Justification is a judicial term, and means an acquittal\u00a0 from\u00a0 guilt;\u00a0 it\u00a0 stands\u00a0 opposed,\u00a0 not\u00a0 to\u00a0 punishment, but to the desert of punishment. When a man, charged with a\u00a0 crime,\u00a0 is\u00a0 tried\u00a0 according\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 laws\u00a0 of\u00a0 his\u00a0 country,\u00a0 the crime is either proved against him or it is not. If it be, he is then pronounced guilty; but if it be not, he is declared to be not\u00a0 guilty,\u00a0 or\u00a0 in\u00a0 other\u00a0 words,\u00a0 he\u00a0 is justified from\u00a0 the charge. But if a man be really guilty of a crime, he may be pardoned, but\u00a0 he\u00a0 cannot\u00a0 be justified.
\nPardon\u00a0 is\u00a0 merely\u00a0 an exemption\u00a0 from\u00a0 punishment,\u00a0 but\u00a0 justification\u00a0 is\u00a0 freedom from its desert.
\nIf mercy be extended to the criminal, he is pardoned,\u00a0 but\u00a0 no\u00a0 created\u00a0 power\u00a0 can\u00a0 justify\u00a0 him.\u00a0 But\u00a0 what is\u00a0 impossible\u00a0 with\u00a0 men\u00a0 is\u00a0 accomplished\u00a0 by\u00a0 our\u00a0 God. Wonder,\u00a0 O\u00a0 heavens!\u00a0 be\u00a0 astonished\u00a0 O\u00a0 earth,\u00a0 Jehovah\u00a0 not only pardons, but justifies the ungodly! He not only remits their\u00a0 punishment,\u00a0 but\u00a0 removes\u00a0 their\u00a0 sins\u00a0 also;\u00a0 so\u00a0 that heaven,\u00a0 earth,\u00a0 and\u00a0 hell\u00a0 are challenged\u00a0 to\u00a0 bring\u00a0 one\u00a0 fault against\u00a0 the\u00a0 ransomed\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 Lord,\u00a0 if\u00a0 they\u00a0 be\u00a0 able.\u00a0 “Who shall\u00a0 lay\u00a0 any\u00a0 thing\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 charge\u00a0 of\u00a0 God\u2019s\u00a0 elect?\u00a0 it\u00a0 is\u00a0 God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that died.”\u00a0 (Rom. 8:38)<\/p>\n
The\u00a0 ideal\u00a0 meaning\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 word\u00a0 to\u00a0 justify,\u00a0 is\u00a0 expressed\u00a0 by justice\u00a0 in\u00a0 weights\u00a0 and\u00a0 measures:\u00a0 it\u00a0 is\u00a0 derived\u00a0 from\u00a0 a correct\u00a0 beam,\u00a0 just\u00a0 weights,\u00a0 a\u00a0 righteous\u00a0 balance.\u00a0 “Ye\u00a0 shall do\u00a0 no\u00a0 unrighteousness\u00a0 in\u00a0 judgment,\u00a0 in\u00a0 mete\u00a0 yard,\u00a0 in weight or in measure. Scales of justice, weights of justice, an\u00a0 ephah\u00a0 of\u00a0 justice,\u00a0 and\u00a0 a\u00a0 hin\u00a0 of\u00a0 justice,\u00a0 shall\u00a0 ye\u00a0 have.” [Lev.\u00a0 xix.\u00a0 35,\u00a0 36.]\u00a0 A\u00a0 just\u00a0 or\u00a0 righteous\u00a0 man,\u00a0 therefore,\u00a0 is one\u00a0 who,\u00a0 when\u00a0 weighed\u00a0 in\u00a0 the\u00a0 balance,\u00a0 is\u00a0 not\u00a0 found wanting;\u00a0 one\u00a0 whose\u00a0 obedience\u00a0 corresponds\u00a0 with\u00a0 the\u00a0 holy law.\u00a0 “Judgment\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 also\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 will\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 lay\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 to\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 the\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 law,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 and righteousness\u00a0 to the\u00a0 plummet.”\u00a0 But\u00a0 that\u00a0 obedience\u00a0 which is in any way lighter or shorter than the holy law of God is not\u00a0 righteousness;\u00a0 for\u00a0 “justice\u00a0 and\u00a0 judgment\u00a0 are\u00a0 the\u00a0 basis of\u00a0 his\u00a0 throne.”\u00a0 [Ps.\u00a0 lxxxix.\u00a0 14.]\u00a0 When\u00a0 Jehovah,\u00a0 therefore, is said to justify a man, he does more than pardon him; and as\u00a0 his\u00a0 judgment\u00a0 is\u00a0 always\u00a0 according\u00a0 to\u00a0 truth,\u00a0 he\u00a0 never condemns the innocent, nor deals with any as thought they were righteous, who are not really so. Nothing is more common amongst men than the pardon of offences,\u00a0 but\u00a0 the\u00a0 justification\u00a0 of\u00a0 an\u00a0 offender,\u00a0 consistently with truth, is with them impossible. All that created power can righteously do, is to justify the innocent, and condemn the\u00a0 guilty.\u00a0 But\u00a0 it\u00a0 is\u00a0 the\u00a0 glory\u00a0 of\u00a0\u00a0 Jehovah\u2019s\u00a0 character,\u00a0 that he\u00a0 is\u00a0 a\u00a0 just\u00a0 God,\u00a0 and\u00a0 the\u00a0 justifier\u00a0 of\u00a0 him\u00a0 that\u00a0 believeth\u00a0 in Jesus.\u00a0 In\u00a0 the\u00a0 stupendous\u00a0 work\u00a0 he\u00a0 brings\u00a0 to\u00a0 nothing\u00a0 all\u00a0 the wisdom and disputing of this world. [Is.28:21) In this his masterpiece of wisdom and of power, he accomplishes that\u00a0 which\u00a0 with\u00a0 men\u00a0 is\u00a0 impossible;\u00a0 viz.\u00a0 a\u00a0 transfer\u00a0 of\u00a0 sin and righteousness, and thus obliterates not only the effectsof sin, but sin itself. And in answer to all the objections of carnal\u00a0 men,\u00a0 as\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 possibility\u00a0 of\u00a0 this\u00a0 great\u00a0 event,\u00a0 it\u00a0 is thus\u00a0 written,\u00a0 “Therefore,\u00a0 behold,\u00a0 I\u00a0 will\u00a0 proceed\u00a0 to\u00a0 do\u00a0 a marvellous\u00a0 work among\u00a0 this\u00a0 people,\u00a0 even\u00a0 a\u00a0 marvellous work\u00a0 and\u00a0 wonder;\u00a0 for\u00a0 the\u00a0 wisdom\u00a0 of\u00a0 their\u00a0 wise\u00a0 shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid.”\u00a0 This\u00a0 marvellous\u00a0\u00a0 work,\u00a0 if\u00a0 we\u00a0 are\u00a0 to\u00a0 believe\u00a0 an inspired\u00a0 apostle,\u00a0 consists\u00a0 not\u00a0 in\u00a0 destroying\u00a0 the\u00a0 wisdom\u00a0 of the\u00a0 wise,\u00a0 but\u00a0 in\u00a0 that\u00a0 great\u00a0 event\u00a0 by\u00a0 which\u00a0 this\u00a0 effect\u00a0 is produced.\u00a0 It\u00a0 is\u00a0 no\u00a0 great\u00a0 achievement\u00a0 with\u00a0 our\u00a0 God\u00a0 to destroy\u00a0 the\u00a0 wisdom\u00a0 of\u00a0 this\u00a0 world,\u00a0 but\u00a0 to\u00a0 save\u00a0 and\u00a0 justify the\u00a0 ungodly\u00a0 by\u00a0 his\u00a0 precious\u00a0 blood\u00a0 of\u00a0 the\u00a0 cross\u00a0 is\u00a0 an amazing work indeed. This is God\u2019s marvellous work, this is God\u2019s wonder; by which he “destroys the wisdom of the wise,\u00a0 and\u00a0 brings\u00a0 to\u00a0 nothing\u00a0 the\u00a0 understanding\u00a0 to\u00a0 the prudent.”
\nWilliam Rushton<\/p>\n
FAITH AS A RULE OF LIFE
\nPaul says, “He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him;” then faith must be the rule of his coming. “We have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; then faith is the rule of our approach to God. “The just shall live by his faith;” then faith is the just man’s rule of life. “We walk by faith, not by sight;” then faith is our rule of walk. “Thou standest by faith,” says Paul; then faith is the rule of the believer’s standing. “Whatever ye shall ask believing, ye shall receive,” says Christ; then faith is the rule of that branch of worship. By faith Enoch had this testimony, that he pleased God; “but without faith it is impossible to please Him;” then faith is a rule that God approves of, and is pleased with. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin;” then faith is a perfect rule of holiness. “All that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses;” then faith is our rule of righteousness. It is by faith we overcome the world to lay hold on eternal life, is to fight the good fight of faith, according to Paul; “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith;” then faith was the rule of his warfare, and the rule of his race, and it was the grace of God that made Paul obedient to that rule. “We have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith;” that is, by Christ we have received grace to save our souls, and apostleship to be of use to the church, not as a reward of our obedience, but to furnish us with power to make us obedient to the faith, among all nations for His name, Rom. 1:5; then faith is the rule of apostolic obedience; for it cannot be called receiving grace for obedience to the faith if faith be not the gracious man’s rule of obedience.
\nPaul counts all things but dung that he may win Christ, and be found in Him; not having his own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ; and tells us to walk by the same rule, and mind the same thing. You take this rule of Paul’s to be his pressing forward, or any of his attainments, it is answered, by faith he pressed forward, and by faith he attained; or else his pressing and attaining had been nothing but sin, for whatsoever is not of faith, according to Paul’s doctrine, is sin.
\nBy faith Christ dwells in our hearts, and by faith we dwell in Him; and “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature,” which is Christ formed within us: “and as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.” Faith is the rule of life according to the revealed will of God in Christ Jesus; “and this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (Jn. 5:40) Thus faith, appears to be the believer’s rule of life. according to the will of God in Christ Jesus; and the letter of the law is the bond-childrens’ rule of life; he that doth these things shall live in them. Let him do according to this rule and he shall live. The law is not the rule of believing, but of doing; the law is not of faith but of works, and the man that doth them shall live in them. (Gal. 3:12)
\nIf to see the Son, and believe on Him, entitles us to everlasting life according to God’s will, then faith must be the rule of that life; and one would think that if “he that liveth and believeth shall never die,” faith must be a safe rule to live by.
\nWilliam Huntington<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Justification is a judicial term, and means an acquittal\u00a0 from\u00a0 guilt;\u00a0 it\u00a0 stands\u00a0 opposed,\u00a0 not\u00a0 to\u00a0 punishment, but to the desert of punishment. When a man, charged with a\u00a0 crime,\u00a0 is\u00a0 tried\u00a0 according\u00a0 to\u00a0 the\u00a0 laws\u00a0 of\u00a0 his\u00a0 country,\u00a0 the crime is either proved against him or it is not. If it be, he is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bulletin-editions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3417"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3418,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3417\/revisions\/3418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shoalhavengospelchurch.org.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}