Aug 24
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Baptist Catechism 35
Q. 35. What benefits do they that are effectually called, partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. (Rom. 8:30; Gal. 3:26; 1 Cor. 6:11; Rom. 8:31,32; Eph. 1:5; 1 Cor. 1:30)
Baptist Catechism 36
Q: 36. What is justification?
A. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone. (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 1:7; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 5:19; Phil. 3:9; Gal. 2:16)
Scripture Reading: Romans 8:28–39
“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, ‘For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:28–39, ESV)
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Q. 35. What benefits do they that are effectually called, partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Baptist Catechism question 35 asks, What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? Answer: They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Notice a few things about this question and answer.
Firstly, notice the phrase, They that are effectually called. This phrase is to remind us of all we learned in the previous lesson from Baptist Catechism questions 32-34. I will not rehash all of that teaching here. I do think it would be helpful, though, to remind you of Baptist Catechism 34. It asks, What is effectual calling?, and answers, Effectual calling is the work of God’s Spirit, whereby convincing us of our sin and misery, enlightening our minds in the knowledge of Christ, and renewing our wills, he doth persuade and enable us to embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the gospel. So, here in Baptist Catechism 35, the question is, what benefits come to those who are effectually called, that is to say, to those who embrace, or have faith in, Jesus Christ?
Secondly, it is important to know that the word “benefits” means blessings or advantages. So the question is, what blessings come to those who have faith in Christ?
Thirdly, notice that this question focuses our attention on the benefits those who have faith in Christ enjoy in this life. Question 40 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at their death? Question 41 will ask, What benefits do believers receive from Christ at the resurrection? With the help of these questions and answers we will learn that Christ blesses his people with many blessings now, at the moment of death, on the last day, and for all eternity.
Fourthly, notice that Baptist Catechism 35 lists three main benefits enjoyed in this life by those who have faith in Christ. They are justification, adoption, and sanctification. I like to think of these as fountainhead blessings. They are the main blessings that Christ gives his people, but from them, many other blessings flow. And that is what our catechism means when it says, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them.
Fifthly, notice that Baptist Catechism questions 36-39 will elaborate on this question and answer. Question 36 asks, What is justification? Question 37 asks, What is adoption? Question 38 asks, What is sanctification? And finally, Question 39 asks, What are the benefits which in this life do accompany or flow from justification, adoption, and sanctification?
Question 36: What is justification?
Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
Let’s now move on to question 36. It asks, what is justification? Answer: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
It would be difficult to overstate just how important the answer to this question about justification is. Those who have studied theology and who have some knowledge of church history will know that differences of opinion over the question of justification were at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. Is justification something we earn by our good works or obedience, or is it received by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone? The Reformed were insistent that we are justified by the grace of God alone through faith in Christ alone, and that is what our catechism teaches. As usual, every word and phrase in this brief answer is important. Let us now consider the answer with care.
Firstly, our catechism tells us who justifies. It says that justification is an act of God’s free grace. We will learn what justification is in just a moment. For now, it is very important to see that, whatever it is, it is something that God does. Justification is not something that we do. We do not, in any way, shape, or form, justify ourselves or contribute to our justification. Justification is an act of God. When our catechism says that justification is an act, it is to be understood that it happens in a moment. In other words, justification is not a work in progress. Those who are justified, go from being not justified at all to fully justified in a moment. Lastly, justification is said to be an act of God’s free grace. This means it is a gift freely given by God. In no way is it a wage that can be earned.
Romans 3:23-24 clearly teaches this. It says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus…” (Romans 3:23–24, ESV). Now listen also to Romans 4:4-6: “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness, just as David also speaks of the blessing of the one to whom God counts righteousness apart from works…” (Romans 4:4–6, ESV). In the first passage, God’s Word clearly states that justification is a gift from God. In the second passage, Paul makes the simple point that wages are earned, but gifts can only be received. Justification is a gift from God. We cannot in any way earn it. It can only be received.
Secondly, our catechism tells us what justification is. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us…
Three aspects of justification are mentioned here.
One, when God justifies a sinner he graciously pardons all their sins. To pardon is to forgive, absolve, or excuse. “Pardon”, it should be noted, is a legal term. When we think of justification, it is right to picture a courtroom with God as the judge. When God justifies a sinner, he pardons them. This means, he forgives all their sins and declares them to be not guilty. Ephesians 1:7 says, “In [Christ] we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace…” (Ephesians 1:7, ESV). How is it possible for God to pardon guilty sinners and yet remain just? It is possible because Jesus Christ paid the penalty for the sins of his people when he died on the cross. His blood was poured out as an atonement for the sins of God’s elect (see Romans 3:26).
Two, when God justifies a sinner he imputes the righteousness of Christ to them. To impute is to attribute or accredit. Jesus Christ stands righteous before God all on his own. Never did he sin. He was faithful to do what God commanded him to do. But we must remember that Christ lived, died, and rose again, not for himself only, but for all whom the Father gave to him in eternity. When God justifies a sinner, the righteousness of Christ is imputed or given to them. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV). This principle of imputation should sound familiar to you. We encountered it for the first time when we talked about Adam’s fall into sin and how that affected the whole human race. Adam lived as a federal head of the human race. His sin and guilt were imputed to all he represented. Jesus Christ is also a federal head. His righteousness is imputed to all he represents. This is what Paul teaches in Romans 5:19, saying, “For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous” (Romans 5:19, ESV).
Three, when God justifies a sinner he graciously accepts them as righteous in his sight. We have learned in earlier lessons that we are not righteous in God’s sight because of our sins. But when God justifies a sinner, he sees them as righteous.
These three aspects of justification can be illustrated by a man wearing filthy clothes. He is in no condition to stand before the King. But the King wishes to bring the man into his presence. So the King commands that his servants remove his filthy clothes, bathe him, and give him a new set of clothes — gleaming white garments — taken from the closet of his only Son. In this way, through the process of removing the old dingy garments and replacing them with new, gleaming white garments, the man is made acceptable to the King. When the King looks upon the man now, it’s as if he is looking upon the radiant purity of his own Son. This is what happens in justification. Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us.
Thirdly, our catechism tells us how justification is received. It is a gift, remember. Gifts cannot be earned. They must be received. How is this gracious gift of justification received? Our catechism is very right to say, by faith alone.
In Philippians 3:8-9, Paul the Apostle speaks of the incredible worth of justification. There he also tells us how it is received. He says, “Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith…” (Philippians 3:8–9, ESV). I trust you can see that justification is not a wage to be earned, but a gift from God that can be received through faith in Christ alone. Faith is the open hand that receives the gift of justification that is offered to sinners in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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Conclusion
Dear friends, it is of utmost importance that you know what justification is according to the Scriptures. This is no minor or inconsequential doctrine. In fact, this doctrine is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ. If we get this doctrine wrong it means we get the gospel of Jesus Christ wrong. And getting the gospel of Jesus Christ wrong has eternal consequences.
So listen very carefully to how churches and pastors define justification. If you hear them saying things like this: justification is earned by us through faith and obedience, or justification is received by the grace of God alone through faith alone in the beginning but it is earned through our good works in the end, you have every reason to be very concerned.
Here is a definition of justification that is faithful to the Scriptures: Justification is an act of God’s free grace, wherein he pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his sight, only for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, and received by faith alone.
