Westminster Confession of Faith 11.1-6
I. Those whom God effectually calls, He also freely justifies;
not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins,
and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous; not for any
thing wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; nor
by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other
evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing
the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them,
they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith; which
faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.
II. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification:
yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied
with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love.
III. Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt
of all those that are thus justified, and did make a proper, real and
full satisfaction to His Father's justice in their behalf. Yet, in as much as He was given by the Father for them; and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead; and both, freely, not for any thing in them; their justification is only of free grace; that both the exact justice, and rich grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.
IV. God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in the fullness of time, die for their sins, and rise again for their justification: nevertheless, they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit does, in due time, actually apply Christ unto them.
V. God does continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified; and although they can never fall from the state of justification,
yet they may, by their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure, and
not have the light of His countenance restored unto them, until they
humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their faith
and repentance.
VI. The justification of believers under the Old Testament was, in
all these respects, one and the same with the justification of believers
under the New Testament.
Summary
The chosen people of God are not only called, but also justified by God. Justification means that God pardons their sins and accounts them as righteous in His sight. It does not mean that they actually are righteous; they are sinners. But God counts them as righteous for the sake of Christ alone. This righteousness is given to them as a free gift, laid hold of by faith alone, which is itself a gift of God. Faith alone is the instrument whereby the elect lay hold of Christ's righteousness and are justified by God. But that faith which justifies them is a living faith, not dead, and it is a faith which produces the fruit of the Spirit in them, working through love. This is how we reconcile the apparent contradiction between Paul and James:
"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law...but to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness". (Romans 3:28; 4:5)
"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:24)
Paul is speaking of what it is that justifies a person before God: faith alone, and not works. James is speaking of what sort of faith it is that justifies a person: not a faith that is dead and alone, but a living faith which always produces good works. Justification by faith alone means justification by living faith alone; dead faith has never and will never justify anyone before God.
Christ paid the penalty for His people in full, discharging their debt to the Father. But inasmuch as He was freely given by the Father in love, and not because His people deserved it, the satisfaction He provided is still gracious. In this way, God demonstrates His exact justice in the substitutionary punishment of His Son, and He demonstrates His rich grace in giving His Son freely for sinners. "...that God might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." (Romans 3:26b)
Once God has justified a sinner, He never rescinds on it. He invented the principle of double jeopardy. Once God has dealt with His peoples' sins in the death and resurrection of Jesus, He never brings them up again. Another way to say this is that those whom God justifies can never become unjustified again. However, as His children, the elect can fall under God's fatherly displeasure. Their sins may lead God to hide His face from them for a time of chastisement, much as our earthly fathers may punish us for a time when we transgress or disobey them. But His fatherly mercy will always win out and He is quick to forgive. When we humble ourselves, confess our sins, and renew our repentance, God restores us to His favor again.
In the contrast between Paul and James (above), it is interesting that they both use Abraham as their example. Abraham, the spiritual father of all believers, is the prime Biblical example of faith in God. Abraham, and all Old Testament believers, were justified in the same way that New Testament believers are justified: faith in Jesus Christ alone. In Hebrews 11, the apostle goes through a laundry list of OT believers, from Abel to the prophets. He declares that all of them were justified by faith, and even faith in Jesus. Some people, especially apostate Jews, believe that Jesus isn't in the Old Testament. But Paul says that even Moses, the greatest prophet, believed in Jesus. In fact, Moses went through with his God-ordained mission because "he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt" (Hebrews 11:26). Another way to say it is that the Bible is always the book of Christians: Abel was a Christian; Abraham was a Christian; Moses was a Christian; David was a Christian; and they were all Christians in the same way that we are: by faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
+ Blessings in Christ +
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