Thoughts on Justification

[Brightfame52]

I am currently on holiday, and have been doing a bit of study. I am interested to know what folk here think about Justification.
So firstly, how does justification differ from forgiveness?

Secondly, in the Book of Romans, Paul tells us that we are justified by three things:
1. We are justified by grace. Rom. 3:24.
2. We are justified by faith. Rom. 5:1.
3. We are justified by the blood of Christ. Rom. 5:9.

How would one reconcile these three statements?

They are the same. Faith in Rom 5:1 is Christ

Therefore being justified by Christ, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:

 

[DaveXR650]

The question is still why does God justify us? The answer is because we believe. Did you not understand that? As we see in Tit 3 Paul is writing to believers and is reminding them of how they should behave as Christians and of what their hope is, "eternal life" Tit 3:7

This is a valid point but did not the OP address this?

2. We are justified by faith. Rom. 5:1.

Where we have to be careful is exactly what we mean by this. To say a gift has to be received to be of any use to someone is I think, OK. And to say faith is the actual linking to salvation or the hand reaching out so to speak is fine. But to say on one hand that one's faith is what God "looks for" in the sense that it changes his mind and makes Him decide to save you could lead to the charge that you are making it a work or a merit. On the other hand, in an attempt to honor Christ as providing all meritorious reasons for our justification, if you make faith so independent of the one exercising it that you no longer have anything to say to people regarding what they must do to be saved - then you confuse people and disobey scripture.

Some Calvinists do this because they take the theology and apply the overall truth without regard to what is happening in the mind of the person hearing the gospel. The fact is, from your personal standpoint, you hear the gospel and do decide for Christ. It's also quite possible that this was a result of the work of the Holy Spirit, and the case for this being a response to regeneration is possible. There is a balance, and I can say that the church I went to that was very Calvinistic, did indeed believe in witnessing and calling on everyone to repent and believe. They are Reformed Baptist. The church I am at now is less reformed but not by much and they also believe that nothing will happen to anyone as far as salvation is concerned without the Holy Spirit's prior work.

What we see are the limits of theology. We are talking about God, who is infinite, sovereign, and is working things out according to his will. We are finite, always in the process of coming to and reacting to each moment in time. To learn something and then make a decision is how we do things and it is wrong to deny this. That does not mean that God must operate the same way.

 

[Brightfame52]

Yes Christ was obedient unto death but it is not his faith that saves us or all the world would be saved.

Yes it is His faith/faithfulness that saves the elect. And the world is saved by way of all the elect being saved.

The question is still why does God justify us? The answer is because we believe.

Christ Justifies the elect because Christ died for their sins, and they because of that believe.

 

[Silverhair]

This is a valid point but did not the OP address this?

I was just addressing comments by @percho. But yes the OP did address his concerns but he seems to have missed that.

To learn something and then make a decision is how we do things and it is wrong to deny this. That does not mean that God must operate the same way.

We see that God has provide the means for us to know Him but we still have to respond to those various means.

That response is either rejection of or faith in Him. The reason that God will save a person is because of their faith so it is logical to say He looks for that faith and responds to it by saving them just as He responds to their rejection of Him by condemning them.

God being omniscient foreknows all that will happen, so no surprises. He knows all those that will freely trust in Him just as He knows all those that will freely reject Him but does not cause them to do so.

 

[Silverhair]

Yes it is His faith/faithfulness that saves the elect. And the world is saved by way of all the elect being saved.

Christ Justifies the elect because Christ died for their sins, and they because of that believe.

BF you are just parroting your standard calvinist misunderstanding of the word of God.

I have pointed this out to you many times and you still ignore what the bible says,

 

[Brightfame52]

BF you are just parroting your standard calvinist misunderstanding of the word of God.

I have pointed this out to you many times and you still ignore what the bible says,

The elect are made righteous by His faithful obedience Rom 5:19

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

If one is made righteous, thats salvation. A righteous man is saved Matt 13 43


Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

According to Rom 5:19 how did they become righteous?

 

[Silverhair]

The elect are made righteous by His faithful obedience Rom 5:19

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

If one is made righteous, thats salvation. A righteous man is saved Matt 13 43


Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

According to Rom 5:19 how did they become righteous?

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith;

Rom_4:3 For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Gal_3:6 Even so Abraham BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Jas_2:23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God.

According to the word of God a person is reckoned as righteous because they believe. You seem to have a problem grasp that fact BF.

 

[percho]

Paul was going from Jerusalem to Damascus in un-belief.

Did Paul change his own mind from un-belief unto belief or did God call him out of un-belief unto belief by baptizing him with the Spirit of Truth?

Did Paul choose Jesus or was Paul a chosen vessel?

I believe God choose Paul to be of the faith of God for his purpose.
I believe God choose Abraham to be of the faith of God for his purpose.

God called Abraham unto belief declaring him just.

Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:18 God works through whom God calls. Not through who choses God.