tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422410239991902086.post5547826321398510149..comments2024-03-26T00:19:08.753-07:00Comments on The World's Ruined: Sanctification upon Justification...Jack Millerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18281378425270530573noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422410239991902086.post-64316270283483705352014-07-10T07:47:11.596-07:002014-07-10T07:47:11.596-07:00Thanks Jack, as always. I really appreciate this: ...Thanks Jack, as always. I really appreciate this: <br /><br /><em>Even our good works which we will to do, i.e. our obedience, are imperfect and still touched by the corruption of sin. Yet as new creatures in Christ we can and do will to do good.</em><br /><br />Amen!R. Scott Clarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01734965995130936606noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3422410239991902086.post-55483880387802975292014-07-10T05:24:16.611-07:002014-07-10T05:24:16.611-07:00There you go again, with that parenthesis, definin...There you go again, with that parenthesis, defining the gospel as justification! I am with you---"justified freely in Christ", and we don't have to say "union" to say "in Christ" and to explain that this means legal identification (imputation) "in" His death, His righteousness.<br /><br />Belgic 24: far from making people cold toward living in a pious and holy way, this justifying faith, quite to the contrary, so works within them that apart from it they will never do a thing out of love for God but only out of love for themselves and fear of being condemned.<br /><br />Works proceeding from the good root of faith are good and acceptable to God, yet they do not count toward our justification-- for in Christ we are justified, even before we do good works. Otherwise they could not be good, any more than the fruit of a tree could be good if the tree is not good in the first place.<br /><br />So then, we do good works, but not for merit-- for what would we merit? Rather, we are indebted to God for the good works we do, and not he to us, since it is he who "works in us both to will and do according to his good pleasure" thus keeping in mind what is written: "When you have done all that is commanded you, then you shall say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have done what it was our duty to do.' <br /><br />Although we do good works we do not base our salvation on them; for we cannot do any work that is not defiled by our flesh and also worthy of punishment. And even if we could point to one, memory of a single sin is enough for God to reject that work. So we would always be in doubt, tossed back and forth without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be tormented constantly if they did not rest on the merit of the suffering and death of our Savior<br />Markhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06233995709579822605noreply@blogger.com