Today we come to Chapter 11 of our Confession. Dealing with the subject of justification, otherwise known as how sinners can be right in the sight of a holy and a just God. This chapter builds logically on the previous chapter in that it connects justification and the effectual calling of God together. Those whom God effectually calls, it says in paragraph one, he also freely justifies. And this follows the order that Paul lays out in Romans 8.30 where he says, moreover, those whom God predestines, these he also calls, whom he calls, these he also justified. This chapter is comprised of six paragraphs. Today we will cover paragraph one and two. Paragraph one explains the nature of justification. What is justification? And what is justification not? It has a series of three denials and affirmations. And then paragraph two explains the relationship of faith to justification, emphasizing the instrumentality of faith, faith alone, or sola fide. Let's begin with paragraph one. Read along with me in chapter 11, paragraph one. Those whom God effectually calleth, he also freely justifieth, not by infusing righteousness into them, but by pardoning their sins and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous. not for anything wrought in them or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone. Not by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical obedience to them as their righteousness, but by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law and passive obedience in his death for their whole and soul righteousness, they receiving and resting on him and his righteousness by faith, which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift of God. Now for the sake of clarity, I think it can be helpful to extract just the positive affirmations of this paragraph to gain a basic definition of justification. And the result would be as follows. God freely justifies those he affectionately calls by pardoning their sins, by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous for Christ's sake alone, and by imputing Christ's active obedience unto the whole law and passive obedience in His death for their whole and sole righteousness." Thus we can say that justification relates to the forgiveness of sin and the accounting of ourselves as righteous in God's sight, and this on the basis of an imputation, an imputation of Christ's passive obedience, and an imputation of Christ's active obedience. Christ's passive obedience relating to the forgiveness of sins, and Christ's active obedience relating to the accounting of ourselves as righteous in His sight. And so I want to defend each of these things from scripture. First, that justification relates to the judicial pardon of our sins. This is plainly taught in many places in the Bible, and the forgiveness of sins is brought into connection with justification. If you turn to Romans chapter three, you have your Bibles turned to Romans chapter three, verses 23 and 24. I need a bigger podium here. Paul says in this passage that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. That includes all of us. And therefore it is necessary to be justified freely by His grace. And by the way, that's why our confession states that those whom God effectually calls, He freely justifies. Because Romans 3 states that God justifies us freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood to be received by faith. What is propitiation? Somebody tell me. The satisfaction of anger, Christ is a wrath-bearing sacrifice for us, which brings about the forgiveness of sins and God's judicial pardon. God's free justification of sinners came at the cost of Christ's death, where sin was atoned for. That's Paul's point in this text. All right, justification is also brought into connection with the forgiveness of sins in chapter four of Romans. in verses five through eight. Look at Romans chapter four verses five through eight. But to him who does not work, but believes on him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. And then Paul gives the example of David. Just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works, and he quotes from Psalm 32, blessed are those whose lawless deeds are what? Are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whom the Lord shall not impute. his sin. So we see here that justification is brought into close correspondence with the reality of judicial pardon. If you look over at Romans chapter 5 verses 8 through 10 It says, but God demonstrates His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. And as sinners, we needed to be freely pardoned for our sins, and that is exactly why Christ has come to die. And so Paul says, much more than having now been justified by His blood, which pacified the wrath of God against our sins, we shall be saved from wrath through Him, through Christ. And I'll just read from Ephesians 1, 7 as well, where Paul correlates the redemption we have in Christ with the forgiveness of sins. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace. So justification is brought into correspondence with the forgiveness of sins. When we think about justification we have to think about God's judicial pardon and His acquittal of us in the court of His tribunal. Alright, moving on to the second reality. Justification relates to the accounting of ourselves as righteous for Christ's sake alone. Let's defend that from scripture. Look at Romans chapter 1, verses 16 and 17. Paul's point here in this text is that in the gospel God reveals a righteousness that he grants to sinners. And that that righteousness is found in Christ and we are imputed with it. Romans 1, 16 and 17 says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. Why not? Because it is God's power for salvation to everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it, in the gospel, the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith. As it is written, the just shall live by faith. The Gospel provides a righteousness that God grants to sinners who trust in the merits of Messiah Jesus. And He accounts or looks upon us as righteous in His sight on the basis of the mediation of Christ, our surety. Alright, look at Romans chapter 3 verses 21 and 22. Paul has been expressing that God's wrath against sin is being revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth. But Paul was saying now in the time of the new covenant, in this day of salvation, The righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed. God is working in saving activity to account sinners righteous in his sight. And this is witnessed by the law and the prophets. What is this? Verse 22, even the righteousness that comes from God through faith in Jesus Christ to all and on all who believe for there is no difference. It's important to recognize that when the righteousness of God is being used in the Book of Romans, it's being used in three distinctive ways. On the one hand, the righteousness of God is His saving activity. On the other hand, the righteousness of God is an inherent attribute by which He is the just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. But for our topic today, the righteousness of God Christ's perfect righteousness to the law and His death for sin that leads to God accounting us righteous in His sight on the basis of faith or the gift of righteousness that He gives to us in Jesus. Look over at the book of Philippians chapter 3 verse 9. Philippians chapter 3 verse 9. In this text, Paul was explaining his suffering, the loss of all things. for the sake of knowing Christ Jesus. And he says in verse 7, that what things were gained to me, these I counted loss because of Christ. And he says, yet indeed I also count all things lost for the excellence, the superiority of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as garbage. as refuse that I may gain Christ, and what does he say, and be found in him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, which is derived from my law keeping, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. So justification is a status that God declares in His judicial court over sinners who turn to the mediator and say, He is my righteousness before you and I will rest and I will rely upon Him alone before you. You don't have to turn here, but 1 Corinthians 1.30-31 also says, But of God you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, that as it is written, He who glories, let him glory in the Lord. All right, so justification is both the forgiveness of sin, judicial pardon, and God's declaration that we are righteous in His sight, that the law demands nothing more of us, that His justice is satisfied. And on what basis does God do this? He does this on the basis of an imputation or a legal reckoning of the merits of Christ to us. and we'll defend that now. The granting of a righteous status before God comes on the basis of Christ's obedience, which while a unity can be viewed in two distinctive aspects. Someone tell us what we mean when we say Christ's active obedience. He actively kept the whole law. Yes, exactly. Christ kept God's law down to the jot and the tittle. You know, God's law demands, love me with all of your heart, with all of your soul, with all of your mind, with all of your strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. And when we think, what did Jesus do? That's what He did. in keeping the law perfectly. So we can distinguish Christ's active obedience from his passive obedience. And passive does not mean so much inactivity as the idea of Christ's passion or his suffering. Specifically, that obedience in which Christ was led to the cross and put to death had a curse placed upon Him that we might be set free from the curse of the law. Now it's important to understand that in Romans 2.13, don't turn there, but this is what Paul says there. Not the hearers of the law will be justified. but the doers of the law will be justified in his sight. The point that Paul makes in Romans 2.13 is exactly this, that hearing God's law is not enough, and even agreeing with God's law is not enough. If you want to be justified in God's sight, one must be a doer of the law and not have failed in a single part, because to fail in a single part, James says, is to break what? The entire thing. All right, so Paul makes clear through the rest of the book of Romans how Christ has come and has discharged the penalty of the curse of the law against us and been obedient to the law in our stead as the last Adam. Through whose obedience we are counted righteous and therefore justified. I'll look over at Romans chapter five, verses 17 and 19. Romans chapter five, verses 17 through 19. We've looked at this text before where Paul is setting up a two Adam schema. Adam was a public person, he was a representative figure, and his actions affect his descendants, his seed. And Christ is the last Adam. He is a public representative and substitute on our behalf. And His actions affect His people, or the ones that Paul calls the many here. All right, and in this text, in Romans chapter five, verses 17 through 19, Paul is going to make a distinction between the sin of Adam, which unleashes death, and sin upon his progeny, and the obedience of Christ, which brings about righteousness and life for his spiritual progeny. This is what Paul says in Romans 5. For if by one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, will reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. Therefore, as through one man's offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one man's righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience Many were made sinners, so also by one man's obedience many will be made righteous. It's on this basis that we say God imputes through the obedience of Christ to our account Christ's own righteousness to us so that we are constituted righteous in Him. want to read here a quote from John Murray from his very excellent book that I recommend to all of you, Redemption Accomplished and Applied. I love this book. This is what he says, This conclusion that justification is constitutive is not only an inference drawn from the considerations of God's truth and equity, it is expressly stated in the Scripture itself. It is with the subject of justification that Paul is dealing when he says, For as through the disobedience of the one man the many were constituted sinners, even so through the obedience of the one the many will be constituted righteous. The parallel expressions which Paul uses in this chapter are to the same effect. In Romans 5.17 he speaks of those who receive the free gift of righteousness. And in verse 18 of the judgment which passes upon men unto justification of life through one righteousness. It is clear that the justification which is unto eternal life, Paul regards as consisting in our being constituted righteous, in our receiving righteousness as a free gift, and this righteousness is none other than the righteousness of the one man, Jesus Christ. It is the righteousness of His obedience. Hence, grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. This is the truth which has been expressed as the imputation to us of the righteousness of Christ. Very, very important. Alright, Paul also talks about this in Romans chapter 10. If you turn over to Romans chapter 10, verses three and four. Your poll specifies that Israel has pursued a righteousness of its own, seeking to establish its righteousness through its law keeping, and they have not subjected themselves, i.e., rested in or received God's righteousness. And what is God's righteousness? Verse three and four. For they, being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. And who is that? For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. Christ puts an end to law-keeping hopes at being our righteousness in God's sight, because in the gospel, God provides the righteousness that we need in Christ, and he does that for free. One more text here, 2 Corinthians 5, verse 21. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 21 this is a well known passage that talks about the suffering servant and how He took on our sins. And He took on our sins that what might be true of us that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. So it says in 2 Corinthians 5 21, For He, that is God, made Him, Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Now here's my question for you, and maybe someone can answer this. When it says that God made Him who knew no sin to be sin, what does that mean? What legal category are we talking about when we talk about Christ being made sin for us? We're talking about the legal category of imputation, aren't we? All right, so ours was the sin. Christ's was the perfection, the righteousness. And yet what Paul says in this text is that sin was placed upon Christ in fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, all the days of Atonement when the high priest would place his hands upon the goat and confess upon it all of the sins of the people. And Paul says that this happened Christ took upon our sin and discharged it so that what might be the case? So that we might be made the righteousness of God. Remember what it says, in Him. Everything being connected to that fundamental aspect of our union with Christ. Alright, so here is the conclusion. Christ's active and passive obedience, granted to us, accounted to us, imputed to us, is our whole and sole righteousness before God. And whole means that it is our entire righteousness. Soul means that it is our only righteousness by God. And this is a righteousness that our confession says is by faith, which will lead us into the next paragraph that talks about faith's instrumentality. But notice what our confession says about faith. It says that this faith they have not of themselves, it is God's gift. Very important to remember this. Scripture underscores that faith is a gift in Ephesians 2, 8, and 9, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. John chapter 1 speaks about those who received Him and those who believed in His name. And how did they do that? Those who received Him and believed in His name did that because they were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but they were born, that is regenerated by God Himself. Faith, Believing and trusting in Christ is the fruit of regeneration, which means that faith is a gift of God and is not something that was produced within us by our own inherent powers. All right, so that's what we say by way of affirmation. What about the denials? All right, if what we have said is true, that justification is the pardon of our sins and the accounting of ourselves as righteous on the basis of a judicial imputation of God, of Christ's passive and active obedience on our behalf, then we have to deny that God justifies us by infusing righteousness. All right, remember, these are denials. So I could cross this out, but I'm not going to do that. All right, to infuse here means to instill a quality in someone, that someone is justified because God instills within them a quality or a habit of righteousness. And this is the Roman Catholic view of justification. Roman Catholics believe that justification is a transformative process that begins at a person's baptism and continues through the believer's life. Now here's the problem with saying that justification is a process. Nowhere in scripture does Paul ever say that justification is a process. What does he say justification is? An act, exactly. Justification is not a process, but an act. What is a process? Sanctification. So what's our basic argument against the Roman Catholic Church? You're mixing up act and process and you're bringing sanctification into justification, which Paul always leaves separated from each other. Distinct, but I should say distinct from each other, but not separated from each other. All right, so this is from the Council of Trent. Justification, they say, is not only the remission of sins, So far so good. But also the active imputation of Christ's obedience, right? No. But also the sanctification and renewal of the inward man. That's what Rome states. And that's never been revoked. So the Council of Trent is still abiding doctrine for Roman Catholics. You need to remind some of them who would prefer Vatican II. Council of Trent is still binding doctrine. So it is clear from scripture that the opposite of justification is condemnation. And that's why Paul says in Romans 8.1, there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Therefore, justification is a judicial and legal verdict and not a quality that inheres in a person. We state therefore that to confute justification and sanctification is a simple category error and this is what Rome does. Justification is a judicial and forensic acquittal, which is exactly why Paul says in Romans 8, who is the one who will condemn or bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. And the point is that no one can bring a charge since God has made the judicial verdict and declared us righteous in Christ. Paul also states in Romans 5, having been justified, having been justified, not a process, but an act that has taken place, we have peace with God and rejoice in the hope of glory. Roman Catholics believe that because justification is a process there is an initial justification at baptism and that initial justification leads to a final justification God's tribunal at the judgment day, and that this justification is pronounced on the basis, yes, of God's grace, but also our cooperation with grace. And the simple argument that we have in response to that is Paul does not speak about a final justification in these categories. The justification that we received is the judicial verdict of Judgment Day brought forward into the present. You understand what I'm saying when I say that? When God justifies a sinner, that's judgment day anticipated. All right, so the judicial verdict that God will pronounce at the end is brought forward into the present time. We are no longer under God's wrath. Jesus delivers us from the wrath of God that is coming. All right, so we deny that justification is done by infusing righteousness. Now, well, I'm gonna move on from that. Number two, we deny that God reckons us as righteous for something wrought in us or done by us. Paul states so often that we are not justified by works. And I'm not going to read all these texts because we're running out of time. But Romans 3.20, 3.28, 4.2-5, Galatians 2.16, Galatians 3.2-3, Galatians 3, 10 and 11. Galatians 5, 4. We are not justified by works. We are not justified by something done by us. And if we were this would be a cause for boasting. And Paul says over and over again that God's demonstration of His righteousness in Christ is so that we would not boast. Thirdly, we deny that God imputes faith or the act of believing or any other evangelical obedience to us as our righteousness. Some people, namely some Arminians, have stated that God counts faith itself as righteousness. That God lessens his legal demands and he will accept faith as righteousness so that faith is the thing imputed with righteousness. Or at least the act of believing itself is the foundation of justification. What is our response? This ruins the relation that faith sustains to its object. which is always and ever the redemptive work of Jesus. Faith has no intrinsic worth and power conceived of apart from what it rests in. Rather, it is a gift of God's grace in man, a product of the Holy Spirit's work of regeneration to enable a person to rest in Christ and therefore to be justified before God. Therefore, it is not only that man must believe, but as Paul consistently states, it is what he believes, it is what you believe, what you rest upon, what you trust in, that is precisely the point at issue for the apostle. Let me read a couple quotes from Herman Bovink. Christ would lose all significance in the work of justification if faith was conceived of on its own. And he says, then the only thing that would matter would be that a person believed. What he believed would be neither here nor there. All right, so faith itself is never the ground of our justification. It is a necessary condition for receiving what God offers in the gospel. How does a person appropriate Christ? There's only one way, by or through faith. And finally, There is no evangelical obedience that can stand for our righteousness in God's sight. And this was the Sassanian view. The Sassanian view was that faith included all obedience to Christ's commands. Of course, by faith, they would say. We deny this. For evangelical obedience to be truly evangelical, that is grounded in the gospel, On the basis of obedience, we cannot look to God for any justification. Peace with God comes on the basis of what Christ has done. That is absolutely key. All right, we're gonna move on to chapter 11, paragraph two. And I'm gonna speed through this. Faith thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness is the alone instrument of justification. Yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces and is no dead faith, but works by love. So what we're affirming here is the idea of justification sola fide, or by faith alone. And we're saying that faith is an instrument of justification, which is made clear by Paul's use of the prepositions by faith and through faith. And this is in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church which says that while faith is a must, faith is not alone. In fact, the Catholic Church anathematizes the idea that one is justified sola fide at the Council of Trent. They write this, if anyone says that a sinner is justified by faith alone, meaning that nothing else is required to cooperate in order to obtain the grace of justification, let him be anathema, let him be cursed. But the reality that faith justifies is reiterated by Paul over and over again. I won't read through all the texts, Romans 3, 22, 28, 4, 5, 5, 1, Galatians 2, 16. And while it is true that Paul never explicitly states that we are justified by faith alone, that is clearly his intended meaning. We might say it is the clear sense of the text. An example of how this works comes from Matthew 4.10. where Jesus says to Satan, away with you Satan for it is written you shall worship the Lord your God and him only you shall serve. And Jesus is quoting from Deuteronomy 6.13 which states this, you shall fear the Lord your God and serve him and shall take oaths in his name. Not only does Jesus, when he quotes this text, change the word fear to you shall worship him, but he also inserts a word into the text because in that text, God is demanding exclusive loyalty, and therefore he's being true to the sense when he says you shall worship the Lord only. You understand what I'm saying there? only is not literally in the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 6.13, and yet Jesus states, you shall worship the Lord and Him only shall you serve, because that is the sense of the text. And we should argue this way with Roman Catholics that faith is the lone instrument of justification because that is the clear sense and meaning of scripture and Paul's use. If he says it's by faith and by not works, you're excluding everything else. So we could say that faith is the instrumental cause of justification. Nevertheless, while it is true that faith alone justifies, we must also state that faith is never alone in the justified person. All other saving graces are manifested within them. Hope, love, so that faith does indeed work by love. We do not disagree with Paul's statement in Galatians 5.6 that faith works by love. Faith works. This reality of faith never being alone and the justified believer is manifested clearly by James in James 2, 18 through 25. But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. James says, Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works? When he offered Isaac his son on the altar, do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect. And the scripture was fulfilled, which says Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. I mean Catholics have a field day with this when we emphasize Sola Fide, right? Well it's very important to recognize who James is responding to. Someone will say, well you have faith, and I have works, or I have works and you have faith. He's talking to foolish people. James is speaking to those who say that faith does not need to evidence itself in a life of love and obedience to God. And that is, of course, not true. And James says as much. He says, I will show you my faith by what I do. James is highlighting the danger of a bare intellectual faith that even the demons share. Abraham's faith was brought to completion in his works and thus faith was vindicated. And this is the best solution to the Paul-James dilemma. It is to view who they're responding to. Paul is responding to Judaizing legalists and James is responding to antinomians who want to be freed from a life of practical righteousness. Both are wrong. Second, Paul and James use justification in different ways. Justification in Paul means something other than vindicated. It is a legal and judicial verdict, but justification as vindication certainly seems to be the meaning here in James. And finally, while Paul talks about Abraham's justification personally before God, James is clearly speaking about the justification not of Abraham's person, but of Abraham's faith. Abraham and Rahab's faith in God was shown to be true because it evidenced itself in works of trust and obedience. Paul would not disagree with himself in Galatians 5, 6, nor would the writer of Hebrews in Hebrews 11. The point, however, is this. In relation to justification, would those works that Abraham did and would those works that Rahab did stand in God's sight as the means by which they would not be condemned? No, for even our best works are filthy rakes. And James would undoubtedly affirm this, if you, O Lord, should mark our iniquities. O Lord, who could stand? Chatavent Dixhorn has written, this one saving grace of faith is accompanied by all other saving graces. Other graces like patience and hope and love are no mere optional puddings or desserts that we can select from the buffet of Christian virtues. They are part of the main course, the essential food groups for a well-nourished Christian. Let me close with a few applications and then There won't be time for questions. I'm not saying I'm finishing with applications so that there won't be time for questions, but that's not what I meant to say. Alright, Bavink writes this, the benefit of justification through faith alone has in it a rich comfort for the Christian. The forgiveness of his sins, the hope of the future, the certainty concerning eternal salvation, listen to this, do not depend on the degree of holiness which he has achieved in this life. You do not want to get to the moment where you're on your deathbed about to take your last breath and think, I hope I've been holy enough. I guarantee you have not, brothers and sisters, nor have I. but are firmly rooted in the grace of God and in the redemption which is in Christ Jesus. If these benefits had to derive their certainty from good works of the Christian, they would always, even unto death, remain unsure. For even the holiest of men have only a small beginning of perfect obedience. Think of the holiest person you know, small little beginning, and they are going to be amazed at how sinful they were when they're all of a sudden transformed in glorious light. Accordingly, the believers would be constantly torn between fear and anxiety. They would never stand in the freedom with which Christ has set them free. And nevertheless, being unable to live without certainty, they would have to take resource to the church and priests, to altar and sacrament, to religious rites and practices, such as indeed the condition of thousands of Christians both inside and outside of the Roman church. They do not understand the glory and the comfort of a free justification. Here's another quote from Bovinck, and I mention this because I think that it I think that it speaks to or gives a warning against what I perceive to be a potential issue with John Piper's theology, where he so emphasizes our satisfaction in God, right? He says God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him, and so everything really comes down to the deep affections that we have for God. Well, our justification does not depend on our affections. Now, I don't think that John Piper is against the idea of imputation and justification, but listen to what Boving says and apply this to some of what Piper has said in the past. As long as we permit the forgiveness of sins to depend entirely or in part upon the emotional excitements which we enjoy, And upon the good works which we do, we continue to live more or less in dread and fear. Our justification before God is not dependent on our emotional excitements that we enjoy. Well, I know I'm justified because I'm just so happy right now that Christ has justified me. All right, that's not the case. Justification is on the basis of what Christ has done. Let me close with one more quote from a second century source. And this comes from the Epistle to Diognetus. It says this, what other thing was capable of covering our sins than His righteousness? By what other one was it possible that we, the wicked and ungodly, could be justified than by the only Son of God? O sweet exchange, O unsearchable operation, O benefits surpassing all expectation, that the wickedness of many should be hid in a single righteous one, and that the righteousness of one should justify many transgressors. Let's pray. Father in heaven, we praise you and we thank you for your decree to justify us from eternity and then the application of that decree in time as you have granted to us a free and gracious justification whereby we stand in your sight righteous. What an amazing thing to think that you view us in Christ as those who have perfectly kept your law. as having a righteousness that satisfies the demands of your justice. We thank you for sending Christ to pardon our sins and to forgive us from the sins that we had committed before you. We had done terrible things and yet you sent Christ in order to save us from all of our sins, past, present, and future. We thank you for discharging the debt against us with all of its legal demands. We thank you that by the obedience of the one, we have been constituted as righteous in your sight. And we pray that every day of our lives, we would not focus on what we say, do, or feel, as the basis or the ground of our justification, but that we would look to the author and the finisher of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray, amen.