Question on Justification

[xcrunner12]

If God has declared us just in his sight and when he looks at us he sees Christ's Righteousness why do we need to confess our sins. And if we are already righteous what then is the point of Sanctification. I just realized I believed this but did not understand it, if that makes sense.

[Edited on 6-29-2006 by xcrunner12]

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

Pro 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.


It is the difference between justification and sanctification, and being known by God and knowing God. We are still called to confess our sins.

Read the first 8 chapters of Romans over and over again. It will become quite clear.

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

I see you changed your post.

Justification has to do with our legal standing before God. Imperfection and Perfection can not mix. Christ's death fixes that. He became sin for us and we take on his righteousness. His active obedience is accounted to us when we place our faith in His propitiating death.

(Rom 3:24) Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

(Rom 3:25) Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

(Rom 3:26) To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Sanctification has to do with setting Christ apart in our hearts and working out our daily lives in His presence. We are told to seek first His Kingdom. An unrepentant unsanctified heart will not do.

(1Pe 3:8) Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous:

(1Pe 3:9) Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.

(1Pe 3:10) For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

(1Pe 3:11) Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

(1Pe 3:12) For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

(1Pe 3:13) And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

(1Pe 3:14) But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

(1Pe 3:15) But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

(1Pe 3:16) Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

(1Pe 3:17) For it is better, if the will of God be so, that ye suffer for well doing, than for evil doing.

(1Pe 3:18) For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

[Edited on 6-29-2006 by puritancovenanter]

 

[Semper Fidelis]

A few thoughts:

1. While we are declared righteous in His sight on account of Christ's righteousness we are not actually (intrinsically) righteous. We are still sinners.

2. As we are still sinners we need to continually turn from our sin not as those under judgment but as those who realize that God hates it. We repent of it because our new heart should not abide with something that causes our Father displeasure.

3. Repentance is a constant reminder that God is righteous and we are not. One of the reasons the Gospel is to be proclaimed to believers is that it reminds us that God's law is holy and that we are in constant need of Christ's righteousness. The question you ask is precisely the kind of question that might cause some sinful heart to conclude that Christ has already paid for my sins, they're covered, I'm righteous, and nothing is left for me to do. The sinful heart could turn what is meant to be a declaration of God's grace into license for sin proving that they never received that Grace.

4. The Gospel, in fact, awakens within us a knowledge of our sin and our constant need to turn from it: a constant need to learn to hate our sin more and love Christ instead. Before Paul became a Christian he was blameless in his own eyes (Phillipians 4:4-6). Paul, the Christian, expresses battle with sin in Romans 7 but expresses hope in Christ in Romans 8.

5. The original question almost implies that, apart from Christ, there is such a thing as repentance. All saints, from all time, have been saved by Christ's righteousness. Though different in administration in different epochs of Redemptive history, God's people have always repented of their sin with the same hope: that the Redeemer has truly paid for their sins. Adam could not express his hope with the same vocabulary that Abraham did. Though Abraham received the Gospel it was not as clearly seen by him as we see it. What we have in common, however, is Christ. There has never been a time, in fact, where repentance was real or accepted apart from Christ. God even hated the rituals He commanded Israel when they were not attended with faith.

[Edited on 6-29-2006 by SemperFideles]

 

[MW]

The Lord still sees the sins of believers as a moral entity, only he considers the "guilt" of them to be covered in His Son. The "power" of sin is broken by the regenerating work of the Spirit, but the continuing "presence" of sin is still a reality in the believer's life (Rom. 7:14ff), and must be dealt with "through the Spirit" by means of confession and mortification.

Anthony Burgess' book, "The True Doctrine of Justification" deals with the question of seeking daily pardon of sin in Lecture 14. Here is an outline which might be helpful:

Observation. It is the duty of justified persons to pray for the forgiveness of their sins.
1. That God would not require of us the satisfaction of his justice for our sins.
2. That God would lay our sins upon Christ.
3. As we pray for justification, so for continuance in it.
4. We pray for daily renewed acts of pardon and imputation of Christ´s righteousness.
5. We pray for the sense of this pardon in our consciences more and more.
6. We pray that as God doth forgives the sins, so he would release the punishment.
7. We pray to be delivered from those effects of sin.
8. We pray for pardon and the concomitants thereof.

Blessings!

 

[PuritanCovenanter]

This is one of the best modern abridgements of a Puritan I have ever read. It is a great book on indwelling sin and mortification, which are very important in sanctification. If you can not find a copy, I will loan you mine.

 

[R. Scott Clark]

The distinction has sometimes been made between God seeing our sins in his providence and God seeing our sins in his justice/judgment.

Yes, God "sees" everything, and he does chastise us as a father and sometimes withdraws (as the Confession says) that sense of his Fatherly favor, but believers are never under judgment.

We confess our sins and ask for forgiveness not for justification but as part of mortification (dying to sins) and sanctification. If our justification depended upon our confession, we would be condemned since we never confess all our sins fully or exhaustively or with sufficient hatred for sin to "make" (as if that were possible) God forgive us.

Heidelberg Catechism Q/A 126 says:

126. What is the fifth petition?

"And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors", that is: Be pleased for the sake of Christ's blood, not to impute to us miserable sinners our manifold transgressions, nor the evil which still always cleaves to us; as we also find this witness of Your grace in us, that it is our full purpose heartily to forgive our neighbor.

This occurs in the third part of the catechism, under sanctification, not justification.

Behind it is Q/A 116:

116. Why is prayer necessary for Christians?

Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us; and because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit only to those who earnestly and without ceasing beg them of Him, and render thanks unto Him for them.

rsc

 

[VirginiaHuguenot]

Originally posted by xcrunner12
If God has declared us just in his sight and when he looks at us he sees Christ's Righteousness why do we need to confess our sins. And if we are already righteous what then is the point of Sanctification. I just realized I believed this but did not understand it, if that makes sense.

[Edited on 6-29-2006 by xcrunner12]

Simul justus et peccator

 

[Contra_Mundum]

If you offend your earthly father, he won't stop loving you or disown you right?

So, should you then say, "Apologize? Seek his forgiveness and favor? Huh? I'm his child! I shouldn't have to say I'm sorry for anything. Nothing is going to change my sonship."

So, if God is no longer against us as the Judge of Righteousness, should we not seek his face as our Father, and ask his Parental pardon for our foolishness in sin?

Believe me, when you become a father yourself, this reality will be put into fresh perspective again.

 

[C. Matthew McMahon]

Yes, God "sees" everything, and he does chastise us as a father and sometimes withdraws (as the Confession says) that sense of his Fatherly favor, but believers are never under judgment.

This is tough to practically live out. We are practical Arminians in many ways. Its the "I did something bad, thus, God spanks me every time" syndrome.