Abridgment of Institutes of the Christian Religion, Book 3 · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Of the iuſtification of faith: and firſt of the definition of the name and thing.
1 VVE hauehave alreadie declared diligentlie enough, that the onlie helpe which is left for men being accurſed by the law, to recouer ſaluation, reſteth in faith. Againe we hauehave ſhewed what faith is and what fruites it bringeth foorth.What Chriſt hath done for vsus. The ſumme was this, that Chriſt who is giuen to vsus, is laid hold on by faith, by partaking of whom we reap a double fruit: to wit, that being reconciled to God through his innocencie, wee may hauehave him nowe in ſteed of a iudge to be a moſt merciful father in heauen: ſecondlie that being ſanctified by his ſpirite we may giuegive our ſelues to holines & purenes of liuing. We hauehave ſpoken ſufficientlie of regeneration. And now we muſt ſpeake of iuſtification, which maketh the principall ſtay of vpholding religion.
2 He is ſaid to bee iuſtified before God, who is both counted iuſt by the iudgement of God, & is accepted for his owne righteouſneſſe ſake.What it is to be iuſtifyed before God. For as iniquitie is abhominable before God, ſo alſo a ſinner. Therefore where ſinne is, there is the wrath & vengeance of God: and hee is iuſtified which ſtandeth before God by the name of a iuſt perſon. Hee is iuſtified by works, in whoſe life is found ſuch purenes and holineſſe,By workes. as deſerueth the teſtimony of righteouſnes before the throne of God. He is iuſtified by faith who being excluded from the righteouſneſſe of workes,By faith. doth lay holde vponupon the righteouſnes of Chriſt by faith, wherewith being clothed, he appeareth before God as iuſt.What iuſtification is. So that we interprete iuſtification to bee that accepting, whereby God receiuing vsus into fauour, doth take vsus for righteous: and wee ſay that the ſame is placed in our forgiuenes of ſinnes, and in the imputation of the righteouſnes of Chriſt*,Luk. 7.21. & 16 15. Gal. 3.4. Rom. 5.23. Rom. 6.26. Act. 13.38.
3 Alſo to iuſtifie, in the ſcripture doth ſignifie nothing els, but to abſolue frō giltines him, which was accuſed, as if his innocencie were approued.
4 And if we omit to contend about the worde, if we looke into the thing it ſelf, there ſhall no doubt remaine. For Paul by the word Accepting, meaneth iuſtification*.Acceptinge. Eph. 1.5. Rom. 3.24. We are appointed vntounto adoption by Chriſt, according to the good pleaſure of God, to the praiſe of his glorious grace, whereby hee hath accounted vsus acceptable, or in fauour.
5 Obiect. Chriſt is one with vsus & we again are one with him. Wherefore as righteouſnes is eſſentiallie in Chriſt, ſo is it in vsus, and yet not imputed or free, but eſſentiall,
An. Wee vſe with Chriſt the ſecret power of his ſpirite,How we are vnited in Chriſt. not that the eſſence of Chriſt is powred out into our eſſence.
Obiect. Not onlie Chriſt, but alſo the father and the holy Ghoſt do dwell in vsus, therefore we are ſubſtantiallie in God.
An. We muſt conſider the maner of dwelling:What is meant by dwellinge. namelie that the Father and the Spirite are in Chriſte, and like as the fulneſſe of the Godhead dwelleth in him, ſo in him wee poſſeſſe God wholie.
6 Queſt. Doth God leaue thoſe whom he iuſtifieth ſuch as they were by nature, without changing them from their vices?
An. Righteouſnes & iuſtificatiō cannot be ſeparated.Righteouſnes and iuſtification ar not ſeperate. Therefore whōſoeuer God receiueth into fauour, he doth alſo indow thē with the ſpirit of adoption, by whoſe power hee reformeth and faſhioneth them according to his owne image, that they may liue godlily and holily.
Obiect. Faith doth not iuſtifie of it ſelfe, but in aſmuch as it receiueth Chriſt.
An. I graunt: For God doeth properlie iuſtifie by Chriſt,1 Cor. 1.3. A ſimilitude. who is giuen vsus to be our righteouſnes and ſanctification*. But we compare faith to a veſſell: becauſe vnleſſe being emptie, we come with the wide open mouth of the ſoule to craue the grace of Chriſt, we are not capable of Chriſt.
Obiect. Faith is Chriſt.
An. As the pot is the treaſure.A ſimilitude. Faith an inſtrument. For faith is the onelye inſtrument to receaue righteouſneſſe in Chriſt, who is the materiall cauſe, authour, and miniſter.
8 Obiect. By the miniſterie of the external word the internall is receiued. Therefore Chriſte being God and man is made vntounto vsus righteouſneſſe in reſpect of his Godhead & not of his manhood.
An. He is made vntounto vsus righteouſneſſe, as he is man the mediatour: and that which was from euerlaſting, cannot conueniently be ſaied, to be made to vsus.
Ioſ. 51.10Obiect. The Lorde ſhall bee our righteouſneſſe*.
An. Hee ſpeaketh of Chriſt who being God reuealed in the fleſh, is made our righteouſnes.
9 Obiect. This worke of iuſtifiying doth by his excellencie exceed the nature of man, and therefore it cannot but bee aſcribed to the diuine nature.
An. I graunt.
Obiect. Therefore the diuine nature alone doth iuſtifie vsus.
An. It doth not follow: for although Chriſt could neither by his blood purge our ſoules, nor appeaſe the father by his ſacrifice,Chriſt doth iuſtifie as he is man. nor deliuer vsus from giltineſſe, vnleſſe he had been verie God: yet it is certaine that he did all theſe thinges according to his humane nature. For wee are iuſtified by the obedience of Chriſt*,Rom. 5.19. and he did no otherwiſe obey, but as he tooke vponupon him the nature of a ſeruant: therefore we hauehave righteouſneſſe giuen vsus in his fleſh.
2 Pet. 1.4.10 Obiect. By Chriſt, ſaith Peter, we hauehave precious and moſt great promiſes giuen vsus, that wee ſhoulde bee made partakers of the nature of God.
An. Iohn expoundeth that of the laſt cōming of Chriſt:1 Ioh. 3.2 that we ſhould then ſee God as he is, becauſe we ſhall be like to him.
11 Obiect. It is an abſurd thing to ſay that the word Iuſtifie is a lawe tearme,To Iuſtifie is a lawe terme ſo that it is all one as to abſolue, ſeeing that wee muſt bee righteous in deede.
An. God doth iuſtifie both by acquitting or abſoluing, and alſo by pardoning, wherupon Paul ſaith,2 Cor. 5.21. God was in Chriſt & reconciled the world to himſelfe, in not imputing ſinnes to men*Pſal. 32.1. Rom. 4.7. Alſo Dauid deſcribeth righteouſnes without workes thus: they are bleſſed whoſe iniquities are forgiuen.
Obiect. It is contrarie to God and his nature, to iuſtifie thoſe which doe in deede continue wicked.
An. The grace of iuſtification is not ſeparate frō regeneration, though they be diſtinct thinges. And God doth ſo beginne regeneration in the elect, in whō there remaine alwaies ſome remnants of ſin, & doth ſo proceede during the whole courſe of their life, that they are alwaies ſubiect to the iudgemēt of death before his iudgement ſeat.Rom. 8.33. But he iuſtifieth* them not in part, but freelie, that they may appeare in heauen, as clothed with the puritie of Chriſt.
12 Obiect. Chriſt is made to vsus wiſdome, which agreeth onlie to the eternall word.1 Cor. 1.30. Therefore neither is Chriſt as he is man righteouſneſſe.
An. The onelie begotten ſonne of God was alwaies indeed his eternall wiſedome but that which hee had of the father hath hee reuealed vntounto vsus, namely the treaſures of wiſedome and knowledge*,Coll. 2.3. and ſo the ſaying of Paul is not referred vntounto the eſſence of the ſonne of God, but vntounto our vſe, and it is well applied to the humane nature of Chriſt.
Obiect. They which place ſaluation in the death of Chriſt alone, make two Gods, in denying that we are righteous by the righteouſneſſe of God.
An. That which wee hauehave in Chriſt doeth come from the grace and fauour of God: alſo that righteouſnes which Chriſt geueth vsus is the righteouſnes of God.Our righteouſnes and lyfe is onlye in the death and reſurrection of Chriſt. Wee graunt: but we hold ſtedfaſtly that wee hauehave righteouſnes and life only in the death and reſurrection of Chriſt.
Obiect. That is properly called righteouſnes wherby we are moued to do good. But God worketh in vsus both to will & to do*.Phil. 2.13. Therefore we hauehave righteouſnes no where els.
An. God indeed reformeth vsus by his ſpirite vntounto holines of life, and righteouſnes, but immediately by his ſonne, with whom he hath left all the fulneſſe of the holie Ghoſte, that by his aboundance he might ſupplie the need of his members.
Ob. Chriſt himſelf was iuſt by the righteouſnes of God: becauſe vnleſſe the will of the father had moued him, he himſelf would not hauehave ſatisfied the office committed vntounto him.
Rom. 3.21. &. 5.9. Papiſts.An. Paul ſaith that Chriſt hath giuen vsus ſaluation * to ſhew his owne righteouſnes.
13 Ob. Righteouſnes is cōpoūded of faith & works.
An. Theſe two do ſo differ, that if the one ſtand, the other muſt needs be ouerthrown. Paul counteth all but doung,Ph. 3.8. Faith and workes. that hee may win Chriſt *, & that he may find in him, not hauing his owne righteouſnes which is of the law, but that which is by the faith of Ieſus Chriſt, righteouſnes which is of God through faith.
14 Ob. Paul ſpeaketh of the works which men do before they be regenerate, ſuch as were the Iewes. But there is a far other reſpect to be had of ſpiritual works.Spirituall workes. For they be fruites of regeneration.
An. In the cōpariſon of the righteouſnes of the law & the righteouſnes of the goſpell, which he maketh*,Gal. 3.11.12. Rom. 10.5.9. hee excludeth all maner works with what title ſoeuer they be adorned. For hee teacheth that the righteouſnes of the law is,The righteouſnes of the law. that he obtaine ſaluation which ſhall perfourme that which the lawe commanudeth:The righteouſnes of faith. and that this is the righteouſnes of faith, if we beleeue that Chriſt died and roſe again.
15 Obiect. Faith is a certainetie of the conſcience in looking for at Gods hands a rewarde for deſerts. Alſo the grace of God is not the imputation of free righteouſnes, but the holy ghoſt to the ſtudie of holineſſe.
16 An. When the ſcripture ſpeaketh of the righteouſnes of faith, it leadeth vsus to a farre other thing, to wit, that being turned away frō the beholding of our workes, wee may looke onelyonly vntounto the merciemercy of God, and the perfection of Chriſt.
17 Furthermore we muſt diligentlie note,The relatiō betweene faith & the Goſpell. that there is ſome relation between faith & the Goſpel: becauſe faith is ſaid therfore to iuſtify, becauſe it receiueth the ſaluation, & imbraceth righteouſnes offered in the goſpel: and wheras it is ſaid to be offred by the goſpel, therby is excluded all cōſideration of works: which Paul ſheweth moſt plainly in 2. places.Rom 12.5. Gal. 3.18.
Obiect. Then the righteouſnes which we hauehave by our owne induſtrie and will is reiected.
An. The law profiteth nothing by commanding becauſe there is none that can fulfill it*.Rom. 8.2.
18 And it is manifeſt that no man is iuſtified by the law: becauſe the iuſt ſhall liue by faith.No man is iuſtified by the Lawe. But the law is not of faith: but the man which ſhall do theſe things, ſhall liue in thē*. Therefore the Goſpel differeth therein from the law, becauſe it doeth not tie righteouſnes to works, but placeth it in the mercy of God alone. Hence cōmeth it that the inheritance is free, becauſe it is receiued by faith: & faith leaneth wholy vpō the mercy of God without any helpe of works.
19 Obiect. The ſcripture affirmeth no where that a man is iuſtified by faith alone.
An. A man is ſaid to be iuſtified by faith without workes,Rom. 3.21.24. therefore by faith alone: which the woord Free, doth declare. Becauſe it is not of faith ſaith Paul*, vnleſſe it be free.
Ob. Without the workes of the law, namelie the ceremoniall law.
Gal. 3, 10.12. Deut. 27.16An. When Paul ſaith: Hee which ſhall doe ſhall liue*, He is accurſed which ſhall not fulfill al things. He doth not there ſpeake of ceremonies.
Gal. 5.6.20 Obiect. We are iuſtified by faith alone which worketh by louelove, ſo that righteouſneſſe reſteth vponupon louelove*.Faith is effectuall through louelove.
An. I graunt: that faith which is effectuall thorow louelove doth iuſtify, but it doth not take the force of iuſtifiyng from that louelove, but becauſe it bringeth vsus into the fellowſhip of the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt,A ſimilitude. like as fire doth not burne with his light, but with his heat.
What the righteouſnes of faith is21 Furthermore, let vsus know that that righteouſneſſe of faith is nothing els, but the reconciliation with God, which conſiſteth in remiſſion of ſinnes alone. For thoſe whom God imbraceth are made righteous by no other means, ſaue only in that they are purified hauing their blots wiped away through remiſſion of ſinnes. And ſuch righteouſneſſe may in one word be called remiſſion of ſinnes.
2 Cor. 5.19.12.22 Which thing Paul teacheth moſt plainelie*: God was in Chriſt and reconciled the world to himſelf, by not imputing to men their faults, but he hath committed vntounto vsus the worde of reconciliation. Alſo hee which knewe no ſinne, was made ſinne for our ſakes, that we might be made the righteouſnes of God in him.
23 Whereupon it followeth that by the onelie meane of Chriſtes righteouſneſſe, we obtaine to be iuſtified before God.