condensed theology lecture 32

8/6/2019 Condensed Theology Lecture 32

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Condensed Theology

A Primer in Systematic Theology


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Soteriology:

The Doctrine of Salvation

What does the Bible teach about

salvation?


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Review

Primordial Union with Christ

Temporal Union with Christ

Monergism Synergism


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The Initiating Acts of God


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Temporal Union with Christ:

Gods Initiating Acts

(Effective) Calling

Regeneration


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A Divine Response to Faith and

Repentance: Justification


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Justification Defined

Justification is the act of Gods free grace

by which he justly pardons all our sins,imputes our sin to Christ and Christs

righteousness to us, accepts us asrighteous in his sight, and declares us not

guilty.

Justification is received by faith alone.


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Justification Is an Act of Gods

Free Grace


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Justification by Grace

Rom 3:23-24: for all have sinned and fallshort of the glory of God, being justified as a giftby His grace through the redemption which is inChrist Jesus.

Eph 2:8-9: For by grace you have been savedthrough faith; and that not of yourselves, it is thegift of God; not as a result of works, so that noone may boast.

Titus 3:7: so that being justified by His gracewe would be made heirs according to the hopeof eternal life.


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Justification Entails the Just

Pardon of All Our Sins


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Justification: Just Pardon

Rom 4:4-8: Now to the one who works, hiswage is not credited as a favor, but as what isdue. But to the one who does not work, butbelieves in Him who justifies the ungodly, his

faith is credited as righteousness, just as Davidalso speaks of the blessing on the man to whomGod credits righteousness apart from works:"BLESSED ARE THOSE WHOSE LAWLESSDEEDS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN, AND WHOSE

SINS HAVE BEEN COVERED. BLESSED ISTHE MAN WHOSE SIN THE LORD WILL NOTTAKE INTO ACCOUNT."


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Justification: Just Pardon

If you understand the justice of God, theidea that God would pardon a guiltyperson is absurd.

Exod 23:7: Keep far from a false charge, anddo not kill the innocent or the righteous, for Iwill not acquit the guilty.

Prov 17:15 He who justifies the wicked andhe who condemns the righteous, Both of themalike are an abomination to the LORD.


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Justification Entails theImputation of Our Sin to Christ,

and Christs Righteousness to Us


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Justification and Imputation

2 Cor 5:21: He made Him who knew no sin to be sin onour behalf, so that we might become the righteousnessof God in Him.

Rom 5:17-19: For if by the transgression of the one,

death reigned through the one, much more those whoreceive the abundance of grace and of the gift ofrighteousness will reign in life through the One, JesusChrist. So then as through one transgression thereresulted condemnation to all men, even so through one

act of righteousness there resulted justification of life toall men. For as through the one man's disobedience themany were made sinners, even so through theobedience of the One the many will be made righteous.


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Justification and Imputation

Once Christ took on our sin, God then fulfilled the demands of hisjustice through the death of his son.

Rom 3:21-26: But now apart from the Law the righteousness of Godhas been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all

those who believe; for there is no distinction; for all have sinned andfall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His gracethrough the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom Goddisplayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. Thiswas to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearanceof God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the

demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, sothat He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith inJesus.


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Justification Is a Verdict of

Not Guilty


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Justification = Not Guilty

Matt 12:37: For by your words you will bejustified, and by your words you will becondemned.

Rom 3:19-20: Now we know that whatever theLaw says, it speaks to those who are under theLaw, so that every mouth may be closed and allthe world may become accountable to God; 20

because by the works of the Law no flesh will bejustified in His sight; for through the Law comes

the knowledge of sin.


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Rom 8:1: Therefore there is now nocondemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Rom 5:16: The gift is not like that which camethrough the one who sinned; for on the one hand

the judgment arose from one transgressionresulting in condemnation, but on the other handthe free gift arose from many transgressionsresulting in justification.

Some have objected to the forensic (not guilty)character of justification, calling it a legalfiction.

You are declared not guilty even though you are.


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But is this really what were saying,

Youre not guilty even though you are?

Not at all.


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Justification does not mean that God looksat you just-as-if you never sinned.

Justification means that God declares theungodly not guilty because Jesus hasbeen condemned as guilty in our place.


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Bearing shame and scoffing rude/In myplace condemned he stood/Sealed mypardon with his blood/Hallelujah! What a

savior!

Guilty, vile, and helpless we/Spotless lambof God was he/Full atonement, can it

be?/Hallelujah! What a savior!


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Justification allows us to be ungodly personsconstituted righteous in Gods sight through our

union with Christ ( which involves the imputation

of Christs righteousness to us). The forensic component of justification does not

turn salvation into a legal fiction; rather, it is asovereign declaration of what is true of us by

virtue of our union with Christ.


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Justification Is Received by

Faith Alone


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Justification, By Faith Alone

Without faith there is no justification

Faith alone, plus or minus nothing is allthat is required for justification

The ground of justification

Romanism and justification


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Without faith there is no justification Rom 3:25a-26: whom God displayed publicly as a

propitiation in His blood through faith.26for thedemonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the

present time, so that He would be just and the justifierof the one who has faith in Jesus.

Gal 2:16: nevertheless knowing that a man is notjustified by the works of the Law but through faith inChrist Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus,so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and notby the works of the Law; since by the works of theLaw no flesh will be justified.


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See Romans 4

Rom 5:1: Therefore, having been justified by

faith, we have peace with God through ourLord Jesus Christ.


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Faith alone, plus or minus nothing is allthat is required for justification

Eph 2:8-9: For by grace you have been

saved through faith; and that not ofyourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a resultof works, so that no one may boast.

Rom 3:20: because by the works of theLaw no flesh will be justified in His sight; forthrough the Law comesthe knowledge of sin.


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Faith alone, plus or minus nothing is all that isrequired for justification Gal 2:16: nevertheless knowing that a man is not

justified by the works of the Law but through faith in

Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus,so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and notby the works of the Law; since by the works of theLaw no flesh will be justified.

Gal 3:11: Now that no one is justified by the Lawbefore God is evident; for, "THE RIGHTEOUS MANSHALL LIVE BY FAITH."

Gal 5:4: You have been severed from Christ, youwho are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallenfrom grace.


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Faith alone, plus or minus nothing, is allthat is required for justification.

Without faith no one can be justified.

But this does not mean that faith is theultimate causeof our justification.

It is the instrumentalcause of our justification

Grudems paycheck illustration


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We are not justified by faith, we are justifiedby God throughfaith.

Our trust in Christ is not the ground of ourjustification. Praise the Lord!

How often has your faith faltered?!

The ground of our justification is the work ofGod in Jesus Christ.


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The ground of our justification is not faith, but thework of God in Jesus Christ

Rom 3:24-25a: being justified as a gift by His grace

through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in Hisblood through faith.

Rom 8:33-34: Who will bring a charge against God'select? God is the one who justifies; who is the onewho condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes,rather who was raised, who is at the right hand ofGod, who also intercedes for us.


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The ground of our justification is not faith, but thework of God in Jesus Christ

Rom 3:21-22: But now apart from the Law the

righteousness of God has been manifested, beingwitnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even therighteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ forall those who believe; for there is no distinction.

Rom 10:3: For not knowing about God'srighteousness and seeking to establish their own,they did not subject themselves to the righteousnessof God.


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The ground of our justification is not faith, but thework of God in Jesus Christ Rom 5:17-19: For if by the transgression of the one,

death reigned through the one, much more those who

receive the abundance of grace and of the gift ofrighteousness will reign in life through the One, JesusChrist. So then as through one transgression thereresulted condemnation to all men, even so throughone act of righteousness there resulted justification oflife to all men. For as through the one man's

disobedience the many were made sinners, even sothrough the obedience of the One the many will bemade righteous.


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Objection to justification by faith alone,plus or minus nothing:

What about Jas 2:24?

Jas 2:24: You see that a man is justified byworks and not by faith alone.

Justification in James

Faith and works in James Different example from Abrahams life


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Summary of Justification

Justification is the act of Gods free grace

by which he justly pardons all our sins,imputes our sin to Christ and Christs

righteousness to us, accepts us asrighteous in his sight, and declares us not

guilty.

Justification is received by faith alone.


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Justification and Roman

Catholicism


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Justification and Catholicism

The Holy Spirit has the power to justifyusthrough faith in Christ and through Baptism(1994 RCC, par. 1987).

Justification is not only the remission of sins,

but also the sanctification and renewal of theinterior man (1994 RCC, par. 1989 citing withapproval Council of Trent).

Justification is conferred in Baptism, thesacrament of faith. It conforms us to therighteousness of God, who makes us inwardly

just by the power of his mercy (1994 RCC, par.1992).


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Justification and Catholicism

[J]ustification entails the sanctification of [the innermans] whole being (1994 RCC, par. 1995).

Justification includes the remission of sins,sanctification, and the renewal of the inner man (1994

RCC, par. 2019). [N]o one can merit the initial graceof forgiveness and

justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved bythe Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then meritforourselves and others the graces needed for our

sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, andfor the attainment of eternal life (1994 RCC, par. 2010,italics in original).


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Justification

Immense Practical Implications


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Justification: Implications

The doctrine of justification meansthat in Gods sightthe ungodly man, now in Christ, has perfectly kept themoral law of God, which also means in turn that inChrist he has perfectly loved God with all his heart, soul,mind, and strength and his neighbor as himself.

It means that saving faith is directed to the doing anddying of Christ aloneand not to the good works orinner experience of the believer.

It means that the Christians righteousness before God isin heavenat the right hand of God in Jesus Christ and

not on earthwithin the believer. It means that the ground of our justification is the

vicarious work of Christ forus, not the gracious work ofthe Spirit inus.


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It means that the faith-righteousness of justification is notpersonal but vicarious, not infused but imputed, notexperiential but judicial, not psychological but legal, notour own but a righteousness alien to us and outside ofus, not earned but graciously giventhrough faith inChrist that is itself a gift of grace.

It means also in its declarative character that justificationpossesses and eschatological dimension.By Gods actof justifying the sinner through faith in Christ, the sinner,

as it were, has been brought, before the time, to theFinal Assize and has already passed successfullythrough it, having been acquitted of any and all chargesbrought against him!


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Your salvation is secure.

You will never be punished by God foryour sin.

We will have a tendency to bring oursanctification into our justification, andwhen we do we miss the gospel.


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The cross chart

Gods Holiness

My Sinfulness

Christs Work

on the Cross


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The cross chart

Gods Holiness

My Sinfulness

Christs Work

on the Cross

Legalism

Antinomianism


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The cross chart

Gods Holiness

My Sinfulness

Christs Work

on the Cross


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Only a fraction of the present body of professing Christians aresolidly appropriating the justifying work of Christ in their lives. Manyhave so light an apprehension of Gods holiness and the extent and

guilt of their sin that consciously they see little need for justification,although below the surface of their lives they are deeply guilt-ridden

and insecure. Many others have a theoretical commitment to thisdoctrine, but in their day-to-day existence they rely on theirsanctification for justification...drawing their assurance ofacceptance with God from their sincerity, their past experience ofconversion, their recent religious performance or the relative

infrequency of their conscious, willful disobedience. Few knowenough to start each day with a thoroughgoing stand upon Luthers

platform: you are accepted, looking outward in faith and claiming thewholly alien righteousness of Christ as the only ground foracceptance.

condensed theology lecture 32

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