As Adam’s sin is imputed to us, not because Adam is in us, but because we were in Adam; so Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, not because Christ is in us, but because we are in Christ,—that is, joined by faith to one whose righteousness and life are infinitely greater than our power to appropriate or contain. In this sense, we may say that we are justified through a Christ outside of us, as we are sanctified through a Christ within us. Edwards: “The justification of the believer is no other than his being admitted to communion in, or participation of, this head and surety of all believers.” _1 Tim. 1:14_—“_faith and love which is in Christ Jesus_”; _3:16_—“_He who was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the spirit_”; _Acts 13:39_—“_and by him_ [lit.: ‘_in him_’] _every one that believeth is justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses_”; _Rom. 4:25_—“_who was delivered up for our trespasses, and was raised for our justification_”; _Eph. 1:6_—“_accepted in the Beloved_”—Rev. Vers.: “_freely bestowed on us in the Beloved_”; _1 Cor. 6:11_—“_justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ._” “We in Christ” is the formula of our justification; “Christ in us” is the formula of our sanctification. As the water which the shell contains is little compared with the great ocean which contains the shell, so the actual change wrought within us by God’s sanctifying grace is slight compared with the boundless freedom from condemnation and the state of favor with God into which we are introduced by justification; _Rom. 5:1, 2_—“_Being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God._” Here we have the third instance of imputation. The first was the imputation of Adam’s sin to us; and the second was the imputation of our sins to Christ. The third is now the imputation of Christ’s righteousness to us. In each of the former cases, we have sought to show that the legal relation presupposes a natural relation. Adam’s sin is imputed to us, because we are one with Adam; our sins are imputed to Christ, because Christ is one with humanity. So here, we must hold that Christ’s righteousness is imputed to us, because we are one with Christ. Justification is not an arbitrary transfer to us of the merits of another with whom we have no real connection. This would make it merely a legal fiction; and there are no legal fictions in the divine government.