“JUSTIFICATION BY FAITH ACCORDING TO ST PAUL AND THE REFORMERS” (PART 2 of 2)

 For the CHRISTIAN: This is an objective and external justification that is NOT put into a man,
but is credited to him. It’s a spiritual bank account in Christ himself and is external to man.


For the CATHOLIC: This is a subjective and internal justification that is put into a man.
They wrongly suppose the wafer is the actual body of Jesus that must be eaten and taken internally.

 

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

1.    The gospel is the good news that man no longer has to look within himself and his own experience for anything on which to base his acceptance with God. This was done in Jesus Christ.

2.    The gospel is the good news that a man no longer has to gauge his acceptance with God, that is dependent on his own internal purity of body and mind.

3.    The gospel is the good news that God has done everything for men in Jesus Christ.

4.    The gospel is the good news that God has liberated men in the person of his Son Jesus Christ.

5.    The gospel is the good news that God, while we were ungodly, without strength and enemies of God, God accomplished our complete salvation in Jesus Christ our new Father.

6.    The gospel is the good news that God has placed all our sins, past, present and future upon Jesus Christ, and punished Christ in our place.

7.    The gospel is the good news that God “…delivered him (Jesus Christ) for our offences and was raised again for our justification.” (Rom 4:25)

8.    The gospel is the good news that God had forgiven all men in Jesus Christ.

9.    The gospel is the good news that God has liberated you from the penalty from all sin in Jesus Christ.

As St Paul says “Therefore as by the offence of one (Adam) judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one (Jesus Christ) the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” (Romans 5:18)

We must keep remembering that as we became sinners external to ourselves in Adam, then we are justified by the man Jesus Christ, who is also external to us. Reading Romans chapter 6, we have been put into the death of Christ who was then resurrected. This means we have died in Christ and now are risen with him in heaven. We have been justified, our old man has been put to death in Christ and we now live with him in heaven.

This the good news for the poor struggling sinner. He now no longer needs to look within himself for his own purity to please God, as Christ pleases God and all those that believe on him! This is not the wafer Jesus, but the real historical Jesus of 2,000 years ago! Your sin debt was paid then. THERE REMAINS NO MORE SACRIFICE FOR SINS (Heb 10:26). Will you believe this Dear Reader?

It is by believing this that every sinner can possess this peace and assurance in the certainty of right standing with God on the basis of what God’s grace in Jesus Christ has already done for all men. The following is the only basis that a man can stand before God and say:

“I am justified God. I am “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. Christ has paid the full debt for all my sins and put his goodness into my spiritual bank account. The exchange has been made. My burden of sin has been lifted from me and Christ’s right standing with you God, is now my right standing with you. I am in Christ.”

Will agree with the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament when he said “Surely, shall one say, IN the LORD have I righteousness and strength: …” (Isaiah 45:24)
 

All the Roman Catholic can say is “I have to get Christ in me by eating him.” Their sin debt still remains.

**** ****

Harley Hitchcock

www.
AustralianBibleMinistries
.com



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