(Continued from page 216.)

2. WHEN ARE BELIEVERS JUSTIFIED? AND

The connection of justification with being "in Christ."

It is important for the believer to apprehend when justification attaches to him, for upon this largely depends his enjoyment of an established peace with God; it also gives ability to look with holy confidence to the future, and to "rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

In Rom. 3:26 we see that God is just in justifying him who has faith in Jesus; it does not say when he has attained to a certain degree of knowledge as to Jesus, but simply speaks of him as having the faith of which Jesus is the object.

Rom. 4:5:"To him who does not work, but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." Here the important point is a righteousness imputed, which, as we gathered from our first study, is linked with the faith which brings us into justification. God justifies the ungodly who believe, and this "believing God " is reckoned as righteousness. In believing we acknowledge that we are ungodly; and owning Christ as our Saviour, having the faith of Jesus, we are justified. The whole question of our standing before God is settled by it.

Abraham is given as an example of this- Of him it is said, he "believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." This righteousness was not of any works which he had done, but from the fact that he believed God:it became his justification (Rom. 4:3-5). The last statement of ver. 8 is very beautiful:"The Lord in no wise will reckon sin." It is a future tense, which in the Greek indicates continuation in the future. So this, with the preceding verse, which we might say is a statement of what justification means for us, distinctly affirms our previous conclusion that justification is once for all, it abides for ever, it subsists in continuity. In contrast to this, and yet confirming it, the "are forgiven " and "are covered "of verse 7 are both in the tense which indicates an action or event completed in the past. At the moment of believing, all was "forgiven" and "covered"-such is the value of the precious blood of Christ; and as to the future, the Lord will in no wise impute sin.

How complete and perfect is the standing thus given us! Therefore, it is not that one day we are justified, and, should we not have walked as we should, the next day less justified. God's children do fail, indeed, but even so He will not entertain a charge against them, but deals with them as the Father who disciplines in His own perfect way that we maybe made partakers of His holiness. Hence "If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (i Jno. 2:1). Note that it is with the Father, because it is a question of interrupted communion with the Father into whose fellowship we have been introduced, and not a question of the imputation of sin. Sin is not imputed to the justified person, for the one sacrifice having been made which perfects forever, the whole question of sin and sins has been forever settled. We are in definite and fully established relationship as children with the Father. Now if sin comes in, it interrupts the communion between us and the Father, and our blessed Saviour on high meets the case by His advocacy with the Father. Though we sin, there is no fresh imputation of sin to us, for Jesus Christ is our Advocate before God, and of Him it is immediately stated, "He is the propitiation for our sins;" He ever lives, righteously to maintain us before God.

Thus being once purged there should be no more conscience of sins. If there were a fresh imputation, there must needs be a fresh application of the blood, for without it there is no remission, and remission is needed when sin is imputed. But Christ offered one sacrifice for sins, and "sat down in perpetuity;" there is no need to deal with that question again. As a result the apostle can speak of the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord will in no wise reckon or impute sin; and to that man righteousness apart from works is reckoned, or imputed. It is the blessed security of this position that we are called to keep in mind.

In Acts 13:38, 39 an important thought is added as to justification :" Through this Man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:and in Him all that believe are justified from all things" (J.N.D.'s Trans.) It is "in Him" that they who receive the word of salvation preached are justified. The same view of justification is given us in Gal. 2:17:"Now if in seeking to be justified in Christ we also have been found sinners, then is Christ, the minister of sin?" (J. N. D.'s Trans). As the subjects of justification, we are looked at as "in Him." Not only does justification attach to us the moment we believe, but as the immediate consequence of faith, we are " in Christ." So also in Gal. 5:6, " in Christ Jesus " (the correct order of the name) that which avails is not law but faith working by love; that is, the power of God's love manifested toward us in His Son causes faith in us to be operative from the very first and throughout the Christian path. " In Him" neither has Jew nor Gentile any place as such, for the believer is "a new creation" (Gal. 6:15)- God's workmanship "created in Christ Jesus unto good works" (Eph. 2:10).

Thus plainly "in Christ" means for us life and nature according to God. We have put on the new man, wherein there is no natural distinction but Christ is everything. For "if anyone be in Christ, . . . the old things have passed; behold, all things are become new, and all things are of God" (2 Cor. 5:17, J. N. D.). This is our standing the moment we believe; for it is as "in Christ" we are justified, and we are "in Christ" the moment we believe. How perfect is the believer's security and standing before God. J. Bloore

( To be continued.)