God Loves… Himself

We continue wrestling with the meaning of sola fide and what the Reformation teaching of justification by faith alone means. In the last two posts we looked at some of the thinking of Francis Turretin on this subject. He gave us the thought of the Socinians, Remonstrants (Arminians), and the Roman Catholics on this issue, which set out the contrast very well. The historical Protestant view has been that faith is the instrument by which the grace of God in Christ comes. It is not that faith is something that man has to work up and then act in his own power or even with some help from God, but that faith demonstrates the nothingness and inability in man. As Scripture teaches us, “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace” (Romans 4:16). Faith is that which receives grace rather than that by which man works to obtain righteousness.

It is true that a faith that saves is a faith that works. But notice something about the previous statement. In former times a faith that saved was a type of faith that was given by God and all it did was to receive grace. But it is said to be a faith that saves, though indeed the faith did not save but received Christ Himself and His grace which saves. To be consistent with that and with Scripture which speaks of works that flow from love, the faith which works is the faith which receives Christ Himself and His grace and so the works that flow from the person who has faith are really the works of the life of Christ in that person. Justification comes through faith because faith is the instrument through which Christ and His grace come. When a person is justified that person has the life of Christ in him or her as his or her life. That life must be expressed and yet it will only be expressed through the grace that is received. Faith is what receives grace, so faith has nothing to do with works that merit any favor before God.

Here is more from Turretin on the subject:

“However the orthodox differ wholly from them [Socinians, Remonstrants, Romanists]. They teach that faith is the organic and instrumental cause of our justification and that justification is ascribed to it, not properly and by itself (inasmuch as it is a work or as if it was the righteousness itself by which we are justified before God; or as if by its own worth or by the indulgence of God it deserves justification in whole or in part), but improperly and metonymically (inasmuch as Christ’s righteousness, which faith apprehends, is the foundation and meritorious cause on account of which we are justified). So that it is said to justify relatively and organically; relatively because the object of faith is our true righteousness before God; organically because faith is the instrument for receiving on our part and for applying to ourselves, that righteousness.”

This is a statement of massive importance that will help to clear the fog that surrounds the use of faith in justification. First, he says that the orthodox do not just differ a little from the other groups, but that they differ wholly from them. The teaching of those groups on the use of faith is so different from the orthodox that their view of justification is then wholly different. We must not miss the importance of this. Second, the orthodox teach that justification is indeed ascribed to faith, but in a wholly different way than the others (Socinians, etc) do. The others say that faith is that in and of itself which fulfills what God requires or that faith is that by which people can work to obtain righteousness which fulfils what God requires. In contrast to that Turretin says that orthodox position is that faith is said to justify because it is the object of faith that justifies. The sinner is said to be justified by faith, then, because the object of faith (Christ Himself) is our true righteousness before God. Christ Himself and His righteousness are the objects of faith and so one is said to be justified by faith.

This is exciting stuff from Turretin as the Gospel of grace alone and Christ alone opens into glorious view. Sinners are justified by faith alone because faith is the instrument of receiving Christ and His grace. Faith does not work but receives Christ and His righteousness by faith. When Christ and His righteousness are received, righteousness has been applied. Christ is united to the believer through faith and so when Christ is united and married to the believer, the believer has the very righteousness of Christ applied through faith. Instead of the Socinian and Arminian view which teach us that faith is what God requires instead of keeping the Law, we have faith as what is needed for Christ who alone can keep the righteous law of God perfectly. The object of faith is what is needed rather than faith itself being a work. Instead of the Roman Catholic view which teaches a faith that works and is then declared righteous, the orthodox and biblical view is that a sinner is declared just by faith because the sinner has received Christ and is given His perfect righteousness. How utterly glorious is Christ and His grace.

This entry was posted on October 18, 2008 at 6:44 am and is filed under Historical Reformed Theology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.