We Believe (#9): The Justifying Act of God

~ fundyreformed

Part 9 in a series of Sunday posts celebrating the glorious Truth we believe as Christians. The readings are quoted from the Elder Affirmation of Faith, of my church, Bethlehem Baptist (Pastor John Piper). I’m doing this because every few weeks our congregational reading is an excerpt from this document, and every time we all read aloud the truths we confess, my soul rejoices. I pray these posts will aid you in worshiping our Lord on His day.

The Justifying Act of God

We believe that in a free act of righteous grace God justifies the ungodly by faith alone apart from works, pardoning their sins, and reckoning them as righteous and acceptable in His presence. Faith is thus the sole instrument by which we, as sinners, are united to Christ, whose perfect righteousness and satisfaction for sins is alone the ground of our acceptance with God. This acceptance happens fully and permanently at the first instant of justification. Thus the righteousness by which we come into right standing with God is not anything worked in us by God, neither imparted to us at baptism nor over time, but rather is accomplished for us, outside ourselves, and is imputed to us.

We believe, nevertheless, that the faith, which alone receives the gift of justification, does not remain alone in the person so justified, but produces, by the Holy Spirit, the fruit of love and leads necessarily to sanctification. This necessary relation between justifying faith and the fruit of good works gives rise to some Biblical expressions which seem to make works the ground or means of justification, but in fact simply express the crucial truth that faith that does not yield the fruit of good works is dead, being no true faith.

*Taken from the Bethlehem Baptist Church Elder Affirmation of Faith, paragraphs 9.1 – 9.2. You are free to download the entire affirmation [pdf] complete with Scriptural proofs for the above statements.

8 thoughts on “We Believe (#9): The Justifying Act of God”

  1. I quote so often from John Piper the fact that:

    We don’t believe in salvation of faith plus works, but in a salvation where it is a faith THAT works.

  2. Hi Bob I have a question for you. If God or Jesus came to your home and talked to you, ‘What would you do’? Would you tell everyone about it? Well that is what I am doing. I am telling everyone I can about what God had to say to me.
    Just a small comment about your site, it looks very professional but it down loads at the speed of mud or catsup. The baby pictures are cute but pictures have a way of making your site slowly load. I had enother time to finish my eggs and toast, peel an orange and your site was still loading.

  3. This is what he told me. This is an important issue with God. Please read and pass it along. The message is from God, Jesus and the Holy Ghost respectively sent in the Spring of 2006. It is about the meaning of First is Last and Last is First . The message is this:
    In the morning I go to Heaven. In the afternoon I live my life. In the evening I die, death. What does this mean? In other words this means Birth is Last and Last is Birth. Think of this as a continous circle of life. Birth, Life, Death, Birth. God also said that Judgment will be before Birth in Heaven. AS birth on Earth is painful so will birth in Heaven. Yes, God has recently made contact and he sent a messenger. Spread this message along, just like a chain letter. OH, one
    more point of interest. Did you know that Mike Douglas died on his birthday? Mel Steffor

  5. that’s probably one of the worst exegesis of Matthew 19:30 I have ever read…you probably should test your “visions, dreams, or prophecies” to Scripture.

    or these kinds of interpretations will present themselves.

  8. Correction: To the meaning of First is Last and Last is First. It means that Birth is Last and Birth is First. Sorry for the error. God talks in symbols and opposites at times so it takes time to figure out what he is saying. Some of his messages are clearer than others, plus they have multiple meanings.

    Yea, I knew the , HUH? was for me. Know what? it made me chuckle too

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