Good Morning!
I took a week off from writing last week to refresh and the like and so in doing that I missed our regular walkthrough the catechism. Catching up is sometimes hard, but when it comes to a subject like Adoption and Justification those make for enjoyable returns to thinking through the testimony of what we believe as Christians. As is often noted whenever Justification is brought up Martin Luther was supposedly fond of saying upon this doctrine that our faith either stands or falls. Whether or not he said that is kind of besides the point because the statement is true. The Biblical doctrine of Justification is the very heartbeat of our salvation. Our sins for Christ’s righteousness. No better deal has been or will ever be offered in human history and the more we understand that, the greater our love for God will be. No doubt about it.
Even typing those words gets me excited. The idea that the Second Person of the holy Trinity would deign to lay down His life for my transgressions, paying not only the penalty, but re-establishing my righteous relationship with the Godhead, and all that is required of me to receive such a gift being my faith (which is in itself a gift) is unreal, and it is certainly not a fair transaction. It’s like someone dropping off a brand new Lamborghini and paying the tax and title on top of it while only asking us to put gas in it, then to discover that the tank is already full. Just amazing stuff.
In our catechism lesson today we are going to look into more than just the mechanics of Justification. We will also see how the doctrine of Adoption is closely associated with not only the blessed truth of the just dying for the unjust, but that sinners, rebellers against God, are brought into the family home and given the rights and privileges of life in the palace of King Jesus.
Here are our Q/A for today:
Q. 33. What is Justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardons all our sins, and accepts us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone,
Q. 34. What is Adoption?
A. Adoption is an act of God’s free grace, whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God.
One of the things that immediately jumps out about both of these subjects is the phrase, “…an act of God’s free grace”. Calling Justification and Adoption an act means that it is accomplished by a decree of God. It is not a cooperative work (like sanctification, which we will touch on this coming Thursday), but a declaratory decree of Jehovah to the elect sinner in Christ. The fourth clause is where the engine in this Lambo rests. Because of the imputation of both the passive (His dying on the cross) and active (His living a perfect and holy life in keeping the law of God) obedience of Jesus to the sinner, His good works for our dirty rags, we are pardoned, called innocent, and seen no longer by our Father as sons of Satan, but holy saints, members of His covenant kingdom and citizens of Heaven.
More needs said on this.
Some passages we could point to that speak to the subject of Double Imputation and its relationship to Justification include:
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
2 Corinthians 5:21
“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.”
1 Corinthians 15:22
“But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption.”
1 Corinthians 1:30
“…and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;”
Philippians 3:9
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”
Romans 5:19
“And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him.”
Hebrews 5:9
In each of those passages we see something of the great exchange which takes place in Justification. One of the ways that we traditionally have explained what happens here is that Adam being our Federal Covenant Head caused us to fall with him in His first transgression. Or as Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned”. If that is true of us in Adam, (and it is) then the contrary is true of us in Christ as the Federal Head of His people (Matt. 1:21). As Paul writes in Romans 5:18, “Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life”.
All of the above being an accurate rendering of the Bible truth in regards to Justification next we will ask a few questions about Adoption.
Nearly all of us are familiar with that word and what it means. Thankfully when we talk about it in the context of the Christian faith we understand it in the exact same way. However, one difference worth considering is that in our natural state we don’t want to be adopted. We are happy children of the devil and love our family. There is no desire native to our heart to go to the celestial city paved with gold. So what changes? When it comes down to it we change. This happens by the application of redemption by the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts being transformed from stone to flesh gave us hearts beating for our new Heavenly home. Like the Prodigal Son we run back home, to the place and man who gave us life and fall at His feet in the hope of mercy, and what do we hear from our God?
“But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”
Do you want this? Do you understand that this is what we have received in Christ? That is why we worship on the Lord’s Day. This is why we praise His name, for nothing is more beautiful than this.
Here is a brief read on more about Double Imputation and why it matters:
https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/the-doctrine-of-imputation/
Rev. Benjamin Glaser
Pastor, Bethany ARP Church