1. Because we are justified by the object of faith alone, that is by the merits of Christ only, without which we can have no righteousness whatever: for we are justified for Christ’s sake. Nothing but the merit of Christ can be . . . Continue reading →
Justification
William Hendricksen’s Judgment Regarding Shepherd
Shepherd, as I see it, is going into an extreme…when I started to read what he said about j(ustification) by faith, I was hoping that he mean that this faith must be more than a merely abstract acceptance of a proposition; in other . . . Continue reading →
Packer: Shepherd Reinvented The Neonomianism Of Richard Baxter
Shepherd in effect reinvented the neonomianism of Richard Baxter in the 17th century—and from the same motive—recoil from the practical antinomianism that surrounded him, and a desire to state the gospel as to make perfectly obvious that persevering holiness is enjoined on . . . Continue reading →
Why Is Sola Fide So Important?
The primary purpose of the Heidelblog is to explain the Heidelberg Catechism (1563). The catechism was written primarily by Zacharias Ursinus (1534–83) at the behest of the Elector Palatinate, Frederick III (1515–76). It was adopted by the German Reformed Church and by . . . Continue reading →
Muddying The Distinction Between Justification And Salvation (2)
…although they make their boast of Him, yet in deeds they deny the only Savior Jesus, for either Jesus is not a complete Savior, or they who by true faith receive this Savior, must have in Him all that is necessary to their salvation. Continue reading →
Muddying The Distinction Between Justification And Salvation
Ultimately, the Socinians, the Romanists, and the moralists (e.g., Baxter) agreed: the gospel of free justification with God and free salvation must be rejected because it’s insufficient to produce the desired outcome. Continue reading →
Heidelberg 60: Only By True Faith (5)
And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness (Rom 4:5; ESV) Continue reading →
Heidelberg 60: Only By True Faith (4)
“Yet God without any merit of mine, of mere grace, grants and imputes to me the perfect satisfaction, righteousness, and holiness of Christ, as if I had never committed nor had any sin, and had myself accomplished all the obedience which Christ has fulfilled for me…” Continue reading →
Christ’s Merits Affirmed And Ours Denied In The Reformed Confessions
Christ’s Merit For Us Affirmed “only for the sake of Christ’s merits” (Heidelberg Catechism 21) “for the sake of Christ’s merits” (Heidelberg Catechism 84) “if they did not rest on the merit of the suffering and death of our Savior” (Belgic Confession, . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 60: Only By True Faith (3)
Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuse me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always to all evil; yet God without any . . . Continue reading →
Pietists And Romanists Together
In 1994 a notable collection of Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, or Romanists, signed the first in a series of documents known as “Evangelicals and Catholics Together.” In a couple of places, Reformation 21 and First Things the beginning of those discussions are . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg Catechism: Only By True Faith (2)
60. How are you righteous before God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuse me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still prone always . . . Continue reading →
Justification: One Of The Two Chief Articles Of Our Faith
The doctrine of justification, which now follows, is one of the chief articles of our faith, not only because it treats of those things which are fundamental, but also because it is most frequently called in question by heretics. The controversies between . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 60: Only By True Faith
60. How are you righteous before God? Only by true faith in Jesus Christ; that is, although my conscience accuse me, that I have grievously sinned against all the commandments of God, and have never kept any of them, and am still . . . Continue reading →
Notes On Calvin’s Doctrine That Justification Sola Fide Is The Principal Axis Of The Christian Religion
Christ was given to us by God’s generosity, to be grasped and possessed by us in faith. By partaking of him, we principally receive a double grace: namely, that being reconciled to God through Christ’s blamelessness, we may have in heaven instead . . . Continue reading →
The Alliance Of Confessing Evangelicals In 1998: We Still Disagree With Rome
The first of these two documents, “Evangelicals and Catholics Together,” was a call to the Christian world to form a united front against the destructive influences of secular culture in such areas as ethics, statism, and the relativization of truth. In the . . . Continue reading →
Heidelberg 59: What Good Is Faith?
One of the more disturbing aspects of the reaction to antinomianism in recent years, whether that antinomianism is real or perceived does not matter for the purposes of this discussion, is how quickly some have been willing to write, speak, and act . . . Continue reading →
Owen: Sanctification A Grace Of The Spirit Proceeding From Justification
Sanctification, as here described, is the immediate work of God by his Spirit upon our whole nature, proceeding from the peace made for us by Jesus Christ, whereby, being changed into his likeness, we are kept entirely in peace with God, and . . . Continue reading →
Faith Is The Open Hand Of A Beggar
Question 36. But how are we justified by faith? Answer: Not because of the worthiness of our faith, as if God justifies us because of it, as the Remonstrants would have it, and [as if] faith is here reckoned as a virtue . . . Continue reading →
James, Luther, and Justification In James 2:24
I’m convinced that we don’t really have a conflict here. What James is saying is this: If a person says he has faith, but he gives no outward evidence of that faith through righteous works, his faith will not justify him. Martin . . . Continue reading →