GRACE FOR TODAY Radio Message #466
Justification By Faith
Pastor
Don Fortner
Grace Baptist Church of Danville
2734 Old Stanford Road
Danville,
Kentucky 40422-9438
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.
AMEN.