Two Everythings (Part 02) - Two Justifications (Effectual and Evidential)
Submitted by Pastor Chad Wagner on Wednesday, June 29, 2016.For a paperback book in outline form which addresses over 150 difficult verses that Arminians use against Sovereign Grace, check out: Problem Texts for Sovereign Grace: Rooting Arminianism Out of Every Verse.
Image from: www.patheos.com
For a master copy of the outline, click here: Two Everythings
To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 1
To listen to the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 3
To Listen on YouTube, click here: Two Everythings (Part 2) - Two Justifications (Effectual and Evidential)
4. Two justifications
A. There are two senses in which a person can be justified before God: either by being made (caused to be) righteous by God (effectual justification), or by being accounted (considered) righteous by God (evidential justification).
i. Justified ppl. - Made just or right; made or accounted righteous; warranted; supported by evidence
ii. Justification n. - 4. Theol. The action whereby man is justified, or freed from the penalty of sin, and accounted or made righteous by God; the fact or condition of being so justified.
iii. Justify v. - 4. To absolve, acquit, exculpate; spec. in Theol. to declare free from the penalty of sin on the ground of Christ's righteousness, or to make inherently righteous by the infusion of grace: see justification 4.
iv. Make v. - III. To cause to be or become (something specified). a. With adj. as compl.: To cause to be, render.
v. Accounted - Counted, reckoned, considered.
B. Being made righteous by God (effectual justification)
i. Jesus justified us in the sense of making and causing us to be righteous by:
1. His Blood
a. Rom 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
b. Rom 5:9 - Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
c. Rom 5:10 - For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
2. His Grace
a. Tit 3:7 - That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
b. Rom 3:24 - Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
3. His Faith
a. Gal 2:16 - Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
4. His Knowledge
a. Isa 53:11 - He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
ii. Jesus made us righteous by His obedience alone when He was made sin for us.
1. Rom 5:19 - For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
2. 2Co 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
iii. We are passive recipients of this justification (effectual justification) by Christ.
C. Being shown to be righteous by our faith and works (evidential justification)
i. Abraham is the eminent example of being justified (evidentially), in the sense of being shown to be just.
ii. Abraham was not justified by his works (in the sense of being made righteous - effectual justification).
1. Rom 4:2 - For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
iii. Abraham was justified by his faith (evidential justification - shown to be righteous).
1. Rom 4:3 - For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
2. Gal 3:6 - Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
3. His faith was counted unto him for righteousness.
4. Counted righteous = accounted righteous = justified (see definitions above)
5. Faith is a token which is the evidence of (counted for) righteousness, just as poker chips are tokens which are the evidence of (counted for) the possession of real wealth.
6. Just as the poker chips are not real wealth, nor do they cause real wealth, so faith is not itself righteousness, nor does it cause righteousness.
7. Abraham's faith didn't make him righteous, it showed him to be righteous.
a. Abraham's faith was said to be counted for righteousness in Gen 15:6.
b. This happened after he left Ur by faith (Heb 11:8) in Gen 12:1-4.
c. Abraham was already righteous when his faith was counted unto him for righteousness in Genesis 15.
d. Furthermore, if the phrase "counted for righteousness" means "made righteous" or "given eternal life", then a person can become righteous and get eternal life by shish-kabobing two fornicators like Phinehas (Num 25:7-8 c/w Psa 106:30-31).
iv. Abraham was also justified by works (evidential justification - shown to be righteous) (Jam 2:21-24), which prove our faith (Jam 2:17-20).
1. Jas 2:21 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
2. Jas 2:22 - Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
3. Jas 2:23 - And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
4. Jas 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Image from: www.patheos.com
For a master copy of the outline, click here: Two Everythings
To listen to the previous sermon in the series, click here: Part 1
To listen to the next sermon in the series, click here: Part 3
To Listen on YouTube, click here: Two Everythings (Part 2) - Two Justifications (Effectual and Evidential)
4. Two justifications
A. There are two senses in which a person can be justified before God: either by being made (caused to be) righteous by God (effectual justification), or by being accounted (considered) righteous by God (evidential justification).
i. Justified ppl. - Made just or right; made or accounted righteous; warranted; supported by evidence
ii. Justification n. - 4. Theol. The action whereby man is justified, or freed from the penalty of sin, and accounted or made righteous by God; the fact or condition of being so justified.
iii. Justify v. - 4. To absolve, acquit, exculpate; spec. in Theol. to declare free from the penalty of sin on the ground of Christ's righteousness, or to make inherently righteous by the infusion of grace: see justification 4.
iv. Make v. - III. To cause to be or become (something specified). a. With adj. as compl.: To cause to be, render.
v. Accounted - Counted, reckoned, considered.
B. Being made righteous by God (effectual justification)
i. Jesus justified us in the sense of making and causing us to be righteous by:
1. His Blood
a. Rom 5:8 - But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
b. Rom 5:9 - Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
c. Rom 5:10 - For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
2. His Grace
a. Tit 3:7 - That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
b. Rom 3:24 - Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
3. His Faith
a. Gal 2:16 - Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
4. His Knowledge
a. Isa 53:11 - He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
ii. Jesus made us righteous by His obedience alone when He was made sin for us.
1. Rom 5:19 - For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
2. 2Co 5:21 - For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
iii. We are passive recipients of this justification (effectual justification) by Christ.
C. Being shown to be righteous by our faith and works (evidential justification)
i. Abraham is the eminent example of being justified (evidentially), in the sense of being shown to be just.
ii. Abraham was not justified by his works (in the sense of being made righteous - effectual justification).
1. Rom 4:2 - For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
iii. Abraham was justified by his faith (evidential justification - shown to be righteous).
1. Rom 4:3 - For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
2. Gal 3:6 - Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
3. His faith was counted unto him for righteousness.
4. Counted righteous = accounted righteous = justified (see definitions above)
5. Faith is a token which is the evidence of (counted for) righteousness, just as poker chips are tokens which are the evidence of (counted for) the possession of real wealth.
6. Just as the poker chips are not real wealth, nor do they cause real wealth, so faith is not itself righteousness, nor does it cause righteousness.
7. Abraham's faith didn't make him righteous, it showed him to be righteous.
a. Abraham's faith was said to be counted for righteousness in Gen 15:6.
b. This happened after he left Ur by faith (Heb 11:8) in Gen 12:1-4.
c. Abraham was already righteous when his faith was counted unto him for righteousness in Genesis 15.
d. Furthermore, if the phrase "counted for righteousness" means "made righteous" or "given eternal life", then a person can become righteous and get eternal life by shish-kabobing two fornicators like Phinehas (Num 25:7-8 c/w Psa 106:30-31).
iv. Abraham was also justified by works (evidential justification - shown to be righteous) (Jam 2:21-24), which prove our faith (Jam 2:17-20).
1. Jas 2:21 - Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
2. Jas 2:22 - Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
3. Jas 2:23 - And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
4. Jas 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
