Published 2001-07
Bud Powell
Trinity Covenant RCUS, Colorado Springs
Therefore
being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ: By whom also we have access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God. --Romans 5:1,2
I finally
got around to reading my January/February issue of Books and Culture. In it Robert H. Gundry at Westmont College
was taking Calvinists to task for insisting that Christ’s life of perfect
righteousness, including His death, was the foundation of our justification. His specific complaints had to do with the
“strongly Reformed tone” of the document “The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An
Evangelical Celebration,” published by Christianity Today, June 14,
1999.
In the
theological battles that followed the Protestant Reformation none were more
important than the struggle over the relationship of faith to the salvation of
the soul. Against Rome the Reformers
insisted that salvation was by faith alone.
Against the Reformation, Rome expressed her doctrine clearly at the
Council of Trent: Sixth Session:
CANON IX.-If any one saith, that by faith
alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is
required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification,
and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by
the movement of his own will; let him be anathema.
The issue was, and is,
not unimportant. Rome has never yielded
on this, for to do so would eliminate the whole system upon which her wealth
and influence depend.
But a major crack soon
appeared in the ranks of those who opposed Rome. The Remonstrance [followers of Arminius] and
the Socinians [Unitarians] brought in a deadly error that has become widespread
in evangelical circles in America. This
was the idea that faith takes the place of righteousness in the eyes of
God. The faith of the individual
substitutes for Christ’s righteousness.
Subjectivism replaces the objective anchor of the obedience of Christ.
Although there were many
variations of the error, the essentials were something like this: “God knows that no sinner can do that which
will make him just before God. Obedience
to all the precepts of the Law of God lies beyond man. Man would therefore be without hope, if God
did not require of him something which man could do. In mercy and grace, God sent His Son into the
world to show man that He loved him. If
man would just open his heart and believe that God loves him, then God would accept
his faith instead of obedience to His law.
Like a bankrupt, man cannot pay the whole bill, but God will accept what
man can pay. Man can choose to believe,
and God accepts that faith in place of righteousness. God accepts man’s good intentions of which
faith is the prize and gem.”
The doctrine does not
bear the weight of the examination of Scripture. The Bible is clear. It is the righteousness of Jesus Christ, and
His perfect obedience to the law, including suffering its penalty on the cross,
which clears man’s debt and sets him free.
God cannot deny Himself, and He cannot pretend that man has fulfilled
the law when man hasn’t done so.
Justification is not based upon some pretense in God or some overlooking
of transgression. This would require God
to deny His own word: Exodus 34:7 Keeping
mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that
will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the fathers
upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the
fourth generation. The mercy that
God shows does not involve clearing the guilty.
The text
quoted above gives the true doctrine. It
is by faith that we have access into the grace wherein we stand. It is grace that brings us to Jesus Christ,
and it is His righteousness that satisfies the debt we owe to God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us,
who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
The
righteousness which the redeemed offer to God has nothing of them, but is wholly
the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.
He took our sin, so that His righteousness could be imputed to us. Paul clearly makes the case in Romans 7:18,19
“Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to
condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Just as
the sin of Adam came upon all men to condemnation, so the righteousness of
Jesus Christ comes upon all those who believe in Him. By faith we see that Christ died for our
sins and we give assent to the verdict of God concerning His Son: Galatians 2:19-21 For I through the law am dead to the law,
that I might live unto God. I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of
God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by
the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
The
doctrine of the Arminians and Unitarians has been devastating on morality and
decency among those who are in error.
Good intentions replace obedience, and good feelings are offered in
place of good deeds and sound doctrine.
If God will settle for some human-generated good feelings concerning
Jesus Christ apart from union with Him, then why shouldn’t my neighbor be satisfied
with my good intentions? “I am convinced that I had no idea I was breaking the
law,” becomes the excuse for every crooked politician who corrupts the
law. “He is such a loving man,” is a
justification for every kind of misdeed among the clergy. Truth gets overwhelmed with globs of
sentiment and professed intentions. “God
knows my heart,” is supposed to cover all.
But
doesn’t Paul say that Abraham’s faith was imputed to him for righteousness
(Romans 4:22)? The great theologian
Charles Hodge wrote on this verse:
“Faith justifies by appropriating to ourselves the divine promise. But if that promise does not refer to our
justification, faith cannot make us righteous.
The object of justifying or saving faith, that is, of those acts of
faith which secure our acceptance with God, is not the divine veracity in
general, nor the divine authority of the Scriptures, but the specific promise
of gratuitous acceptance through the mediation and merit of the Lord Jesus
Christ.” {Charles Hodge, Commentary
on Romans 4:22)
Abraham
was justified by faith because his faith united him to Jesus Christ, who was
present in the promises of the Old Testament.
Just as Paul wrote to the Galatians: 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. So
then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. [Galatians 3:8,9] Abraham by faith looked forward to the coming
Redeemer, just as we look back to Him.
As the Heidelberg
Catechism puts it:
Q61:
Why do you say that you are righteous by faith only?
A61: Not that I am acceptable to God on account of
the worthiness of my faith, but because only the satisfaction, righteousness
and holiness of Christ is my righteousness before God; [1] and I can receive
the same and make it my own in no other way than by faith only. [2]
1. I Cor. 1:30; 2:2
2.
I John 5:10; Isa.
53:5; Gal. 3:22; Rom. 4:16
