Confession of Faith: Chapter XI - Of Justification

1

Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth;²³⁵ not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous, not for anything 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,²³⁶ they receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God.²³⁷

235

Romans 3:24Romans 8:30

236

2 Corinthians 5:19Romans 4:5-8Romans 5:17-191 Corinthians 1:30-31Jeremiah 23:6Ephesians 1:7Titus 3:7Titus 3:5Romans 3:27-28Romans 3:24-25Romans 3:222 Corinthians 5:21

237

Acts 10:43Galatians 2:16Philippians 3:19Acts 13:38-39Ephesians 2:7-8

2

Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;²³⁸ yet is it not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.²³⁹

238

John 1:12Romans 5:1Romans 3:28

239

James 2:17James 2:22James 2:26Galatians 5:6

3

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.²⁴⁰ Yet, inasmuch as He was given by the Father for them;²⁴¹ and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead;²⁴² and both freely, not for anything in them; their justification is only of free grace;²⁴³ that both the exact justice, and rich grace of God, might be glorified in the justification of sinners.²⁴⁴

240

Romans 5:8-10Romans 5:191 Timothy 2:5-6Hebrews 10:10Hebrews 10:14Daniel 9:24Daniel 9:26Isaiah 53:4-6Isaiah 53:10-12

241

Romans 8:32

242

Matthew 3:17Ephesians 5:22 Corinthians 5:21

243

Romans 3:24Ephesians 1:7

244

Romans 3:26Ephesians 2:7

4

God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect,²⁴⁵ and Christ did, in the fulness of time, die for their sins, and rise again for their justification:²⁴⁶ nevertheless, they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit doth, in due time, actually apply Christ unto them.²⁴⁷

245

1 Peter 1:19-20Romans 8:301 Peter 1:2Galatians 3:8

246

Galatians 4:41 Timothy 2:6Romans 4:25

247

Colossians 1:21-22Galatians 2:16Titus 3:3-7

5

God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified:²⁴⁸ and although they can never fall from the state of justification;²⁴⁹ 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.²⁵⁰

248

Matthew 6:121 John 2:1-21 John 1:91 John 1:7

249

Luke 22:32John 10:28Hebrews 10:14

250

Psalm 89:31-33Psalm 51:7-12Psalm 32:5Matthew 26:751 Corinthians 11:301 Corinthians 11:32Luke 1:20

6

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.²⁵¹

251

Galatians 3:9Galatians 3:13-14Romans 4:22-24Hebrews 13:8

Westminster Confession of Faith

Of Justification