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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 21, 2008 21:19:56 GMT -5
'Justification' in the New Testament By Gordon C. Olson The term "justify" means to administer justice, or to execute justice upon. It is the opposite of leniency and compromise and has nothing to do with mercy. It means to adjust or arrange exactly, to pronounce free from guilt or blame; or to absolve. It is to prove or to show to be just, to vindicate, to maintain or defend as conformable to law, right, justice, or duty. Justification would then be the administration or execution of justice, the act of justifying or state of being justified. There is certainly a basic difference between being saved by strict judicial justice and by the forgiveness of sins. Forgiveness we have seen to be God's relaxation of His claims against us out of His benevolent kindness. The idea of a salvation by strict judicial justice, of course, could not involve any justice in the individual being saved, for he is guilty. It must involve an arrangement by which the merits of a substitute are so literally imputed or set down to the account of the individual as to be come in some mysterious way his very own. Then for the negative side, the disposition of guilt, there must be a literal transfer of every iota to a substitute who must suffer the exact equivalent of a given amount of suffering multiplied by an endless duration of time. With total guilt literally discharged, and in its place a positive moral character credited to the individual, a perfect standing before God would evolve which would be independent of moral state or condition. God would not see the individual as he is and has been, but rather the merits and accomplishments of his substitute. A salvation based upon a literal interpretation of the word "justification" would be strictly judicial, a forensic proceeding, which would appear to be in conflict with the many words which speak of the Godhead as relaxing their claims against man in the forgiveness of sins. Justification is an insistence upon the fulfillment of every claim; forgiveness is the waiving of all claims. The essential ideas of justification and forgiveness, therefore, are plainly antagonistic to each other. One or the other must be modified. The bible must be its own interpreter. There must be a sense in which the New Testament uses the words "justify" and "justification" that is in haromony with the beautiful and uniform message of the Bible, that "God is love" in very essence of moral character and is overwhelmingly willing to forgive repentant sinners if the problems involved therein can be solved. The problems are not within the essential nature of God, as we have seen and shall further see. There we have a complete conquest of love. The problems of forgiveness arise because of God's relationship to man as a Moral Governor, responsible for the administration of justice to all moral beings. The words in question are part of a whole family of words derived from the same basic word for "right" or "justice" (dikee, 1349), which in its New Testament meaning relates to a judicial hearing or judicial sentence, especially a sentence of condemnation: Acts 25:15; 28:4; 2 The. 1:9; Jude 7. Derived from this word is the word "righteous" (dikaios, 1342), frequently used to describe one who is such as he ought to be, with no implication that this is not an actual description of an inner state or condition (Mt. 5:45; 9:13; 13:49; 25:46; Acts 24:15; Rom. 3:10; 3:26; 1 Tim. 1:9; 1 Pet. 3:12; 4:18; 1 John 1:9; 3:7; Rev. 22:11). Akin to this word is the word "righteously" or "justly" (dikaios, 1346), which properly means, "agreeable to what is right or rightly" (Luke 23:41; 1 Cor 15:34; 1 The. 2:10; Titus 2:12; 1 Pet. 2:23). Then we have the common word "righteousness" (dikaiosunee, 1343), which describes the virtue or quality or state of one who is righteous. In the broad sense it refers to the state of one who is such as he ought to be, the condition acceptable to God. This involves a dealing with the guilt of past sin as well as with a present state. Where is the proof of the idea that man can be in a present state of acceptance with God in the commission of more or less sin, because of some mysterious arrangement of grace whereby God does not deal with actualities that are occurring? The following passages certainly imply that there is not only forgiveness of sin but a cessation from sin: Mat. 5:6, 20; 6:33; Acts 17:31; 24:25; Rom 1:7; 3:25-26; 4:5 (this must clear up past sin), Eph. 4:24; Phil. 3:9; 1 Tim. 6:11; Heb. 11:7; James 2:23; 1 Peter 2:24; 2 Peter 2:21; 1 John 2:29; 3:7, 10. We have also the verb "to make righteous (dikaioo, 1344), which conveys the idea of rendering one righteous or such as he ought to be, but has also come to mean to declare or pronounce one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be, thus to acquit of a charge or reproach and be acceptable to God. We have key usages as follows: Mt. 12:37; Luke 18:14; Acts 13:39; Ro. 3:20, 24, 26, 28, 30; 4:5; 5:1, 9; 6:7 ("freed" is "justified"); 8:30, 33; 1 Cor 6:11 (follows "sanctified"); Gal. 2:16-17; 3:24; Titus 3:7; James 2:24-25; Rev. 22:11. Finally, we have "justification" (dikaiosis), properly a making right or just, a declaration of right or justice, thus of the act of God's declaring men free from guilt and acceptable to Him, adjudging them to be righteous. We have tow instances of this word: Rom 4:25 ("raised again for our justification") and 5:18 ("unto justification of life"). We also have in this series the word of "a judge" (dikastees, 1348), occurring in Luke 12:14; Acts 7:27, 35. With this summary of all the words relating to the idea of "justification" before us, it is at once evident that they are not used of a Divine procedure of salvation that deals with some sort of an imputed standing before God that does not relate to the state or condition of the one being saved. The idea of standing and state are intermixed on every hand. Man's acceptance before God is an inseparable combination of the two. Man is acceptable to God when he presents himself before God to be transformed completely by the grace of God, applied by the Holy spirit through the atonement of Christ, and be forgiven freely and graciously for all past sins. there are no present sins that do not affect acceptance with God. Present sin is a double audacity against the condescending grace of God in this climaxing era of God's manifested love. If sin was bad before, it is far more so now in this "dispensation of the grace of God." The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to show that the New Covenant far surpasses the Old, both in grandeur and in guilt for its rejection and disrespect (10:26-31). The idea of justification, then, is both a making righteous and a declaring righteous, whereupon it is the provision of God's loving grace that the resurrected Christ should dwell supreme in the transformed life. It is now "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27). It appears that the words "justify" and "justification" were peculiarly given through the Apostle Paul to add a profound emphasis to heretofore undeveloped concepts of the forgiveness of sin. It appears to relate particularly to the explanation as to how God has met the problem of forgiveness. It appears to stress the idea that the glorious atonement of Christ justifies God in the manner in which sin was forgiveness in the Old Testament times, and now in the New Testament era. The key passage on justification seems to be Rom. 3:21-26. In verse 25, the word "remission" is really "the passing over of sins that are past." This is the only instance of this word. The "sins that are past" doubtless refer to the sins that were forgiven before the accomplished atonement of Christ, indication that there was before that time an incomplete solution to the problem of forgiveness. God's conduct therein was subject to question as to proper regard for His governmental responsibilities in so freely pardoning sinners. The institution of animal sacrifices was not a satisfactory guarantee that great governmental ills should not be incurred by God's condescending love. But now all was different. The accomplishment of the Atonement, in spite of man's rebellion and utter stupidity, was a climatic achievement of Divine wisdom. Now God would not only be justified before the universe as to His perfect righteous rulership, but was safeguarded against possible ill effects of unheard-of condescensions of intimacy in the bestowal of the Holy Spirit to make the resurrected life of Christ a reality within us. We should notice in 1 John 1:9 that God's justice is distinguished from His forgiveness. The atonement of Christ enabled God to do justice to all His righteous obligations and at the same time forgive man freely out of His great heart of love, which He previously already wanted to do. Thus "justification" is an explanation of the Divine mode of forgiveness. We should notice that "justification" is not a mode of salvation that in any sense modifies the idea of simply gratuitous forgiveness, for the Apostle Paul uses "forgiveness of sins" in tow of his later epistles as embracing the sum total of salvation as far as man is concerned, namely Eph. 1:7 and Col. 1:14. Certainly, the full revelation of the Gospel instituted no changes in the Divine procedures, so "justification" must be interpreted in the light of that heart-rendering term "forgiveness," and we see that all fits together in the view presented. © 1994 Bible Research Corporation. Taken from pages 11 - 15 of "The Kindness of God our Savior" by Gordon C. Olson. This document may be freely copied and distributed as long as it is not altered.
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 22, 2008 7:30:59 GMT -5
The way I see it, forgiveness and justification are synonymous terms (Lk. 18:14; Acts 13:39; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:9; Tit. 3:7). The bible contrasts justification with condemnation (Prov. 17:15; Matt. 12:37). To be justified by His blood (Rom. 5:9) or to have the remission of sins through His blood (Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14) are essentially the same thing. Justification and remission are the same thing. When God forgives an individual, He set’s aside their punishment and does not hold their past sins against them (Rom. 3:25; 2 Pet. 1:9), He treats them as if they were righteous (Rom. 4:6-8). This is what the bible calls forgiveness, justification, and imputed righteousness.
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Post by frankf on Feb 22, 2008 8:34:50 GMT -5
The way I see it, forgiveness and justification are synonymous terms (Lk. 18:14; Acts 13:39; Rom. 3:24; Rom. 5:9; Tit. 3:7). The bible contrasts justification with condemnation (Prov. 17:15; Matt. 12:37). To be justified by His blood (Rom. 5:9) or to have the remission of sins through His blood (Matt. 26:28; Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14) are essentially the same thing. Justification and remission are the same thing. When God forgives an individual, He set’s aside their punishment and does not hold their past sins against them (Rom. 3:25; 2 Pet. 1:9), He treats them as if they were righteous (Rom. 4:6-8). This is what the bible calls forgiveness, justification, and imputed righteousness. Agreed... But justification by the blood of Christ entails more than a simple extrinsic declaration of righteousness. Olson makes note of this a few times in the article you posted... "The idea of justification, then, is both a making righteous and a declaring righteous, whereupon it is the provision of God's loving grace that the resurrected Christ should dwell supreme in the transformed life." It's nearly impossible to separate the ideas of justification and sanctification as they relate to the power of the blood of Christ. It's fine to establish artificial distinctions in the meaning of words for the sake of dialogue, but when we speak of "justification," we must also recognize that the grace involved in the forgiveness of sins simultaneously leads to an inward transformation.
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 22, 2008 11:02:41 GMT -5
That's exactly right Frank. Justification is not merely being declared righteous but it is actually being transformed by the Holy Spirit so that we actually live righteous.
This is from my commentary on Romans 5:
“. . . so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.”
Christ makes men righteous in their standing and in their doing. Those who are converted are accounted righteous by faith in His blood, and those who are converted are actually righteous by following His example. Christ brings pardon of previous sins and purification of present sins, forgiveness to the past and freedom to the present.
Being made righteous is conditional upon our choice to repent and believe, just as being made sinners is conditional upon our choice to rebel. Through Christ’s obedience in shedding His blood on the cross (Php. 2:8) we are given the possibility of being accounted righteous (forgiven) through faith. We can be forgiven (accounted righteous) upon condition of faith in His blood. God considers faith as righteousness, “…his faith is counted [imputed] for righteousness” (Rom. 4:5) “And therefore it [faith] was imputed [counted] to him for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed [counted] to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed [accounted], if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for [on behalf of] our offenses, and was raised again for our justification” (Rom. 4:22-25).
“Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted [imputed] to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, in thee shall all nations be blessed” (Gal. 3:6-8). And through Christ’s obedient life we are given an example to live righteous by following Him. Christ will “lead” us “in the way of righteousness” (Prov. 8:20). “For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you” (Jn. 13:15). “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps” (1 Pet. 2:21). “For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world” (Titus 2:11-12). We are to follow the example of brethren who are followers of Christ’s example (1 Cor. 11:1; Php. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9). We are to be “followers of God” (Eph. 5:1).
Being righteous is not only a standing but is also a moral character in relation to deeds: “Obedience unto righteousness” (Rom. 6:16). “Yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness” (Rom. 6:19). “If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him” (1 Jn. 2:29). “Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous” (1 Jn. 3:7). “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God” (1 Jn. 3:10). This type of righteousness has to do with deeds just as unrighteousness has to do with deeds (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
The purpose of the atonement was to cleanse sinners from all their sin, to pardon their past and to purify their present (Titus 2:14; 1 Col. 1:22, Pet. 2:24). Both imputed righteousness (forgiveness) and imparted righteousness (repentance unto obedience) are by faith in Christ, and not by outward works (Acts 26:18; Rom. 3:28; 1 Jn. 3:3).
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 22, 2008 11:13:51 GMT -5
Frank, Here is an article that touches on what you brought up, that there is no forgiveness without repentance and there is no justification without transformation. Taking Too Much for Granted by Jonathan Duttweiler
"And as they were returning, after spending the full number of days, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, and His parents were unaware of it, but supposed Him to be in the caravan..." Luke 2:43-44a The passage quoted from Luke is concerning the incident when Mary and Joseph had taken Jesus to Jersusalem. They were returning and took for granted Jesus was traveling with them; in fact they went a whole day's journey before discovering the truth. Their fault was they assumed that what they wanted to believe was so in fact, they took too much for granted! A simple check at the beginning of the journey would have saved a lot of time and anxiety. However, it is an understandable fault for it is one many Christians are in great danger of committing themselves. The whole church in our era is traveling along the road, purporting to be doing the ministry of Jesus Christ, while supposing things that are simply not true. A failure to check the facts, to support the assumptions, before going on has too often led to spiritual impotence and tragedy! The danger here is that the Church is taking Christ for granted and assuming, because it believes the New Testament, it is, in fact, full of New Testament Christians. Five Faulty Assumptions I believe there are five faulty assumptions, five things many people in the Church take for granted, that simply are not so. These five assumptions are not harmless errors, or nit-picking doctrines. They are fundamentally at the core of what it means to be in right relationship with God and they are assumed at the risk of the believer's salvation. Salvation is Possible Without Repentance First, too many assume that salvation is possible without repentance. "Just believe" are the watchwords for many. This sounds good, but is not true religion! Jesus said, "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand." (Matthew 4:17) To be forgiven, sin must be forsaken, yet a whole generation of Christians, evangelical and liberal alike, have come up believing that it is possible to "accept" Christ, to "just believe," without also forsaking the world. James declares in his epistle (Jas 4:4), "Ye adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore would be a friend of the world maketh himself an enemy of God." It seems clear, then, that apart from true repentance, there can be no forgiveness! Religion has value without Righteousness Perhaps one of the most prevalent assumptions, especially in this era of New Age religion and Humanistic "Christianity," is that religion has value without righteousness. Many people believe religion is little more than a beautiful thing capable of bringing courage and peace of mind to a troubled world. Back in the fifties President Eisenhower gave a speech on TV in which he called Americans back faith, any kind of faith. Religion based on this assumption simply becomes an addition for a well rounded life or a healthy society. However, the purpose of Christ's redeeming work was to make it possible for bad men to become good, deeply, radically, and finally! My problem with those who preach the Social Gospel is the same as it is with many in the Moral Majority or Christian Right, they have turned their faith into a vehicle to change the world. Yet, faith in Christ is not simply a solution to a moral problem, but rather a spiritual problem! What is wrong with our society is not simply that people do wrong, that we have the wrong political agenda, or that we are not spending our tax dollars in the right fashion, but that at their core, people ARE wrong! Through their faith in Christ, God intends to translate people out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His Son. As Paul writes: "...put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:24) Faith without works has value Another faulty assumption that many, particularly within the Church itself, make, is that faith without works has some value. However, scriptures clearly indicate just the opposite. James writes, "Even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself," (Jas. 2:26) and Paul says faith works by love. Where works are absent we can only conclude that faith is absent also! Don't let faith in faith displace faith in God. Again, Paul writes, "We are His workmanship, created for good works in Christ," (Ephesians 2:10) We can experience justification without transformation A fourth faulty assumption is that we can experience justification without transformation. In simple language, justification equals forgiveness. Essentially, when you are justified by faith, God treats you as though you had never sinned. Now, many believe this is conditioned solely upon "accepting" Jesus as Savior. They will say something like "you can believe in Jesus now as your personal savior. You don't have to worry about how you live. Sometime in future, when you're ready for a 'deeper spiritual life' you can turn your life over to Him and make Him Lord of your life." The problem is this isn't scriptural, its a faulty assumption! When God declares someone righteous, i.e. forgives him as if his sins never were, it is on the basis that they have given Him "carte blanc" to actually make them righteous. Now, this is not salvation by works and neither is it having to live a "perfect" life. God doesn't ask of you the impossible, but rather that you be willing to let Him work His will in your life. He will make you righteous, but you must be submitted to His will! We can do spiritual work without spiritual Power The last of the most common faulty assumptions many "Christians" are making is that they can do spiritual work without spiritual power. Many years ago there was an evangelistic push titled "I Found It." A public relations man was quoted as saying that the church now did with the media what early Church needed Holy Ghost for. This is a supreme example of this faulty assumption. For while we have many technological and programatic advances, it is only the Holy Spirit Who can truly empower and enable our efforts! David Brainerd once compared a man without the power of the Spirit trying to do spiritual work to a workman without fingers trying to do manual work. The Holy Spirit is not a luxury for "deluxe" Christians; He is an absolute necessity if we are to do God's work! Jesus said in Acts 1:8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Conclusion All of these assumptions rob the Church of vitality and life and effectiveness. They are made for many reasons: ignorance, delusion, deception, or spiritual blindness. But they are all ultimately rooted in same problem Mary and Joseph had: Supposing Jesus is with us when we have in fact left Him behind! We join the Church and assume Christ is with us; we come to service and assume He is there; we live "good" lives and assume Christ walks with us. All the while He is in the house of His Father because we have failed to truly examine ourselves and do that which is necessary for Him to walk with us. Unless we forsake our sin, come to Christ in faith and yield control of our lives to God, Jesus is not traveling with us. This page may be copied and distributed freely as long as it is not altered.
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Post by frankf on Feb 22, 2008 12:34:34 GMT -5
The purpose of the atonement was to cleanse sinners from all their sin, to pardon their past and to purify their present (Titus 2:14; 1 Col. 1:22, Pet. 2:24). Both imputed righteousness (forgiveness) and imparted righteousness (repentance unto obedience) are by faith in Christ, and not by outward works (Acts 26:18; Rom. 3:28; 1 Jn. 3:3). Agreed... The Atonement of Christ is the only means by which man is reconciled to God. The Law called for animal sacrifices, but these in themselves were of no value apart from their union with God's true sacrifice. The value of these animal sacrifices is derived only inasmuch as God permitted their temporary efficacy until His Son was revealed. "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." -Galatians 2:21 Those Old Testament saints were only righteous before God inasmuch as they acknowledged His true sacrifice on Calvary... "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad." -John 8:56 "And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." -Hebrews 11:39-40 This is why the animal sacrifices prescirbed in the Law were but a model for the one true sacrifice. There was no transformative power in them. Christ's atonement is of INFINITELY greater value than the blood of bulls and goats. The efficacy of those sacrifices stems directly from their union to the ultimate sacrifice. Even today, our daily sacrifices find value in the eyes of God only inasmuch as we unite them to the sacrifice of His Son... "Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Chrst." -1 Peter 2:5 Likewise, Paul invite us to unite our sufferings to Christ's sufferings on the cross for the sake of the church. Such suffering is not in vain (again - inasmuch as we unite it with Christ's sacrifice)... "... I Paul am made a minister; who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is left behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church..." -Collossians 1:24
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 22, 2008 12:57:29 GMT -5
Yes the blood offerings of the Old Testament were mere shadows and images of Christ who would come. It is the blood of Jesus Christ, and not the blood of bulls and goats, which is valuable enough to substitute our punishment.
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THE GROUND & CONDITIONS OF JUSTIFICATION Gordon C. Olson
There are certain conditions of the justification of sinners which are not arbitrary. A condition should be distinguished from a ground of justification as being that without which the sinner could not be justified. The ground of justification, or the source of fundamental reason back of the movement to save sinners, was the love of the whole Godhead. The following may be said to be the conditions of justification:
FIRST, the suffering or atonement of Christ, apart from which God could not exercise wisely His mercy. It would not be safe to forgive sin without a suitable public expression of its horror which would enable God to uphold His holy law. Since Christ obeyed the law, its wages of sin was not upon Him. Therefore, he could die for us who receive him in particular and for the entire world in general. The atonement makes it possible for God to extend mercy to all men.
SECOND, repentance is also a condition of justification. Not that there is any merit in repentance, but it is a state of heart in breaking with the course of sin that renders it possible for God to exercise His mercy.
THIRD, faith in Christ and toward God which accepts the work of the entire Godhead and embraces them as actual facts.
FOURTH, present sanctification or a state of full present consecration to God. This is involved in repentance and may be thought of as a positive state while repentance is a turning from sin, taking God's side against ourselves as sinners. To sanctify is merely to set apart. This condition then is a present state of devotion to God (I Cor. 6:11; "And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." II Thess. 2:13) "But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:"
FIFTH, perseverance in faith and obedience, or continuing in a state of consecration, is a condition of pardon or acceptance with God at any moment in the Christian walk and of final acceptance. The saint as well as the sinner is condemned whenever he sins and needs to repent or be lost (James 5:19-20; (19) "Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; (20) Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins." Rev. 2:4-5) (4) "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love." (5) "Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent." But I must leave many things unsaid in order that I may make the last mail. May the Lord bless you and teach you.
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Post by Jesse Morrell on Feb 22, 2008 13:39:48 GMT -5
THE GROUND AND CONDITIONS OF FORGIVENESS OR PARDON
The ground of forgiveness (justification) is entirely grace (Rom. 3:24; Eph 2:8-9; Tit. 3:7). To earn forgiveness is a contradiction in terms. Forgiveness is always gracious and can never be merited or deserved. Retributive justice is the execution of what is deserved. Forgiveness is withholding what is deserved. Forgiveness is entirely grounded in the loving kindness of God, granted only because God is gracious and merciful.
The conditions of forgiveness (justification) are four fold. These are the conditions God has established in His Government to make the act of forgiveness or the granting pardon safe and wise. The first condition is blood shed (Heb. 9:11) to substitute our punishment and thereby uphold God’s justice. The second condition is repentance (Mk. 1:4; Lk. 13:3; 13:5; 2 Cor. 7:10) to secure a return to lawful conduct, lest sinners are granted impunity or immunity and the well-being of others is once again endangered. The third condition is faith (Rom. 3:25; Eph 2:8) which is the heart’s embrace and obedience to the truth, choosing to live in accordance with intelligence and reality. And the final condition of ultimate salvation is perseverance unto the end (Acts 13:43; Acts 14:22) since God absolutely will not allow sin into Heaven (Rev. 22:11; 22:15).
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