- The 1689 LBCoF on When God Justifies

8. The 1689 LBCoF on When God Justifies His People

The 1689 CoF is the Doctrinal Standard of your churches. What does this Confession say? Let me quote for you the relevant passages. They speak for themselves.

1689.10.1: “Those whom God hath predestined unto life, He is pleased in His appointed and accepted time, effectually to call, by His Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ…”
Here is the effectual calling unto eternal life, of each and every single elect at God’s appointed and accepted time. There is no exception. Every elect is eternally saved this solitary way by pure grace. Effectual calling is always accompanied by justification, regeneration and adoption. And the gift of the Spirit, which include faith and repentance are given to the adopted elect so that they may believe.

1689.11.1: “Those whom God effectually calleth He also free justifieth…”
Here is justification applied when God in His appointed and accepted time, actually applies Christ to each elect at effectual calling. (1689.11.4) Justification decreed in eternity, and secured at the cross is applied at effectual calling. Justification takes place before an elect has life to believe. Justification is a gracious act. This is logically followed by regeneration.

1689.12.1: “All those that are justified, God vouchsafeth… to made partakers of the grace of adoption, by which they are taken into the number, and enjoy the liberties and privilege of the children of God…”
Here is adoption through the regeneration work of the Holy Spirit. Regeneration follows after the application of justification at effectual calling unto life. At regeneration, spiritual life is birthed. This eternal and spiritual life gives ability to the elect to believe Christ and repent towards God.

All those whom God has predestinated to eternal life, He effectually calls and freely justifies them in time,when they were ungodly, dead in sin and enemies, by removing the just condemnation, and imputing freely the justification of life. These He also made partakers of the grace of adoption… i.e., regenerated by His Spirit to become His children.

1689.13.1: “They who are effectually called and regenerated… are further sanctified really and personally…”

The effectually called and regenerated are definitively sanctified, set apart from spiritual death to eternal life once for all. These are further sanctified through the ministry of the word – the role and function of the gospel preaching. See appendix 3. The phrase ‘are further sanctified’ presupposes the definitive once-for-all sanctification already accomplished through the effectual call. The once-for-all sanctification happened when an elect is once-for-all separated from spiritual death to eternal life at effectual calling. Those who are definitively sanctified are capable of being further sanctified subjectively and experientially in the life-long progressive sanctification.

1689.14.1: “The grace of faith, whereby the elect are enabled to believe to the saving of their souls…” is the beginning of the process when such elect are further sanctified in a very real and personal way. This process of being further sanctified is initiated and maintained by the ministry of the word. This is initial conversion to Christ through the gospel call. The saving of the soul here is experiential (see further elaboration later).

Faith in Jesus Christ is only possible after the effectual call to life. It is the effectual call unto life that enables the elect to believe. The effectual call turns a condemned dead child of wrath into a justified living child of God bestowed with the gift of faith to believe. Justification, regeneration and adoption accompany effectual calling. But justification clearly precedes regeneration – imputing the right to life must precede the actual imparting of life. Therefore faith is clearly AFTER justification, as the Confession plainly declares. Vital justification is prior, and therefore, WITHOUT faith. Practical or evidential justification is by faith. Faith in Christ demonstrates, vindicates, or justifies the person as one of God’s elect, redeemed and effectually called unto life.

If you no longer believe what the 1689 CoF has plainly summarized, it is time to disown it as the Doctrinal Standard of your church. It is no good treating it as an irrelevant historical relic.