but of dobt (Rom, xi 6), (a) It would give room for boasting, which is excluded by the law of faith (Rom, iii. 27). 2. Our justification is by the faith of Ghrist. There are two f~ts here set forth-faith ancl the object of faith. 'fhe faith that jnstifies is distinguished by its object, Jesus Christ. The two prepositions (l,c and 314), used in the passage a.re designed to mark, respectively, source or cause and instrument. (1) Con- sider tM relati<m, of faith to our ;"uatification. Strictly speaking, Scripture never says that faith justifies, but that we are justified by faith. (a) Faith is not the ground of our justification. Yet it is said, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for ( <ls) righteousness" (Rom. iv. 3). This does not mean that faith is the graciously admitted ground of justification, For: (a) We are never said to be justified on account of faith (3,lt ..-/,r-rw), but through (3,lt) faith or of (l,.) faith. (/3) This view of the relation of faith to justification is not consistent with those passages which affirm that the.ground of our justification is not anything in us or done by us; for faith is a work done by us, quite as much as prayer or repentance. ("Y) It is not consistent with those passages which make Christ's merits, his blood, his death, his cross, the ground of our acceptance. Faith cannot, therefore, be at once the ground and the instrument of our justification. (6) We are saved by the righteousness of another, but that right- eousness is always distinguished from tp,e faith that apprehends it (Rom. i 17; l'hil. iii. 8-11). Faith cannot, therefore, both be and not be that righteousness. (<) The apostle, when he says that Abraham's faith "was counted to him for (•ls) righteousness" or "as righteousness," meant mecely to say that faith, not works, secured his salvation. The word <li is used in two senses-" instead of" and "with a view to," and Ellicott is of opinion that the idea. of destination is here blended with that of simple predication. Thus if Abraham's faith is equivalent to righteousness in God's account, it is because it is designed to secure that righteousness. "It was not the act of believing which was reckoned to him as a righteous act, or on account of which perfect righteousnes;; was laid to his charge, but the fact of his trusting God to perform his promise introduced him to the blessing promised" (Alford). (b) Faith is not the ground, but the instrument of our justification. It receives and apprehends Obrist in his righteousness. We have proved that faith is merely the instrument of our justification when we have proved that the only ground of our acceptance with God is the finished work of Christ, and that the only grace by whieh we rely upon that work is faith. For there is a relation between juat.i6cation and faith which does not exist between justification and every other grace. (2) Consider Jesus Christ as the object of faith. The Saviour appears in this passage under three names-Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, and Christ; as if the apostle meant to emphasize at one time the loving humanity, at another the official work, at another simply the Saviour in whom Jew and Gentile alike have their meeting-place. 'l'he "faith of Christ " includes a reference alike to his person and his work. The emphatic phrase, "we believed upon Christ," shows that faith is not a mere intellectual belief, but an act of trust, in which the soul goes out to him as at once "Wisdom, Right- eousness, Sanctification, and Redemption." IV. THE KNOWLEDGE OF oun JUSTU'ICATION, "Knowing that we are justified." There is a twofold aspect of this knowledge. It is: 1. J)octri11al. The apostles, both Peter and Paul, understood the true doctrine of a sinner's justification, e.s we see by their discourses and their writings. Z. Experimental. They realized it in its blessed fruits. 'l'hey had an assured sense of God's favour, and of all the blessings involved in it. V. THE EFFECT OF OUB JUSTIFICATION. The only effect pertinent to the present discussion was the new relation of the justified sinner to the Law. In virtue of his union with Christ, he died to the Law. '!'here was, therefore, no longer any question of his submission to legal observances, or to "the beggarly elements" of a forsaken Judaism.
Vera. 17-19.-An objection mel. "For if, while we are seeking to be justified in Christ "-our union with Christ being the spring and fount of all our blessings-" we ourselves also "-as well as these Galatians who are sinners and Gentiles-" were found to be sinners, is Christ a minister of sin? God forbid I" J. THE TRUE ATTl'l'ODE OF ALL JUS'l'IFIED PERSONS IN RELATION TO SIN AND CHRIST. 1. They re11ou11ce all legal Tighteousness, such as the Judaists boast of, and reduce themselves to the level_of Gimtil11 "Sllllllll'll," Thtire is no difference between Jew a.ud 100 THE EPISTLE TO THE GALA'l'IANS. [ea. n. 1-21.