The Westminster Confession of Faith
CHAPTER 11
Of Justification.
I. Those whom God effectually calleth he also freely justifieth;a
not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins,
and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous: not for any
thing 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,b
they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith: which
faith they have not of themselves; it is the gift of God.c
a Rom. 8:30; Rom. 3:24.
b Rom. 4:5-8; 2 Cor. 5:19,21; Rom.
3:22,24,25,27,28; Tit. 3:5,7; Eph. 1:7; Jer. 23:6; 1 Cor. 1:30,31; Rom.
5:17-19.
c Acts 10:43; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:19;
Acts 13:38,39; Eph. 2:7,8.
II. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ
and his righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;d
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.e
d John 1:12; Rom. 3:28;
Rom. 5:1.
e Jam. 2:17,22,26; Gal. 5:6.
III. 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.f Yet, in as much as he was given by the
Father for them,g and his obedience and
satisfaction accepted in their stead,h and both
freely, not for any thing in them; their justification is only of free
grace;i that both the exact justice, and rich
grace of God might be glorified in the justification of sinners.k
f Rom. 5:8-10,19; 1 Tim.
2:5,6; Heb. 10:10,14; Dan. 9:24,26; Isa. 53:4-6,10-12.
g Rom. 8:32.
h 2 Cor. 5:21; Matt. 3:17; Eph. 5:2.
i Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7.
k Rom. 3:26; Eph. 2:7.
IV. God did, from all eternity, decree to justify
all the elect;l and Christ did, in the fulness
of time, die for their sins, and rise again for their justification:m
nevertheless they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit doth in due
time actually apply Christ unto them.n
l Gal. 3:8; 1 Pet.
1:2,19,20; Rom. 8:30.
m Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim. 2:6; Rom. 4:25.
n Col. 1:21,22; Gal. 2:16; Tit.
3:3-7.
V. God doth continue to forgive the sins of those
that are justified:o and although they can never
fall from the state of justification,p 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.q
o Matt. 6:12; 1 John 1:7,9;
1 John 2:1,2.
p Luke 22:32; John 10:28; Heb. 10:14.
q Ps. 89:31-33; Ps. 51:7-12; Ps.
32:5; Matt. 26:75; 1 Cor. 11:30,32; Luke 1:20.
VI. 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.r
r Gal. 3:9,13,14; Rom.
4:22-24; Heb. 13:8.
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