Basic Christianity by Jim Borchert, 7 of 12, Justification By Faith
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Published 2022-11-22
1. Because the Creator of the universe is also our personal loving Father, he loves us with an unconditional love by giving us his son, Jesus Christ. (John 3:16)
2. We understand that in showing his love to us, the loving Father sends Jesus to save us by his blood and to baptize us by his Spirit (Romans 5:9, Matthew 3:11)
3. Salvation relates to his imputed righteousness which comes by faith in the blood of Jesus on Calvary. (Romans 5:17)
4. Sanctification relates to his actual righteousness, which comes by meditation on His spirit working within us after we are baptized in his Holy Spirit, since Pentecost. (1 Corinthians 3:18)
5. Faith is primarily for salvation, but it is also for our sanctification, too. (Ephesians 2:8, Hebrews 12:2)
6. Faith is believing the promises of God, whether it be for our salvation on Calvary or our sanctification after Pentecost. (Romans 10:8-11)
7. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and it is the evidence of things unseen.” (Hebrews 11:1)
8. Faith is always faith in some promise God has made to us.
9. We cannot have faith in God’s commands, but only in his promises. (Galatians 3:1-3)
10. If we believe his promises, we will be able to obey his commands. (Galatians 3:1-3)
11. Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you must believe on him whom God has sent.” (John 6:29)
12. “Without faith you cannot please God.” (Hebrews 11:6)
13. Paul writes, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified (made righteous) by faith without doing the works of the law.” (Romans 3:28)
14. “Abraham believed God and it was counted to him (imputed to him) for righteousness.” (Romans 4:3)
15. Imputed righteousness is not actual righteousness because we cannot be actually righteous on our own. But by faith we believe that Jesus is righteous for us (our substitute) by his good works from birth to Calvary and resurrection which he did for us.
16. His good works are imputed to us when we believe in his mercy and promises.
17. “Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)
18. The word we hear is the promise that his good works were all done for me.
19. Whoever believes that merciful promise will be saved.
20. We know that “faith was reckoned (counted, imputed) to Abraham for righteousness.” (Romans 4:9)
21. When we believe, then we are reckoned, counted, or imputed to be righteous, even though we are, in fact (actually) not righteous in ourselves. (Romans 4:3)
22. Abraham is called the father of faith. (Romans 4:11)
23. Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but he was strong in his faith…being fully persuaded that whatever God had promised he was able to perform. Therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” (Romans 4:22)
24. So also, if we “confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead, then we shall be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
25. Faith alone saves us. Works play no part in our salvation. We must believe God’s Word about Jesus being our Savior. “For with the heart, man believes unto righteousness.” (Romans 10:10)
26. Once God’s promise of love and mercy touches our hearts, then faith is created and God reckons it (counts it, imputes it) as our righteousness. (Romans 4:3)
27. Nothing else makes us right with God. Faith in Jesus is the only way to be saved. (Ephesians 2:8)
28. Those who teach us that God wants us to do good works in order to be saved are lying to us. What God wants from us is faith in Jesus’ good works (Ephesians 2:8, Galatians 3:1-3)