Chapter 11 – Of Justification – Covenant Presbyterian Church

Chapter 11, Paragraph 1

Of Justification

Summary

This paragraph stands at the very heart of the Reformation. It declares that those whom God effectually calls, He also freely justifies. Justification is not a process of moral improvement, nor is it the reward of faith—it is a divine act of grace whereby God pardons all our sins and accepts us as righteous in His sight, not for anything wrought in us or done by us, but solely for the righteousness of Christ imputed to us and received by faith alone.

Here the sinner stands before the bar of God’s justice, guilty and condemned. Yet Christ steps forward as Substitute and Surety, bearing the curse of the law and fulfilling its every demand. His obedience and His death together form the righteousness by which the believer is justified. God does not make us inherently righteous in order to justify us; He declares us righteous on account of Christ’s righteousness reckoned to us. This is the glorious exchange: our sin laid upon Him, His obedience counted to us.

Faith is the instrument—not the cause—of justification. It is the empty hand that receives Christ and His benefits. Even that faith is a gift of God, not the work of man. Thus, justification magnifies both the grace of God and the sufficiency of Christ. The believer’s assurance rests not on inward feeling or outward merit, but upon the finished work of Jesus, whose righteousness is perfect, whose sacrifice is complete, and whose word of pardon cannot be broken.

Historical Context

The doctrine of justification by faith alone (sola fide) was the thunderclap that shattered the medieval world. The Reformers—Luther, Calvin, and their heirs—stood upon this truth as the article by which the Church stands or falls. Against Rome’s teaching that justification was a process involving human cooperation and infused righteousness, the Westminster Divines reaffirmed Scripture’s witness: justification is a once-for-all legal declaration grounded in the work of Christ alone.

This paragraph also responds to the moralism of every age. Whether ancient Pelagianism or modern self-help religion, all forms of self-justification are condemned by this single truth—that salvation is of grace, from first to last. The sinner contributes nothing to his acceptance before God but the sin that made salvation necessary.

Key Biblical References

Romans 3:23–24 – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 4:5 – “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”
2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Philippians 3:9 – “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ.”
Galatians 2:16 – “A person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 1 proclaims the heart of the gospel: sinners are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. God declares the ungodly righteous, not because of anything they have done, but because of what Christ has done for them. His obedience is their righteousness; His blood is their pardon. Faith receives what grace provides.

In this truth, every Christian stands secure: “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” The Judge Himself has become our Advocate. The Law that once condemned now bears witness to our acquittal. And from the throne of heaven resounds the unchanging verdict—righteous in Christ, forevermore.

Chapter 11, Paragraph 2

Faith as the Instrument of Justification

Summary

This paragraph explains that faith is the alone instrument of justification—not because faith has any merit in itself, but because it unites the believer to Christ, in whom all righteousness dwells. Faith is not the ground, nor the cause, but the means by which we receive what God has freely provided in His Son.

To be justified is not to have faith exalted, but to have Christ embraced. Faith looks outward, not inward; it rests not on its own strength, but upon the sufficiency of the Saviour. It is the open hand that receives the gift, the empty vessel filled with grace. Even this faith is wrought by the Holy Spirit, who enables the sinner to renounce all confidence in self and to cling wholly to Christ.

Yet though faith alone justifies, it is never alone. The same Spirit who grants faith also renews the heart, producing repentance, obedience, and love. These are the fruits, not the roots, of justification—the evidence of life, not the source of it. The justified man obeys not to earn acceptance, but because he has already been accepted in the Beloved. In this way, the Confession keeps both gospel and godliness in their proper order: grace first, obedience following as its grateful response.

Historical Context

The Reformers fought two errors on opposite sides of this doctrine. Against Rome, they insisted that faith alone (sola fide) is the instrument of justification—that human works, even religious works, cannot contribute to our acceptance before God. Against the Antinomians, they equally insisted that saving faith is never barren, but always produces good works as its inevitable fruit.

The Westminster Divines thus held together what Scripture holds together: justification and sanctification are distinct, yet inseparable. Faith unites the believer to Christ both for pardon and for transformation. To sever obedience from faith is to deny its living nature; to mingle obedience with faith as the ground of justification is to destroy grace itself. True Reformed faith walks the narrow way—Christ alone justifies, yet the justified man is never unchanged.

Key Biblical References

Ephesians 2:8–10 – “By grace you have been saved through faith… not a result of works… For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.”
Romans 3:28 – “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”
Galatians 5:6 – “Faith working through love.”
James 2:17, 26 – “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead… as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
John 15:5 – “Apart from Me you can do nothing.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 2 teaches that faith alone unites us to Christ, yet true faith is never alone. It rests wholly upon the righteousness of Another, renouncing all self-reliance and boasting only in the cross. Through this faith, God imputes the obedience of His Son to the believer’s account, declaring him righteous once for all. And the faith that receives justification also brings forth sanctification, proving its reality in love and good works.

Thus the gospel calls us not to trust in faith itself, but in the Christ whom faith receives. We are saved by grace, through faith, unto good works—and in that order lies the freedom of the Christian and the glory of God’s grace.

Chapter 11, Paragraph 3

The Full Pardon and Immutable Standing of the Justified

Summary

This paragraph declares the unshakable truth that Christ’s righteousness, once imputed to the believer, secures full and final pardon for all sin—past, present, and future. Those whom God justifies, He never again condemns. Justification is not a process that fluctuates with human obedience or failure; it is a once-for-all judicial act grounded in the finished work of Christ.

Through His obedience unto death, Christ has satisfied every demand of divine justice. Nothing remains to be paid, nothing remains to be earned. The believer’s sins—every one—are laid upon Christ, and Christ’s righteousness is laid upon the believer. This double imputation is the heart of the gospel: our guilt transferred to Him, His merit credited to us. Because justification depends entirely upon Christ’s obedience, it cannot be undone by our disobedience. The verdict of heaven does not waver with our performance; it rests upon the unchanging obedience of the Son of God.

Yet this doctrine does not encourage sin. Rather, it produces humility, gratitude, and holiness. The justified man is free from condemnation, not free to live carelessly. He obeys now not as a debtor seeking pardon, but as a son rejoicing in grace. The same Christ who secures our righteousness also sanctifies our hearts, that the justified might live as those already accepted and dearly loved.

Historical Context

The Westminster Divines articulated this paragraph in deliberate opposition to the Roman Catholic doctrine of progressive justification, which made righteousness something infused and maintained by cooperation with grace. Against that, the Confession insists that justification is complete and unchangeable, grounded wholly in the righteousness of Christ.

This also served as a safeguard against the anxieties of tender consciences. The Reformers understood that assurance rests not in one’s fluctuating spiritual state, but in the settled verdict of God. Luther called justification “the article by which the Church stands or falls,” precisely because it anchors the believer’s peace in the unchangeable work of Christ rather than the instability of human effort.

Key Biblical References

Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Romans 8:33–34 – “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn?”
Hebrews 10:14 – “By a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.”
John 19:30 – “It is finished.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 3 teaches that justification is complete, secure, and everlasting. God does not justify a man today and condemn him tomorrow. The righteousness of Christ, once imputed, stands forever before the throne of God. Every accusation is silenced, every debt is paid, and every sin is covered by the blood of the Lamb.

This is the believer’s confidence: that our standing before God is not measured by our strength, but by Christ’s obedience; not by our constancy, but by His finished work. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion.” The justified sinner may stumble, but he will never fall from grace—for his name is written in the wounds of Christ, and his verdict has already been pronounced: Righteous. Forever.

Chapter 11, Paragraph 4

The Eternal Decree and Justification in Every Age

Summary

This paragraph teaches that justification flows from the eternal purpose of God and is applied in time according to His sovereign will. From all eternity, God decreed to justify His elect in Christ. The foundation of their righteousness was laid in the covenant of grace, secured by the Redeemer long before they were born. Yet this justification, though decreed from eternity, is not actually bestowed until the Holy Spirit effectually calls and unites each sinner to Christ by faith.

In other words, justification is both eternal in its decree and temporal in its application. The plan of God is eternal; the experience of the believer occurs in time. Christ’s righteousness is the fountain; faith is the appointed channel through which it flows. Even the Old Testament saints were justified by this same righteousness, not through the shadows of the law or their ceremonial obedience, but by believing in the promised Messiah to come. Abraham was justified by faith, David rejoiced in forgiveness, and all who ever have been or shall be saved are justified by one and the same grace, one and the same Saviour, one and the same faith.

Thus, justification is not a new privilege of the New Covenant, but the everlasting pattern of God’s salvation—grace received through faith in the Redeemer, whether promised or accomplished. Christ’s cross stands at the center of all history, stretching backward to the patriarchs and forward to the Church, the one Mediator reconciling all His people in every age.

Historical Context

The Westminster Divines wrote this paragraph to uphold both the unity of God’s redemptive plan and the particularity of its application. They stood firmly against the errors of both Antinomianism and Hyper-Calvinism. Against the Antinomians, they affirmed that justification occurs in time through faith, not as an abstract decree without personal conversion. Against the Hyper-Calvinists, they reaffirmed that justification is grounded in God’s eternal counsel and guaranteed by His immutable purpose.

This balance echoes the theology of Augustine and Calvin: God’s decree is the root, Christ’s work is the ground, the Spirit’s application is the means, and faith is the instrument. The saints of all ages—before and after the cross—are one people under one covenant of grace, differing only in the clarity of revelation, not in the substance of salvation.

Key Biblical References

Romans 8:30 – “Those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified.”
Galatians 3:8 – “The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham.”
Romans 4:3 – “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Romans 3:25–26 – God put Christ forward “to show his righteousness… so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 4 proclaims that justification is no momentary innovation but the eternal design of a gracious God. The decree is from everlasting; the application is in time; the means is faith; the ground is Christ alone. There is but one way of salvation for every sinner who has ever been saved—from Adam to Abraham, from David to Paul, from the patriarchs to the present day—faith in the Redeemer promised and revealed.

Here we see the golden chain unbroken: foreknown, predestined, called, justified, glorified. The covenant of grace spans all generations, testifying that God’s mercy never changes and His righteousness never fails. The Lamb slain from before the foundation of the world is the same Christ who justifies sinners still.

Chapter 11, Paragraph 5

The Ongoing Forgiveness of the Justified

Summary

This paragraph teaches that although God fully and finally pardons all sin in justification, the believer still sins daily and therefore continually needs the Father’s forgiving grace. Justification removes the guilt of sin in a legal sense, securing eternal peace with God. Yet within that relationship, sin still disrupts communion. Thus, believers do not seek a new justification when they repent, but the restoration of fellowship with their heavenly Father.

When God justifies, He does so once for all—His verdict will never be reversed. But when His children stumble, He graciously calls them to confession, and by the intercession of Christ and the renewing work of the Spirit, He forgives them afresh in a paternal sense. The justified are never cast out of God’s family, yet they may incur His fatherly displeasure. Like David, they may grieve the Spirit, lose joy, and experience divine correction. Yet God’s love does not falter, for their standing before Him is not based on performance but on the righteousness of Christ.

This distinction—between justification and fellowship—is vital. The believer’s relationship is secure; his communion can be strained. Justification is judicial and unchanging; forgiveness in daily life is relational and renewing. The same gospel that once declared the sinner righteous continues to cleanse the saint, assuring him that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Historical Context

The Westminster Divines, following Calvin and the Reformed tradition, sought to preserve the believer’s assurance without dulling his conscience. They wrote against both Roman Catholicism, which taught that post-baptismal sins jeopardize salvation and require sacramental penance, and Antinomianism, which claimed that justified believers no longer need to confess or repent.

The Reformed balance is pastoral and biblical: justification is complete and cannot be lost, yet the justified are called to continual repentance and prayer for forgiveness. The fatherly discipline of God is not wrath but mercy—it restores rather than condemns. This preserves both the holiness of the believer’s walk and the comfort of the believer’s heart.

Key Biblical References

1 John 1:8–9 – “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves… If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive.”
Psalm 51:10–12 – David’s plea for cleansing after grievous sin: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation.”
Hebrews 12:6 – “For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and chastises every son whom He receives.”
Luke 22:32 – Christ’s prayer for Peter: “I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.”
Romans 8:1 – “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 5 reminds us that the justified live under a Father, not a judge. Their sins are not counted against them for condemnation, yet they still wound the heart of their Redeemer and invite His loving correction. When they repent, they are not re-justified—they are restored. Their Advocate still pleads their cause, their Father still forgives, and their fellowship is renewed.

Here is the comfort and call of the gospel: the same grace that justified continues to cleanse. The Christian life is one of continual repentance, daily dependence, and abiding gratitude. The justified man does not presume upon grace, but clings to it ever more deeply, knowing that the One who declared him righteous is the same One who keeps him near.

Chapter 11, Paragraph 6

The Unbreakable Security of the Justified

Summary

This final paragraph of Chapter 11 proclaims the immovable certainty of justification. Those whom God has once accepted in His beloved Son can never fall from that state. Justification, being grounded in God’s eternal decree, secured by Christ’s finished work, and applied by the Spirit’s indwelling power, cannot be undone. The righteousness imputed to the believer is not his own—it is Christ’s. And since Christ’s righteousness cannot fade or fail, neither can the standing of those who are clothed in it.

The justified may, through temptation or sin, fall under God’s fatherly displeasure. They may lose the comfort of assurance, grieve the Spirit, and suffer chastening. Yet their justification itself is never revoked. Their adoption is never annulled, their pardon never rescinded, their salvation never lost. The Judge who declared them righteous does not change His verdict. What Christ has accomplished cannot be reversed, for He is “the same yesterday and today and forever.”

The foundation of the believer’s security is not his perseverance, but God’s promise; not his strength, but Christ’s intercession. The justified are kept, not by the tenuous grip of faith alone, but by the invincible grasp of the Saviour who holds them fast. Though they may fall as David fell, or weep as Peter wept, yet their justification stands as firm as the throne of God, for their righteousness is anchored in heaven, where Christ Himself sits in glory.

Historical Context

This paragraph is the natural conclusion of the Reformed doctrine of salvation by grace alone. The Westminster Divines wrote it to guard against the Roman Catholic teaching that justification can be lost through mortal sin and regained by penance, as well as the fears of those believers plagued by doubt.

They also wrote in distinction from the Arminian Remonstrants, who taught that true believers might fall from grace and perish eternally. In response, the Divines affirmed the unbreakable chain of Romans 8:30—“Whom He justified, them He also glorified.” The same God who elects, calls, and justifies also preserves His saints to the end. Justification, resting on the finished obedience of Christ and the unchangeable decree of God, cannot be undone by human frailty.

Key Biblical References

Romans 8:29–30, 33–39 – “Those whom He justified He also glorified… Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?… Nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
John 10:28–29 – “No one will snatch them out of My hand… My Father is greater than all.”
Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 7:25 – “He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
Psalm 89:30–33 – “If his children forsake my law… I will punish their transgression with the rod, but I will not remove from him my steadfast love.”

Summary Statement

Chapter 11, paragraph 6 crowns the doctrine of justification with the glory of divine preservation. The justified shall never fall from grace, for their salvation depends not on the shifting sands of human obedience, but on the solid rock of God’s covenant faithfulness. Though discipline may come, the verdict of heaven stands unaltered: “Righteous in Christ.”

Here lies the believer’s assurance and peace: the God who declares is the God who keeps. The righteousness that justifies is the righteousness that endures. The Shepherd who sought the lost will not lose the found. In Christ, the justified are safe forever—kept by omnipotent mercy, secured by everlasting love, and destined for eternal glory.