"And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever." Isaiah 32:17

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2 Corinthians 5

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life.
Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God: or whether we be sober, it is for your cause.
For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
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"The Romanist and the Protestant both proclaim the death of Jesus; but both [to this day] also put the perplexed soul under law, and thus neutralize the blessed truth of the cross. The Romanist preaches the law for justification, and thus makes the cross of no effect; as it is written,
"Christ is become of no effect to you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace." (Gal. 5:4.)
Many Protestants preach the law for righteousness — put the saved person under it for righteousness as a rule of life; and thus to them also Christ is dead in vain.
Suppose a river separated a slave state from a free state: a bridge of escape is laid across that river. Now suppose another bridge is laid across the river back again. A poor slave escapes; but instead of going onward on free soil, he is persuaded to recross the other bridge; surely he is back again in bondage, and the first bridge is made of none effect. The cross of Jesus is that bridge, by which those who were in bondage under law have been brought into liberty. Now in the days of the apostles, some of Satan's builders erected another bridge, and sought to persuade the freemen of Christ to recross the river, and become again entangled in bondage. Against these the apostle wrote the Epistle to the Galatians. Alas! in our day, so generally has Christendom recrossed this Jordan, that to defend the ancient doctrines of the Church is called a new gospel. I would ask my reader a very important question. On which side of the river are you? In the land of bondage, under the yoke of law? or risen with Christ in the liberty of the new creation? If in the latter, it is a miracle of grace. We in this day are born, so to speak, in bondage. We first breathe the very air of legalism. If any one doubts this, let him take up the catechisms, and early books for the young, and he will be astonished how "do" and "live" are written everywhere. And thus that is habitually taught as gospel, which is the very opposite of the ancient doctrine of the Church.

I desire, then, in entire dependence on the teaching of the Spirit of God, to enquire in this paper, What was the ancient doctrine of the Church on the all-important subject of Justification?

To justify a lost, guilty sinner must have astonished angels. None but God could have conceived the thought. To justify implies not merely to pardon from guilt — that is negative justification; but the necessity of positive righteousness. To pardon a wrong-doer is one thing; but how to justify the wrong-doer seems impossible — nay, with man it is impossible.

The Scriptures and facts prove all men guilty. Then the great difficulty was how could God be just or righteous in justifying the guilty? . . . To the awakened sinner this is a tremendous question, How can I be justified and have peace with God? It must be evident that if man cannot justify that which is not positively righteous, surely then God cannot justify anything short of righteousness. But in man there is no righteousness. All are guilty.
"So that death is passed upon all men, for all have sinned."
How does Scripture, then, deal with this amazing question — the justification of the sinner, and God's righteousness in thus justifying him? I answer, Through Jesus, the resurrection from among the dead — Jesus and the resurrection — Jesus
"bearing our sins in his own body on the tree"
"the Just dying for the unjust."
Yes, Jesus crucified and Jesus risen was what the Holy Ghost did set before lost sinners: His death for atonement — His resurrection for righteousness or justification.
"Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification." (Rom. 4:25)
Thus, whilst His precious blood clears from all sin, His resurrection brings me into a state of absolute righteousness in Him risen, and therefore complete justification. And it is on this positive righteousness for justification that ancient and modern teaching so widely differ — modern teachers having got to the wrong side of the river; that is, having left the christian ground of a new life in resurrection, and gone back to the land of legalism and bondage, finding themselves, as they suppose, under law; say they, The law must be kept perfectly, and without this there is no justification. They thus go back to law for righteousness.

But, then, finding that practically the believer thus put under it only breaks it, what must be done? Oh, say they, you are under it, and break it; but Christ kept the law for you in His life, and this is imputed to you for righteousness. I would say, in answer to many enquiries on this solemn subject, I cannot find this doctrine in Scripture: it cannot be the ancient doctrine of God's Church. The basis is wrong — to refer to the illustration, on the wrong side of the river. Justification is not on the principle of law at all.
"The righteousness of God without law is manifested."
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight; for by the law is the knowledge of sin." (Read Rom. 3:19-26)
Now every doctrine of God's word is clearly stated, not in one verse merely, but in many. Take the atonement:
and hundreds of other passages. But does Scripture ever say that Christ kept the law for us for justifying righteousness? I am not aware of a single text. And yet, if it were so, there are many places where it should say so. Take Rom. 8:33.
"It is God that justifies. Who is he that condemns?"
Does it say that it was Christ that kept the law? No; but,
"Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Now is not this the full statement of Scripture as to God's justification of the elect? And yet, plainly, not one thought in it of Christ's keeping the law for the justified. And the most careful examination of every passage will be found in perfect harmony with this statement. Look through the Acts. Not once does the apostle preach, Christ kept the law for us, but "Christ died for our sins," etc. 2 Cor. 5 is a notable proof of this. The apostle does not say, We thus judge that all men are under the law, and that Christ kept it for them; no; but,
"We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead."
There is not a thought of keeping the law for them, but
"died for them and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh; yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more."
Does not this prove that the apostle did not go back to Christ under law for righteousness, but onwards to resurrection.
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away, behold all things are become new, and all things of God."
Thus resurrection is the right side of Jordan. Thus the old things of the law, its righteousness and its condemnation, passed away. I am not taken back to Christ under it for righteousness, but taken forward to Christ in resurrection; and there I am made the positive righteousness of God in Him, as surely as He was made sin for me.
"For he has made him sin for us who knew no sin," (surely that was on the cross,) "that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
What deep, solid peace this gives! It is thus risen in Him, one with Him, we are made "the righteousness of God in him." Thus, as our fall in the first Adam not only brought condemnation, but the actual death-state of sin, much more resurrection in Christ not only brings acquittal from condemnation, but an everlasting state of life and actual righteousness absolutely perfect and sinless, the righteousness of God in Christ. Thus, for the believer, Christ, by His obedience to death, has become the end of the law for righteousness. The end of the law was the curse, and our adorable Jesus became a curse. In Him, our dying Substitute, the life once forfeited by us has been given up, the condemnation due to us fully executed. And when God raised him from the dead, He raised Him as our justified Surety. So the Holy Ghost applies Isa. 1:6-9 in Rom. 8:34.

If you ask what do I make of the life of Christ, I answer, Whatever the word of God makes of it. Surely my precious example (1 Peter 2:21-23) — surely the food of my soul, the bread of life (John 10) — and surely the revelation of the Father. (John 14.) Oh! to follow Him. This is far more than legal righteousness — to have His spirit, to tread in His steps, who, the last moment before He was bound, put forth His hand to heal His enemy's ear. This was not an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. In the midst of the solemnities and sufferings of Calvary, I hear Him cry,
Yes, even here He could say, (was ever love like this?)
But when I come to the solemn question of justification, it is by His blood from all sin, and in His resurrection made the righteousness of God in Him. He once was condemned to death for us; but now God has raised Him from the dead, for our justification, as our Surety. Now, as man, in the very body once broken for us, God has justified Him in highest glory as the Surety and Head of the Church, His body. That elect body is raised from the dead with Him, and seated in Him where He is, as He is,
"that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish."
I might multiply page after page of this resurrection-righteousness.

With the apostle, if there were no resurrection gospel, then there were no gospel at all;
"for if Christ be not risen, ye are yet in your sins."
But Christ is risen, and the believer is risen with Him, and therefore not in his sins, but righteous in the risen Christ, the beginning of the new creation. I have no doubt, that ignorance of the new creation in Christ risen, is the cause why men defend legal righteousness. No wonder that to one ignorant of resurrection, the gospel of the righteousness of God, in justifying the believer through the death and resurrection of Christ, is a new gospel. Jesus and the resurrection is as new a doctrine as it was at Athens 1800 years ago. Indeed it is one of the sad wonders of these last days, that the ancient doctrine of "through Jesus the resurrection" should have been so lost. The modern doctrine is, through Jesus the justification of the old man under law. The ancient doctrine was, death and burial to the old man, (see Rom. 6) and perfect justification, not of the old man, but of the new man, in the risen Christ Jesus. Oh! my reader, if you are dead with Christ, are you not justified from all sin? If you are risen with Him, are you not righteous in Him? He is your righteousness: not was, but is. (1 Cor. 1:30.) You are God's righteousness in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21.) Thus clothed in the risen Christ, is not this the righteousness which is of God by faith. (See Phil. 3:9-10.) Thus is thy need met, fellow-believer — so met, that there is now no condemnation. Dead with Christ, risen with Christ,
"there is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ." (Rom. 8.)
And now as to obedience. Here again I find ancient and modern teaching equally opposed, as in the justification of a sinner. The ancient doctrine was the obedience of faith — the modern, the obedience of law. The one has all power for a holy walk — the other has no power. I do not find the law ever presented as the rule of life or walk to the risen child of God. The law was perfect for the purpose for which it was given. But the new commandment goes much farther:
"That ye love one another, as I have loved you."
"He that says he abides in him, ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."
Solemn words!
"As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance. But as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy." (1 Peter 1:14-16.)
The principle of obedience in this chapter is very beautiful. The first thing named is the election of God the Father; then the sanctification or work of the Spirit in separating the soul to obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ. Then the abundant mercy of God the Father in begetting us again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Thus, being children of the resurrection, our obedience is not on the principle of bondage under law, but the obedience of children of resurrection. And was not this the ardent wish of the apostle Paul as to his walk and obedience?
"That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings; being made conformable to his death." (Read the whole passage, Phil. 3:4-14.)
Now could anything be more clear than this? The risen Christ was his rule of life, as well as his righteousness for justification. Surely we may all say, how little have we attained to this power of resurrection in our walk!"

 C. Stanley
Justification in the risen Christ; or "The faith which was once delivered to the saints."





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I'm a Christian saved by God, by His Sovereign grace. I want to encourage all to read, to hear, to believe, and to feed upon the only Words in all the world that are truly spirit and life, living and active; to know the One True God: God the Father, His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit; Who has graciously given us the Holy Scriptures
“All Scripture is God-breathed..."
2 Timothy 3:16–17; cf., John 3:31-36; John 6:63; John 14:26; John 17:3, 17; Romans 1:1-6, 16-17; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:13-14; 2 Peter 1:20–21; Hebrews 4:12-13. As for the commentaries I post and refer to; with much gratitude, as they have done for me, it is my hope and prayer that they serve to edify all who read them.

Shalom, beccaj
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