Quote
speratus said:
Covenant in Blood,

Thanks! Your explanation is quite helpful.

Three more questions: Will God cause all the steps to occur eventually? Does anything prior to and including forensic justification involve man's unforced cooperation? Is the righteousness of Christ imputed to the sinner by faith alone?
Hey... I'll answer those three questions too!
  • Will God cause all the steps to occur eventually? God has foreordained ALL things; the end and the means to that end in eternity. Thus the salvation of the elect is certain and occurs exactly at the appointed time.
  • Does anything prior to and including forensic justification involve man's unforced cooperation? Man does not "cooperate", forced or otherwise in justification. However, man is involved in the justification, for justification is by faith. When the Holy Spirit regenerates a person at God's appointed time, faith is immediately created in that new spiritually alive soul, which then immediately, infallibly and naturally reaches out and embraces the Lord Christ. The regeneration is prior to conversion and is wholly the work of the Spirit of God and not known by the recipient. Conversion, however, is experienced by the sinner since he experiences the result/effects of regeneration; conviction of sin and a compelling desire to be reconciled to God through Christ. The sinner is justified by faith; the sinner's faith. God doesn't believe on Christ substitutionally for the sinner. It is an act of the sinner made possible due to the new nature and which will infallibly rest in Christ. For one of the finest explanation of Sola Fide, see here: Justification by Faith Alone, by Dr. Joel Beeke.
  • Is the righteousness of Christ imputed to the sinner by faith alone? If by this you are asking if justification, i.e., the imputation of Christ's righteousness is dependent upon something other than faith, either prior too regeneration or after conversion, the answer is "No!". Faith and faith alone is the ordained means by which a sinner is reconciled to God in Christ and that God declares the sinner justified. That being said, true saving faith is a repentant faith, i.e., it is a faith that both hates sin and desires righteousness; confessing that there is no good thing within and that the Lord Christ is one's only hope of salvation. We do not hold to any form or Sandemanianism (Easy Believism) or Libertarianism. Faith without works is dead.

In His Grace,

[Linked Image]

simul iustus et peccator

[Linked Image]