tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339297140921993486.post8802065731254952834..comments2018-03-12T19:26:59.471-07:00Comments on The Bible Understood: What Is Justification ... It’s Forgiveness, Right?Tony Everthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02659411160987650790noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339297140921993486.post-89190020632681027492011-07-04T07:42:50.055-07:002011-07-04T07:42:50.055-07:00Saying that pardon and justification are one and t...Saying that pardon and justification are one and the same thing does not contradict the broad definition of justification, and it is not wrong when used in this way: The context of MS21 is dealing with conversion, and the point in this passage was to define “conversion”. When it comes to conversion of a sinner, pardon and being “declared righteous” are one and the same thing. We, as sinners, must be pardoned in order to be “declared righteous/justified”—it cannot be any other way! You could correctly read this to say, pardon is justification, while noting that strictly speaking, justification is not necessarily pardon. This single statement gives a partial, but very practical definition of justification is appropriate in the message of this passage: “Through faith, the believer passes from the position of a rebel, a child of sin and Satan, to the position of a loyal subject of Christ Jesus, not because of an inherent goodness, but because Christ receives him as His child by adoption.”<br /><br />But Biblically speaking, justification must be distinct from forgiveness. The broader definition of justification is seen in Faith I Live By, page 112: “The great work that is wrought for the sinner who is spotted and stained by evil is the work of justification. By Him who speaketh truth he is declared righteous. The Lord imputes unto the believer the righteousness of Christ and pronounces him righteous before the universe.” <br /><br />This distinction between forgiveness and justification in the Bible is clear because it was impossible for Abraham’s works, when he offered Isaac on the altar, to pardon him–they justified him by declaring him righteous. And Jesus absolutely was not “forgiven” when He was “justified” (1 Timothy 3:16). Instead the Spirit justified Him by declaring Him to be righteous, by declaring that He had never sinned, not even by a thought.<br /><br />When reading the New Testament, keeping this distinction in mind makes a whole lot of things–a whole lot clearer.Tony Everthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02659411160987650790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2339297140921993486.post-26751959730746885172011-07-03T02:10:07.000-07:002011-07-03T02:10:07.000-07:00I like your study, but I have a couple questions a...I like your study, but I have a couple questions about it. I read this quote this morning: “Pardon and justification are one and the same thing." MS 21, 1891.<br>Read the context, and let me know what you think!<br>God bless,<br>-SchaneSchane Johnsonhttp://www.greatestwant.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com