TPW 81 WLC Q70 thru 78 Justification Sanctification Final Salvation John Piper

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Brittle Heights Presbyterian Church in lovely Kingsport, Tennessee on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon
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Today, I'm gonna do a program. It may take more than one program on the blessed and glorious doctrine of justification by faith alone and The doctrine of sanctification one of the great triumphs of the
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Reformation was them seeing that in the New Testament Those two doctrines while they can never be separated
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That they have to be distinguished from one another and that in point of fact
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It is fatal to the gospel if they are confused or conflated or smudged together
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But justification and sanctification are not the same thing They're not the same thing in our confessions and our and all the reformed confessions make go to great pains to distinguish them from one another and It's a real treasure that we have especially
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And the Westminster larger catechism when I was in seminary, we had a fellow named
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James Elkin as his nickname was Bebo I learned and he actually made us
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Memorize and write down on the final exam Questions 70 all the way through I think it was 78 which deals with what is justification?
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How is justification an act of God's free grace, what is justifying faith, how does faith justify a sinner inside of God?
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What is adoption? What is sanctification? What is repentance unto life wherein do justification and sanctification differ?
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Wherein ariseth the imperfection of sanctification in believers? Etc. So really really important some of the most important Biblical truths that the human minds have ever comprehended are contained in those questions and in the dozens and dozens and dozens of passages that are cited as support for them and It really is amazing to me that Protestant ministers and I mean reformed elders in reformed churches that are bound by ordination vows to the
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Westminster Confession Can't recognize for example that John Piper is denying exactly what these questions take incredible pains to demonstrate from Scripture are
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Distinguished from one another not separated but distinguished from one another you'll know you'll never have a person who has been
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Justified and accounted as righteous and accepted in God's sight Who has not also been born again and is in the process of going through?
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The sanctification and becoming more and more like Christ dying more and more into sin living more and more unto righteousness and yet These are the kinds of things that are not understood.
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Well today and this is the heart of the gospel This is the heart of everything. This is the kind of thing that I was the chairman of the examinations committee for the last four years until two presbytery meetings ago
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I finally cycled off of that committee But these are the sorts of questions that I I really took pains to make sure guys understood the difference between justification
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Sanctification and try I would purposefully try To see if I could get them to confuse them or say things or get them to affirm something that was contrary to it
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And I was I was always pleased. It really was an encouragement to me that for the most part Couldn't do that.
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Our guys were sharp enough. They you know, they were called to the ministry because they did understand the gospel
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It's always a bad thing when you have men that feel called to the ministry And they don't understand the gospel well enough to recognize denials of it
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That's a real bad thing a really really bad thing so I want to go ahead and walk through these questions of our larger catechism and If you really want to understand what authentic Christianity is all about I can't recommend more just walking through the
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Westminster standards, in fact I have my I have my copy of the Of the book that has the whole the text of the confession the shorter and larger catechisms with all the scripture proofs
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I was gonna show it to you, but it's it's sitting over there. I don't want to get up and go out of the frame here But I've got a lot of those
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I've given a lot of those I always keep like 10 or 12 of them here just in case we have newcomers to the church and I can give them a Copy of our standards if they would like to read them.
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I also keep a cop keep copies of Confessing Christ by Calvin Knox Cummings, which is an excellent excellent summary of the gospel and of biblical truth
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But the Westminster larger catechism really is the 120 proof Christian Statement of doctrine.
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It's just glorious stuff. I use it as a devotional I've used it as a devotional for a long time but let's go ahead and start digging in here walking through this because These are these great truths that we're gonna look at here in Scripture are really
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Perpetual battlegrounds. They never stop being Battlegrounds that Christian people have to fight for and we need to be willing to do that We need to be willing to fight for these truths because without them you don't have
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Christianity at all without the doctrine of justification Rightly considered and without the doctrine of repentance unto life and sanctification and adoption without these things properly understood
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You're going to have a fatal Misunderstanding and compromise of the gospel itself. So What is justification answer?
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Justification is an act of God's free grace very critical word that's used there act That's one thing when
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I was teaching the shorter catechism to my older children It was justification adoption and sanctification justification is an act adoption is an act sanctification is a work
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It's an ongoing work. It is a process Justification is not a process.
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It's an act. It is a judicial act. So it's justification adoptance adoption sanctification
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I always told them it's act act work Act act work justification adoption sanctification
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So you never want to get those words wrong if someone accidentally says justification is a work of God's free grace
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You don't want it to be that way because it's not an ongoing work. It is a one -time punctiliar
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Moment where our status is changed from condemned to justified and as we will see
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What the authors of the Westminster standards and of course what the Bible teaches is that that?
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Justification is in fact the verdict that will be rendered over us at the final judgment on the day of judgment when we're summoned forth before God That is the sole basis of our being allowed past that judgment
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Being forgiven being openly acknowledged and acquitted in the day of judgment and thus brought into heaven
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So it is an act a one -time act of God's free grace unto sinners
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Wherein he pardons all their sins and accepts and accounts their persons as Righteous in his sight.
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Okay, so think about what that just said in which he pardons all their sins that means that every actual transgression of the law of God that I've ever committed in my entire life every
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Blasphemous or immoral thought or action I have ever done in my life every infraction of God's law past present and future
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All of it is pardoned by the judicial act of justification God pardons forgives all my sins and then
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Accepts and accounts now. It's very important the way this is worded their persons
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Righteous in his sight. Now, what does that mean? That means that I as a whole person am
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Accounted legally as righteous in the sight of God. It has no reference of any kind to me
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Subjectively it has no reference to my works Nothing at all that I have done or will do as the confession describes it not for anything wrought in them like not not for anything accomplished in us by the
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Holy Spirit of God or Done by us not any of the works that we do even as Christians None of that has any role or part what so ever in our justification
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Before God in which God pardons all of our sins and accepts and accounts our persons not not our works but us as people as Righteous in his sight.
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That's why Genesis 15 6 and Abram believed in Yahweh and it was accounted to him for righteousness
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Abraham was accounted as righteous. Well, of course back then it was Abram Abram was accounted as righteous not
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Abrams works or anything He had done but Abraham Abram as a person His person is accepted in God's sight as righteous
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And then the confession the catechism continues to question 70 not for anything wrought in them or done by them
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Okay, so our justification does not take into account anything at all that we do
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That we have done or that we will do not for anything wrought in them or done by them
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But only here's here's the legal grounds of our justification and hence
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The legal ground the soul legal grounds upon which we enter into heaven itself, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ meaning his cross work by God imputed to them and Received by faith alone.
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So it is Christ's obedience His obedience that is the legal grounds of my justification before God now one of the key texts here is
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Romans 3 20 and following Romans 3 20 therefore by the deeds of the law No flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin
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The law of God was never given to be the means of justification before God Although it is it has that works obedience principle there
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The law of God was never intended to be the basis upon which we justified ourselves in God's sight
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It can't be in fact It really misunderstands the purpose for which the law was given which is to bring about a knowledge of sin
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So the law is not there to make us right with God The law is not there to to change us because it has no enabling power in it
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It just shows us our sin and our utter helplessness before God So Romans 3 20 really wraps up almost everything that's come before in the book of Romans thus far as the grand conclusion therefore since Gentiles are suppressing the truth and are engaged in every kind of unrighteousness and have been given over to that reprobate mind and Jews have to Romans chapter 2 and Even though they thought that they were righteous and they thought that they had done this and that because they knew the law
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He points out it's not the hearers but the doers of the law And of course his point is there are no doers of the law
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That's why by the deeds of the law No flesh will be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin
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Verse 21 the whole tone of the book changes and really begins to spell this out. But now
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The righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed So the righteousness of God the dikaya soon a tooth a you the righteousness of God is
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Revealed in the gospel Apart from the law. It has no reference to the law.
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It is it is the gospel of God's righteousness Being witnessed by the law and the prophets even the righteousness of God.
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This is this divine Christ righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe
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Pardon me for there is no difference for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Okay, you hear that with that saying?
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Because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God Justification can't be by law -keeping
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Because we already start out sinful We can't be innocent and we can't obey we cannot do what the law requires of us
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Because everyone's fallen short of the glory of God and then verse 24 and 25 is just glorious being justified freely
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That term do re on freely or some some translations rendered as being justified as a gift by his grace
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Through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus you see for so many groups for Rome and for really all forms of synergism
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They would say all we believe it's a gift. It's a gift It is by the gift and grace of God that makes it possible for us to do all this
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That's not that is a total misunderstanding of what's being said here Justification itself the forensic verdict being changed us being declared innocent of all transgression and Accepted as perfectly righteous in the sight of God itself is what's freely given
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That is the gift given to us. It's not a possibility. It's not something that God Well, I've set this system up so then you can do good works, which will merit merit day congruel or whatever
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Mixed with God's grace you can then do works that are meritorious and are made possible by grace That is not part of the biblical universe of discourse at all
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Listen to it again Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus not through our works being infused with grace works don't play any role here in justification at all none zero through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus whom
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God set forth as a Propitiation and there you have that term hell a starry on hell a starry on propitiation a sacrifice which turns aside
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Divine wrath because it removes the guilt and the wrath So it takes away the cause of the wrath and the wrath itself is taken away
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The shed blood of Jesus is such a glorious thing to know that happened outside of me I don't I don't contribute anything to that at all.
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And that is the whole of my salvation Propitiation by his blood through faith to demonstrate his righteousness how is the cross work of Christ and the shedding of his blood a
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Demonstration of righteousness because God is righteous and God cannot simply wink at sin sin must be dealt with Justly by God to be true to his nature as holy and just and the avenger of all who commit sin
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And also is loving Why does God do this why does he pour all that out upon an innocent
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Victim Jesus Christ his beloved son He does that to glorify his grace and because he freely chooses to love we who are completely unworthy of that love to demonstrate his righteousness because in his forbearance
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God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to Demonstrate at the present time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus The cross is not hypothetically necessary as it was always amazing to me to read
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John Murray Redemption accomplished and applied and he pointed out that you know Two of the most heavyweight theologians in all of church history
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Augustine and then Aquinas Thomas Aquinas And obviously we would have some fairly serious problems with with Aquinas theology a lot more issues with him than with Augustine But but that's beside the point
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But he points out that both of them taught that it was possible that God could have saved sinners without the cross work of Christ Without without the death of Jesus and this passage will not allow for that in order for God to be just the legal punishment has got to be taken away a
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Sacrifice which takes away his just wrath against sin must happen without that There is no basis
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For him to be true to his nature to be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus So the legal requirement of God's law has got to be met and if that law is not met if the requirement of the law is
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Not met then God cannot accept us. He cannot account us as righteous in his sight
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And then verse 27 says where is boasting then it is excluded Yeah, definitely if it's all accomplished by Christ alone
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Where's boasting there is no boasting. There's no boasting for anyone that ends up in heaven It is all and only by grace and that passage continues verse 27 by what law or by what principle of works
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No, but by the law of faith Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith
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Apart from the deeds of the law. That's one of the clearest statements Excluding our works of obedience to God's law or the the fruits of our faith or whatever you want to call it
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Anything at all that we do From being what in any way shape or form brings about our acceptance before God and our entrance into heavenly glory
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Yes, he is also the God is he the God of Jews only is he not also the God of Gentiles? Yes So the Gentiles also since there is one
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God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith Do we then make void the law through faith?
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Certainly not on the contrary we establish the law see what he's doing there Paul has to do this constantly
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Because he taught a full perfect and free salvation by faith alone and not by works and not by law keeping people accused him
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Constantly of making void the law Did you you must be saying that we can send our daylights out and still go to heaven?
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You must be saying we can live like the devil and still go to heaven and Paul says do we then make?
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Void the law are we saying that you can live like the devil and still go to heaven? No on the contrary we uphold we establish the law
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Okay, so so far from from being something that would encourage licentiousness or sin
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The gospel of a free justification by faith in Christ is the sole basis of good works
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God changes us. He changes us in our being made alive in Christ and our being regenerated
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He legally accepts us only upon the legal basis of Christ But then that changed life will begin to manifest itself and in works and those works don't save us
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They contribute nothing to our acceptance with God of the last day or to our justification at all and justification is
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The verdict it is the legal verdict rendered by God over us and our status as persons
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So we receive that verdict by faith Alone meet in other words by faith apart from observing the law
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Apart from the deeds of the law by the deeds of the law. No flesh will be justified. That's why the
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Confession says faith alone. It's a very useful summary. I mean it could say faith apart from works
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That's just as forceful as faith alone faith apart from works means faith alone. That's exactly what that phrase means Okay, so the next one the next point here
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How is justification question 71 how is justification an act of God's free grace answer
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Although Christ by his obedience and death did make a proper real and full
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Satisfaction to God's justice in the behalf of them that are justified Yet and as much as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety that that word surety means a legal substitute
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Someone who takes on the legal responsibility of someone else and that's exactly what
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Jesus did He took on the legal responsibility for my salvation
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All of it. That's what Galatians 4 4 through 5 is talking about. Listen to that passage Galatians 4 4 says but when the fullness of the time had come
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God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law To redeem those who were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons that whole idea of becoming legally under the law in behalf of us
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That is what surety is talking about. And of course that term is actually used explicitly in Hebrews 7 22
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By so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant So yet and as much as God accepts the satisfaction meaning the satisfaction to his justice against our sins from a
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Legal substitute from a surety which he might have demanded of them I mean
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God could simply send everyone to hell and just demand that we pay for our own sins
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And of course no amount of of punishment could ever actually pay for it But he could have demanded it from us
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But he didn't instead he provided a legal representative a legal substitute this surety
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Jesus Christ Hebrews 7 22 his own only son
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Imputing his righteousness unto them. What is that referring to imputing his righteousness unto them?
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Here's the NT writes favorite verse to butcher 2nd Corinthians 5 21 for he made him
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Christ who knew no sin to be sin in behalf of us Substitutionary dumb that we would become the righteousness of God in him
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See the legal exchange there the legal substitution there Imputing his righteousness unto them and that's there's another passage
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Romans chapter 5 Listen to this Romans 5 is such a wonderful wonderful text of comfort for God's people
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Listen to verse 17 for if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one much more those who receive
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Abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one
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Jesus Christ so that gift of righteousness is something that's imputed to us it is by the
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Obedience of the one as verse 18 says therefore as through one man's offense
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Adam's offense Judgment came to all men. And of course, that's why everybody dies That's what Romans 5 12 teaches us death came to all men because all sinned when
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Adam sinned Judgment came to all men resulting in condemnation even so through one man's righteous act
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The free gift came to all men not not all men without distinction But all the men that the that the covenant surety represented namely the elect
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Came to all men resulting in justification of life verse 19 for as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners.
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That's Adam So also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous
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So, there it is Do you have the gift of righteousness what that passage refers to in verse 17?
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Those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness. That's what Romans is talking about When it says that in the gospel
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The righteousness of God is revealed from by faith from first to last or from faith to faith
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It is a gift that is revealed to us It is the righteousness of God that is imputed to our account
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That is the basis the sole basis of our going to heaven when we die And that question 70 ones answer continues imputing his righteousness to them and requiring
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Nothing of them for their justification, but faith Which also is his gift.
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I mean faith faith itself is not something we drum up in ourselves That great passage
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Ephesians 2 8 teaches that for by grace you have been saved through faith and that not of yourselves
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It is the gift of God is very troubling to read Norman Geisler's Mishandling of that passage long ago in his book chosen, but free he points out that the demonstrative pronoun
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Ekanos that is used there That not of yourselves. Well, that's neuter.
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It's neuter in its in its gender. I'm pretty sure it's a canine Sure, that's right Or is it who toss it is, excuse me, it's a it's who toss not a canine.
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It's the near demonstrative. It's translated as that Okay, it's translated as that just for just for make it smoother in English.
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It's actually the near demonstrative to who toss The point being it's a it's the near demonstrative pronoun which is translated as this or that This is neuter and he says well
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It can't be, you know referring to the word faith because piste piste OHS is feminine But the fact of the matter is there's nothing neuter car
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Chorus is feminine Sozo Sassam annoy that turn the perfect participle there is masculine and then pistos faith is feminine
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There's nothing neuter before it at all. So if Geisler is right, then that near demonstrative who toss cannot refer to anything in the passage
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The fact of the matter is it's a common grammatical feature where you have a neuter demonstrative that is used to wrap up everything that comes before it so grace and Salvation and faith are gifts of God.
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All of them are gifts of God You see why would Geisler say that because he doesn't want faith to be the gift of God He doesn't want faith to be something that God grants to his elect
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He wants faith to be something that men are capable of doing in and of themselves Which of course is not the case at all.
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I think of John 644 No one is able to come to me unless the father sent me draws him and I will raise him up at the last day
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So grace faith salvation all of it is wrapped up in the turn in the phrase.
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They're tuta Exhumon this not from Yourselves, it is the gift of God that who taught door
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Doron. There's that term again gift It is the gift of God. What is the gift of God grace?
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Salvation and faith all of them are and that's what they can the larger catechism is referring to their
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Requiring nothing of them for their justification, but faith which also is his gift their justification is to them of free grace free grace
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Okay, grace is not something that makes things possible. It is something that is powerful and effective
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God's grace accomplishes Accomplishes what he intends it to accomplish
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So all the talk that you hear from the Arminians and from Rome and John Piper even uses the phrase
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What what makes this all possible is Christ and the grace of God grace doesn't make things possible
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Grace accomplishes things grace Accomplishes what God wants to accomplish when it comes to the acceptance of our persons and are going to heaven when we die
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So our justifications are free grace now question 72 What is justifying faith key question since we're justified by faith and not by works and not by anything at all that we do
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What is justifying faith? Answer just fine faith is a saving grace is a saving grace wrought in the heart of a sinner by the
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Spirit Wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit Okay, so it's not from our free will it's not anything that we drum up within ourselves
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It is a saving grace justifying faith is not my contribution of my salvation
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It's a saving grace wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit and Word of God Romans 10 14 and 17
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Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Where does faith come from? It doesn't come from my free will or from my from my inner soul or anything like that.
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It comes by hearing the Word of God Whereby he being convinced of his sin and misery and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition
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Not only assented to the truth of the promise of the gospel but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness therein held forth for pardon of sin and For the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation.
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It's such a great answer It's just right on the money so part of justifying faith is becoming convinced of your sin and misery and of the
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Disability in yourself and everything else around you anything that you would ever do any other creatures
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The disability to do anything to recover yourself out of your lost condition you abandon all hope in anything except Jesus Christ So you assent to the truth of the promise of the gospel?
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And the truth of the promise of the gospel But receive not not only assent but also receive and rest and those are just metaphors
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It's just way of referring to the same thing you receive and rest upon Christ and his righteousness you are relying upon Christ betting your eternal destiny on Christ alone
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Therein held forth for pardon of sin and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation
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And so a lot of passages could be cited there Let's let's go ahead and move on though. We've already looked at one of the key ones there in Romans chapter 3
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How does faith justify a sinner in the sight of God? Here's a real important one because people will try to Nuance faith so as to be able to slide in some form of works or something like that.
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Listen to the answer faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God not
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Because of those other graces which do always accompany it such as Sanctification and the pursuit of holiness and putting sin to death.
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It's faith justifies us not because of that Nor of good works that are the fruits of it.
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So it's not big by the fruits of justifying faith either Not as if the grace of faith or any act thereof were imputed to him for his justification
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Contra the Arminians because that's what they were saying but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and apply of Christ and his righteousness okay, so the antithetical opposite of working for your salvation or relying upon the fruits of your faith for final salvation is
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Justifying faith, how does it do it? How does faith actually justify us in the sight of God only in that it's an instrument that lays hold of Jesus Christ?
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When the Great Reformation Used that that slogan sola fide, which really is just a shorthand way of referring to faith apart from works
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What is that really? What's the real punch behind that when we say justification is by faith alone.
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What we're really saying is Justification is by the righteousness of Christ alone
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Because only what he did is sufficient to save us only his crosswork can forgive us of all of our sins
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Only Christ's righteousness is sufficient to meet the requirements of God's holiness to allow us into heaven
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So justification by faith alone is shorthand for justification by the blood and righteousness of Jesus Christ Alone and any denial of sola fide is to take a direct shot at the all -sufficiency of Jesus Christ Anything if a person is relying upon something alongside of Christ Alongside of him they are denying that what
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Christ did is enough if they're relying upon something Instead of Christ, obviously, they're denying that what
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Christ did is enough if they're relying upon the fruits of their faith Which they have done
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Made possible by the grace of the Holy Spirit living within them and the means of grace and everything else They are saying that what
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Jesus Christ did is not enough to get them into heaven and for them to be justified on the day of judgment
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That's why this is so serious That's why it's also serious Galatians chapter 2 verse 21 is a critical text of Scripture says
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I do not set aside the grace of God for if righteousness comes through the law then
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Christ died in vain Philippians chapter 3 verse 1 and following listen to this passage finally my brethren are rejoicing the
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Lord For for me to write the same things to you is not tedious But for you it is safe beware of dogs beware of evil workers beware of the mutilation
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You know what? He's talking about there people that add things to faith in Christ is the means of getting into heaven That's the mutilation.
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He's saying beware beware beware of them For we are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit rejoicing
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Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh and what he when he says that he means no confidence in the flesh at the moment when we first come to Christ at Anywhere in between and right when we die, we still not have no we still have no confidence in the flesh
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We have no confidence in our works No confidence in anything that we've done as Christians as being that which is going to cause us to be welcomed into heaven
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Though I also might have confidence in the flesh if anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh. I more so Circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel the tribe of Benjamin a
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Hebrew of the Hebrews concerning the law of Pharisee concerning zeal Persecuting the church concerning the righteousness which is in the law blameless now immediately someone might say well
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Those are all things he did before he came to Christ But I'm sure if all was trusting and how well he had put sin to death and pursued holiness and all the mission work
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He did everything else. No, he wasn't. No, he was not. No, he wasn't most certainly not
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Continues on there verse 7 but what things were gained to me these I have counted loss for Christ Yet indeed
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I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord for whom I have suffered the loss of All things and count them as rubbish that I may gain
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Christ that term scuba lawn excrement dung garbage Everything I used to trust in everything.
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I even even could think about trusting in now as a Christian I regard as rubbish that I may gain
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Christ and be found in him and just in case people are still gonna try to find Some way to say well, no, they're still we pursue holiness and we without which no one will see the
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Lord and we we put sin To death and we have to be doing that and we have to have a some measure of righteousness
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That's ours. Paul says not having my own righteousness He wants to be found in him not having my own righteousness, which is from the law
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But that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness, which is from God by faith
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That's the only way a sinner can be right with God and We do good works as Christians to express our gratitude as part of God's sanctification process but that does not play any role of any kind in Getting us into heaven because I can't because of the disproportion between Works that we even do as Christians.
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They're still staying with enough sin to condemn us A question 74. What is adoption adoption is an act of God's free grace in and for his only son
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Jesus Christ Whereby all those that are justified are received into the number of his children Have his name put upon them the spirit of his son given to them are under his fatherly care and dispensations
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Admitted to all the liberties and privileges of the sons of God made heirs of all the promises and fellow heirs with Christ in glory
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Many passages 1st John 3 1 behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us that we should be called children of God glorious stuff
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Ephesians speaks of our being predestined in Ephesians 1 5 unto adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to himself
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Romans 8 the spirit of adoption is in our hearts by which we cry out Abba Father and so on The doctrine of adoption is a glorious and wonderful truth
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The question 75 what is sanctification now notice again question 74
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Adoption is an act justification is an act. What is sanctification? Sanctification is a work of God's grace
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Whereby they whom God hath before the foundation of the world chosen to be holy are in time through the powerful operation of his spirit
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Applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them Renewed in their whole man after the image of God, you know, that's one of the passages that I cited in our revoice report
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Because what these people that are trying to make an allowance for someone to be a homosexual
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Christian Are missing is this truth right here. God doesn't leave any part of us unrenewed
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He renews us in the whole man after the image of God He breaks the tyranny of sin, he doesn't remove the presence of sin completely
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He won't when we're glorified when we're resurrected on the last day But he does release us from slavery to sin and we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God having the seeds of repentance unto life and all other saving graces put into their hearts and Those graces so stirred up increased and strengthened as that they more and more die unto sin and rise unto newness of life
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So very critical Question and answer Sanctification is an ongoing work.
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We were predestined Romans chapter 8 29 and 30 31 predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ predestined to be holy
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But visions 140 chose us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love
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So the acceptance of our persons in the sight of God the acceptance and accounting of our persons as Righteous in the sight of God and our full pardon of all of our sins and are being accepted in God's sight adopted into his family
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Those are one -time acts they're actually simultaneous as soon as we're declared righteous and justified and For forever accepted in God's sight and adopted as his children heaven everlasting is our reward and we are going there
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Because it is upon Christ's work alone that we get in But every person about whom that's true has also been predestined to be holy to be conformed to the image of Christ and they will
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Pursue holiness. They will pursue holiness We were chosen for salvation through sanctification by the
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Spirit and belief in the truth. No such thing as a true believer That's not that hasn't been sanctified and isn't being sanctified
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Romans 6 answers the charge of antinomianism I preached on it, you know many times and because every generation has to preach on it many times because it will always be denied
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We were buried with him through baptism into death that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father Even so we also should walk in newness of life
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Okay, and there's another passage in the Titus. Let's see
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Titus Titus chapter 3 Excuse me.
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Titus 2 Titus 2 Says about Christ who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed
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That he might redeem us from every lawless deed. That's our justification and Purify for himself his own special people zealous for good works.
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See how clearly distinct those things are. Yes. We are purified To be his own special people zealous for good works.
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That's that's not how we're redeemed from every lawless deed We're not redeemed from our lawless deeds by being purified and made zealous for good works
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Those are two different things and we have to keep them distinct from one another Now the next question is about repentance unto life repentance unto life is a absolutely critical
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Doctrine I did three or four sermons just on the doctrine of repentance a few years ago And I've preached on it again in the recent past because it's just such a critical part of our of our
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Proclamation of the truth. There's no such thing as an unrepentant Christian can't have a Christian who's not repentant over their sin
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What is repentance unto life repentance unto life is a saving grace? Wrought in the heart of the of a sinner by the spirits notice that again.
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It's not rotten our hearts by us It's rotten our heart by the Spirit and Word of God Whereby out of the sight and sense not only of the danger but also of the filthiness and odiousness
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The repulsiveness of our sins and upon the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ as such as our penitent he so grieves for and hates his sins as That he turns from them all to God Purposing and endeavoring constantly to walk with him and all the ways of new obedience.
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That's why this gay Christian stuff is false teaching It's heresy There's no such thing as a
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Christian who's who makes peace with with this idea that they're gay. I'm sorry That just that doesn't happen.
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No such thing. No such thing They hate their sin. They are repulsed by such sin in their life
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I mean they apprehend the mercy of God in Christ and that he so Grieves for I mean read
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Psalm 51. How does David think about his sin? My sin is always before me over and over again the songwriters
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What my sins and my iniquities make it impossible for me to look up that gone over my head I hate them that the shame they feel that's a grace from God's to get from God to be ashamed of your sin and now all of the trajectories all the push with all this revoice and and All this coming out as a gay pastor and everything else.
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What is what is the main thing they want to do? They want to remove shame. They want to remove grief over the sin
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They want to remove hatred of the sin and I'm sorry No, true Christian is going to be okay with that kind of sin in their life.
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No way. Is that possible? I will never believe that God has lost his life -changing power. Not a chance
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And he will turn from them all to God. They will turn from them all to God Acts 26 verse 18 to open their eyes
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This is actually Jesus talking to Paul on the Damascus Road To open their eyes in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God That they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those that are sanctified by faith in me
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In the book of Ezekiel 14 verse 6 therefore say to the house of Israel thus says Yahweh God Repent turn away from your idols and turn your faces away from all your abominations
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Very very apropos What the Old Testament identifies as an abomination these people want to say we're not ashamed
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We used to hide our shame, but now we find refuge in Christ Well, if you really found refuge in Christ You would continue to be ashamed of the sin and you would hate it you would fight it and you would do everything in your
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Power to put that sin to death and to be rid of it. You would do all of that Question 77 wherein do justification and sanctification differ from one another critical question absolutely, absolutely critical question
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Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification. Amen. Amen and amen
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First Corinthians 611 and such were some of you talking about all those sins. Don't do not be deceived
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Do not be deceived Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God for for homosexuals and sodomites and idolaters and fornicators adulterers
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He lists all those things and such were some of you but you were washed, but you were sanctified
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But you were justified see how they're two distinct things. They're not the same thing There are two distinct things you were sanctified
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But you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God So the two are inseparably joined
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They can be can larger catechism continues yet. They differ justification sanctification differ in that God and justification imputes he legally transfers the righteousness of Christ in Sanctification the
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Holy Spirit infuses grace and enables to the exercise thereof. You see what the difference is in One in one it is simply the change of our legal status
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Justification does not change me subjectively at all Justification does not change the sinner in any way shape or form
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Subjectively, it only changes their legal status before God. That is the only thing that is modified by justification
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Sanctification does change me subjectively. It enables me to the exercise of God's grace and in the pursuit of holiness in The former and justification sin is pardoned in the other sanctification it is subdued
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It's not great in one. It's pardoned legally. It's a legal transaction My sins are simply pardoned by God as judge in sanctification.
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My sin is subdued subjectively I will start to overcome it. I'll start to be more and more holy subjectively really holy the one
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Justification doth equally free all believers from the revenging wrath of God justification is exactly equal in everyone because it is simply a change of their legal status and That perfectly in this life that they never fall into condemnation
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That's what Romans 8 ones talking about no matter how great the struggle with sin Romans 7 14 to 25. Oh Wretched man that I am all this sin that the things
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I hate I do Oh wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death. I thank
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God through our Lord Jesus Christ Romans 8 1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus so in Justification everyone is equal in justification.
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Everyone's equally justified No one can increase or be more or less justified because it's simply the changing of our legal verdict
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The other sanctification is neither equal in all you'll have people who are at various degrees of sanctification in their life
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Nor in this life perfect in any in other words. No one ever retains sinless perfection in this in this life.
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It's impossible Now we should we should aim at nothing less than that But we're never going to get perfection in this life in terms of our own subjective growth and holiness
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But growing up to perfection is the final line there so you see the difference between justification and sanctification and the absolute vital necessity
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That we have to keep them distinct from one another you don't you don't separate them from one another because they always go together
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There's no such thing as a justified person Who's not also being sanctified who's not also gonna be putting sin to death pursuing holiness and rolling up their sleeves and fighting against sin all the time but they are it is absolutely essential to distinguish them in Any view of the gospel that confuses these two things like for example the
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Council of Trent? The Council of Trent said that justification is not Just the remission of sins, but also the inward renewal of the inner man
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And so they they define justification as sanctification and hence they destroy the gospel altogether
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Because if I think that I'm gonna be justified on the Day of Judgment By how well
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I've pursued holiness or you know You don't want to use the word justification If I think I'm gonna be finally saved at the last day from the wrath of God by the fruits of my faith
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I'm not a Christian and I'm not gonna go to heaven Christians rely solely and Only upon Jesus Christ.
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That's what Philippians 3 is all about He says I don't want to be found with the righteousness of my own derived from the law from my law keeping
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But that which is through faith in Christ the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith justification adoption and sanctification and act and act and an ongoing work all of them always go together and repentance unto life all those things always go together, but it is absolutely foundational to distinguish them from one another because if you start smudging the line between our subjective transformation and the justification and acceptance of our persons in the sight of God that legal transaction by which were then
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Adopted into God's family you start blurring the line there You're gonna have people relying upon trusting in their own obedience to get them into heaven at the last day at the last judgment
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Galatians 5 1 actually wrote my Greek exegesis paper on this when I was in seminary because I think it's such an important passage
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He says stand fast therefore in the Liberty by which Christ has made us free and do not be entangled again with the yoke of Bondage indeed.
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I Paul say to you that if you become circumcised Christ will profit you Nothing what's the principle he's spelling out there.
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He's not just saying circumcision In fact, he listened to what he says in the next verse and I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is
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A debtor to keep the whole law and then he summarizes. It's not just circumcision It's any law keeping at all that enters into the equation of what's gonna get you into heaven
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Verse 4 you have become estranged from Christ you who attempt to be justified by law you who attempt to be
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Finally saved by the fruits of your faith You have fallen from grace For we through the
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Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith see this point here you become circumcised you take one step in that direction of Thinking that what's gonna make you right with God is your own obedience your own works your own progress and holiness
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Christ will profit you nothing It's either Christ and Christ saves by himself completely and only
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Christ as a gift by faith alone Or you get to save yourself by yourself by works alone
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Any attempt to mix them and Christ will be deleted from the equation That's why we make such a big deal out of us
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We make a big deal out of it because the Apostles teach us to show us how to I Testify again to every man who becomes circumcised he is a debtor to keep the whole law
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You if you're relying upon the fruits of your faith for final salvation Christ will be of no benefit to you and you get to keep the whole law by yourself
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And I want to warn you you're not going to be able to do it and in point of fact You will be damned at the last day.
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You will be sent to hell Because verse 4 I'm just a minister
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I don't write the mail I just deliver it because verse 4 you have become estranged from Christ you who attempt
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To get to heaven by the fruits of your faith You have fallen from grace you who attempt to be justified by law you who attempt to get into heaven by pursuing holiness
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You have fallen from grace Christ to be of no benefit to you, and you're a debtor to keep the whole law Well, you must be an antinomian.
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Please bring the charge Glad to take it my answer to that is Paul's how shall we who died to sin live in it any longer?
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Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized in the Christ were baptized into his death So we were raised to walk in newness of life.
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We having been set free from sin. We became slaves of righteousness The fact that we've been set free from sin and God subjectively begins to change us does not mean we're saved by that change
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We're not we can't be Because God's too. Holy Jesus had to come and do all of this for us to exist for the acceptance of our person and the legal acceptance of us in the sight of God once for all eternity when we believe he had to do that by himself because we
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Can't do it and we can't contribute anything to it. Not even as Christians So I hope that's clear.
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What's mr. Larger catechism? It's one of the greatest documents that you could that you could get or own I would encourage get get the banner of truth
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Copy the I think There's another little shorter like a smaller book version of it that has all the the proof texts printed out get get a version
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That's got all the proof text in it so you can look at all the scripture passages, but great great great resource
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Justification is not sanctification sanctification is not justification and when you we confuse them
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We destroy the gospel and we destroy the Christian faith. We destroy the work of Christ I hope that's been clear and that's been helpful.
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Thank you for listening or for watching This is pastor
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Patrick Hines of brittle Heights Presbyterian Church Located at 108 brittle Heights Road in Kingsport, Tennessee, and you've been listening to the
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Protestant witness podcast Please feel free to join us for worship any Sunday morning at 11 a .m Sharp where we open the
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Word of God together sing his praises and rejoice in the gospel of our risen Lord You can find us on the web at www .brittlewellheightspca
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.org And may the Lord bless you and keep you the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you