"WE LOVE, BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US."

 

“So Great a Salvation” (Heb. 2:3)

By Pastor Terry L. Reese; Valley GBC of Armagh, PA (10/31/2025)

“What you need to know about PREDESTINATION…but was afraid to ask!”

1 John 4:19: “We love, because He first loved us.”

This great Salvation wrought by God in Christ is like a lustrous, multi-faceted diamond that features beautifully varied aspects and effects that require careful and thoughtful appreciation. If such truths are ignored or neglected, we become unmoored and soon drift away (Heb. 2:1)! 

Recently in our local church we began a teaching series examining the various facets of redemption, and in accordance with this theme, we started last week to underline three precious aspects of redemption that speak as to Salvation being a matter of God’s gracious, sovereign initiative and miraculous intervention.

 

I. Divine Election and Predestination (Eph. 1:3-6, 11; Rom. 8:28-30, 9:1-29): The Father chose (i.e., elected) us as particular individuals and foreordained (i.e., predetermined) our redemption in Eternity Past, before the very foundation of the Universe. Our coming unto personal salvation was not simply a matter of “fate” or “dumb luck;” rather, it was the result of the intelligent initiative and purposeful activity of an infinitely wise & holy God who has His own holy purposes.

 

This election was totally gracious and unconditional; it was NOT based upon any merit, faith, or good works that God foresaw within us (Rom. 9:10-13, 16). Rather, it was based upon His own sovereign good pleasure (Rom. 9:15, 22). God’s plans and purposes are most HOLY and WISE—and must not be challenged, or labelled “unjust” or “unfair” (Rom. 9:14, 20). NO ONE is “entitled” to His special grace: ALL have sinned (Rom. 3:23); NONE is righteous (Rom. 3:10)! If God were to deal with us in accordance with naked justice, ALL would be lost! NATURAL MAN (apart from God’s grace) is by NATURE a spiritually dead, God-hating sinner who is a child of wrath (Rom. 3:9-18; Eph. 2:1-2, 5) that is blinded by Satan (2Cor. 4:4) and CANNOT discern spiritual matters (1Cor. 2:14, Rom. 8:7) due to the lethal ravages of the Fall. Total Depravity means that the effects of the Fall have extended to every aspect of Man’s being, and that men are fully dependent upon Divine grace, being unable by nature to seek God and contribute unto their own salvation.                                      

2. God’s Regeneration of the Human Heart. The Doctrine of ORIGINAL SIN means that human beings have inherited a SINFUL NATURE from Adam through our parents (Ps. 51:5), and that Natural Man, by nature, is at enmity with God and is a natural born sinner—and therefore does not desire the good things of God (including the Gospel). Jesus has instructed us that man’s problem begins with the HEART (Matt. 7:17-20). An unregenerate man with a heart of stone (Ezek. 36:26) does not desire God, and thus, will not, of his own initiative, exert his will in a movement towards God.

 

But what of Man’s “free-will,” you may ask? The answer is that man’s WILL does not arise from out of a vacuum; rather, it proceeds from out of the HEART. The HEART is father to our DESIRES, and the exertions of our WILL proceed from our DESIRES (Matt. 12:33-35; 15:18-19). Apart from the grace of God, an unregenerate heart will always freely choose against the One True God. It is Natural Man’s very nature to do so! Note the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-9, 18-23); the seed is the same, but the soils are different!

 

So, what is God’s prescribed CURE for this otherwise fatal condition? ANSWER: a HEART TRANSPLANT (Ezek. 11:19-20; 36:26)!!! This is the NEW BIRTH (i.e., regeneration)—apart from which no man can ever hope to see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3). This regeneration is the sovereign, miraculous, supernatural act of God (John 1:13; 3:8); we are made new creatures in Christ (2Cor. 5:17)! This is solely the work of God, lest no man should boast (Eph. 2:5, 8-9). A regenerated heart—born anew through the application of God’s appointed means; namely, the Word (1Pet. 1:23)—is now favorably disposed towards the things of God, and of its own freewill, makes a genuine free choice for Christ! With a heart quickened and resurrected from the dead (Eph. 2:5-6) comes a renewal of a man’s desires, affections, and will. 

 

In the logical Order of Salvation (ordo salutis), God’s sovereign regeneration precedes faith. While in temporal human experience, this might all seem to occur in a moment, we must affirm that Faith is logically the fruit of regeneration, not its cause (John 1:12-13; 1 John 5:1; Acts 13:48). Natural Man is DEAD (Eph. 2:1)—and dead men cannot answer a call any more than Lazarus of Bethany could answer a summons to rise from his tomb until Jesus, by His Divine, miraculous power, quickened him and gave him living-ears to hear (John 11:43).

 

BOTTOM LINE: Salvation is not simply a “natural” thing, gendered by logical arguments, slick entertainment, or emotional manipulation. It is a powerful act of God!!!

 

3. God’s Effectual Calling.  Let us carefully note the Golden Chain of Redemption of Romans 8:28-30. First, it speaks of those whom God “foreknew.” This is NOT simply speaking of those whom God foresees (an omniscient God foresees all things—including the acts of the wicked). The term foreknew here is rather employed as a covenant-relational term: the “foreknown” are those predestined individuals whom God has “foreloved” and sovereignly chosen to enter into an eternal and unconditional Covenant Relationship with. Note that ALL of the foreloved (vv. 28-29) are “CALLED.” And ALL of the called will be “JUSTIFIED” (pronounced legally righteous and found not guilty), and that ALL of those who are justified will be “GLORIFIED” (i.e., brought to the consummate state of salvation)! Thus ALL of the “foreknown” shall be saved.

 

But…HOW are ALL of the “CALLED” ultimately JUSTIFIED and GLORIFIED? What is meant by the term “called?”

 

ANSWER: there is a difference between the GENERAL CALL (i.e., the universal invitation unto salvation that we are commanded to offer unto all people through the open proclamation of the Gospel; Mark 16:15), on the one hand, and on the other, the EFFECTUAL CALL, (i.e., the specific, internal call by God's Holy Spirit that is ultimately effectual and successful in drawing unto salvation those whom He has chosen to save (John 6:37, 44; Acts 13:48).

 

John 6:44: “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.”

BOTTOM LINE: God is ALWAYS successful in the outworking of His eternal plan to save those whom He has foreloved and chosen to initiate a Covenant Relationship with. Indeed, His amazing efficacious grace CANNOT fail!

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OBJECTIONS TO THE BIBLICAL VIEW CONSIDERED

 

1) Why evangelize if it’s all pre-determined? Doesn’t Election & Predestination undermine evangelism? ANSWER: God’s eternal plans also embrace the MEANS through which those plans must be realized. Thus, God has pre-determined the MEANS of salvation, which is through intercessory prayer, Bible preaching, (1Pet. 1:23), and the exercise of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20). Apart from these, men cannot be saved. So evangelize!

 

2) The Love of God. Doesn’t God love all people and desire their salvation? John 3:16? 2Pet. 3:9? 1Tim. 2:4? ANSWER: First, the matter of “God’s will” is expressed in various ways. God’s sovereign will refers to His ordaining whatever comes to pass. But His dispositional will refers to that which emotionally pleases Him. NO ONE is saying that God rejoices in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 18:23)! Second, God has a general benevolence towards His creation (Matt. 5:45)—but this is NOT the same as His eternal & unconditional Covenant-Love for His Bride. Also some men are an abomination to Him (e.g., Dt.22:5); He is involved in an adversarial relationship with them. Further, Divine love is not merely an emotion; it is a decisive choice involving action—and it is NOT uniformly expressed unto all creatures in the same way (Rom. 9:13). Third, some of the above passages in context are not universal in the absolute sense (e.g., the “us” of 2 Pet. 3:9 seems to refer to the ingathering of the Elect; note the Epistle is addressed to Christians: 2Pet.1:1)!    

 

3) But doesn’t Efficacious Grace make men mere robots? ANSWER: Men are not robots, who have neither soul nor personality—and who are thus not morally accountable unto God. Autonomous fallen Men are SINNERS, however, and act in accordance with their own nature, freely and inevitably choosing evil. They must be rescued by God’s gracious initiative (1John 4:19).

 

It is of interest to note that the chief rival view amongst Evangelicals, called Arminianism, recognizes that men are by nature spiritually dead, due to the Fall. But wanting everyone to have an “even shot,” they have concocted the fantastic notion that ALL men are partially regenerated (in marked contrast to the Biblical/Calvinist view, which teaches that SOME men are fully regenerated). The problem: there is absolutely NO SCRIPTURAL SUPPORT whatsoever for a “partial regeneration” theory!

"WOKE" PONTIFF (LEO XIV) FINALLY LOSES IT...

 

“WOKE” PONTIFF FINALLY LOSES IT…

Looney Pontiff finally cracks, “blessing” a supposedly 20,000 year-old Greenland ice block this week; he also denounces “inhuman” US immigration policy and claims that abortion and capital punishment are morally equivalent acts…  

by Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh, PA (10/05/25)  

 

 

A number of very important Roman Pontiffs have historically borne the name LEO (“the LION”)—thereby making the choice of that particular name by the current Pope rather interesting...  

The powerful Leo I (5^th cent.)—sometimes known as the “Great” and oft-labelled the “first real Pope”—is famed for his wisdom and fearlessness in saving the city of Rome from being sacked by the infamous barbarian, Atilla the Hun. Leo III (9^th cent.) is chiefly remembered for crowning Charlemagne “Holy Roman Emperor,” thereby enhancing the unity of western civilization and consequently promoting the prestige of the Roman Papacy. Leo IX (11^th cent.) provoked the Great Schism with the Eastern Orthodox Churches (which has endured for a thousand-years) through his high-handed and arrogant claims to Papal supremacy. The decadent and profligate Medici prince Leo X of the Reformation Era (16^th cent.) presided over yet another great schism by resisting pleas for reform and excommunicating Martin Luther. Leo XIII (19^th cent.) was famed as the central architect of progressive Catholic Social Teaching (a variously interpreted “Third Way” that differentiates itself from laissez-faire capitalism on the one hand, and state-managed socialist collectivism on the other), advocating the employment of various communal and institutional efforts in the pursuit of “social justice.”  

And NOW we have Bob Prevost (a.k.a., “Leo XIV”), a Chicago born American expatriate of some four decades who succeeded Francis (the “Hippy Pope”) to the Papacy this May. Apparently aspiring to be the next “great Leo” as well as Francis 2.0, Pope Bob provided us with a most diverting display this past week, barely concealing his intent to surpass his predecessor in a public display that featured a Francis-like exhibition of wokeness, sass, Biblical ineptitude, theological confusion, and out-and-out lunacy.  

On Oct.1, in commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of Francis’ infamous “green” encyclical” (Laudato Si; 2015), Pope Bob/Leo addressed a prominent international assembly (including Arnold Schwarzenegger) near Rome, calling upon the citizens of the world to pressure their governments to save the planet from the horrors of “climate change” and “global warming.” In a ceremony laden with weird New Age/Neo-Pagan overtones, Leo also called for an international “ecological conversion” (whatever that is) and then proceeded to “bless” an allegedly 20,000 year-old ice block that was specially imported from Greenland. The Pope then further announced that plans are in the works to transform the Vatican (the world’s smallest microstate) into the world’s first “carbon-neutral state” via the employment of solar panels—thereby establishing an exemplar international gold standard for others to follow. One can only wonder: would such a model work for gigantic populations such China or India—both of which are nations of roughly a billion people? Nonetheless, Gov. Arnold the Terminator praised the Pope as a real “action hero” for his creative efforts. The Pope, in turn, modestly praised those around the Earth who are pressuring their governments for change as constituting the real "action heroes."  

All of this follows the Pontiff’s bizarre foray into the realm of US politics on Sept. 30, in which he expressed carefully worded support for the Chicago Archdiocese’s proposal to honor US Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) with a lifetime achievement award for his advocacy on behalf of “immigrants” (i.e., illegals)—even though Durbin’s pro-abortion stance has barred him from taking the Mass for some 20 years! In defense of honoring such a person, Pope Bob offered the following limp rationalization:

“Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion,’ but is in favor of the death penalty is not really pro-life. Someone who says, ‘I’m against abortion but I’m in agreement with the inhuman treatment of immigrants in the United States,’ I don’t know if that’s pro-life.”

Thus, according to the alleged Doctor of all Christians, US immigration policy and the lawful, judicial execution of criminals are deemed to be morally equivalent to murdering an innocent child in the womb.

This is perhaps the dumbest statement on political ethics to emerge from the mouth of a sitting Roman Pontiff since Paul VI dared to scold Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier at a 1973 Vatican reception, telling her that he found it difficult to countenance the conduct of the Israelis towards the Palestinians, in that the Jews, of all people, should be more disposed towards mercy, given the fact that they themselves had personally experienced such great suffering. One appreciates Golda’s stern response: “Your Holiness, do you know what my own very earliest memory is? It is waiting for a pogrom in Kiev. Let me assure you that my people know all about real ‘harshness’ and also that we learned all about real mercy when we were being led to the gas chambers of the Nazis.”  

Setting aside Leo's gross and ridiculous mischaracterization of US immigration policy and the slanderous inferences regarding the activity of our heroic Border Patrol Agents and valiant ICE agents, and also putting aside his obvious expression of open contempt for President Trump (who spoke earlier that week against the hoax of climate-change alarmism at the UN), someone should inform the Biblically illiterate Pontiff that the Word of God specifically mandates capital punishment for murderers (Gen. 9:5-6), and that when God Himself designed a national constitution (the Torah Law, for the Theocratic Commonwealth of Old Testament Israel), capital punishment was a central feature, being prescribed for a variety of offences. Incidentally, the principal still applies to the New Testament Era: Paul affirms some acts are “worthy of death;” cf., Acts 25:11. Should we be led to believe that Pope Bob, in his exalted wisdom, is somehow more “ethical,” “moral,” “benevolent,” and “just” than God ALMIGHTY Himself?

And while we are at it, shall we dare remind the Infallible Supreme Sovereign Pontiff that national borders and set boundaries are GOD’S idea (Acts 17:26)—not Donald Trump’s?

Finally, a few comments regarding the Pontiff’s surreal and ridiculously performative “blessing of the waters,” which was conducted amidst a like-minded company of progressive globalist elites, posturing planetary do-gooders, Gaia-affirming “indigenous peoples,” and other assorted internationalist weirdos. I can only observe that the American Pope’s insufferably overwrought and posey sentiments managed to simultaneously achieve a quality of both the ludicrous and the disquieting as he extravagantly blessed the big ice cube in the language of anthropomorphism, which was delivered in flawless English—the lingua franca of the Postmodern World:

"Lord of life, bless this water, may it awaken our hearts, cleanse our indifference, soothe our grief, and renew our hope, through Christ our Lord…"

Being a good steward of God’s creation is one thing. However, the spirit associated with today’s neo-pagan Gaia-preoccupation that both drives and informs postmodern environmental extremism and “deep ecology” is quite another.  

Rom. 1:25: “For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

Employing theological technical-jargon that is normally descriptive of a transformative change of the heart that is effected by Divine grace, bringing us from death unto life and resulting in both repentance and faith in Christ, the Pontiff called for ecological “conversion,” and made an international appeal for bold and united global-action.  

If Pope Bob is attempting to audition for the role of the great False Prophet, servant of the Last Caesar (Rev. 13:1-10), who looks like a lamb but speaks as a dragon (Rev. 13:11), he is certainly offering us a capital performance.

The Three Great Imputations of Scripture

 

The Three Great Imputations of Scripture

Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC of Armagh (10/05/25)

2Cor. 5:21: “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

Imputation (Gk., logizomai) is the idea frequently expressed within the Scriptures (more than 40 X’s in the NT; 10 X’s in Rom. 4 alone—sometimes called the “imputation chapter”) that indicates that something is credited unto, reckoned unto, or accounted to a person. Imputation involves attributing something—good or evil—to an individual, and then proceeding to deal with that person in accordance with their ascribed status. It is not about changing the inward state of the person; it has to do with what has been charged unto that person (i.e., sin or righteousness).

 

Logizomai is variously translated in the New Testament as counted, reckoned, and imputed.

 

The Old Testament also contains this idea—imputing either righteousness or sin unto an individual.

 

1Sam. 22:15b (Ahimelech, unto Saul): “Do not let the king impute anything to his servant or to any of the household of my father, for your servant knows nothing small or great of this whole affair.”

 

Ps.106:30-31: Then Phinehas stood up and interceded, And so the plague was checked. And it was counted to him for righteousness, From generation to generation forever.

 

In this discussion, we are dealing with the question of our legal status; how we are legally regarded in the sight of God. Scripture deals with three great imputations, in this sense.

 

I. The sin of Adam has been imputed (i.e., reckoned) unto his offspring (Rom. 5:12, 1Cor. 15:22). The sin of the Head of the Human Race, our common father Adam, has been attributed to every human being (the Virgin-born Christ alone excepted)—even to unborn children and those without Biblical revelation (Rom. 5:13-14). From God’s perspective, we were in Adam, and are thus guilty in Adam. As a Puritan Colonial American textbook for children accurately affirmed:

 

“In Adam’s fall we sinned all.”—The New England Prime

 

When Adam, our Father, failed his probationary exam in the Garden, so did YOU. When he rebelled against the Most High, YOU rebelled. His sin was YOUR sin, His penalty was YOUR penalty. His fall was YOUR fall.

 

Following Paul’s argument in Rom. 5: unto the ENTIRE WORLD Adam's sin was imputed; ALL have sinned through the one (v. 12), and ALL are thus condemned to DIE (v. 12, 19; Rom. 6:23)!

 

·         The demonstration of this: universally, men have died from Adam unto Moses (vv. 13-14)—even those without the Mosaic Legal code, and even unborn babies!

 

·         In v. 18, Paul compares the “one transgression” (Adam) with the "one act of righteousness" (Christ), arguing that "as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men."

 

Additionally, we are also deemed guilty for our inherited disposition towards sin (i.e., Original Sin; Ps. 51:5), as well as for the personal transgressions that arise from out of our native depravity. We are thus legally guilty, guilty, guilty in the sight of God (Rom. 3:23)!!! And the wages of sin is DEATH (Rom. 6:23a).

 

This is GRIM: How then, can a sinner be right and just with a Holy God?

 

ANSWER: our great God has a great remedy (Rom. 6:23b): Double Imputation (referred to by Martin Luther as the “Great Exchange”)—beautifully illustrated in Paul’s Epistle to Philemon (1:17-18)!

 

Phm 1:17-18 : If then you regard me a partner, accept him as you would accept me. But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

 

The formerly unregenerate Onesimus, a runaway slave, was unprofitable (Rom. 3:12) to his master, Paul’s friend, the noble Philemon. Paul asks that the slave—now his son in the faith—would be treated by Philemon in a manner that he would treat Paul himself. On the other hand, if Onesimus has sinned against his master or defrauded him, the Apostle further requests that the slave’s sins would be charged unto Paul—a profound depiction of the work of Christ on the believer’s behalf! The believer’s sins were charged unto Christ, and His righteousness is imputed of reckoned unto the believing sinner!

 

II. At Calvary, the believer’s sins were imputed or reckoned unto Christ, our Suffering Substitute (Isa. 53:5-6; 1Pet. 2:24, 3:18; 2Cor. 5:21)! Though Christ was sinless, He was reckoned guilty for our transgressions. He became the God-forsaken One for us; He answered the penalty for our sins and satisfied the Father’s required holy demands for justice (becoming our propitiation, appeasing the Father’s righteous wrath; 1John 2:2, 4:10).

 

He became our vicarious penal substitute, offering a complete (John 19:30) atonement.

 

1Pet. 2:24: Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, so that having died to sin, we might live to righteousness; by His WOUNDS YOU WERE HEALED.

 

1Pet. 3:18: For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, so that He might bring you to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit…

 

Isa. 53:5-6: But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our peace fell upon Him, And by His wounds we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But Yahweh has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.

 

Our sins were imputed to Christ because they had to be legally answered for; God is Holy and Just, and the penalty had to be inflicted upon a willing, perfect, Divine-Human substitute.

 

III. Further, Christ’s perfect & infinite righteousness is legally reckoned or imputed unto the believer (Rom.4; 5:17-19, 2Cor. 5:21).

 

Question: Are YOU righteous?

Matt. 5:20: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.”

 

Genuine righteousness is required to enter God’s Holy Presence—but our intrinsic native righteousness is imperfect and is as filthy rags (Isa. 64:6), falling short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23). Believers, however, are graciously clothed in the unchanging, immutable Righteousness of Christ (much like a redeemed Zion in Isa. 61:10)!

 

Isa. 61:10: I will rejoice greatly in Yahweh; my soul will rejoice in my God, for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

 

The great Bible commentator John Gill on the imputation of Christ’s righteousness unto the Elect, in reference to Matt. 5:20:

 

“…the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to them, and received by faith… is their only right and title to eternal glory; and without which no man will be admitted into that glorious state.”

 

HIS righteousness is imputed, legally reckoned, accounted unto them that believe—the perfect, infinite, eternal, unchanging (Heb. 13:8) righteousness of Christ, the God-Man, who…

·         lived the perfect life you didn’t live,

·         who fulfilled all righteousness (Matt. 3:15),

·         who dared his contemporaries to convict Him of sin (John 8:46),

·         who kept the totality of the Mosaic Law’s demands (internally & externally, who omitted no positive responsibly and who committed no sin; 1Pet. 2:22)…

·         Overcame all temptation for every moment of His 33 years!

 

HIS righteousness is OUR righteousness in the sight of God, if we are in covenant with Him through Faith! This righteousness is thus called an “alien” righteousness—it is found outside of ourselves, in the Person of Jesus Christ…

 

Rom. 5:17-19: ¹⁷For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. ¹⁸So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men. ¹⁹For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were appointed sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be appointed righteous.

 

Php. 3:8-9: More than that, I count all things to be loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own which is from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God upon faith…

 

Rom. 3:21-22:  But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe…

 

Rom. 3:28: For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.

 

Rom. 4:1-5: What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God! For what does the Scripture say? “ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS COUNTED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.” Now to the one who works, his wage is not counted according to grace, but according to what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes upon Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

 

Contrasted with the Romish doctrine of infusion. Imputation is distinct from impartation and infusion.

 

Imputation does not mean to be infused with some sort of new energy or power that has been imparted to enable us to live the sort of life that merits God’s pronunciation and verdict that we are legally righteous in His sight because of our works-performance. This is the essence of Roman Catholicism, which is a legalistic works-righteousness system that feigns grace.

 

Note the Lord’s total rejection of LEGALISM in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican:

 

Luke 18:9: And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt…

Luke 18:14: “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

Note that the Pharisee (much like the modern Romanist) attempts to smuggle his prideful and arrogant legalism under the guise of “grace” in v. 11: “God, I thank You that I am not like other people…”).

 

Imputation is much different from infusion; imputation is a change of status, not of internal condition. It is not an imparted power unto righteousness (as is associated with sanctification—a result of salvation, not its cause; Eph. 2:8-10).

 

DEVOTIONAL RELEVANCE: AM I TRULY SECURE IN MY SALVATION?

We sometimes encounter folks who profess the basics of the Gospel—and yet persist in doubting the outcome of their salvation. While they profess to understand that salvation is by grace and not based upon good works, they are nevertheless burdened with a nagging sense that they are lacking a genuine righteousness before God. Perhaps modern believers would do well to revisit the neglected doctrine of Justification and Imputed Righteousness!  Note the example of the great non-conformist preacher John Bunyan, the author of Pilgrim’s Progress…

 

BUNYAN: “THY RIGHTEOUSNESS IS IN HEAVEN”

 

John Bunyan knew no peace, understanding that only a perfect righteousness would be acceptable before God. Happily, Bunyan came to internalize the wonderful doctrine of the imputation of Christ’s righteousness unto all who believe. This is Luther’s “Great Exchange:” even as the believer’s sins were imputed unto Christ at Calvary, the perfect legal righteousness of Christ is reckoned unto the believer! Note Bunyan’s testimony of the liberating power of this great truth:

 

“But one day, as I was passing in the field… this sentence fell upon my soul: Thy righteousness is in heaven; and methought withal I saw, with the eyes of my soul, Jesus Christ, at God’s right hand; there, I say, as my righteousness; so that wherever I was, or whatever I was a-doing, God could not say of me, He wants my righteousness, for that was just before him. I also saw, moreover, that it was not my good frame of heart that made my righteousness better, nor yet my bad frame that made my righteousness worse; for my righteousness was Jesus Christ himself, the same yesterday, today, and forever.”—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

 

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, did you hear these wonderful words: our righteousness is not on earth, but in Heaven, in the immutable Person of Jesus Christ! How DARE any Christian deny their eternal security!!!—AMEN!

 

How did JESUS interpret the Bible?

 

HOW DID JESUS INTERPRET THE BIBLE?

John 13:16: “Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master…”

Pastor Terry L. Reese, 6/20/25

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrably accepted the complete authority, prophetic certainty, infallibility, and utter inerrancy of Scripture. Further, He fully embraced the literal-historical-grammatical hermeneutic with regard to His interpretive method.

 

Matt. 5:17-18: “…not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Here, He teaches that inspiration extends throughout the Scripture—even unto every letter and word—and that its fulfillment is inevitable.

 

John 10:35: “…the Scripture cannot be broken…”

Here, He states the Scripture cannot be “broken:” i.e., annulled, set aside, disproven, or proven erroneous.

 

Matt. 26:54: How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say this must happen?"

At His arrest, Jesus states unto Peter that with regard to Biblical prophecy, there is an iron predestination involved that demands that the Scripture MUST be fulfilled; also note v. 31: He states that Zech. 13:7 MUST be fulfilled!

 

John 17:17: “Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.”

Jesus makes it plain that constant indoctrination and ingestion of the powerful, supernaturally-laden Word of Truth is the Divinely appointed agent unto practical sanctification, and the key to personal holiness.  

 

Matt. 22:29: “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

Our Lord affirms inerrancy: if the Sadducees would simply have understood and affirmed the Word, they would not have erred!

 

He interpreted Gen. 1-11—a section that is invariably dismissed by the world as mythological or merely symbolic—as constituting straightforward literal history, without a hint of allegorization; e.g., Mark 10:6 (principles for marriage are based upon a literal Adam & Eve, who lived, according to the literal Mosaic time-frame, at the “beginning of creation”), Luke 11:50-51 (a literal Abel, who lived at the “foundation of the world”), Matt. 24:37-39 (a literal Noah’s Flood, likened to His own future and literal Second Coming).

 

In short, no honest person can escape it: He handled the Scripture like a Biblical Fundamentalist!  

 

Further, He regarded Himself as the core and center of Old Testament prophecy and teaching (Luke 24:27; John 5:39, 46)--another important principle of Biblical hermeneutics (i.e., the Scripture is Christocentric)!  

Lastly, He modeled the example of SOLA SCRIPTURA (2 Tim. 3:16-17): the Bible stands alone as the uniquely authoritative, infallible, and all-sufficient source of Authority. "IT IS WRITTEN" (e.g., Matt. 4:1-11) was His constant and final court of appeal. This stands in contrast to rabbis, who constantly appealed to the rabbinic tradition of the Mishna (i.e., extra-biblical Jewish oral tradition).

 

If He is the Master and we are His Disciples (i.e., those who learn from the Master, and then proceed to follow the Master’s footsteps), then we MUST follow Him in this!