The Westminster Larger Catechism

Questions 70—77: On Justification, Adoption and

Sanctification

Q. 70. What is justification?

A. Justification is an act of God's free grace unto sinners^a, in which he pardoneth all their sins, accepteth and accounteth their persons righteous in his sight^b; not for any thing wrought in them, or done by them^c, but only for the perfect obedience and full satisfaction of Christ, by God imputed to them^d, and received by faith alone^e.

^a Rom. 3:22,24,25; Rom. 4:5 ^b 2 Cor. 5:19,21; Rom. 3:22,24,25,27,28 ^c Tit. 3:5,7; Eph. 1:7 ^d Rom. 5:17-19; Rom. 4:6-8 ^e Acts 10:43; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:9

Q. 71. How is justification an act of God's free grace?

A. Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God's justice in the behalf of them that are justified^a; yet in as much as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son^b, imputing his righteousness to them^c, and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith^d, which also is his gift^e, their justification is to them of free grace^f.

^a Rom. 5:8-10,19 ^b 1 Tim. 2:5,6; Heb. 10:10; Matt. 20:28; Dan. 9:24,26; Isa. 53:4-6,10-12; Heb. 7:22; Rom. 8:32; 1 Pet. 1:18,19 ^c 2 Cor. 5:21 ^d Rom. 3:24,25 ^e Eph. 2:8 ^f Eph. 1:7

Q. 72. What is justifying faith?

A. Justifying faith is a saving grace^a, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit^b and word of God^c, whereby he, being convinced of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself and all other creatures to recover him out of his lost condition^d, not only assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel^e, but receiveth and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness, therein held forth, for pardon of sin^f, and for the accepting and accounting of his person righteous in the sight of God for salvation^g.

^a Heb. 10:39 ^b 2 Cor. 4:13; Eph. 1:17-19 ^c Rom. 10:14,17 ^d Acts 2:37 ; Acts 16:30 ; John 16:8,9; Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:1; Acts 4:12 ^e Eph. 1:13 ^f John 1:12; Acts 16:31; Acts 10:43 ^g Phil. 3:9; Acts 15:11

Q. 73. How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of God?

A. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God, not because of those other graces which do always accompany it, or of good works that are the fruits of it^a, nor as if the grace of faith, or any act thereof; were imputed to him for his justification^b; but only as it is an instrument by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his righteousness^c.

^a Gal. 3:11; Rom. 3:28 ^b Rom. 4:5 compared with Rom. 10:10 ^c John 1:12; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16

Q. 74. What is adoption?

A. Adoption is an act of the free grace of God^a, in and for his only Son Jesus Christ^b, whereby all those that are justified are received into the number of his children^c, have his name put upon them^d, the Spirit of his Son given to them^e, are under his fatherly care and dispensations^f, admitted to all the liberties and privileges of the sons of God, made heirs of all the promises, and fellow-heirs with Christ in glory^g.

^a 1 John 3:1 ^b Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:4,5 ^c John 1:12 ^d 2 Cor. 6:18; Rev. 3:12 ^e Gal. 4:6 ^f Ps. 103:13; Prov. 14:26; Matt. 6:32 ^g Heb. 6:12; Rom. 8:17

Q. 75. What is sanctification?

A. Sanctification is a work of God's grace, whereby they whom God hath, before the foundation of the world, chosen to be holy, are in time, through the powerful operation of his Spirit^a applying the death and resurrection of Christ unto them^b, renewed in their whole man after the image of God^c; having the seeds of repentance unto life, and all other saving graces, put into their hearts^d, and those graces so stirred up, increased, and strengthened^e, as that they more and more die unto sin, and rise unto newness of life^f.

^a Eph. 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:11; 2 Thess. 2:13 ^b Rom. 6:4-6 ^c Eph. 4:23,24 ^d Acts 11:18; 1 John 3:9 ^e Jude 20; Heb. 6:11,12; Eph. 3:16-19; Col. 1:10,11 ^f Rom. 6:4,6,14; Gal. 5:24

Q. 76. What is repentance unto life?

A. Repentance unto life is a saving grace^a, wrought in the heart of a sinner by the Spirit^b and word of God^c, whereby, out of the sight and sense, not only of the danger^d, but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his sins^e, and upon the apprehension of God's mercy in Christ to such as are penitent^f, he so grieves for^g and hates his sins^h, as that he turns from them all to Godⁱ, purposing and endeavouring constantly to walk with him in all the ways of new obedience^k.

^a 2 Tim. 2:25 ^b Zech. 12:10 ^c Acts 11:18,20,21 ^d Ezek. 18:28,30,32; Luke 15:17,18; Hosea 2:6,7 ^e Ezek. 36:31; Isa. 30:22 ^f Joel 2:12,13 ^g Jer. 31:18,19 ^h 2 Cor. 7:11 ⁱ Acts 26:18; Ezek. 14:6; 1 Kings 8:47,48 ^k Ps. 119:6,59,128; Luke 1:6; 2 Kings 23:25

Q. 77. Wherein do justification and sanctification differ?

A. Although sanctification be inseparably joined with justification^a, yet they differ, in that God in justification imputeth the righteousness of Christ^b; in sanctification his Spirit infuseth grace, and enableth to the exercise thereof^c; in the former, sin is pardoned^d; in the other, it is subdued^e: the one doth equally free all believers from the revenging wrath of God, and that perfectly in this life, that they never fall into condemnation^f;the other is neither equal in all^g, nor in this life perfect in any^h, but growing up to perfectionⁱ.

^a 1 Cor. 6:11; 1 Cor. 1:30 ^b Rom. 4:6,8 ^c Ezek. 36:27 ^d Rom. 3:24,25 ^e Rom. 6:6,14 ^f Rom. 8:33,34 ^g 1 John 2:12-14; Heb. 5:12-14 ^h 1 John 1:8,10 ⁱ 2 Cor. 7:1; Phil. 3:12-14