erfect
obedience which the law of works demanded, yet God has been
graciously pleased, for Christ's sake, to give us a new law,
according to which, sincere obedience, or faith, repentance, and
sincere obedience, are accepted as our justifying righteousness. It
may be here remarked, that the Scripture nowhere gives the slightest
intimation that a near and milder law has been substituted in place
of the law of works originally given to man. Christ came "not to
destroy the law, but to fulfill it." The gospel was never designed
to teach sinners that God will now accept of a sincere instead of a
perfect obedience, but to direct them to Jesus Christ as "the end of
the law for righteousness to every one that believes." The idea of a
new law, adapted to the present condition of human nature, reflects
the greatest dishonor both upon the law and the Lawgiver; for it
assumes that the Lawgiver is mutable, and that the law first given
to man demanded too much.

III. The righteousness of Jesus Christ is the sole ground of a
sinner's justification before God. It is not his essential
righteousness as God that we intend, for that is incommunicable; but
his mediatory or surety-righteousness, which, according to our
Confession, consists of his "obedience and satisfaction." That
sinners are justified only on this ground might be demonstrated by a
multiplicity of proofs. None can be justified without a perfect
righteousness; for the demands of the law cannot be set aside or
relaxed. The judgment of God, in pronouncing the sinner righteous,
would not be according to truth, unless the sentence were founded
upon a righteousness adequate to the requirements of the law. In the
Old Testament, the Messiah is mentioned under this endearing name,
"The Lord our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6); and it is predicted
that he should "bring in everlasting righteousness." Dan 9:21. In
the New Testament, Christ is said to be "made unto us
righteousness;" and we are said to be "made the righteousness of God
in him." 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21. It is declared that
"by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous," and that "by
the righteousness of one, the free gift comes upon all men unto
justification of life." Romans 5:18, 19.

IV. Sinners obtain an interest in the righteousness of Christ, for
their justification, by God imputing it to them, and their receiving
it by faith. The doctrine of the imputation of Christ's
righteousness is rejected, not only by Romanists and Socinians, but
by several authors of widely different sentiments. Let it be
observed, that we plead for the imputation of the righteousness of
Christ itself, and not merely of its effects. "To say that the
righteousness of Christ, that is, his obedience and sufferings, are
imputed to us only as to their effects, is to say, that we have the
benefit of them, and no more; but imputation itself is denied. So
say the Socinians; but they know well enough, and ingenuously grant,
that they overthrow all true, real imputation thereby." The effects
of Christ's righteousness are communicated to us upon the ground of
the imputation of his righteousness itself; but they are really
imparted, and not imputed to us. Many, we apprehend, oppose the
doctrine of imputation, owing to their misconception of its proper
nature. It does not signify the infusion of holy dispositions, or
the actual transference of the righteousness of Christ to believers,
so that it becomes inherently and subjectively theirs—that is
impossible, in the nature of things; but the meaning is, that God
reckons the righteousness of Christ to their account, and, in
consideration of it, treats them as if they were righteous. God does
not reckon that they performed it themselves, for that would be a
judgment not according to truth; but he accounts it to them for
their justification. "There are certain technical terms in
theology," says Dr. Chalmers, "which are used so currently, that
they fail to impress their own meaning on the thinking principle.
The term 'impute' is one of them. It may hold forth a revelation of
its plain sense to you, when it is barely mentioned that the term
impute in the 6th verse (Romans 4), is the same in the original with
what is employed in that verse of Philemon where Paul says, 'If he
has wronged you, or owes you ought, put that on mine account.' To
impute righteousness to a man without works, is simply to put
righteousness down to his account, though he has not performed the
works of righteousness."

The doctrine of the imputation of Christ's righteousness is clearly
taught in Scripture. We are represented as being constituted
righteous by the obedience of Christ, as we are constituted sinners
by the disobedience of Adam; and this can only be by
imputation.—Romans 5:19. We are also said to be made the
righteousness of God in Christ, as he was made sin for us; and this,
likewise, could only be by imputation.—2 Corinthians 5:21. We are
expressly told that God imputes righteousness without works.—Romans
4:6. This imputation proceeds upon the grounds of the believer's
federal union with Christ from eternity, and of his vital union with
him in time. Christ as the Surety of his spiritual seed, engaged
from everlasting to fulfill this righteousness for them; he
fulfilled it in their nature, and in their room; and when they
become vitally united to him by the Spirit and by faith, God
graciously accounts his righteousness to them for their
justification.

V. Faith is the alone instrument of the sinner's justification. That
we are justified by faith is so frequently and expressly declared in
the Scriptures, that no one who professes to receive the Word of God
as the rule of his faith can venture to deny it. There are very
different opinions, however, in regard to the office of faith in the
justification of a sinner. Some say that a sinner is justified by
faith, as it is an act performed by him; as if faith came in the
room of perfect obedience, required by the law. This we have already
disproved; and "it is well known," says Witsius, "that the Reformed
Churches condemned Arminius and his followers for saying that faith
comes to be considered, in the matter of justification, as a work or
act of ours." Some have said, that faith is to be considered as the
condition of our justification. The "condition" of anything usually
signifies that which, being done, gives us a right and title to it,
because it possesses either intrinsic or conventional merit. To call
faith, in this sense, the condition of our justification, would
introduce human merit, to the dishonor of divine grace, and would
entirely subvert the gospel. Some worthy divines have called faith a
condition, who were far from being of opinion that it is a condition
properly so called, on the performance of which men should,
according to the gracious covenant of God, have a right to
justification as their reward. They merely intended, that without
faith we cannot be justified—that faith must precede justification
in the order of time or of nature. But as the term "condition" is
very ambiguous, and calculated to mislead the ignorant, it should be
avoided. Others have said that faith justifies, as it is informed
and animated by charity. This is the language of the Romanists; and
here we may fitly use the words of the heroic champion of the
Reformation. Commenting on Galatians 2:16, he says: "This is the
true mean of becoming a Christian, even to be justified by faith in
Jesus Christ, and not by the works of the law. Here we must stand,
not upon the wicked gloss of the schoolmen, which say, that faith
justifies when charity and good works are joined withal. With this
pestilent gloss, the sophists have darkened and corrupted this and
other like sentences in Paul, wherein he manifestly attributes
justification to faith only in Christ. But when a man hears that he
ought to believe in Christ, and yet, notwithstanding, faith
justifies not except it be formed and furnished with charity, by and
by he falls from faith, and thus he thinks: If faith without charity
justifies not, then is faith in vain and unprofitable, and charity
alone justifies; for except faith be formed with charity it is
nothing.

… Wherefore we must avoid this gloss as a most deadly and devilish
poison, and conclude with Paul, 'that we are justified, not by faith
furnished with charity, but by faith only and alone.' "

In opposition to these various views of the relation which faith
bears to justification, our Confession teaches that "faith,
receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness, is the alone
instrument of justification." Some have misrepresented this
expression, as if it meant that faith is the instrument with which
God justifies. But it was never intended that faith is an instrument
on the part of God, but on our part. Some have also inaccurately
spoken of faith as the instrument by which we receive justification.
Faith is more properly the instrument by which we receive Christ and
his righteousness. Our Confession clearly teaches, that faith is
"the instrument of justification," only as it "receives and rests on
Christ and his righteousness." This, according to Mr Traill, is "the
plain old Protestant doctrine, That the place of faith is only that
of a hand or instrument receiving the righteousness of Christ, for
which only we are justified." The language of modern evangelical
divines entirely accords with this "old Protestant doctrine."
"Faith," says Mr Haldane, "does not justify as an act of
righteousness, but as the instrument by which we receive Christ and
his righteousness." "When we read that we are justified by faith,"
says Dr. Chalmers, "one should understand that faith is simply the
instrument by which we lay hold of this great privilege." "As the
hand is said to nourish," says Dr. Colquhoun, "because it is the
instrument of applying food to the body; so faith justifies, as the
hand or instrument of applying the Redeemer's righteousness to the
soul."

It is to be carefully observed, that our Confession not merely
describes faith as the instrument, but as the alone instrument of
justification. This is directed against an error of the Romanists,
who hold that hope, and love, and repentance, are included in faith
as justifying, and concur with faith, strictly so called, to
justification. That we are justified by faith alone, is proved by
such arguments as these—we are justified by faith, in opposition to
works (Romans 4:2, 3)—faith alone receives and applies the
righteousness of Christ; we are justified freely by grace, and
therefore by faith alone—became this alone is consistent with its
being by grace (Romans 3:24; 4:16); Abraham obtained the blessing of
justification by faith alone, and he was designed as a pattern of
the way in which all others, in succeeding ages, were to be
justified.—Galatians 3:6–9.

The advocates of the doctrine of justification by faith alone were
grossly calumniated, as if they had denied the necessity of good
works. To guard against this injurious misrepresentation, our
Confession teaches, that though "faith is the alone instrument of
justification, yet it is not alone in the person justified." The
faith that justifies is a living and active principle, which works
by love, purifies the heart, and excites to universal obedience. It
is accompanied with every Christian grace, and productive of good
works. "Works," says Luther, "are not taken into consideration when
the question respects justification. But true faith will no more
fail to produce them, than the sun can cease to give light." This
suggests a distinction, which enables us to remove the apparent
discrepancy between the Apostles Paul and James; but we forbear
entering on that subject.

SECTION 3. Christ, by his obedience and death, did fully discharge
the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did make a
proper, real, and full satisfaction, to his Father's justice in
their behalf. Yet, inasmuch as he was given by the Father for them,
and his obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead, and both
freely, not for anything in them, their justification is only of
free grace; that both the exact justice and rich grace of God might
be glorified in the justification of sinners.

Exposition of 11.3

Socinians deny that Christ made any real and proper satisfaction to
divine justice in behalf of his people; and their grand objection to
this doctrine is, that it leaves no room for the exercise of grace
in the salvation of sinners. Many modern writers, of a different
class, deny that Christ satisfied retributive justice, and insist
that he only satisfied public justice; consequently, they must
maintain, that he neither discharged the debt of those who are
justified, nor made a proper satisfaction in their behalf. Indeed,
they hold that a debt of obedience or a debt of punishment, is, in
its nature, untransferable; of course, neither was transferred to
Christ, and neither was paid by him. The demands of the law, in
respect both of obedience and satisfaction, instead of being exacted
by Jehovah, and fulfilled by Christ, are, in their opinion, by an
act of divine sovereignty, "suspended, superseded, overruled." And
the chief argument which they urge against the doctrine of a
"proper, real, and full satisfaction" to divine justice is, "its
excluding anything of the nature of grace from every part of the
process of a sinner's salvation, excepting the original appointment
of the Surety." The statement of our Confession, in this section, is
directly opposed to these views; and in confirmation of it, we need
only refer to the explicit testimony of the Scriptures. "By the
obedience of one shall many be made righteous." Romans 5:19. What
stronger proof could we desire that Christ discharged the debt of
obedience due by those who are justified? "By his knowledge shall my
righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities."
Isaiah 53:11. "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us." Galatians 3:13. What words could more
clearly convey the sentiment, that Christ endured the very penalty
of the broken law, and thereby made "a proper, real, and full
satisfaction to his Father's justice," in behalf of all whom he
represented? But the justification of sinners, "through the
redemption that is in Christ Jesus," instead of excluding or
obscuring, serves rather to illustrate the glory of the grace
displayed in it. Grace shines in God's condescending to accept of
the righteousness of a surety; still more in his providing the
surety; above all, in giving his only begotten Son to be the atoning
sacrifice for our sins. Besides, that faith by which we receive the
righteousness of Christ is the gift of God.—Ephesians 2:8. "The
glory of the gospel is, that grace reigns through righteousness.
Salvation is of grace; but this grace comes to us in a way of
righteousness. It is grace to us; but it was brought about in such a
way that all our debt was paid. This exhibits God as just as well as
merciful. Just, in requiring full compensation to justice; and
merciful, because it was he, and not the sinner, who provided the
ransom."