How does justification differ in the New Covenant

[JonahParticipant]

Ron you recently asked in a comment in a Facebook thread whether we would like to discuss this: “if justification is inseparable from the new birth how are we to understand the experience of the Old Testament saints, and in what way is the Old Covenant to be distinguished from the Better Covenant?”

I am wondering whether you may have missed the positive requests to do so there, and whether your invitation may have been missed by others anyway, as it was not a new post in itself.  So I was going to repost the question in Facebook: but as my response became longer than I had originally intended I have decided that I should probably post it here to start with instead.  (I have such a struggle to log in here though, because of the rarity of a need to because of the low levels of activity, and all the others who expressed an interest in the topic on the Facebook thread probably won’t get to be involved either.)

Anyway here is my response – it would be good to get yours and others’ feedback on it.

The faith of Jesus Christ became a life principle by which the regenerate believer may live in fulfilment of the blessing of Abraham, by receiving “the promise” – the purifying gift of the Holy Spirit (Gal 3:14, 23, 25; 2:20; Acts 15:8, 9).  This is how the just(ified) live by faith in the New Covenant.  This life is conditional upon their Abrahamic faith – the right human response to the promise of God by grace.

Justification prior to the faith of Jesus Christ was based on the same Abrahamic faith, but the fulfilment of the blessing of Abraham was not available in the lifetime of those living then (John 7:39).  It is however fulfilled for them posthumously (Heb 11:39, 40; 12:23b).  Although their sins could not be “taken away”, even through faithful observance of the Mosaic Law for those under it (Heb 10:1-4), they were “passed over” (left unpunished) pending Calvary, when Jesus would pick up the tab (Gk paresis in Rom 3:25; see also Heb 9:15).  David writing about this is quoted in Romans 4:7 & 8 by Paul, in the chapter where he describes this blessing as imputed righteousness – their justification by faith.

“The just shall live by faith” pointed to salvation from impending judgement in Habakkuk.  When taken up by Paul, it speaks of present salvation from sin as well.  Today the test of justifying faith for those who hear the gospel (and there is little excuse for those who have the scriptures anyway) is whether it brings them into the promise, the gift of the Holy Spirit, which now saves them from the power of, as well as the punishment for, sin (Hebrews 2:1-4, 3:7-4:16, 10:38).

Therefore if I may mention Mr North, his teaching was thought by some to be “justification light” because he did not major on imputed righteousness.  Why not?  Because justification by faith in the New Covenant is a consequence of living by faith, and this is only possible through receiving the gift of the Spirit by Whom such living is possible (for by Him is “Christ in me” as described in Gal 2:20).  Hence imputed righteousness alone is no longer the end of faith, but rather the righteousness of the law fulfilled IN us” (Rom 8:4).  Paul does not say in Galatians 3, “were your sins forgiven by the hearing of faith?”, because the outcome of the hearing of faith now is to receive the Spirit, Whom to resist is still to be an unjustified sinner (Gal 3:2).

Now much evangelical Christianity with its roots in Reformed teaching has long limited “salvation” to the forgiveness of sins and imputed righteousness.  So if that is what people have been taught and they have entered into that blessing, who is to say that God does not wink at such ignorance, and accept them as he did those of faith who had no knowledge of Christ before He came?  But to remain in that wilderness where they have not yet entered into the benefits of the promise for which Christ shed His blood for them, puts them in grave danger of not receiving the promise posthumously either, due to being knowingly resistant to or willingly ignorant of it (Heb 4:1-3; 3:7-18).

• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Jonah.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Jonah.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Jonah.
• This topic was modified 3 years, 2 months ago by Jonah.

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