraph 1 "There is no such thing as merit; but all who are justified are justified for nothing (gratis), and this is credited to no one but to the grace of God . . . For Christ alone it is proper to help and save others with His merits and works." --Martin Luther "The phrase in ipso (in him) I have preferred to retain, rather than render it per ipsum (by him), because it has in my opinion more expressiveness and force. For we are enriched in Christ, inasmuch as we are members of His body, and are engrafted into Him: nay more, being made one with Him, He makes us share with Him in every thing that He has received from the Father." --John Calvin "Faith alone justifies, but justifying faith is not alone. Good works though they are not the causes of salvation, yet they are the evidences. Faith must not be built upon works, but works must be built upon faith." --Thomas Watson " The necessity of Christ's satisfaction to divine justice is, as it were, the center and hinge of all doctrines of pure revelation. Other doctrines are of little importance comparatively except as they have respect to this." --Jonathan Edwards "I do not believe we can preach the gospel if we do not preach justification by faith without works; nor unless we preach the sovereignty of God in His dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing unchangeable eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor do I think we can preach the gospel unless we base it upon the special and particular redemption of His elect and chosen people which Christ wrought out upon the cross." --Charles Hadon Spurgeon "To the extent that we forget that our status before God is due to what Christ has done for us, we will try to make out own relationship with God depend on winning His approval." --Ranald Macaulay "Since Christ is the embodiment of the glory of God at the foundation of our justification, when God justifies us He is testifying to the surpassing worth of and pleasure that He takes in His Son -- who is the perfect reflection of His glory. God loves to justify the wicked, therefore, because in doing so He highlights the excellency of the worth of His Son, whom He loves and delights in." --Matt Perman I have more to say to you, dear forum reader, on this important topic. I'll post this now, however, and prepare my subsequent post as an addendum to it. In Him, Doc |
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2 | Theological Term: Justification | Rom 8:33 | DocTrinsograce | 151948 | ||
Continuing the discussion of justification: The verb justify in the Greek has a range of meanings but a very common meaning is "to declare righteous." You can see this meaning very clearly in Paul's writings. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5) It is a legal declaration. Imagine a judge acquitting a man on trial for a crime. The judge declares his innocence. Note that in this case the judge does not make the man innocent, rather his judgment is a declaration to the society at large that the man is to be considered and treated innocent. This is a common understanding of what judges are supposed to do. We see this in the Old Testament. (By the way, the Septuagint translates the word justify using the same word that Paul uses.) If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked. (Deuteronomy 25:1) With that in mind, look again at the verse cited in this post. Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. (Romans 8:33-34) When the Bible contrasts justification with condemnation, the legal nature of justification becomes even more obvious. Please note at this point that God can declare a believer to be just because He imputes the righteousness of Christ to him. As I have noted in previous posts, Christ's righteousness is imputed to the believer, therefore God think of it as belonging to the believer (Romans 4:3, 6; 5:17). Further, the believer's sin is imputed to Christ. See also 1 Corinthians 1:30, Philippians 3:9, Romans 3:21-22, etc. - - - - - - - - - - - - This view of justification is very different from the Roman Catholic perspective. Their view is not based on imputed righteousness, but rather "infused righteousness." This is righteousness that God is said to place inside of the believer in order to cause his nature to change in such a way as to cause him to merit grace. Consequently, believers experience various degrees of justification, but no one can know for certain if they are in a "state of grace" without explicit, special revelation by God. As Ludwig Ott, a Roman Catholic theologian, writes, "For the justified eternal life is both a gift of grace promised by God and a reward for his own good works and merits . . . Salutary works are, at the same time, gifts of God and meritorious acts of man." - - - - - - - - - - - - - "The word gospel means good news. That which is preached as gospel in so many churches is not even news. A man has been found guilty, shall we say, of a heinous crime and has been sentenced to death. He is now in prison, awaiting the day of his execution. A friend comes to visit him. This friend calls out: 'I have good news for you!' Eagerly the condemned man asks: 'What is it?' The answer comes: 'Be good.' In that message there is not so much as a shred of good news. It is most cruel mockery. Yet many a self-styled minister of Christ holds forth to sinners under the sentence of eternal death a precisely equivalent message as gospel." --R. B. Kuiper "Alas! it is an infinite righteousness that must satisfy for our sins, for it is an infinite God that is offended by us. If ever your sin be pardoned, it is infinite mercy that must pardon it; if ever you be reconciled to God, it is infinite merit must do it; if ever your heart be changed, and your soul renewed, it is infinite power must effect it; and if ever your soul escape hell, and be saved at last, it is infinite grace must save it." --Matthew Mead |
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Questions and/or Subjects for Rom 8:33 | Author | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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Tamara Brewington |