Section 11 Justification

Base Text

Romans 3:21–31 ESV

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. 27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.

11.1

justification is the key area of differenc between us and the RC. We are justified by Christ alone and by faith alone.

This issue of infused righteousness, counters the catholic position. The catholic has infused righteousness because of his membership in the church and the partaking of sacrements. The Protestant has imputed righteousness

As for Owen, so for Calvin: justification means something more than just the forgiveness of sins.

Imputation is “an act of God … whereby … he makes an effectual grant and donation of a true, real, perfect righteousness, even that of Christ himself, unto all that do believe; and accounting it as theirs, on his own gracious act, both absolves them from and granteth them right and title unto eternal life.”

Imputation includes, of course, not only that Christ’s righteousness, both active and passive, is imputed to believers, but also the sins of believers are imputed to Christ. The foundation of imputation is the union between Christ and His church.

For Owen, this means that Christ and His church coalesce into one mystical person through the uniting efficacy of the Holy Spirit.

Because of this mystical union, wherein Christ is the head and believers are the members of the body,

whatever the merit of what He accomplished is imputed to His elect, as if what He did was done by them.

This mystical union also means, of course, that what His elect deserved on the account of sin was imputed to Christ, hence the necessity of His atoning sacrifice.

The cause of this union lies in the “eternal compact that was between the Father and the Son concerning the recovery and salvation of fallen mankind.”

Wanting to put forth a distinctly trinitarian theology, Owen also speaks of the Holy Spirit, who effects this union between Christ and the church.

Succeintly -

11.2

Saving faith always bears some sort of fruit in the believer

11.3

Obedience - both active, in his works, and passive - in his suffering for sin and his death

Fully paid/discharged - We owe righteouness to God and we haven’t give him our due. Yet he paid it all

Nothing in us did this, but it was his promise, his covenant he made to save us before time that did this.

God is glorified in your salvation.

11.4

God is the author of our justification. not man as would be the catholic position. You can impute justification by the merit of the church, vs. God decreeding form enerity past to do so.

11.5