How is justification an act of God's free grace?

Although Christ, by his obedience and death, did make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to God’s justice in the behalf of them that are justified;[1] yet inasmuch as God accepteth the satisfaction from a surety, which he might have demanded of them, and did provide this surety, his own only Son,[2] imputing his righteousness to them,[3] and requiring nothing of them for their justification but faith,[4] which also is his gift,[5] their justification is to them of free grace.[6]

1. Rom. 5:8-10, 19

   …but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.
   
   For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

2. II Tim. 2:5-6

   An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

   Heb. 7:22

   This makes Jesus the guarantor of a better covenant.

   Heb.10:10

   And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

   Matt. 20:28

   …even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

   Dan. 9:24, 26

   Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.
   
   

   And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

   Isa. 53:4-6, 10-12

   Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
   
   Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.

   Rom. 8:32

   He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

   I Peter 1:18-19

   …knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

3. II Cor. 5:21

   For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

4. Rom. 3:24-25

   …and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

5. Eph. 2:8

   For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God…

6. Eph. 1:7

   In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace….

Westminster Larger Catechism, Question 71

Comments

[Leslie]

I love the way you let God speak through His Word on your blog.

[rebecca]

Thanks, Leslie.

[Kristine]

What a powerful doctrine, is that of Justification. I sincerely enjoyed this post!