“This is a wonderful doctrine indeed!” said little Emma, “and”——
“Stay, my child,” interrupted her grandmamma, “I have not yet told you the most wondrous part of it:—
|2. Acceptance as Righteous in God’s sight.| “In justifying sinners, God does more than merely pardon them. He not only reckons the sinner as ‘not guilty,’ but, for Jesus’ sake, He counts him as positively righteous. All the righteousness of Christ—His obedience, and patience, and love, and resignation, and forgiveness of injuries, and all the holy things of His holy life,—are put down to the sinner’s account; and a holy God actually counts as if they had all been done by the sinner himself. This is what is called Christ’s imputed righteousness.”
“Surely,” said Emma, “this explains the meaning of that verse I was reading to you this morning in Isaiah—‘He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation; He hath covered me with a robe of righteousness’?”
“Yes; you are right, my dear. The holy life, and virtues, and obedience of Jesus, are spoken of as a bright shining robe or garment, in which the poor sinner clothes himself. By nature, in his condemned state, he is black with sin; and his language is, ‘O Lord, look not on me, because I am black;’ but when he puts this imputed garment on, he can say, ‘O Lord, look upon me, for I am all bright and shining with a Saviour’s righteousness!’”
“How kind is God,” exclaimed Emma, “to do all this for vile sinners!”
|Justification all of Grace.| “Yes, my child; well may justification be called ‘an act of God’s free grace;’ for man has no part in it. He deserves nothing at God’s hand but wrath, and vengeance, and condemnation. He might have been sent away trembling from His bar, crying out, ‘It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God!’ His justification proceeds from free sovereign mercy; and through all eternity his confession will be, ‘By the grace of God, I am what I am.’”
“I fear I may be wearying you,” said Emma; “but I have just one other question to ask you about this glorious doctrine—how can I be justified, and get the great God thus to pardon and accept ME?”
|Received by Faith.| “That is a very proper question,” replied her grandmamma, “and I am happy to think I can give you a simple and easy answer. You are justified ‘by faith;’ by believing that God is able and willing to receive you—that Jesus has shed His precious blood for you—that He died for you on earth, and now lives and pleads for you in heaven. ‘He that believeth on the Son of God hath life.’ ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God.’
“This glorious subject of Justification,” continued she, “has occupied us so long, that it will be better not to speak of any other doctrine to‐night. If spared till another Sabbath evening, I shall do so. I would have you, my child, think very much about this most precious Bible truth—How a sinner is justified before God.