Called to Communion: Imputation and Infusion

There's an interesting article and discussion over at Called to Communion, about imputed righteousness vs. infused righteousness. I'm not following all the really technical comments, but some aren't too hard to follow.

UPDATE: My husband did a study on righteousness last year, which includes some discussion about believers being given Christ's righteousness. I linked it in one of the comments in the above discussion on CTC.

A Question About Scripture and the Church

Here's a question prompted by the difference between the Catholic and protestant ways of looking at scripture.
Are we to judge Scripture by what our church teaches, or are we to judge what our church teaches by Scripture?

Some links on Justification, Salvation, Faith, and Righteousness

Here are some posts linking to studies my husband Eddie has done, and also some of my blog posts, on the subject of justification, salvation, faith, and works. This is to answer a statement Leo made in the com box of the post 'Historical Literature on the Earliest Papacy: John Bugay'. Leo said: "Sorry, but we are not saved by Faith alone. By God's grace, yes, but not by Faith alone... and we must respond to that grace."

Exchangedlife.com: We Are the Righteousness of God

Understanding Regeneration/Salvation: Part One

Understanding Regeneration/Salvation: Part Two

Exchangedlife.com: Bearing Fruit: The Purpose of Works

Bearing Fruit: The Purpose of Works: Part Two

Grace, Faith, and Good Works: acts17-11.com

Justification: The Catholic Church and the Judaizers in St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians

Repost: The Sabbath Rest Series

Understanding Faith: Part One

Understanding Faith: Part Two

Exchangedlife.com: We Are the Righteousness of God

My husband has a new message up on his website, exchangedlife.com, called "We Are the Righteousness of God". This message goes along with the last post I did, in which I linked to an article by Richard Bennett of Berean Beacon; Bennett wrote partly about Cardinal John Henry Newman and his erroneous teachings on justification and righteousness. Eddie explains that the believer's righteousness comes from Christ, and is always there as imputed righteousness. Our righteousness is never our own. After justification, we are taught to abide in Christ so the word and the Spirit can sanctify us. We become holy or sanctified by daily crucifying the flesh and separating from worldliness. This does not make us more righteous, but takes the flesh out of the way and crucifies it, so the righteousness of God can shine forth. The flesh is like the bushel basket that is placed over the light. This must be removed so we can shine. This is the message of the gospel, that we by faith are given Christ's righteouness, and then the just walk by faith and God's grace to crucify the flesh and shine forth into the darkness as lights holy unto God.

New Covenant Living: The Heretical Nature of the Churches of Christ

New Covenant Living: The Heretical Nature of the Churches of Christ

Here's an interesting post that is in direct contrast to the conversation I posted under '1 Corinthians 3 and works burned up by fire' below. My husband and I would agree with the New Covenant post, but I understand why Shammah is teaching what he does, because he is concerned about Christians thinking they can live in worldliness and sin because they have 'faith' and have been forgiven. Maybe they really don't have faith at all if they have no desire to live lives that are pleasing to God. Jack brings out the main contrast between the two positions by saying: "They don't mean that law-keeping is indicative of saving faith (which is what James 2 and other similar passages teach), but commandment-keeping as a second condition of justification."

A Discussion About Baptism

Following is a discussion I had with Paul Pavao after reading his views on baptism on his website, Christian History for Everyman, on this page.


Hello Paul,
I have a sincere question about baptism being more than a symbolic act of obedience, which as a Baptist for most of my life I've always believed. I have been talking to Catholics on my blog and have always stressed that faith in the gospel comes first and then baptism as a sign of faith. I don't understand how baptism can actually confer salvation, because one has already been regenerated by faith, isn't that so? What exactly happens at Baptism? Has faith not completed justification? I want to understand this. Catholics teach that Baptism is what justifies. I think they say regeneration occurs then if the person has faith. How is what you are saying different than what they are saying?

Paul Pavao's response:
The thing that helped me most with baptism was comparing it to the sinner's prayer, something I believe Peter does in 1 Peter 3:21. Peter says baptism now saves us, and then he explains how it saves us. It saves us by being the appeal to God for (or from) a good conscience.

The KJV and other versions have answer or pledge in the place of appeal, but after reading through several lexicons, I would argue that the NASB's "appeal" is the only reasonable translation there.

So, baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience.

That fits very well with the verses on baptism in the NT. In Acts 2:38, Jews ask Peter what they should do since they are convicted about crucifying Christ. He tells them repent and be baptized for (eis - into) the remission of sins, and they'll receive the Holy Spirit. See how that fits with 1 Pet. 3:21? They wanted a clean conscience. He told them to be baptized, and their sins would be forgiven, and they'd receive the Holy Spirit.

Baptism was the way they carried out their faith. It was their "sinner's prayer."

Of course, you know there's no sinner's prayer in the NT. Read through Acts, and you'll see that everyone was baptized immediately, the same day. Baptism was the apostles' sinner's prayer. The Philippian jailer was baptized in the middle of the night!!! (Acts 16)

When Paul had been convicted by Christ on the road to Damascus, Christ sent him to wait there. Ananias came and told him, "What are you waiting for? Arise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord!" (Acts 22:16).

So Paul, too, washed his sins away in baptism, despite having seen the Lord 3 days earlier. Baptism was his sinner's prayer.

The early church believed the same way. All Christians believed in baptismal regeneration, including the Reformers, all the way into the 17th century. A symbolic baptism has to be the worst-attested doctrine believed by any large group of Christians ever. It's new, it obviously violates many Scriptures on baptism.

Baptists and others like them deal with this by using verses on faith to teach about and argue for their version of baptism. They have to. Pretty much all the verses on baptism clearly disagree with them. Church history disagrees with them--100%, across the board--all the way until a century AFTER the Reformation.

So here's how what I teach differs from the Roman Catholics. One, the Catholics baptize babies. That's an indication that they think baptism does something spiritual even apart from faith. I don't believe that.

I believe baptism is an appeal to God for a good conscience. Babies can't do that. We believe, and then we join ourselves to Christ in baptism. In the beginning, it was really that simple. It wasn't that baptism was a magic rite. It was the baptism was the proper response of a believer to hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ and believing.

Okay, so here's the real difficult issue:

What about those that don't know?

What about me personally? I was witnessed to by pentecostal believers. They believed, like the Baptists, that baptism is symbolic. So rather than have me respond to God with baptism, as the Bible teaches, they had me pray a prayer. Of course, even the prayer was ineffectual, because like Cornelius in Acts 10, I had received the Holy Spirit as soon as I heard the Gospel and said I believe it. The power of the Spirit fell on me, gave me a good conscience, and changed my whole world as soon as I said, "Yes, I believe."

I was baptized a month later, wondering what good such an act was, because doing the "public testimony" seemed so meaningless as to be ridiculous. What sort of public testimony is baptism nowadays? Lots of people have been baptized. Many of them repeatedly. Most of them live lives that are a testimony AGAINST Christ.

So baptism is a lousy public testimony. Live a holy life! That's a great public testimony.

And, Scripturally, how does one explain Paul baptizing the Philippian jailer in the middle of the night? What sort of public testimony was that? How about Cornelius with Peter? It seems clear Cornelius was baptized in his house, on the spot. What sort of public testimony was that?

I believe God makes exceptions. I believe he made an exception for the thief on the cross. I believe he made an exception for Cornelius, pouring out the Spirit on him before baptism.

I believe he makes exceptions for us ignorant 21st century Christians who think baptism is symbolic and can be waited on. He forgives our sins and fills us with the Spirit because we ask him to by a sinner's prayer or a prayer to be filled with the Spirit. Being merciful, loving, and kind, he answers that prayer.

Scripturally, though, the example set for us--and the command of Christ--is that baptism be the appeal to God for a good conscience, not something else, not even an actual verbal prayer.

I hope that answers your question. Justification does come upon faith, but faith always acts. So responding to the Gospel by an act of faith, such as baptism or the sinner's prayer (one being biblical and one being the tradition of Charles Finney and D.L. Moody) does not contradict justification by faith. Instead, it shows us what justification by faith looks like.

Remember, Peter didn't say in Acts 2:38, "You don't have to do anything. You have already believed, so you're justified." No, he said, "Repent and be baptized."

Clearly, those Jews believed . How could the be cut to the heart, as the Scripture says, unless they had believed what Peter taught? Yet, Peter still told them to repent and be baptized.

One needs to perform an initial act of faith.

I'd love to say more about Peter's initial act of faith, but this email is long enough. The first time Peter received a command of the Lord, it was to throw his nets on the other side of the boat (Luke 5). When he did so, the effect was incredible. He acknowledged he was a sinner, and then, when the boat got to land, he forsook everything and followed Christ.

Amazing, isn't it? Jesus didn't tell him to be baptized, to read the Scriptures, or any such thing. Instead, he told him only to throw his nets on the other side of the boat. Peter said, "At your word, I will do it."

He did it. The response to the Word, by obeying it, was like eating it. The Word was implanted in his heart like a seed and he was born again (Jam. 1:21 w 1:18). At that point, because he responded/obeyed, he didn't need to be told he was a sinner. He didn't need to be told to follow Christ. The Word of God was now in him, and so he knew what he was supposed to do!

Of course, I know there's issues with me saying he was born again there and not later, after he repented for denying Christ. But Jesus said that Zaccheus was saved (Luk 19) right there on the spot. There, once again, the Word of God (Jesus) told Zaccheus something simple. He told him to hurry, to come down, and that Jesus would eat with him. Zaccheus complied, and the Word of God was planted in his soul. Jesus didn't have to teach him to repay those he'd cheated. He knew already because the Word was in him.

Then, as I said, Jesus said that salvation had come to him that very day. It had! And it was because of his positive response to the Word of God.

Baptism is our positive response to the Word of God. It's like eating it. When we respond, the Word of God will go down in us like a seed, saving our souls.

Well, I guess I did say all of that about Peter. Sorry for the long email. I hope it's a blessing to you.

Paul Pavao

Paul,
Lots of ideas have been going through my mind since I read your email, and I've also read a few more things on your websites about baptism and other things that have helped clarify the issue. I think I'm understanding what you have said, though its possible I'm interpreting it through my own perspective, so I want to tell you what I think you are saying and see if I'm understanding.
You mentioned 1 Peter 3:21 in which he says baptism saves us, not by the water washing our bodies, but by the appeal from or for a good conscience toward God. I'm thinking that you and Peter are saying that the water isn't doing anything, but it's what's happening in the person and between the person and God that is effective. It's the faith that brings forth
obedience that is what saves the person, not the water itself. When thinking of baptism I always get stuck wondering how water can do anything, and end up saying that it's the faith that does it, by the power of God, and that it's the first act of obedience, 'to fulfill all righteousness' as Jesus said. I always say that baptism is a sign of faith. I guess that falls short of the whole truth; maybe I should go further and say that it is an act of obedience that completes our saving faith....

This is getting long, but i wanted to say something about what you said about Peter obeying Jesus about casting the nets, that when he obeyed the Word, it was like eating it, and it went down into his heart like a seed and saved him. That reminded me of John 6 at the second half of the chapter, where Jesus calls Himself the bread of life. I have talked to Catholics about this on my blog because they believe that passage is about the eucharist and say that eating the bread is what saves us. I argued that eating the bread, or the body of Christ, really means believing Him by faith and living on His word. It also reminded me of a study I had just started reading about the Lord's Supper, which i just posted a link to this week, which says that we as believers are one loaf of bread and communion should emphasize this unity with each other and Christ, as we are His body. So Peter eating the word, or the bread of life, unites him with Jesus and with the rest of the loaf, the other believers too. Of course, after you said that baptism isn't just symbolic, then it occurred to me that you might have a different perspective on the Lord's supper than the Baptists who say it is symbolic. I've been wondering about that for a while because the way it's done isn't right to me....
I have many thoughts, but they'll have to wait. Thank you for taking the time to share. I believe it has blessed me as you hoped.
In Christ,
Jennie

Visits to Candyland: Sanctified for the Lord

We're having a discussion about sanctification over at Visits to Candyland.

Grace, Faith, and Good Works: acts17-11.com

This article is linked in the post below this one, but I thought it was so good it deserved to get a separate post. It is called 'Grace, Faith, and Good Works' and is from acts17-11.com.

Another great study on their site is called 'Are You a Christian?'

Justification: The Catholic Church and the Judaizers in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

There's an interesting discussion about justification on calledtocommunion.com, specifically on this post by Bryan Cross:

Justification: The Catholic Church and the Judaizers in St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

It's been a couple of weeks since anyone commented on the post and I haven't read all the comments yet, so I'm going to make my comments here for now.

Here is an excerpt from Bryan's post:

What makes this difficult to understand, from a Protestant point of view, is that in Catholic theology there is a distinction between justification and an increase in justification. There is no such distinction in Protestant theologies, and for that reason Protestants not infrequently treat Catholic statements about the increase in justification as though they are about justification itself.

Justification is defined by the Council of Trent as “translation from that state in which man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Savior.” (Trent VI.4)1 Justification takes place through the sacrament of baptism, and then, if a person falls into mortal sin, through the sacrament of penance. At the instant of justification, the person receives sanctifying grace and the theological (supernatural) virtues of faith, hope and charity (agape). This does not mean that these cannot be received prior to the actual reception of the sacrament of baptism. Even then, however, they come through the sacrament, and anticipate its reception.

An increase in justification is not the same thing as justification. An increase in justification is not the translation from a state in which one is deprived of sanctifying grace to a state in which one has sanctifying grace. An increase in justification is an increase in sanctifying grace from a condition in which one already has sanctifying grace. This is what St. Peter means in exhorting believers to grow in grace. (2 Pet 3:18) An increase in justification is not receiving sanctifying grace where there is none, but a movement of growth from grace to more grace, and thus a growth in conformity to the likeness of Christ, by an increase in the capacity of our participation in the divine nature. (2 Pet 1:4)

The reason this distinction between justification and its increase is important for understanding the Catholic doctrine concerning justification is that although a person can and should prepare for justification (Trent VI.6), he cannot merit justification by any works. But, a person who is already justified and in a state of grace, can merit an increase in justification by doing good works out of love (agape) for God. Among these good works are works in keeping with the moral law, done out of love (agape) for God. God rewards our works done in agape by increasing our capacity to participate in His divine nature, and thus by increasing our participation in His agape. He Himself is our reward, and growth in grace is growth in Him, a reward we receive already in this present life, to be multiplied abundantly in the life to come.

This brings up so many questions, I hardly know where to start. First I want to ask, if 'an increase in justification is not the translation from a state in which one is deprived of sanctifying grace to a state in which one has sanctifying grace' AND 'if a person falls into mortal sin, [justification takes place] through the sacrament of penance' THEN would you also say that if a person falls into mortal sin they are deprived of justification and sanctifying grace and must regain it by the sacrament of penance? So, a person can lose justification and regain it and can also gain more justification?
Some Catholics may know that Protestants don't speak of losing justification or gaining more of it, but instead speak of being sanctified, which means being made more like Christ as we abide in Him through His word, prayer, and obedience. Protestants don't believe in losing justification through sin, but some believe it can be lost by apostasy (defecting from the faith). Is it possible that the phrases 'increase in justification' and 'sanctification' mean the same thing or are similar? I don't know.
The main differences I see here are that Protestants don't believe in losing justification by sinning and that most don't believe that baptism confers justification. We believe that justification is by faith the moment the person believes in the gospel. We believe that regeneration, which is being made a new creation by the power of the Holy Spirit, occurs at this moment as well. The person is now indwelt by the Holy Spirit and desires to be like Christ and fellowship with Him and other believers. We believe that baptism is commanded and is a sign of justification. Some believe that it is absolutely necessary for salvation and some don't, the latter believing that it is a sign of obedience and should be done; if it isn't then the person may not have faith that leads to obedience (unless there is some circumstance that makes baptism impossible, or the person dies first).
The most important difference I see here, which I mentioned earlier, is that protestants don't believe that justification can increase, and scripture doesn't speak of this either. We don't believe that someone who is 'just' can be made any more just. Scripture does speak of an increase or growth of grace, however. The Bible says 'The just shall live by faith.' This means that the one who has been justified by faith will continue to live by faith, and this faith brings more grace as we abide in Christ. This increase in grace is the ability to live as Christ wants us to, to be more and more like Him. Grace comes by faith and the Spirit and the Word working in us to make us like Christ, helping us do the good works for which we are saved. Here is an article I found which does a VERY good job of explaining grace, faith, and good works.


Here is another excerpt which engenders more questions:

Does St. Paul teach that justification is by keeping the ceremonial law? No. Does St. Paul teach that justification is by keeping the moral law? No. According to St. Paul, justification is not by works of the law, and in St. Paul “works of the Law” refers to the whole law under the Old Covenant. That’s what Robert [Sungenis] is saying, and I agree with him, and nothing I said contradicts what he said. But, as I will explain below, unless we recognize the difference between the meaning of “works of the Law” as including the ceremonial law, and the New Covenant law that does not include the ceremonial law, we can mistakenly treat St. Paul’s teaching that justification is not by the former as though it also denies increases in justification by means of the latter.

Without sanctifying grace and living faith, we cannot merit heaven; to claim otherwise would be Pelagianism. And that is why we cannot be justified by works. For St. Paul justification is by living faith, and we receive this living faith by hearing (Rom 10:17), and it is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Rom 5:5) through the sacrament of baptism (Rom 6, Col 2). But none of that condemns or denies increases in justification through good works in accordance with the moral law done out of love (agape) for
God.

What is the 'new covenant'? It isn't a new law, it's the law written in our hearts: the law of love for God and our neighbors, which we can now follow by faith and in love, no longer trying to save ourselves because we are saved by faith through Christ's sacrifice. We have been given His righteousness and His Spirit and so are free to act in love rather than by compulsion or fear as we would if we had to keep up our own justification or earn our own salvation by our own power.


There is a difference between 'justification by faith' in Paul (Romans 4) and James' statement 'You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.' See James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. In other words, a dead body has no spirit just as dead faith has no works.
In James he is talking about 'being shown to be justified'. So we are justified by faith and then our faith produces works which show us to be justified. I've heard that the Greek word which is translated 'justified' can mean both of these things and the context must show which one is meant. The same word can mean 'made or declared righteous or just' or it can mean 'shown or proved to be righteous or just'.
It seems that Catholics believe that our works of love make us more just, but protestants believe that our completed justification (by faith) makes us do works of love (that show our faith). Is the former what Bryan is saying about Catholicism or am I misunderstanding? Protestants believe that after justification by faith, all is now of faith and we continue to be made more like Christ as we abide in Him. We can't lose justification because it is a gift of God and we can't become MORE justified because to be justified means to be made righteous by Christ's perfect righteousness. We can't gain justification because we are already perfect in God's grace, and are alive in Him, when before we were dead in sin. We can then grow up and mature in love and obedience to Him as we learn to submit to Him and repent of our sins.

James 2:18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? Is James setting up a contrast here between two extremes? Between someone who thinks they are saved by faith even though they have no works afterward and someone who thinks they are saved by their own works but have no faith in Christ? In other words 'Show me your faith without your works' could mean 'show me your faith that justifies APART from works'. James then says 'I will show you my true faith that produces works.' Is this a valid understanding of what James is saying here? Faith produces works, but faith must come first and bring life, then works are the life lived out by faith.
Our works show or prove that we are just and works complete or perfect our faith. These works are done by faith and show that our faith is complete. James 2:22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”And he was called the friend of God.

Articuli Fidei: Critical issues concerning infallibility and the development of doctrine – the historical roots

Articuli Fidei: Critical issues concerning infallibility and the development of doctrine – the historical roots

I just found this blog because someone came here from there. It looks very interesting, as I see the last several posts are about the author's struggle with issues of Roman Catholicism vs. protestantism, after having converted to Catholicism several years ago, and an apparent decision to no longer attend the Roman Catholic Church. I am interested to find out the rest of the story. I haven't read it carefully yet.

UPDATE: it appears that David Waltz, the author of the above blog, does not have issues with all of the Catholic doctrines, but mainly he 'can no longer affirm Papal infallibility, nor the inherit infallibility of the Ecumenical councils.'
Also, I was very surprised to see that David has my blog listed in his side bar, and under 'reformed links' too! I think the reformed (Calvinist) guys would think I should be under 'unreformable' as we've had some discussions about Calvinism here and on other blogs, and I am NOT a Calvinist, nor reformed, just a plain Baptist, and not Arminian either, as far as I can figure out what that means.

Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI Indulgentiarum Doctrina: Part Four

"Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those that come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." (Hebrews 7:25)

Following is an excerpt from 'Indulgentiarum Doctrina' chapter 4:

7. The conviction existing in the Church that the pastors of the flock of the Lord could set the individual free from the vestiges of sins by applying the merits of Christ and of the saints led gradually, in the course of the centuries and under the influence of the Holy Spirit's continuous inspiration of the people of God, to the usage of indulgences which represented a progression in the doctrine and discipline of the Church rather than a change.(33) From the roots of revelation a new advantage grew in benefit to the faithful and the entire Church.

The use of indulgences, which spread gradually, became a very evident fact in the history of the Church when the Roman Pontiffs decreed that certain works useful to the common good of the Church "could replace all penitential practices"(34) and that the faithful who were "truly repentant and had confessed their sins" and performed such works were granted "by the mercy of Almighty God and...trusting in the merits and the authority of his Apostles" and "by virtue of the fullness of the apostolic power," not only full and abundant forgiveness, but the most complete forgiveness for their sins possible."(35)

For "the only-begotten son of God...has won a treasure for the militant Church and has entrusted it to blessed Peter, the keybearer of heaven, and to his successors, Christ's vicars on earth, that they may distribute it to the faithful for their salvation, applying it mercifully for reasonable causes to all who are repentant and have confessed their sins, at times remitting completely and at times partially the temporal punishment due sin in a general as well as in special ways insofar as they judge it to be fitting in the eyes of the Lord. It is known that the merits of the Blessed Mother of God and of all the elect...add further to this treasure.(36)

Scripture says that those who are born again are 'saved to the uttermost' through faith in Christ's finished sacrifice by the work of the Holy Spirit and the Word. There is no mention or hint in scripture of bishops parceling out the 'merits' of Christ (and certainly not of saints and Mary) to believers to save them bit by bit. This is not the gospel of Jesus Christ. See the following passages to hear the true gospel and how it is given.

Psalm 119:
9 How can a young man cleanse his way?
By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You;
Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart,
That I might not sin against You.

John 15:3 You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.


John 17:17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

Acts 20:32 “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

Romans 5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
Christ in Our Place

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Justification and Grace Through Christ Alone

Here are two passages that show first, that justification is a one-time event, and secondly that Jesus is the One who is full of grace and through Whom we receive all grace, and by whom we are reconciled to God.

Romans 5
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; 4 and perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

6 For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. 11 And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.


John 1:
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
15 John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.’”
16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

Jesus Speaks About the Believer's Life Now and Hereafter

John 5:24
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life."

An Interesting Quote

On James Swan's blog, from a link to an older post in his sidebar about 'Obscure Luther Quotes', I found this quote from Harold O.J. Brown in his book
'Heresies: Heresy and Orthodoxy in the History of the Church':


On page 306, Brown states:

"It was not justification by faith alone that was the innovation and therefore the heresy; transubstantiation was the innovation that made the orthodoxy of the past into the heresy of the present. it made the promise of justification by faith alone appear fraudulent."

Apostolic Constitution of Pope Paul VI: Indulgentiarum Doctrina: Part Two

An excerpt from Indulgentiarum Doctrina, Chapter 2:

Following in the footsteps of Christ,(16) the Christian faithful have always endeavored to help one another on the path leading to the heavenly Father through prayer, the exchange of spiritual goods and penitential expiation. The more they have been immersed in the fervor of charity, the more they have imitated Christ in his sufferings, carrying their crosses in expiation for their own sins and those of others, certain that they could help their brothers to obtain salvation from God the Father of mercies.(17) This is the very ancient dogma of the Communion of the Saints,(18) whereby the life of each individual son of God in Christ and through Christ is joined by a wonderful link to the life of all his other Christian brothers in the supernatural unity of the Mystical Body of Christ till, as it were, a single mystical person is formed.(19)

Thus is explained the "treasury of the Church"(20) which should certainly not be imagined as the sum total of material goods accumulated in the course of the centuries, but the infinite and inexhaustible value the expiation and the merits of Christ Our Lord have before God, offered as they were so that all of mankind could be set free from sin and attain communion with the Father. It is Christ the Redeemer himself in whom the satisfactions and merits of his redemption exist and find their force.(21) This treasury also includes the truly immense, unfathomable and ever pristine value before God of the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints, who following in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have sanctified their lives and fulfilled the mission entrusted to them by the Father. Thus while attaining their own salvation, they have also cooperated in the salvation of their brothers in the unity of the Mystical Body.

"For all who are in Christ, having his spirit, form one Church and cleave together in him" (Eph. 4:16). Therefore the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who have gone to sleep in the peace of Christ is not in the least weakened or interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the perpetual faith of the Church, is strengthened by a communication of spiritual goods. For by reason of the fact that those in heaven are more closely united with Christ, they establish the whole Church more firmly in holiness, lend nobility to the worship which the Church offers to God here on earth and in many ways contribute to building it up evermore (1 Cor. 12: 12-27). For after they have been received into their heavenly home and are present to the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8), through him and with him and in him they do not cease to intervene with the Father for us, showing forth the merits which they have won on earth through the one Mediator between God and man, Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5), by serving God in all things and filling up in their flesh those things which are lacking of the sufferings of Christ for his Body which is the Church (Col. 1:24). Thus by their brotherly interest our weakness is greatly strengthened.(22)

For this reason there certainly exists between the faithful who have already reached their heavenly home, those who are expiating their sins in purgatory and those who are still pilgrims on earth a perennial link of charity and an abundant exchange of all the goods by which, with the expiation of all the sins of the entire Mystical Body, divine justice is placated. God's mercy is thus led to forgiveness, so that sincerely repentant sinners may participate as soon as possible in the full enjoyment of the benefits of the family of God.

The concept of the communion of the saints is certainly real and important, but the scripture speaks of it in the sense that we are one body, and can pray for and encourage each other; we suffer and rejoice together. However, scripture does not say that believers can expiate their own sins or those of fellow believers by prayers or actions. Scripture, on the contrary, says Jesus Christ is the only one who atones for our sins:

The word expiate is not used in the Bible, but the definition following says it is the same as to 'atone'.
Definition of expiate from dictionary.com:
ex·pi·ate (ěk'spē-āt')
v. ex·pi·at·ed, ex·pi·at·ing, ex·pi·ates

v. tr.
To make amends or reparation for; atone: expiate one's sins by acts of penance.
v. intr.
To make amends; atone.

The scriptures tell us Who atones for our sins:
Psalm 65:3
3 Iniquities prevail against me;
As for our transgressions,
You will provide atonement for them.

Psalm 79:9
9 Help us, O God of our salvation,
For the glory of Your name;
And deliver us, and provide atonement for our sins,
For Your name’s sake!

Ezekiel 16
60 “Nevertheless I will remember My covenant with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed, when you receive your older and your younger sisters; for I will give them to you for daughters, but not because of My covenant with you. 62 And I will establish My covenant with you. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, 63 that you may remember and be ashamed, and never open your mouth anymore because of your shame, when I provide you an atonement for all you have done,” says the Lord GOD.’”

Some of the translations don't use the word atone or atonement in the New Testament, but the concept of 'propitiation' or 'reconciliation' is used:

Propitiation:
that by which God is rendered propitious, i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to execise his love towards sinners. In Rom. 3:25 and Heb. 9:5 (A.V., "mercy-seat") the Greek word _hilasterion_ is used. It is the word employed by the LXX. translators in Ex. 25:17 and elsewhere as the equivalent for the Hebrew _kapporeth_, which means "covering," and is used of the lid of the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:21; 30:6). This Greek word (hilasterion) came to denote not only the mercy-seat or lid of the ark, but also propitation or reconciliation by blood. On the great day of atonement the high priest carried the blood of the sacrifice he offered for all the people within the veil and sprinkled with it the "mercy-seat," and so made propitiation. In 1 John 2:2; 4:10, Christ is called the "propitiation for our sins." Here a different Greek word is used (hilasmos). Christ is "the propitiation," because by his becoming our substitute and assuming our obligations he expiated our guilt, covered it, by the vicarious punishment which he endured. (Comp. Heb. 2:17, where the expression "make reconciliation" of the A.V. is more correctly in the R.V. "make propitiation.")
Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

Scripture says Jesus Christ made propitiation for the sins of the people:
Hebrews 2:17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted.

1 John 2: 1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. (This also shows that when we sin, Jesus is our mediator and advocate sitting at the right hand of God after finishing His sacrifice on the cross; His sacrifice is not being perpetually or repeatedly offered; IT IS FINISHED;Hebrews 10:12: "But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God.")

1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Scripture says that if believers sin, they are forgiven and cleansed if they confess their sins to God:
1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Scripture says that we receive justification and forgiveness (atonement) by faith in Jesus Christ, apart from works (including works of penance and indulgences):
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Repost: The Sabbath Rest series

I am posting a link here to the search page for all posts labeled 'Sabbath' by which I mean Jesus as our Sabbath Rest by faith. It is a very important subject to understand: belief vs. unbelief; salvation begins with justification by faith apart from works, which then produces good works as we live by grace through faith. It is all by grace, which is unmerited favor from God.
Please read the posts in order starting from the one at the bottom of the page.

Justification by Faith apart from Works

John 6:28 Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?”
29 Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.”

From Polish Catholicism to Trusting Christ Alone: Berean Beacon video

Berean Beacon has a video testimony by Peter Slomski, who is also in the earlier video post here on my blog, telling of how he was raised as a Roman Catholic and later came to faith in Jesus Christ by being convicted of his sins by the Holy Spirit through God's word; he realized that it is Christ's righteousness alone that saves, not his own, and not the sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

Heaven and Hell: a sermon by Charles Spurgeon

My pastor quoted from this sermon by Charles Spurgeon today in his sermon, and I looked it up and thought it would be good to share it.
Following is the introduction to the sermon; please follow the link to read the entire sermon.

A Sermon

(No. 39-40)

Delivered on Tuesday Evening, September 4, 1855, by the

REV. C.H. SPURGEON

In a field, King Edward’s Road, Hackney.

“And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”—Matthew 8:11-12.

This is a land where plain speaking is allowed, and where the people are willing to afford a fair hearing to any one who can tell them that which is worth their attention. To-night I am quite certain of an attentive audience, for I know you too well to suppose otherwise. This field, as you are all aware, is private property; and I would just give a suggestion to those who go out in the open air to preach—that it is far better to get into a field, or a plot of unoccupied building-ground, than to block up the roads and stop business; it is moreover, far better to be somewhat under protection, so that we can at once prevent disturbance.

To-night, I shall, I hope, encourage you to seek the road to heaven. I shall also have to utter some very sharp things concerning the end of the lost in the pit of hell. Upon both these subjects I will try and speak, as God helps me. But, I beseech you, as you love your souls, weigh right and wrong this night; see whether what I say be the truth of God. If it be not, reject it utterly, and cast it away; but if it is, at your peril disregard it; for, as you shall answer before God, the great Judge of heaven and earth, it will go ill with you if the words of his servant and of his Scripture be despised.

My text has two parts. The first is very agreeable to my mind, and gives me pleasure; the second is terrible in the extreme; but, since they are both the truth, they must be preached. The first part of my text is, “I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” The sentence which I call the black, dark, and threatening part is this: “But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

I. Let us take the first part. Here is a most glorious promise. I will read it again: “Many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.” I like that text, because it tells me what heaven is, and gives me a beautiful picture of it. It says, it is a place where I shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. O what a sweet thought that is for the working man! He often wipes the hot sweat from his face, and he wonders whether there is a land where he shall have to toil no longer. He scarcely ever eats a mouthful of bread that is not moistened with the sweat of his brow. Often he comes home weary, and flings himself upon his couch, perhaps too tired to sleep. He says, “Oh! is there no land where I can rest? Is there no place where I can sit, and for once let these weary limbs be still? Is there no land where I can be quiet? Yes, thou son of toil and labor,

“There is a happy land

Far, far away—“

where toil and labor are unknown. Beyond yon blue welkin there is a city fair and bright, its walls are jasper, and its light is brighter than the sun. There “the weary are at rest, and the wicked cease from troubling.” Immortal spirits are yonder, who never wipe sweat from their brow, for “they sow not, neither do they reap;” they have not to toil and labor.

“There, on a green and flowery mount,

Their weary souls shall sit;

And with transporting joys recount

The labors of their feet.”

To my mind, one of the best views of heaven is, that it is a land of rest—especially to the working man. Those who have not to work hard, think they will love heaven as a place of service. That is very true. But to the working man, to the man who toils with his brain or with his hands, it must ever be a sweet thought that there is a land where we shall rest. Soon, this voice will never be strained again; soon, these lungs will never have to exert themselves beyond their power; soon, this brain shall not be racked for thought; but I shall sit at the banquet-table of God; yea, I shall recline on the bosom of Abraham, and be at ease for ever. Oh! weary sons and daughters of Adam, you will not have to drive the ploughshare into the unthankful soil in heaven, you will not need to rise to daily toils before the sun hath risen, and labor still when the sun hath long ago gone to his rest; but ye shall be still, ye shall be quiet, ye shall rest yourselves, for all are rich in heaven, all are happy there, all are peaceful. Toil, trouble, travail, and labor, are words that cannot be spelled in heaven; they have no such things there, for they always rest.

And mark the good company they sit with. They are to “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.” Some people think that in heaven we shall know nobody. But our text declares here, that we “shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.” Then I am sure that we shall be aware that they are Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob. I have heard of a good woman, who asked her husband, when she was dying, “My dear, do you think you will know me when you and I get to heaven?” “Shall I know you?” he said, “why, I have always known you while I have been here, and do you think I shall be a greater fool when I get to heaven?” I think it was a very good answer. If we have known one another here, we shall know one another there. I have dear departed friends up there, and it is always a sweet thought to me, that when I shall put my foot, as I hope I may, upon the threshold of heaven, there will come my sisters and brothers to clasp me by the hand and say, “Yes, thou loved one, and thou art here.” Dear relatives that have been separated, you will meet again in heaven. One of you has lost a mother—she is gone above; and if you follow the track of Jesus, you shall meet her there. Methinks I see yet another coming to meet you at the door of Paradise; and though the ties of natural affection may be in a measure forgotten,—I may be allowed to use a figure—how blessed would she be as she turned to God, and said, “Here am I, and the children that thou hast given me.” We shall recognize our friends:—husband, you will know your wife again. Mother, you will know those dear babes of yours—you marked their features when they lay panting and gasping for breath. You know how ye hung over their graves when the cold sod was sprinkled over them, and it was said, “Earth to earth. Dust to dust, and ashes to ashes.” But ye shall hear those loved voices again: ye shall hear those sweet voices once more; ye shall yet know that those whom ye loved have been loved by God. Would not that be a dreary heaven for us to inhabit, where we should be alike unknowing and unknown? I would not care to go to such a heaven as that. I believe that heaven is a fellowship of the saints, and that we shall know one another there. I have often thought I should love to see Isaiah; and, as soon as I get to heaven, methinks, I would ask for him, because he spoke more of Jesus Christ than all the rest. I am sure I should want to find out good George Whitefield—he who so continually preached to the people, and wore himself out with a more than seraphic zeal. O yes! We shall have choice company in heaven when we get there. There will be no distinction of learned and unlearned, clergy and laity, but we shall walk freely one among another; we shall feel that we are brethren; we shall “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.” I have heard of a lady who was visited by a minister on her deathbed, and she said to him, “I want to ask you one question, now I am about to die.” “Well,” said the minister, “what is it?” “Oh!” said she, in a very affected way, “I want to know if there are two places in heaven, because I could not bear that Betsy in the kitchen should be in heaven along with me, she is so unrefined?” The minister turned round and said, “O! don’t trouble yourself about that, madam. There is no fear of that; for, until you get rid of you accursed pride, you will never enter heaven at all.” We must all get rid of our pride. We must come down and stand on an equality in the sight of God, and see in every man a brother, before we can hope to be found in glory. Aye, we bless God, we thank him that there will be no separate table for one and for another. The Jew and the Gentile will sit down together. The great and the small shall feed in the same pasture, and we shall “sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.”

Charles Spurgeon: The Form and Spirit of Religion

Following is the introduction to a sermon by Charles Spurgeon. Please follow the link to read the whole sermon.
A Sermon

(No. 186)

Delivered on Sabbath Morning, April 4, 1858, by the

REV. C.H. SPURGEON

At the Music Hall, Royal Surrey Gardens.



“Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.”—1 Samuel 4:3.

THESE MEN made a great mistake: what they wanted was the Lord in their midst; whereas they imagined that the symbol of God’s presence, the ark of the covenant, would be amply sufficient to bestow upon them the assistance which they required in the day of battle. As is man, such must his religion be. Now, man is a compound being. To speak correctly, man is a spiritual being: he hath within him a soul, a substance far beyond the bounds of matter. But man is also made up of a body as well as a soul. He is not pure spirit; his spirit is incarnate in flesh and blood. Now, such is our religion. The religion of God is, as to its vitality, purely spiritual—always so; but since man is made of flesh as well as of spirit, it seemed necessary that his religion should have something of the outward, external, and material, in which to embody the spiritual, or else man would not have been able to lay hold upon it. This was especially the case under the old dispensation. The religion of the Jew is really a heavenly and spiritual thing; a thing of thought, a thing that concerns the mind and spirit; but the Jew was untaught; he was but a babe, unable to understand spiritual things unless he saw them pictured out to him, or, (to repeat what I have just said) unless he saw them embodied in some outward type and symbol: and therefore God was pleased to give the Jew a great number of ceremonies, which were to his religion what the body is to man’s soul. The Jewish religion taught the doctrine of the atonement, but the Jew could not understand it, and therefore God gave him a lamb to be slain every morning and every evening, and he gave him a goat over which the sins of the people were to be confessed, and which was to be driven into the depths of the wilderness, to show the great doctrine of a substitute and atonement through him. The Jewish religion teaches, as one of its prominent doctrines, the unity of the Godhead; but the Jew was ever apt to forget that there was but one God; and God, to teach him that, would have but one temple, and but one altar upon which the sacrifice might rightly be offered. So that the idea of the one God was (as I have already said) made incarnate in the fact that there was but one temple, but one altar, and but one great high priest. And mark, this is true of our religion—Christianity: not true to so full an extent as of Judaism—for the religion of the Jew had a gross and heavy body—but our religion has a body transparent, and having but little of materialism in it. If you ask me what I would call the materialism of our religion, the embodiment of the spiritual part of that in which we trust and hope, I would point, first of all, to the two ordinances of the Lord, Baptism and the Lord’s Supper. I would point you next to the services of God’s house, to the Sabbath day, to the outward ritual of our worship: I would point you to our solemn song, to our sacred service of prayer; and I would point you also—and I think I am right in so doing—to the form of sound words, which we ever desire to hold fast and firm, as containing that creed which it is necessary for men to believe if they would hold the truth as it is in Jesus. Our religion, then, has an outward form even to this day; for the Apostle Paul, when he spoke of professing Christians, spoke of some who had “a form of godliness, but denied the power thereof.” So that it is still true, though I confess not to the same extent as it was in the days of Moses, that religion must have a body, that the spiritual thing may come out palpably before our vision, and that we may see it.