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 PRESENT
TRUTH is a publication with Australian and California bases of
operation, which proposes to teach us Bible and Reformation
truths re. justification, sanctification, etc. Their material is
attractive and well presented, and some preachers and brethren
who should know better are being taken in by their appeal. In a
recent tract: Justification, Catholicism Vs Protestantism; Mr.
Brinsmead says t h e reformers “rediscovered Paul’s doctrine
of Justification by faith... that the sinner is not justified by
an infused righteousness but by an imputed righteousness
— meaning a righteousness that is found wholly in Another.”
He says there are two aspects of redemption: Christ’s work for
us, and the Holy Spirit’s work in us. Of Christ’s work he
says Jesus lived a perfect life for us, and He died for our
sins. For some strange reason, he only cites scriptures for the
second part.
To
be “justified” one must be free of guilt. Once we have
sinned (and all sin) no amount of “doing good” can remove
previous guilt; so, there is no “justifying merit” in our
obedience, such as it is. But this does not warrant the fanciful
doctrine that Christ’s righteous life had to be imputed to us.
Every passage given in support of such an idea actually pointed
to forgiveness of man’s sin, made possible through the death
of Christ (Rom. 3:21-28; 4:4-11; Gal. 2:20; etc.). All
references to justification “without works” were such as
Rom. 4:1-8, where the contrast is between perfect
(meritorious) obedience, with forgiveness provided; and the
system of faith, which looks to Christ and His blood for forgiveness.
The Old Testament types and shadows point to atonement and
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propitiation for sin — the payment of its
“price”. And the New Testament pictures Christ as “the
Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn.
1:29). Neither type nor antitype call for “justifying
meritorious works” — on our part or on Christ’s part.
Christ’s perfect life made Him the acceptable offering (Heb.
7:26-28), who “ever liveth to make intercession” for us. For
these “imputed righteousness” “saved by his life”
people, Paul wasted his ink when he wrote, “Even as David also
describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth
righteousness without works (i.e., perfect, rt) saying, Blessed
are they whose iniquities are forgiven.. .“ (Rom. 4:6-8)
What
difference does it make how God saves the faithful? The modus
operandi of God would be only a theological question, of passing
interest, were it not for consequences of this matter. These
fellows are really leading their readers into a denial of man’s
capacity or ability to “come” to God in obedience to
invitation. Their theology demands a sovereignty of God that can
not tolerate genuine free agency on the part of man, and sees
today’s man as having a “totally depraved” nature that is
helpless before any command of God. This theology demands some
form of individual election, and some form of direct
operation of God’s Spirit upon the heart of the elected
individual. This is no more PRESENT TRUTH than it was when the
Hebrew writer said Christ is “the author of eternal salvation
unto all them that obey him.” (Heb. 5:9)
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