Jesus) +the iniquity of us all."+ Get this point clearly settled
in your mind, that the _sole but all-sufficient ground upon which men
are justified before God is the shed blood of Jesus Christ, offered by
Jesus Christ as an atonement for our sins_ and _accepted by God the
Father as an all-sufficient atonement_.
4. The fourth part of the answer to the question how men are justified
we find in Rom. 3:26, +"For the showing, I say, of his+ (i.e.,
God's) +righteousness at this present season: that he+ (i.e.,
God) +might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath
faith in Jesus."+ Here we are taught that _men are justified on the
condition of faith in Jesus_. If possible, Rom. 4:5 makes this even
more plain, +"But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that
justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness."+
Here the Holy Spirit, speaking through the Apostle Paul, tells us that
to those who believe in Jesus their faith is counted for righteousness.
In other words, _faith makes ours the shed blood which is the ground
of justification, and we are justified when we believe_. All men
are _potentially_ justified by the death of Christ on the cross, but
believers are _actually_ justified by appropriating to themselves what
there is of justifying value in the shed blood of Christ by simple
faith in Him. In other words, the shed blood of Christ is the sole and
all-sufficient ground of justification: simple faith in Jesus Christ
who shed the blood is the sole condition of justification. _God asks
nothing else of the sinner than that he should believe on His Son,
Jesus Christ, and when he does thus believe he is justified._ When we
believe we are justified, whether we have any works to offer or not;
or, as Paul puts it in Rom. 3:28, +"We reckon therefore that a man is
justified by faith apart from works of the law."+ Or, as it is put
in the verse already quoted, Rom. 4:5, +"But to him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned
for righteousness."+ A man is justified entirely apart from works
of the law, i.e., he is justified on condition that he believes on
Jesus Christ, even though he has no works to offer as the ground upon
which to claim justification. When we cease to work for justification
and simply "_believe_ on Him who _justifieth the ungodly_," that faith
is reckoned to us for righteousness, and therefore we are counted
righteous. The question then is not, have you any works to offer, but
do you believe on Him who justifies the ungodly. Works have nothing to
do with justification except to hinder it when we trust in them. The
blood of Jesus Christ secures it, faith in Jesus Christ appropriates
it. We are justified _not by our_ works, _but by His work_. We are
justified upon the simple and single ground of His shed blood and upon
the simple and single condition of our faith in Him Who shed the blood.
So great is the pride of the natural heart that it is exceedingly
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