CHAPTER 11
Of Justification.
I. Those whom God effectually
calleth he also freely justifieth;a
not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their
sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for any
thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake
alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any
other evangelical obedience, to them as their righteousness; but by imputing
the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them,b they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by
faith: which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.c
a Rom.
8:30
; Rom.
3:24
.
b Rom. 4:5-8; 2 Cor.
5:19,21; Rom. 3:22,24,25,27,28; Tit. 3:5,7; Eph. 1:7; Jer. 23:6; 1 Cor.
1:30,31; Rom. 5:17-19.
c Acts 10:43; Gal.
2:16; Phil. 3:19; Acts 13:38,39; Eph. 2:7,8.
II. Faith, thus receiving and
resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of
justification;d yet
is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all
other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.e
d John 1:12; Rom.
3:28; Rom. 5:1.
e Jam. 2:17,22,26;
Gal. 5:6.
III. Christ, by his obedience
and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified,
and did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to his Father’s justice
in their behalf.f
Yet, in as much as he was given by the Father for them,g and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead,h
and both freely, not for any thing in them; their justification is only of
free grace;i that
both the exact justice, and rich grace of God might be glorified in the
justification of sinners.k
f Rom. 5:8-10,19; 1
Tim. 2:5,6; Heb. 10:10,14; Dan. 9:24,26; Isa. 53:4-6,10-12.
g Rom. 8:32.
h 2 Cor. 5:21; Matt.
3:17; Eph. 5:2.
i Rom. 3:24; Eph.
1:7.
k Rom. 3:26; Eph.
2:7.
IV. God did, from all eternity,
decree to justify all the elect;l
and Christ did, in the fulness of time, die for their sins, and rise again for
their justification:m
nevertheless they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit doth in due time
actually apply Christ unto them.n
l Gal. 3:8; 1 Pet.
1:2,19,20; Rom. 8:30.
m Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim.
2:6; Rom. 4:25.
n Col. 1:21,22; Gal.
2:16; Tit. 3:3-7.
V. God doth continue to forgive
the sins of those that are justified:o and although they can never fall from the state of
justification,p yet
they may by their sins fall under God’s fatherly displeasure, and not have
the light of his countenance restored unto them, until they humble
themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith and
repentance.q
o Matt. 6:12; 1 John
1:7,9; 1 John 2:1,2.
p Luke 22:32; John
10:28; Heb. 10:14.
q Ps. 89:31-33; Ps.
51:7-12; Ps. 32:5; Matt. 26:75; 1 Cor. 11:30,32; Luke 1:20.
VI. The justification of
believers under the Old Testament was, in all these respects, one and the same
with the justification of believers under the New Testament.r
r Gal. 3:9,13,14;
Rom. 4:22-24; Heb. 13:8.
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Westminster
Confession of Faith (index)
