VII. The 5th Theological Statement

VII. The 5th Theological Statement Briefly Examined


‘Standard reformed’: Faith secures your justification before God. God justifies when you believe. By faith you shall be justified and live.
1689 Baptist: Faith evidences your justification by God. God justified us when we were enemies. The justified ones shall live by faith.


The 5th theological statement expressed in your letter is:
“Justification by faith alone – that faith is the sole ‘instrument’ by which we receive the righteousness of Christ.”

Let me say up-front that I do believe in justification by faith, i.e., practical justification is evidenced by faith and works, and not the popular but inconsistent and deficient idea that legal justification is secured by faith alone. Is there any difference? Is this just semantics and hair splitting? You decide for yourself. Is there a difference between saying ‘life is evidenced by heartbeats’ and ‘life is secured by heartbeats’’? If there isn’t, you don’t need to read further. If there is, then read on and learn something quite important concerning the gospel and your justification.

The 1689 Confession (11.1) says in part, “…God imputes to them Christ’s active obedience to the whole law and his passive obedience in death. They receive Christ’s righteousness by faith, and rest on Him.” I must admit that your theological statement sounds similar to the statement from the CoF, and therefore appears to be correct. But appearance is deceiving when we consider the exact sense of your theological statement in light of your own definitions.

I have alluded to this subject of justification and faith along the way in my response to the official Theological Paper issued by the Reformed Baptist Fraternal so some of the material may be repeated here. I believe we can tolerate good things being repeated. It is necessary to determine what the above statement of belief means. We do not want to assume to know the meaning. To do so, let me simply quote directly from the writings of the same proponents of this statement to demonstrate what they do exactly mean by their statement.

1. The Precise Meaning of the Theological Statement

What does the fifth theological statement mean? To know its exact meaning or sense, let us hear the words of some advocates and defenders of that theological position.

Pastor Kek asked, and answered his own question.
“How and when is a person justified (i.e., being declared as righteous, not guilty before God)? The answer is: “Justification by FAITH ALONE”! That means, it is only when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ that he will be justified, i.e., pronounced as not guilty before God…” [Emphasis original]

Pastor Kek also made the following statements (quotes):
- “Faith is the means, instrument, channel, whereby a person is put in right standing before God.”
- “God from all eternity decreed to justify, but the justification happens in time when the elect believe.”
- “But there can be no justification without faith… Because no faith, no justification. The way to be justified is by faith (believing) in Jesus Christ!”
- “The elect is not justified and saved until he believes… When he believes, he is justified!”
- “It is when we believe (have faith), then only we are justified. We are justified by faith. Justification is not giving evidence, but being made right with God through the double imputation.”

From the above statements, several things may be concluded.
a. Justification (i.e., being declared as righteous, and not guilty by God) takes place when a person comes to faith in Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel. God’s act of justifying is conditional upon man’s act of believing when he hears the gospel.
b. Faith precedes justification, i.e., being declared as righteous, not guilty before God. Forensic and legal justification follows faith in Christ. Therefore without faith there can be no justification.
c. Faith is the necessary and indispensable means or instrument to secure one’s justification, i.e., to secure one’s right standing before and legal acceptance with God. It is ‘no faith, no justification (forensic and legal)’
d. Double imputation takes place when one believes, i.e. through faith [O please study Romans 5:12-21!]

I trust these are reasonable and fair conclusions from the clear statements quoted. I have no desire to misrepresent those who embrace these views. I myself do detest and abhor misrepresentation.

Elder Lam expresses the same view: “… God demanded that all must repent and believe, for sinners were and are justified [i.e., being declared as righteous, not guilty before God] by faith in Christ Jesus.” In the Theological Paper on behalf of the Reformed Baptist Fraternal, he said, “The application of redemption must involve a change in God’s judicial relation to us. God must deliver us from condemnation, and accepting us as righteous in His sight receives us into his favour and fellowship (Is.12.1-2). It is the actual justification we are referring to… it is an act of God, accomplished in time wherein God passes judgment with respect to us as individuals.”

The statement “The application of redemption must involve a change in God’s judicial relation to us” is true. However, when does this change in God’s judicial relation to His elect take place? Is it when God effectually calls His elect who were still condemned dead children of wrath to eternal life, or when the elect believe? The RBF’s answer is, when the elect have faith in Christ. The Scriptures say, when they were still ungodly, children of wrath, were still enemies, incapable of believing. It is true that God must deliver His elect from their just and deserved condemnation. Does God deliver His elect from their just and deserved condemnation in order that they may believe? Or does God deliver His elect from their condemnation when and because they believe?

Which is the good news, the former or the latter? Your answer is the latter, they must believe so that God may remove their condemnation. The Scriptures’ answer is that God has removed that condemnation when the elect were still enemies, SO THAT they may believe. He removes that condemnation and reconciles His elect to Himself, accepting them as righteous in His sight and receives them into His favour and fellowship, when they were still enemies and ungodly. He does that SO THAT they may believe the gospel of reconciliation in Jesus Christ. This actual justification – justification applied – is accomplished when God effectually calls individual spiritually dead elect, at His appointed and accepted time, to eternal life. It is accomplished when the elect has no spiritual life to believe. Justification applied is then consciously experienced by faith in Christ.

Another brother said, “Therefore, justification is an act of God, declaring a person righteous…. This justification comes after repentance and faith… Faith is the instrument or means through which the righteousness of Christ is applied to the elect, i.e., God declaring a person righteous… Justification is a legal declaration by the judge who is God alone, but it pleases God to justify a sinner when the person trusts (exercises faith) in God and Jesus… The meaning of Romans 3:26 is clear: God is the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Because of this and other verses, I believe that God justifies (declares righteous) the person after He gives faith and the person believes.”

These are some samples of clear statements articulated by those who presently hold to and defend the ‘standard reformed position’ concerning the doctrine of justification. The theological statement is an apt summary of the views expressed by these brethren.

Now, the important question is: Are the views articulated in their statements consistent and adequate expression of the biblical truth on justification by faith? Are they in harmony with the explicit teaching of Scriptures, and as plainly summarized in the 1689 Confession of Faith? Or are they at best inconsistent and deficient? Let us consider these matters objectively.


2. The Confession’s Summary on the Teaching of Justification

The CoF defines justification as “Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth1, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous2; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them, but for Christ’s sake alone3; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness; but by imputing Christ’s active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness4, they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God5,” 1689.11.1. (1) Ro 3:24; 8:30. (2) Ro 4:5-8; Eph 1:7. (3) 1Co 1:30-31; Ro 5:17-19. (4) Ph 3:8-9; Eph 2:8-10. (5) Jn 1:12; Ro 5:17.]

The 1689 CoF defines ‘justification’ both positively, and negatively. Positively, justification is an act of God’s free and sovereign grace declaring and accepting a guilty person as righteous by pardoning all his sins, and by imputing to him Christ’s active obedience unto the whole law, and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness. Negatively, justification is not by infusing righteousness into them; not for anything wrought in them, or done by them; not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them, as their righteousness. Then by faith, which is a saving grace worked in the heart by the Spirit of God, a person receives and rests on Christ and His righteousness, is mentioned.

The Shorter Catechism asks, “What is justification?” and answers, “Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins1, and accepts us as righteous in His sight2, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us3, and received by faith alone4.” 1. Eph 1:7. 2. 2Cor 5:21. 3. Rom 5:19. 4. Gal 2:16.