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NASB | Romans 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 4:6 And in this same way David speaks of the blessing on the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works: |
Subject: Imputed Righteousness |
Bible Note: "We are already spiritually glorified. Rom 8:30 - and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also GLORIFIED - past tense." Traditionally, the church has understood that the past tense of "glorify" is more or less a past tense demonstrating the certainty of a future event. The reason (aside from the obvious one that we are not like Christ in His glory) is that although all of the actions are in the past tense, not all of them have been completed yet. For example, there are those whom he foreknew and predestined who have not been called yet (the unborn elect and those who are still enemies of God but will be converted). There are those who have been predestined but not yet justified, such as those who will receive Christ tomorrow afternoon. Christ is the only one who has been glorified so far in the truest sense of the word, being the firstborn from among the dead. So even though Paul uses the past tense in all of the verbs, it is clear that in time and space that these actions are not complete for all of those whom He foreknew. But thanks to God's sovereignty, it will happen. You wrote: 'Our righteousness comes as a gift from God to us. As long as it is not yours, it does you no good whatsoever. But, as a gift to you, not because of obedience, but because of faith, it is yours. If you think that you are righteous in God's sight depending on your obedience to the Law or "Christian" principles, then you still don't understand righteousness or even Luther's revelation. He recognized that we receive God's righteous SOLELY by faith, apart from our works, before or after salvation.' See? It is statements like these which show you haven;t been reading what I have written at all. Please show me where I have said that I will be righteous in God's sight by keeping His law. And please do not try and get Luther on your side on this one, because he argued vehemently and specifically against what you are putting forth in your posts. And please explain to me how receiving a gift makes the gift part of my inherent nature. If I get a new pair of shoes, I am not that new pair of shoes. They are mine, but there is still a distinction between me and the gift. And that is the distinction you fail to observe. We receive Christ's righteousness as a gift when we are converted. You are taking it as axiomatic that possessing Christ's righteousness makes US righteous. The two are not the same thing, and neither Scripture nor the historic teachings of evangelical Protestantism share your view. You wrote: "That's too bad, Joe. You obviously don't understand either justification or sanctification because you don't understand your union with Christ." Well, I am certainly glad I have you here to straighten me out with your post. Here I have been going along with the understanding held by the vast majority of the greatest teachers of evangelical Christianity over the past 500 years (not to mention the teachings of the early church), and all I needed was the "true light" from ChristLifer2001! Boy am I glad you have taken the time to show me how God's church has been so wrong and you in your vast wisdom are correct. --Joe! |