Why Our Merits Cannot Surpass That Of Christ & The Two Dangerous Extremes

                               Why Our Merits Cannot Surpass That Of Christ & 
                                           The Two Dangerous Extremes 
                                                     By Joel Sexton

The righteousness of Christ given to us in justification is foreign, alien & external to us. It's in heaven. That is imputation. The Roman Catholic understanding is infusion that Christ's righteousness is "infused" within us. This is heresy. Christ's righteousness is not infused or imparted. It is imputed, credited to the ungodly's account (Rom 4:1-9)

Justification and the atonement which in turn is a propitiation [Rom 3:25; 1Jn 2:2; 4:10] is not only the foundation of our salvation, but the CONTINUAL bases for such as Paul is emphatic about in Rom [5:1-11]. After the believer is declared righteous and has peace with God they can exalt in the glory of God. That is [Rom 8:18f]. We also as believer's being accepted as righteous in the past presently have peace with God through the work of Christ. We will be saved from wrath through "His life" which again is [Rom 8:34]. Christ's intercession as our High Priest. Our "life is hidden with Christ in God." [Col 3:3b]

 Full assurance Paul is saying. We have the verdict RIGHT NOW of the last judgment when we stand before God. Not guilty is the pronouncement for the sake of His Son!

Our practial righteousness of [Rom 6:13f; 8:10; 1 Cor 15:34; Eph 4-6; 1 Pet 2:24] can never outdo the perfect righteousness of Christ (Rom 4:1-9; 5:12-19; 10:1-4; Gal 2:21; 3-5; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:1f).

Practical Sanctification WILL follow true regeneration (Rom 6:1f). That is certain. But we cannot forget the fact that we are as sanctified as we will ever be in the sight of God because HAVE BEEN past tense sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11f; Heb 10:14) and Jesus Christ IS OUR SANCTIFICATION (1 Cor 1:30-31). And because of that, as believers, we say what Paul said,

"So that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:31)

The Two Dangerous Extremes

 Within Evangelical Christianity of the day, we have two extremes when it comes to the Biblical understanding of "Sanctification." First, we have the "Free Grace" movement of Zane Hodges. Also commonly known as "Greasy grace" which asserts that regeneration isn't in fact regeneration! That no change takes place when one is born again. The second extreme is the Reformed "Lordship Salvation" view which is nothing more than Catholic Soteriology dressed up in Protestant garb. Finally, we have the correct position. The Biblical position. And the confessional Protestant position. That is, the believer will demonstrate a new desire for the things of God because of putting on the "New Man." There will be a change and repentance. Good works WILL follow true Justification. But at the end of the day, the only thing that will "get us in" so to speak, is the righteousness and blood of Christ covering my sin and being offered before the Father, at the throne of grace. As still having our fallen, sinful nature, if we're not saved by Christ's merits alone we will not be saved at all.