Justification by faith

[Snowbunny]

hola

what do reformed churches and john mean by 'justification by faith' ? i read a book called defending the faith that explained it in a round about way... but i didn't really understand, it was kind of theosophic and weighty... he also briefly tried to explain that calvinists believe something a little bit different than other kinds of protestants.

gracias

 

[wnwall]

Hi, "justification by faith" simply means that all those who have faith are justified. Before we have faith, God is angry with us, we're under his wrath because of our sin. But the moment God regenerates us and gives us a new heart and we place our faith in him, he lifts his wrath from us, we are united with Christ, his death becomes a sacrifice for us, and we enter into God's grace and the special love that he has for his children. It means that there is no deed we can do to earn God's favor, rather God loves us because we have been united with Jesus and his righteousness becomes ours.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. . . .

For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life (Romans 5).
​

Here's a video clip that may be helpful:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1145930981603941142

and another:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBYsWwk2410

 

[lmnop9876]

hola

what do reformed churches and john mean by 'justification by faith' ? i read a book called defending the faith that explained it in a round about way... but i didn't really understand, it was kind of theosophic and weighty... he also briefly tried to explain that calvinists believe something a little bit different than other kinds of protestants.

gracias

I'll post a few quotes from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which is generally used for teaching the faith in most non-Continental Reformed (usually Presbyterian) churches (adapted forms are often used in Reformed Baptist churches, while Continental Reformed Churches generally use the Heidelberg Catechism for teaching, which teaches the same things and is accepted by most non-Baptist Reformed Churches, but is formatted differently).

This is fairly long and complex as I have added some of my own comments, but I hope it is worth your time and effort reading it.


Having talked about the purpose of humanity, Scripture as a rule, what Scripture teaches, the nature of God and the Holy Trinity, the eternal decree of God, Creation & Providence, the fall of humankind, original & actual sin, human misery, God's plan for salvation, and Christ's work of salvation including His birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, & continued intercession, the Catechism now moves on to discuss how we come to take part in this redemption that Christ has purchased for us.

This first section talks about it from the perspective of what God has done for us.

Q. 29. How are we made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. We are made partakers of the redemption purchased by Christ, by the effectual application of it to us by his Holy Spirit. [83]

Comment: This question summarises the whole of the work of salvation. It is the work of God through the Holy Spirit, a gift of His grace.

Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ, by working faith in us,[84] and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.[85]

Comment: Having noted that we only partake of redemption through the work of God the Holy Spirit, this question discusses how God does this. The Spirit works faith in us, and faith is the means whereby we are united to Christ in the effectual call of God's Spirit.

Q. 31. What is effectual calling?
A. Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby, convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ,[86] and renewing our wills,[87] he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ,[88] freely offered to us in the gospel.[89]

Comment: Faith, our God-given response to His call, is discussed later. Here, the Catechism discusses how the Holy Spirit calls us to God. We receive not only the Spirit's outward call of the Gospel that convicts us of sin and calls us to turn to God, but also an inward call of the Gospel given by the Holy Spirit. This not only calls us, but also enlightens our minds so that we may know Christ and not only know of Him. Our wills are renewed by the power of the Spirit to enable us to turn to Christ and embrace Him as the Gospel offers Him to us. The act of faith that does this is discussed later.

Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.[90]

Comment: Having effectually called us from darkness to light to serve Him, God now gives us the gifts of His grace. These gifts are not only in this life, but also in the life to come. In this life, we receive the gift of justification before God, adoption as His children, and sanctification to be conformed to His will, together with other spiritual benefits.

Q. 33. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace,[91] wherein he pardoneth all our sins,[92] and accepteth us as righteous in His sight,[93] only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us,[94] and received by faith alone.[95]

Comment: Here the Catechism talks about God's gift of justification. This act is performed solely out of God's free grace, and He pardons us and accepts us as perfectly righteous in His sight because of what Christ has done. This gift of justification, which is of the grace of God, is only received by faith, and our own works can in no way contribute to it.

Q. 34. What is adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace,a whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges, of the sons of God.[96]

Comment: In the gift of adoption, we are made children of God, and heirs of Him and joint heirs with Christ. We become part of the whole family in heaven and in earth, the spiritual communion of saints.

Q. 35. What is sanctification?
A. Sanctification is the work of God’s free grace,[97] whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God,[98] and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.[99]

Comment: The Catechism now moves on to the ongoing work of sanctification, which is not completed in this earthly life. This work of God makes us holy as He is holy, conforming us to His divine Image and to the will of Christ. Our sin nature dies more and more as we grow more and more in Christ.

Q. 36. What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
A. The benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification, are, assurance of God’s love,[100] peace of conscience,[101] joy in the Holy Ghost,[102] increase of grace,[103] and perseverance therein to the end.[104]

Comment: While justification, adoption, and sanctification are the three main gifts that God gives to those who have been effectually called, there are also other gifts that help them in their Christian walk. We continue to increase in grace throughout our Christian walk, and we know that perserverance is a gift of God to all His children, so that we will be able to continue in that grace to the end.

Q. 37. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at death?
A. The souls of believers are at their death made perfect in holiness,[105] and do immediately pass into glory;[106] and their bodies, being still united in Christ,[107] do rest in their graves, till the resurrection.[108]

Comment: The benefits of the call of God's Spirit do not end at death. At death, our souls are perfected in holiness by the Spirit of God, and pass into glory, and our bodies rest as in a bed till the resurrection.

Q. 38. What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection?
A. At the resurrection, believers, being raised up in glory,[109] shall be openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment,[110] and made perfectly blessed in the full enjoying of God[111] to all eternity.[112]

Comment: Death, however, is not the end for believers. Our bodies do not remain in the grave forever. They are raised up in glory and reunited with our souls, we are acquitted before all mankind and acknowledged as the sons of God because of the work of Christ, and we enjoy God fully for all eternity.

The Catechism now shifts focus from what God does, to what God requires of us. Having summarised the moral law in the ten commandments, the Catechism observes that:

Q. 82. Is any man able perfectly to keep the commandments of God?
A. No mere man, since the fall, is able in this life perfectly to keep the commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.[173]

and that

Q. 84. What doth every sin deserve?
A. Every sin deserveth God’s wrath and curse, both in this life, and that which is to come.[175]

Comment: We all sin every day in thought, word, and deed, and are thus deserving of worldly and eternal punishment from God. But God provides us with a way of salvation:

Q. 85. What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse, due to us for sin?
A. To escape the wrath and curse of God, due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life,[176] with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.[177]

Comment: God's way of salvation is seemingly impossible for us to fulfill. We must believe in Jesus Christ, turn from our own ways to God, and use all the outward means of salvation diligently and continually.

It is good then to hear that:

Q. 86. What is faith in Jesus Christ?
A. Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace,[178] whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.[179]

We do not have to produce this faith ourselves. It is God-given. It is this faith that the Holy Spirit works in us through the effectual call to enable us to embrace Jesus Christ. It is this gift of faith that enables us to take hold of the grace of justification. Through faith, we take hold of Christ and all His benefits for our salvation.

Q. 87. What is repentance unto life?
A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace,[180] whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ,[181] doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God,[182] with full purpose of, and endeavor after, new obedience.[183]

Comment: But God does not merely require that we believe. God also requires our faith to be a repentant faith, a faith that forsakes sin and seeks to live in new obedience to God. This also is seemingly impossible, but, thankfully for us, this ongoing and life-long repentance is also a grace of God. It enables us to continually see our sin, to grieve over and hate it, and to turn from it to God, fully purposing and endeavouring to walk in new obedience.

Q. 88. What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption?
A. The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption are, his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.[184]

Comment: In addition to faith and repentance, God also requires that we make a diligent use of the means of grace that He has provided. Through these means, Christ & the benefits of the redemption He has purchased are communicated to us. The means God uses are generally His ordinances, but particularly the Word, the sacraments and prayer. God uses all of these to bring salvation & the Gospel to us.

The next few sections discuss the importance of the reading & preaching of the Word & how God uses it, the meaning & importance of the sacraments & how God uses them, and the meaning & importance of prayer.

I hope this has made some sense to you, if it has not, I or someone else here would I am sure be happy to clarify.

References: Westminster Shorter Catechism: http://www.reformed.org/documents/i...://www.reformed.org/documents/WSC_frames.html

 

[lmnop9876]

As for how Reformed Churches differ from other Protestant Churches in our understanding of justification by faith (note: I will only focus on this one teaching & the key doctrines connected to it).

Most Protestant Churches today teach an anthropocentric Gospel which differs greatly from the God-centered Gospel of traditional orthodox Protestantism that I described in my previous post.

Firstly, most Protestant Churches today teach a Gospel of easy-believism. That is, simply say the prayer once and believe and you will be saved. This faith does not have to be accompanied by a change of heart or turning from dead works to serve God. This may come later when one accepts Christ as their Lord as well as as their Saviour, but the two are not necessarily connected. There is a fundamental disagreement with traditional Protestantism (Lutheran, Anglican, and Reformed) on this issue, as we believe that true saving faith is a living faith. A gift from God that is accompanied by true repentance, a true desire to walk in new obedience to God. One who has received the effectual call of God's Spirit will always receive the gift of sanctification, which helps them to grow to be more and more like God and put off this body of sin more and more. It is not enough to say simply "Believe". We must preach repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ as the Apostles did.

Secondly, the modern Protestant doctrine of Once-saved, Always-saved is foreign to traditional Protestantism. The idea that one can simply say a sinner's prayer and think that they have believed and then be assured of salvation is not part of traditional Reformed teaching. The Reformed teaching of the perserverance of the saints is that God will preserve all of his saints in grace and enable them to persevere to the end. Those who shows signs of faith, who may have heard the word, received the sacraments, received a measure of the grace of God through His ordinances & His Church, yet do not have the effectual call of the Spirit and the renewing of their wills, may fall away in the faith. There will be many at the last day who will say, "Lord, Lord", but who will not be admitted to the Kingdom. Only those who have received that change of will, that renewing of their hearts & minds, who have received the gifts of faith & repentance & by the grace of God continued in them, diligently using God's ordinances & being a part of His holy Church, will ultimately receive the gift of eternal life.

There are other differences between traditional Reformed teaching and modern Protestantism (including the doctrine of the sacraments, of the Church, of election, &c.) but these are two of the key differences related to justification by faith.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

As the quotations from the catechism should make clear, when Calvinists speak of "justification by faith," we're using shorthand. We don't believe that we are justified by faith... that God looks around for whoever is exercising faith and then on the basis of that, declares them just and gives them the gifts. Rather, we believe that we are justified by grace, through faith. And "grace" here is shorthand for the satisfaction and merits of Christ freely given. Faith, in the act of justification, is purely instrumental: it is the means by which we receive, as with an open hand, the gifts that God grants on the basis of Christ's obedience and satisfaction of divine wrath. And that faith is not of ourselves. Faith isn't something meritorious that we do so much as something that is given by God to us through the preaching of the gospel and the administration of the sacraments.

 

[bradfordl]

reformed churches and john

Just curious. Which John?

 

[Snowbunny]

Just curious. Which John?

hola bradfordl,

this is going to sound ridiculous but i have no idea why i wrote that... i must have been thinking about something else at the same time i was writing and i accidentally wrote it down... the authors name was not john and i dont think the gospel of john mentions justification by faith directly... i don't have any clue...

lol!

 

[Snowbunny]

oh now i remember! that was supposed to say 'john calvin' but i got distracted and forgot to include the calvin part - i just wanted to know to compare how (if at all) the thought evolved from the original theosopher to modern practice and denominations.

 

[Paleoconservatarian]

Just an aside... "theosopher" probably isn't the best term. We don't want our beliefs to be confused with those of the Theosophical Society and its offshoots. I think you mean "theologian"?

 

[bradfordl]

Watched those Piper videos, and now I'll shut my mouth. No way I could describe it any better than that.

 

[cygnusx1]

Watched those Piper videps, and now I'll shut my mouth. No way I could describe it any better than that.

hi Brad

yes Piper is one cool cookie , i have several of his books , i highly recommend his book on the imputation of Christ's Righteousness.

 

[heymikey80]

what do reformed churches and john mean by 'justification by faith' ? i read a book called defending the faith that explained it in a round about way... but i didn't really understand, it was kind of theosophic and weighty... he also briefly tried to explain that calvinists believe something a little bit different than other kinds of protestants.

Be happy to. A number of distinctives.

First, we look at this Greek language as "regular" language, not "religious" language. When someone is "justified" in normal Greek language, that person isn't "made into a righteous person". People don't "make" other people righteous. Instead the word means the person's declared to be vindicated, declared "not guilty" by the person doing the justifying.

Second, that word "faith", let's deprive it of a little religiosity, too. It means "rely". We're relying on Christ. The religiousness about it is far secondary -- we're entrusting our whole lives to the One Who got up out of the grave.

Third, we don't think God looks at our faith, tallies it up and decides, "Well, I guess he's got enough faith, so I'll save him." Instead we see faith as an instrument. We rely on Christ. We rest on Him and what He's done. But it's what Jesus has done that carries us, we're but relying on Him.

So in brief expansion, by relying on Christ we enter into a union with Christ. That union with Christ shares the verdict from God about Christ Jesus -- "Not Guilty."