ARBCA 3

Well, the first portion of day 3 is over. I will be leaving first thing in the morning in order to make it back for the ECS golf tournament.
This mornings speaker was Dr. Fred Malone. He concluded his message on Justification. In one word, wow. Dr. Malone, as many of you know, is a man gifted by God for His church. I was a recipient of that gift this morning.
Dr. Malone asserted that justification by faith alone and the imputation of Christ's righteousness are being denied. They are being denied publicly at least by two men involved in the new perspective, Daniel Fuller and Norman Shepherd.
He reminded us that Justification is not the whole of the gospel but a part. It is vitally important but just a part of the salvation process. Everything we have is in Christ Jesus. Justification is the moment the sinner is admitted into a life with Christ.
Dr. Malone then began to lay out some biblical evidence for the imputed righteousness of Christ in justification.
First he looked at Peter's sermon at Pentecost. He preached justification by faith alone through Christ alone although he didn't use those words. The Jews understood the works of Abraham but that his FAITH was accredited to him as righteousness.
Next we went to Romans 5:12-19.
In verses 12-14 Paul focuses on the fact that death came to all men through Adam. The guilt of his sin was imputed to all man that would come after him.
Before Sinai, sin was in the world because the law was in the world. Adam's breaking of the law he was given was imputed, passed on. Even though those before Sinai did not sin in like manner of Adam, Adam's sin of law breaking and its guilt was imputed to them.
Verse 15-17. The gift of righteousness is the gift given in justification by faith alone through Christ alone.

Those who oppose this doctrine separate Christ's obedient act on the cross from his obedience in life. They separate His justification from his righteousness and by doing this they deny Him.
The essential righteousness of Christ because He is God is incommunicable to us. The righteousness of Christ given in justification is not the righteousness of His essence, but the righteousness of His sinless, obedient, human life.
"Oh how beautiful is the righteousness of Christ."

Why would anyone deny the imputation of the righteousness of Christ in justification?
Here Dr. Malone responds to the denial of Norman Shepherd. He says he (Shepherd) must deny these truths because they negate a works based justification and would open the Christian to antinomian living. So, in order to play God and prevent this, because God needs Shepherds help, he denies this foundational doctrine. Shepherd mixes justification and sanctification which musty remain separate. The result is a rejection of the preaching of the law of God to sinners in order to see their need of a redeemer. Italics mine.
In his (Shepherd's) mind, requiring obedience for salvation eliminates easy-believism in evangelism.

Next, Malone speaks on the covenant of works given to Adam.
The words covenant and works are not used in Genesis nor is the word covenant used in Hebrews in relation to Abraham. But there is no doubt that God covenanted with Adam through an oath and promise. Genesis 2:16-17 is clearly a covenant.
The covenant of obedience to God's given law was broken by Adam and thereafter guilt imputed to every person.
Adam had the right to eat of any other tree, including the tree of life, but he chose to eat of the tree of death.
There is a covenant of works and law in place today and we will receive wrath if we have no righteous Redeemer to fulfill that covenant.
The perfect obedience of Jesus who was born under the law of Adam and Moses made possible the appeasement of God's wrath towards those who are guilty of breaking these covenants.
Thank you Dr. Malone.

These notes do not come close to giving justice to the messages given. But I have ordered the cds from the assembly.
Praise God for our precious Savior whose righteousness is imputed in justification to us who believe by His grace!