Justification by Faith

JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH

Justification takes place in the court of heaven, not in the experience of the believer. It is a legal matter, not an emotional one. God’s elect are justified by the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to them, not in any other way or for any other reason. We are made the righteousness of God in Christ in exactly the same way as he was made to be sin for us. He was made sin by the imputation of our sins to him. He knew no sin, felt no sin, and did no sin. Our sins were imputed to him. Thus, he was made to be sin for us. In precisely the same way, his righteousness is ours only by imputation, not by anything known, felt, or done by us. Christ’s righteousness pleaded in the court of heaven is our full justification.

Yet, in the experience of grace, each of God’s elect is said to be justified by faith in the sense that he receives the knowledge and joy of justification by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

When God the Holy Spirit regenerates the sinner, giving him faith in Christ, as that sinner looks to Christ alone as his Savior and Redeemer, the blessed Spirit sprinkles the blood of Christ upon the conscience and speaks like a bailiff reading the verdict in court - “JUSTIFIED!” Thus every believing sinner receives justification by faith in Christ, “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Christ has justified us by his great sin-atoning sacrifice; and all who believe on Christ as Lord and Savior receive the many benefits of his finished work. One of those many benefits which we receive by faith is justification.

Faith does not cause God to justify us. The obedience of Christ has done that. But faith, resting upon Christ alone as Savior, obtains peace with God, even the peace of perfect, complete justification.

Faith does not merit justification with God; but faith receives justification. Faith is not the basis upon which men are justified; but faith is the instrument by which justification is received.

Faith is essential; but it is not meritorious. Faith receives Christ; but it does not merit Christ. Faith receives the forgiveness of sin; but it does not merit forgiveness. Faith receives grace; but it does not merit grace. Faith receives justification; but it does not merit justification.

We were justified in the court of heaven by the decree of God the Father and by the death of God the Son. Then, in the experience of grace, we are justified in the court of conscience by the declaration of God the Holy Spirit.

When the Scriptures speak of us being justified by faith, or by the faith of Christ, and of faith being imputed to us for righteousness, the meaning is not that our act of faith is imputed to us for righteousness, but that Christ, the Object of our faith, and his obedience to God as our Representative is imputed to us for righteousness. That which God imputes to us for righteousness must itself be perfectly righteous. Our faith can never meet that qualification; but Christ does. It is not our faith which is imputed to us for righteousness but Christ’s obedience which is the object of our faith (Rom. 5:19).

Those who teach that we are justified by our faith, by the act of believing , make justification a conditional thing accomplished, not by the grace of God and the obedience of Christ as our substitute, but by us. According to Paul’s language in Romans 4:25-5:1, Christ was delivered over to the sword of justice because of our offenses which were imputed to him. Once he had satisfied justice for our sins by the sacrifice of himself, he was raised from the dead because of our justification accomplished. His resurrection was God’s public declaration that his one sacrifice for sin forever satisfied justice for his people and forever put away our sins. Now, every chosen sinner, being justified by his blood, obtains peace with God by faith in Christ, even the peace of perfect, everlasting justification. We are not justified by the act of faith. We are justified by Christ. We obtain the peace of justification by faith in Christ.

Pastor Don Fortner
 
Rom 5:1,2

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Some scholars change the place of the comma in Vs 1 and put it after the Justified instead of behind faith, and so would read:

Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Please understand that the punctuation isnt inspired, but added by the translators.

So we understand Faith here as not being an condition to get Justified, but Faith is that by which the Justified receive a spiritual knowledge, persuasion, of having been Justified by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, and by this new found knowledge, do receive peace in mind and consious through believing Rom 15:13


Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

So Faith is a Spiritual Knowedge of ones Justification ! Lk 1:77

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
 
brightfame52 said:
Rom 5:1,2

Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Some scholars change the place of the comma in Vs 1 and put it after the Justified instead of behind faith, and so would read:

Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

Please understand that the punctuation isnt inspired, but added by the translators.

So we understand Faith here as not being an condition to get Justified, but Faith is that by which the Justified receive a spiritual knowledge, persuasion, of having been Justified by the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, and by this new found knowledge, do receive peace in mind and consious through believing Rom 15:13


Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

So Faith is a Spiritual Knowedge of ones Justification ! Lk 1:77

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Click to expand...
Interesting, especially with the Luke back-up 1:77 thanks.

Romans 10:11 "For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed." Romans 10:12 "For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him." Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" Romans 10:15 "And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!" Romans 10:16 "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?" Romans 10:17 "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."

101G.
 
We know from scripture that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17. We know that God saves those who believe – 1 Corinthians 1:21. We know that we receive the spirit and are sealed with the spirit through belief in the gospel- Ephesians 1:13.

Sin is the transgression of the law- 1 John 3:4. Sin is known thorough/by the law- Romans 7:7. The law is a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ- Galatians 3:24-25. Where there is no law there is no transgression of the law- Romans 4:14. Sin is not counted against anyone when there is no law. Romans 5:13.

In Colossians 2:13-15 we read the following: When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, 14 having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. 15 And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

Ephesians 2:14-15: For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20: All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

So, we see from the above scriptures it’s not sin perse that keeps the sinner from God it is unbelief. Faith is the issue. In Romans 5:1-2 we read the following: Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God
Its unbelief that keeps one from salvation and places them under condemnation. This is taught throughout the N.T. gospels and epistles. Here we see what Jesus and Paul declared below.

John 3:18: Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

John 3:36: Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them Romans 11:20: Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith.

Hebrews 3:19: So, we see that they were not able to enter, because of their unbelief. Cf Heb 4:6- unbelief

hope this helps !!!
 
Writers comments on Gal 2:16

16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

The verb “justify” is in the passive voice, thus, literally, it is “to be justified.” It occurs here for the first time in Paul’s epistles, and no less than three times in one verse (v. 16). Justification is not something we do. It is something done for us and given to us freely. It is the gracious act of God, whereby, on the basis solely of Christ’s accomplished mediatorial work, he declares the sinner just. The work was done by the decree of God in eternity (Rom. 8:29-30). Yes, all God’s elect were in the purpose of God justified from eternity, by the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world. Our justification was obtained by Christ when he died at Calvary as our Substitute. He was delivered unto death by the sword of divine justice because of our sins imputed to him, and raised again by the glory of God because of our justification accomplished by his sacrifice (Rom. 4:25). Faith in Christ does not accomplish justification, but receives it as the free grace gift of God (Rom. 5:1, 10-11; 8:1, 30, 33; Tit. 3:7). Faith in Christ is not a condition upon which justification is granted, but one of the many, blessed fruits of justification accomplished. It is not our faith that justifies us, but Christ who is the Object of our faith.

Justification is a judicial act of God. It does not come as the result of man’s effort (Rom. 3:20, 28; Gal. 3:11; 5:4). It is not even the result of faith (Eph. 2:8). It took place when Christ satisfied the demands of the law as a Substitute for his elect (Rom. 3:24; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:7). Man can never earn it. He only receives it by faith. And even the faith by which we receive it is the gift of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8). “Man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.”https://www.pristinegrace.org/books...ortner/DF_Discovering Christ In Galatians.pdf 34
 
Pauline doctrine of Justification:

5. ‎dikaio/w ‎as used specifically by Paul.

a. The Legal Aspect of the Term. In Paul the legal usage is plain and indisputable. The opposite of ‎dikaiou=n ‎is ‎katakri/nein ‎(Rom 8:34). For Paul the word ‎dikaiou=n ‎does not suggest the infusion of moral qualities, a justum efficere in the sense of the creation of right conduct. It implies the justification of the ungodly who believe, on the basis of the justifying action of God in the death and resurrection of Christ. To be sure, the ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎is an act of grace rather than of retribution according to works. Yet this act of grace in the cross can be called forensic because in the ‎i(lasth/rion ‎judgment is executed on all sin in the Substitute.18 The original Pauline usage envisages ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎as an act of God in the saving present, though it is left an open question how this relates to the decision in the last judgment, which is still maintained (® ‎dikaiosu/nh‎, 208). The most distinctive use of ‎dikaiou=n ‎is in Rom 4:5ff. (of Abraham): ‎pisteu/onti de\ e)pi\ to\n dikaiou=nta to\n a)sebh=‎. The opposite is the ‎dikaiw=sai di/kaion ‎of civic justice (® 212 ). Here the inconceivable factor of an act of grace is consciously contrasted with ordinary legal procedure. This ‎dikaiou=n ‎is the judicial acquittal which takes place in the saving present. It is neither exclusively objective in the cross nor exclusively subjective in experience. It has rather the objectivity of relationship, enacted at the cross and apprehended in faith (® ‎dikaiosu/nh‎, 206). The idea of a judicial act is not applied to the "present process of the religious life," but reserved for the last judgment. Thus ‎dikaiwqh=nai ‎in Gal 2:16f. means "to become a righteous man in the eyes of God," the essence of justification being that God helps the sinner to the position and status of one who is righteous in His eyes.19 This interpretation is valid, though it should be emphasised that the new position and status are the result of a judicial pronouncement.

It may be conceded that the usus forensis is not given prominence in every passage by express emphasising of the judicial act. Thus Gal 5:4: ‎oi%tine$ e)n no/mw| dikaiou=sqe‎, means quite simply "you who would be righteous by the law." Yet the idea of judgment is everywhere present, as we can see from statements like Gal 3:11: ‎dikaiwqh=nai para\ tw=| qew=|‎, or Rom 3:20: ‎dikaiwqh=nai e)nw/pion au)tou= ‎(quoting ‎y ‎142:2*). On the other hand, the main point is obscured if we forget that the actus forensis takes place in an act of grace from which it is not to be severed. Only thus do we see the new element as compared with the Rabbinic doctrine of justification, which at root postpones the judicial act until the last judgment. It should also be noted, however, that to think of ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎one-sidedly in terms of experience is to imperil the forensic objectivity of the process.(from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Copyright © 1972-1989 By Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.)

hope this helps !!!
 
civic said:
Pauline doctrine of Justification:

5. ‎dikaio/w ‎as used specifically by Paul.

a. The Legal Aspect of the Term. In Paul the legal usage is plain and indisputable. The opposite of ‎dikaiou=n ‎is ‎katakri/nein ‎(Rom 8:34). For Paul the word ‎dikaiou=n ‎does not suggest the infusion of moral qualities, a justum efficere in the sense of the creation of right conduct. It implies the justification of the ungodly who believe, on the basis of the justifying action of God in the death and resurrection of Christ. To be sure, the ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎is an act of grace rather than of retribution according to works. Yet this act of grace in the cross can be called forensic because in the ‎i(lasth/rion ‎judgment is executed on all sin in the Substitute.18 The original Pauline usage envisages ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎as an act of God in the saving present, though it is left an open question how this relates to the decision in the last judgment, which is still maintained (® ‎dikaiosu/nh‎, 208). The most distinctive use of ‎dikaiou=n ‎is in Rom 4:5ff. (of Abraham): ‎pisteu/onti de\ e)pi\ to\n dikaiou=nta to\n a)sebh=‎. The opposite is the ‎dikaiw=sai di/kaion ‎of civic justice (® 212 ). Here the inconceivable factor of an act of grace is consciously contrasted with ordinary legal procedure. This ‎dikaiou=n ‎is the judicial acquittal which takes place in the saving present. It is neither exclusively objective in the cross nor exclusively subjective in experience. It has rather the objectivity of relationship, enacted at the cross and apprehended in faith (® ‎dikaiosu/nh‎, 206). The idea of a judicial act is not applied to the "present process of the religious life," but reserved for the last judgment. Thus ‎dikaiwqh=nai ‎in Gal 2:16f. means "to become a righteous man in the eyes of God," the essence of justification being that God helps the sinner to the position and status of one who is righteous in His eyes.19 This interpretation is valid, though it should be emphasised that the new position and status are the result of a judicial pronouncement.

It may be conceded that the usus forensis is not given prominence in every passage by express emphasising of the judicial act. Thus Gal 5:4: ‎oi%tine$ e)n no/mw| dikaiou=sqe‎, means quite simply "you who would be righteous by the law." Yet the idea of judgment is everywhere present, as we can see from statements like Gal 3:11: ‎dikaiwqh=nai para\ tw=| qew=|‎, or Rom 3:20: ‎dikaiwqh=nai e)nw/pion au)tou= ‎(quoting ‎y ‎142:2*). On the other hand, the main point is obscured if we forget that the actus forensis takes place in an act of grace from which it is not to be severed. Only thus do we see the new element as compared with the Rabbinic doctrine of justification, which at root postpones the judicial act until the last judgment. It should also be noted, however, that to think of ‎dikaiou=sqai ‎one-sidedly in terms of experience is to imperil the forensic objectivity of the process.(from Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Copyright © 1972-1989 By Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.)

hope this helps !!!
Click to expand...
This is confusion !
 
Justification by Faith is a promised blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant, its something God promised to do:

Gal 3:7-9

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Organized religion has hijacked that which is a promised Gospel Blessing "that God would justify the heathen through faith," and made it a condition,prerequisite for Justification, that men must perform.

yet the Gospel Blessing is that God would justify people through or by Faith, so Faith and Justification are Gospel promises.

Again Rom 3:30

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

its a promise !
 
brightfame52 said:
Justification by Faith is a promised blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant, its something God promised to do:
Click to expand...


Yes. God promises that if you Give God your Faith in Christ....then God will accept your faith, and count it eternally as Christ's Righteousness, on your behalf.
 
brightfame52 said:
The dead cant do anything until they sapped to life.
Click to expand...
You can play dead like a possum all you want. Us, we believe that the word is near us and if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead then we will be saved. (Rom 10:8-9).

8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
 
brightfame52 said:
Justification by Faith is a promised blessing of the Abrahamic Covenant, its something God promised to do:

Gal 3:7-9

7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.

9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

Organized religion has hijacked that which is a promised Gospel Blessing "that God would justify the heathen through faith," and made it a condition,prerequisite for Justification, that men must perform.

yet the Gospel Blessing is that God would justify people through or by Faith, so Faith and Justification are Gospel promises.

Again Rom 3:30

30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.

its a promise !
Click to expand...
His sons and daughters will be Saved when we meet Christ on the Clouds...soon.

What Christ did was make it possible to Be Saved.
That is our promise, which will be fulfilled soon.
 

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