Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org
Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org Christian Theology - Media Sabda Org
thy transgressions, Jesus Christ has redeemed thy life by giving up his own; he died in thy stead, and has made atonement to God for thy transgression; and offers thee the pardon he has thus purchased, on the simple condition that thou believe that his death is a sufficient sacrifice, ransom, and oblation for thy sin; and that thou bring it, as such, by confident faith to the throne of God, and plead it in thy own behalf there. When thou dost so, thy faith in that sacrifice shall be imputed to thee for righteousness; that is, it shall be the means of receiving that salvation which Christ has bought by his blood. The doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ, as held by many, will not be readily found in Rom. iv, where it has been supposed to exist in all its proofs. It is repeatedly said that faith is imputed for righteousness; but in no place here that Christ's obedience to the moral law is imputed to any man. The truth is, the moral law was broken, and did not now require obedience; it required this before it was broken; but, after it was broken, it required death. Either the sinner must die, or some one in his stead; but there was none, whose death could have been an equivalent for the transgressions of the world, but Jesus Christ. Jesus, therefore, died for man; and it is through his blood, the merit of his passion and death, that we have redemption; and not by his obedience to the moral law in our stead: our salvation was obtained at a much higher price. Jesus could not but be righteous and obedient; this is consequent on the immaculate purity of his nature; but his death was not a necessary consequent. As the law of God can claim only the death of a transgressor—for such only forfeit their right to life—it is the greatest miracle of all that Christ could die, whose life was never forfeited. Here we see the indescribable demerit of sin, that it required such a death; and here we see the stupendous mercy of God, in providing the sacrifice required. It is therefore by Jesus Christ's death, or obedience unto death, that we are saved, and not by his fulfilling any moral law. That he fulfilled the moral law, we know; without which he could not have been qualified to be our Mediator; but we must take heed lest we attribute that to obedience (which was the necessary consequence of his immaculate nature) which belongs to his passion and death. These were free-will
offerings of eternal goodness, and not even a necessary consequence of his incarnation. This doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ is capable of great abuse. To say that Christ's personal righteousness is imputed to every true believer, is not Scriptural: to say that he has fulfilled all righteousness for us, in our stead, if by this is meant his fulfilment of all moral duties, is neither Scriptural nor true; that he has died in our stead, is a great, glorious, and Scriptural truth; that there is no redemption but through his blood is asserted beyond all contradiction in the oracles of God. But there are a multitude of duties which the moral law requires, which Christ never fulfilled in our stead, and never could. We have various duties of a domestic kind which belong solely to ourselves, in the relation of parents, husbands, wives, servants, &c., in which relations Christ never stood. He has fulfilled none of these duties for us, but he furnishes grace to every true believer to fulfil them to God's glory, the edification of his neighbour, and his own eternal profit. The salvation which we receive from God's free mercy, through Christ, binds us to live in a strict conformity to the moral law; that law which prescribes our manners, and the spirit by which they should be regulated, and in which they should be performed. He who lives not in the due performance of every Christian duty, whatever faith he may profess, is either a vile hypocrite or a scandalous Antinomian. God is said to be "no respecter of persons" for this reason, among many others, that, being infinitely righteous, he must be infinitely impartial. He cannot prefer one to another, because he has nothing to hope or fear from any of his creatures. All partialities among men spring from one or other of these two principles, hope or fear; God can feel neither of them, and therefore God can be no respecter of persons. He approves or disapproves of men according to their moral character. He pities all, and provides salvation for all, but he loves those who resemble him in his holiness; and he loves them in proportion to that resemblance, that is, the more of his image he sees in any the more he loves him, and e contra. And every man's work will be the evidence of his conformity or
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- Page 99 and 100: in which we were created. 2. We are
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offerings of eternal goodness, and not even a necessary consequence of<br />
his incarnation.<br />
This doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ is capable of great<br />
abuse. To say that Christ's personal righteousness is imputed to every true<br />
believer, is not Scriptural: to say that he has fulfilled all righteousness for<br />
us, in our stead, if by this is meant his fulfilment of all moral duties, is<br />
neither Scriptural nor true; that he has died in our stead, is a great,<br />
glorious, and Scriptural truth; that there is no redemption but through his<br />
blood is asserted beyond all contradiction in the oracles of God. But there<br />
are a multitude of duties which the moral law requires, which Christ<br />
never fulfilled in our stead, and never could. We have various duties of<br />
a domestic kind which belong solely to ourselves, in the relation of<br />
parents, husbands, wives, servants, &c., in which relations Christ never<br />
stood. He has fulfilled none of these duties for us, but he furnishes grace<br />
to every true believer to fulfil them to God's glory, the edification of his<br />
neighbour, and his own eternal profit. The salvation which we receive<br />
from God's free mercy, through Christ, binds us to live in a strict<br />
conformity to the moral law; that law which prescribes our manners, and<br />
the spirit by which they should be regulated, and in which they should be<br />
performed. He who lives not in the due performance of every <strong>Christian</strong><br />
duty, whatever faith he may profess, is either a vile hypocrite or a<br />
scandalous Antinomian.<br />
God is said to be "no respecter of persons" for this reason, among<br />
many others, that, being infinitely righteous, he must be infinitely<br />
impartial. He cannot prefer one to another, because he has nothing to<br />
hope or fear from any of his creatures. All partialities among men spring<br />
from one or other of these two principles, hope or fear; God can feel<br />
neither of them, and therefore God can be no respecter of persons. He<br />
approves or disapproves of men according to their moral character. He<br />
pities all, and provides salvation for all, but he loves those who resemble<br />
him in his holiness; and he loves them in proportion to that resemblance,<br />
that is, the more of his image he sees in any the more he loves him, and<br />
e contra. And every man's work will be the evidence of his conformity or
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