Acts 13:39

JUSTIFICATION

‘By Him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.’

Acts 13:39

Justification is an act of God’s free grace wherein He pardons our sin and reckons or accounts us righteous, for the sake of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith. It is therefore not an infusion of righteousness into us. We must clearly distinguish between justification and sanctification. Consider—

I. The Author of justification.—‘It is God that justifieth.’ It may seem strange that the Author of it should be the very Judge Who condemns us for our sin.

(a) It is God the Father Who contrived it, for ‘He was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself’ (2 Corinthians 5:19).

(b) It is God the Son Who provided it by His obedience and His death.

(c) It is God the Holy Ghost Who applies it, convincing us of the insufficiency of our own righteousness, enabling us by faith to lay hold upon it, and giving us the witness of our acceptance as the ground of it.

II. The ground of our justification.

(a) Not our works, our righteousness, or our holiness (Romans 3:24).

(b) Not our acceptance of, or our obedience to, a new and milder law set forth in the Gospel.

(c) Not even our faith, though it is said, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness’ (Romans 4:3). The force of the proposition is—‘it was counted to him unto righteousness,’ or, with the view of his becoming righteous. We are said to be justified by or through faith, but never on account of faith. Besides, the faith is always distinguished from the righteousness which it apprehends—‘the righteousness which is by faith’ (Php_3:9).

(d) It is the righteousness of Christ (Romans 5:18). It consists of Christ’s obedience to the law in our stead, and His suffering of death to satisfy the law’s penalty.

III. The form of justification—by imputation.

(a) The idea of imputation is scriptural (Philemon).

(b) The sinner has no righteousness of his own.

(c) He must be made righteous either by an inherent or an imputed righteousness. (Not inherent—‘not having mine own righteousness.’)

(d) The righteousness of Christ is to reach Him in the same manner as the sin of Adam—by imputation (Romans 5:19).

(e) Just in the same manner as our sins become Christ’s, so His righteousness becomes ours (2 Corinthians 5:21).

IV. The instrument of our justification is faith.

(a) Faith apprehends the righteousness of Christ (Romans 3:28). It is faith that makes it ours, and therefore the righteousness is said to be ‘by faith’ (Php_3:9).

(b) Not as if God accepts the act of believing as righteousness, nor as a condition, for Christ’s obedience is the condition. Faith justifies, as it is the bond of union between the soul and the Saviour.

V. The effects of justification.

(a) No condemnation (Romans 8:1).

(b) Peace with God (Romans 5:1).

(c) Access to God in Christ (Romans 5:2).

(d) Acceptance of our person and service in Christ (Ephesians 1:6).

(e) Adoption (Galatians 4:4).

(f) Sanctification (Romans 8:10).

(g) Glorification (Romans 8:17).