And the Scripture was fulfilled that says: Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness; and he was called a friend of God.
2:23 — “And it was fulfilled… for justice.” see Gen 15:6. Moses wrote Genesis. By inspiration he tells us that on that occasion of Gen 15:1-21, Abraham believed God and that his faith was credited to him for righteousness, or literally, “accounted for righteousness.” This Old Testament reference is also cited in Romans 4:3; Gal 3:6and now in Jas 2:23. Denominational commentators (who advocate salvation by faith alone) have much trouble with Jas 2:23having to twist it, to defend his Protestant doctrine, and maintain his false interpretation of what Paul says in Romans 4:1-25. Let us consider the following: I. THE IMPUTATION OF JUSTICE (imputing = attributing, counting, charging). 1. Calvinism presents a threefold imputation: (a) Adam’s sin is imputed to man; (b) the sins of men are imputed to Christ; and (c) the personal righteousness of Christ, as a consequence of having lived perfectly on earth, is imputed to the believer. According to this doctrine, the convert is not actually made righteous; nothing else has the righteousness of Christ covering him, and so God does not look at the inherent injustice in man, but only the righteousness of Christ that covers or covers him. 2. The Bible teaches no such imputation. God imputes our own sins, and this only to us, and imputes justice (forgiveness of sins) to the obedient believer, and now the person is righteous. God does not impute to anyone what is not proper to the person! Read Romans 4:3-6; Romans 4:9-11; Romans 4:22; Romans 4:24; Gal 3:6; Jas 2:23. Nine times faith is attributed to one’s account; Twice is righteousness attributed (or imputed) to him, but not once is Christ’s personal righteousness imputed to anyone, nor is sin or sins of others imputed to one. 3. What does the phrase, “faith was accounted for righteousness” mean? It does not mean that faith was considered as if it were justice. (Calvinists teach that the Christian is not righteous, but that it is as if he were righteous, but really has nothing more than the personal righteousness of Christ as a cover over his still unrighteous life.) The Greek text (Romans 4:3) literally says that Abraham’s faith was reckoned to him for (eis) righteousness. The Greek word eis is used in Ac 2:38, “for (eis) remission of sins.” 4. Why is the man of Romans 4:6? Because God considers him just; God attributed justice to him. He was imputed justice. 5. Why is he just? Because God does not attribute sin to him. 6. Why does he not impute sin to him, or impute sin to him? Because his sins were forgiven him. 7. he Now he is not a sinner. Why? Because he was forgiven. 8. If now he is not a sinner, what is he then? A fair man. 9. How did he become a righteous man? By works of his? By perfect obedience in all God’s laws throughout his life? No, but because he was forgiven. Didn’t he then deserve justice? No. Wasn’t he owed? No. 10. One’s faith is reckoned for righteousness (faith is imputed to him for righteousness) simply because one is faithful. 11. Justice is attributed to him because now he (pardoned) he is a just man. II. IS JUSTIFICATION A SINGULAR EVENT? (Once in life). 1. Definition: God’s act of declaring one to be blameless. 2. “Justice” (as in Romans 3:21) and “justification” (as in 1 Corinthians 1:30) are the same word in the Greek (dikaiosune). 3. Justification, then, is forgiveness of sins, or remission of them. 4. Man is justified whenever he is forgiven. 5. Calvinism teaches that sinful man is justified only once (when he is converted), and that thereafter he goes on sanctifying himself more and more. That is why they have Abraham justified (as converted) in Gen 15:6and then in Gen 22:1-24 (in the sacrifice of his son) is not justified again (it would be impossible, they say — although it says Jas 2:23 that he was justified on that occasion), but only has his faith “confirmed”, they say. The truth is that man is justified (forgiven, save from his sins) whenever God forgives him. 6. in Luke 18:10-14 we see that a child of God is “justified” (forgiven). Justification is a continuous process. 7. in 1Jn 1:7-9, God cleanses the Christian from sin, from all wickedness (injustice — Greek), when he repents and makes confession. God justifies him; So he forgives you. 8. As sanctification is an ongoing process, so is justification.
1Co 6:11 JUSTIFICATION Luke 18:14; Jas 2:21-23
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — initial continuous
1Co 6:11 SANCTIFICATION 2Co 7:1
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — initial continuous III. THE JUSTIFICATION OF Romans 4:2 IS THE SAME AS Jas 2:21. 1. It is the same identical word in the two passages (edikaiothe). two. Romans 4:2-5, Abraham not justified by works of perfect obedience in life, but by grace (forgiveness of God) through faith (submission). 3. Abraham was not an alien sinner, or unbeliever, in either passage (or on either occasion). 4. Both Paul and James discuss justification, but neither is dealing with outsider sinners only, or with Christians only. 5. Paul’s point is that salvation is not by the law of Moses and man’s perfection of life, but by grace (forgiveness) conditioned on man’s faith (who thus accepts God’s salvation in Christ) . 6. James’s point is that the faith of man that saves is that which is perfected by works, rather than dead faith. 7. The only ones who have a problem with James 2 they are those who advocate salvation by faith alone. 8. Paul’s “justification by faith” is equivalent to James’s “justification by works”. They both say the same thing, but emphasize different points. IV. IT IS Romans 4:1-25 JUSTIFICATION OF UNCONVERTED SINNERS AND Jas 2:1-26 JUSTIFICATION OF CHRISTIANS? 1. Romans 4:3 quote to Gen 15:6; Abraham’s faith was imputed to him for righteousness. 2. But Abraham had already been a believer in God, at least since the time of Gen 12:1-20. Note the following passages from Genesis and Hebrews: 3. Gen 12:1-4“Go… he obeyed to leave” (Hebrews 11:8). Four. Gen 12:8, in Canaan he built an altar; he invoked the name of God. 5. Gen 14:22raised his hand to Jehovah. 6. Hebrews 11:9-10, awaited the city of God. 7. Then, Gen 15:6, a promised own son; he believed. (a) The Calvinist says: “But he did nothing; he just believed and so he justified himself.” (b) It is true that in this case he only believed, since he was not commanded to do anything in particular. It was God’s promise, and he believed the promise. But with Abraham believing was a way of life. He believed on that occasion as he always believed from the beginning. That is why he left his land, built an altar and worshiped God, raised his hand to Jehovah, etc. His faith had footsteps to follow (Romans 4:12). This passage teaches that Abraham’s faith was always accompanied by works, as taught by James, chapter 2. 8. Gen 17:15-16God promised him a son of his own, even though he was already 99 years old. (a) Romans 4:19-22, he believed, and “his faith was reckoned to him for righteousness.” 9. Gen 22:1-19, Abraham offered up Isaac. (a) James refers to this, Jas 2:21-23. (b) James cites Gen 15:6 because it is a case of the same faith! (c) Abraham’s faith was a way of life, and not a mere one-time experience, and this was nothing more than mental assent. Sectarians speak of justification as “an experience of faith.” It was not so with Abraham. He was “believing Abraham” (Gal 3:9); it was Abraham the faithful. v. Jas 2:14-26 DEALS WITH THE NATURE OF SAVING FAITH. v. 14What kind of faith saves? v. 18, “You have faith (only) and I have works (of faith)”. v. 19, Belief in one God implies obedience. v. twenty-one, Abraham justified by works (of faith). v. 22, Faith perfected by works (of faith). v. 23Abraham’s working faith fulfilled Gen 15:6, and that faith was reckoned to him for righteousness. v. 24, One is justified by works (of faith). According to the Calvinist, the verse should say: one is sanctified by works (since works have nothing to do with initial salvation, which is justification; they only have to do with the continued sanctification of the once-saved Christian). v. 25, The nature of saving faith is seen in a pagan woman, Rahab. “Likewise also” indicates that all, holy and unholy, are equally justified; that is, by faith that works. v. 26, Faith alone is dead. — “And he was called a friend of God.” see 2Ch 20:7; Isaiah 41:8. He became a friend of God as a result of the kind of faith that James speaks of in this portion of his letter. Abraham walked faithfullyRomans 4:12); he was a faithful man (of faith, believer, Gal 3:9). This is why Christ says that those who do his will are called his friends (Joh 14:14-15).
Source: Commentary on the New Testament by Partain
and the Scripture was fulfilled. Tue 12:10; Tue 15:28; Luke 4:21; Acts 1:16; Romans 9:17; Romans 11:2; Gal 3:8-10, Gal 3:22; 2Ti 3:16; 1Pe 2:6.
Abraham believed God. Gen 15:6; Romans 4:3-6, Romans 4:10, Romans 4:11, Romans 4:22-24; Gal 3:6.
and he was called a friend of God. Exo 33:11; 2Ch 20:7; Job 16:21; Isaiah 41:8; Joh 15:13-15.
Source: The Treasury of Biblical Knowledge
By offering Isaac (Gen 22:1-12), Abraham He faced the test and demonstrated his complete trust in God. His obedience transformed him into a friend of God (Joh 15:14).
Source: New Illustrated Caribbean Bible Commentary
the Scripture that says. quote from Gen 15:6; see notes on Romans 4:1-5. friend of God. Abraham is so called in 2Ch 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8 because of his obedienceJoh 15:14-15).
Source: MacArthur Study Bible
2:23 — “And it was fulfilled…for righteousness.” See Gen 15:6. Moses wrote Genesis. By inspiration it tells us that at that time in Gen 15:1-21, Abraham believed God and his faith was credited to him for righteousness, or literally, “accounted for righteousness.”
This Old Testament reference is also quoted in Rom 4:3; Gal 3:6, and now in Jas 2:23. Denominational commentators (who advocate salvation by faith alone) have a lot of trouble with Jas 2:23, having to twist it, to defend their Protestant doctrine, and maintain their false interpretation of what Paul says in Rom 4:1-25 . Let’s consider the following:
I. THE IMPUTION OF JUSTICE (imputate = attribute, count, charge to account).
1. Calvinism presents a threefold imputation: (a) Adam’s sin is imputed to man; (b) the sins of men are imputed to Christ; and (c) the personal righteousness of Christ, as a consequence of having lived perfectly on earth, is imputed to the believer. According to this doctrine, the convert is not actually made righteous; nothing else has the righteousness of Christ covering him, and so God does not look at the inherent injustice in man, but only the righteousness…