Galatians 3:21
"If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law."
The justification of sinners from beginning to end is by the free Grace of God through the obedient life, death and the one Righteousness of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, apart from any work, act of the will, or merit of the sinner, "Being justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24).
“Freely” means wholly conditioned upon Christ alone. To make justification dependent in any way upon the sinner's willing, believing, or acting is to render the death of Christ vain. Justification is the legal act of God whereby He declares sinners just (perfectly righteous) because the LORD Jesus Christ honored and satisfied the law on their behalf—both in its precepts and its penalty. Having fully accomplished the work by His death, all the blessings of forgiveness and pardon were immediately applied to the spiritual account of the elect in time, by His Spirit and through the Gospel,. God causes all whom He has redeemed and justified in Christ to look to Christ alone as their only justification.
Their believing is not the time of their justification but the evidence of it. Justification is in, by, and through the LORD Jesus alone, fully accomplished at the cross!:"...when He had by Himself purged our sins, [He] sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on High” (Hebrews 1:3); "Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His cross" (Colossians 2:14).
All charges were satisfied in Christ's death—not just dropped, set aside, or suspended. Therefore, He fully accomplished forgiveness, redemption, and justification at that time. Faith does not complete Christ's work. Rather, it is by Faith that all the redeemed embrace and enjoy, in their experience, what Christ accomplished for them at the cross.
Imagine if a man could not pay the mortgage on his house and another stepped in on his behalf and paid it all. The bank would be satisfied and hold no claim on the house. Even before the bank informs the homeowner of the satisfaction, the debt is fully settled. The same is true for the redeemed in Christ. Faith does not complete Christ's work because,"It is finished” (John 19:30).
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