The Works of John Bunyan, vol 1 by John Bunyan (best book clubs txt) 📖

the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory’ (Isa 45:25). In the Lord, not in the law; in the Lord, not in themselves. ‘And their righteousness is of me, saith the Lord.’ Of me, not of themselves; of me, not of the law (54:17). And again; ‘Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength’

(45:24). Now, as I have already said, all this is to be understood of the righteousness that was fulfilled by acts and works of obedience, which the person of the Son of God accomplished in the days of his flesh in the world; by that man, I say, ‘The Lord our righteousness’ (Jer 23:5). Christ, indeed, is naturally and essentially righteousness; but as he is simply such, so he justifieth no man; for then he need not to bear our sins in his flesh, and become obedient in all points of the law for us; but the righteousness by which we stand just before God is righteousness consisting of works and deeds, of the doings and sufferings, of such a person who also is essentially righteousness. And hence, as before I have hinted, we are said to be justified by the obedience and blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the doings and sufferings of the Son of God. And hence, again, it is that he first is called King of righteousness; that is, a King of righteousness as God-man, which of necessity supposeth his personal performances; and after that, ‘King of peace’ (Heb 7:1-3).

For what he is naturally and eternally in his Godhead, he is not to us, but himself; but what he is actively and by works, he is not to himself, but to us; so, then, he is neither King of righteousness nor of peace to us, as he is only the eternal Son of the Father, without his being considered as our priest and undertaker. He hath ‘obtained,’ by works of righteousness, ‘eternal redemption for us’ (Heb 9:12). So then, the righteousness by which we stand just before God is a righteousness inherent only in Christ, because a righteousness performed by him alone.

Now, that righteousness by which we stand just before God must be a righteousness consisting of personal performances; the reason is, because persons had sinned; this the nature of justice requireth, that ‘since by man came death, by man’ should come ‘also the resurrection from the dead’ (1 Cor 15:21). The angels, therefore, for this very reason, abide under the chains of everlasting darkness, because he ‘took not hold on them’ (Heb 2:16,17); that is, by fulfilling righteousness for them in their nature. That is a blessed word, to you. ‘To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.’ To YOU, not to angels; to you is born a Saviour (Luke 2:11).

Third. It is yet further evident that the righteousness by which we stand just before God from the curse, is a righteousness inherent, not in us, but Christ; because it is a righteousness besides, and without the law itself. Now take away the law, and you take away the rule of righteousness. Again; take away the rule, and the act as to us must cease. ‘But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets’

(Rom 3:21). So then, by such a righteousness we are justified as is not within the power of the law to command of us.

Quest. But what law is that which hath not power to command our obedience in the point of our justification with God?

Answ. The moral law, or that called the ten commandments. Therefore we are neither commanded to love God, or our neighbour, as the means or part of our justifying righteousness; nay, he that shall attempt to do these things to be delivered from the curse thereby, by the scripture is holden accursed of God. ‘As many as are of the works,’ or duties, ‘of the law, are under the curse,’ &c. (Gal 3:10). Because we are justified not by that of the law, but by the righteousness of God without the law; that is, without its commanding of us, without our obedience to it—‘Freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood’ (Rom 3:24,25). This is the righteousness of God without the law; that is, without any of our obedience to the law. Wherefore the righteousness by which we stand just, in the sight of God, cannot be inherent in us, but in Christ the King thereof.

Fourth. This is further made apparent, by the capacity that God will consider that soul in, to whom he imputeth justifying righteousness; and that is, ‘as one that worketh not,’ as one that stands ungodly in the judgment of the law (Rom 4:4,5). But this I have handled before, and therefore shall pass it here.

Fifth. To conclude. If any works of ours could justify us before God, they would be works after faith received; but it is evident that these do not; therefore the righteousness that justifies us from the curse before God is a righteousness inherent only in Christ.

That works after faith do not justify us from the curse, in the sight of God, is evident—

1. Because no works of the saints can be justified by the moral law, considering it as the law of works for life (Gal 3:10). For this must stand a truth for ever—Whatsoever justifieth us must be justified by the moral law, for that is it that pronounceth the curse; unless, then, that curse be taken away by the work, the work cannot justify us before God (Rom 3:21). But the curse cannot be taken away but by a righteousness that is first approved of by that law that so curseth; for if that shall yet complain for want of a full satisfaction, the penalty remaineth. This is evident to reason, and confirmed by the authority of God’s Word, as hath been already proved; because the law, once broken, pronounceth death, expecteth death, and executeth the same on him that will stand to the judgment of the law; but no work of a believer is capable of answering this demand of the law; therefore none of his works can justify him before God; for the law, that notwithstanding, complaineth.

2. No works of faith can justify us from the curse before God, because of the want of perfection that is in the greatest faith in us. Now, if faith be not perfect, the work cannot be perfect; I mean with that perfection as to please Divine justice. Consider the person, one that hath to do with God immediately by himself.

Now, that faith is not capable of this kind of perfection, it is evident, because when men here know most, they know but in part.

Now he that knows but in part, can do but in part; and he that doth but in part, hath a part wanting in the judgment of the justice of God. So then, when thou hast done all thou canst, thou hast done but part of thy duty, and so art short of justification from the curse by what thou hast done (1 Cor 8:2, 13:12).

3. Besides, it looks too like a monster that the works of faith should justify us before God; because then faith is turned, as it were, with its neck behind it.[32] Faith, in its own nature and natural course, respecteth the mercy of God through the Mediator, Jesus Christ; and as such, its virtue and excellency is to expect justification by grace through him; but by this doctrine faith is turned round about, and now makes a life out of what itself hath done; but, methinks, faith should be as noble as its fruits, that being the first, and they but the fruits of that.

Besides, seeing the work is only good because it floweth from faith (for faith purifieth the heart), therefore faith is it that justifies all its works (Acts 15:9). If, then, we be justified by either, it is by faith, and not by his works; unless we will say there is more virtue in the less than in the greater. Now, what is faith but a believing, a trusting, or relying act of the soul?

What, then, must it rely upon or trust in? Not in itself; that is, without Scripture; not in its works, they are inferior to itself; besides, this is the way to make even the works of faith the mediator between God and the soul, and so by them thrust Christ out of doors; therefore it must trust in Christ; and if so, then no man can be justified from the curse, before God, by the works that flow from faith.

4. To put all out of doubt; the saint, when he hath done what he can to bring forth good works by faith, yet he dares not show these works before God but as they pass through the Mediator Christ, but as they are washed in the blood of the Lamb. And therefore Peter saith, those sacrifices of ours that are truly spiritual are only then accepted of God, when offered up by Jesus Christ (1 Peter 2:5).

And therefore it is said again, that the prayers of the saints, which are the fruits of faith, come up before the throne of God through the angel’s hand; that is, through the hand of Christ, through his golden censer, perfumed with his incense, made acceptable by his intercession (Rev 8:3,4). It is said in the Book of Revelation, that it is granted to the bride, the Lamb’s wife, that she should be ‘arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; which white linen is the righteousness of saints.’ This fine linen, in my judgment, is the works of godly men, their works that sprang from faith. But how came they clean? How came they white? Not simply because they were the works of faith. But mark, they ‘washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ And ‘therefore they stand before the throne of God’ (Rev 7:14,15). Yea, therefore it is that their good works stand there too.

I conclude, then, ‘our persons are justified while we are sinners in ourselves.’ Our works, even the works of faith, are no otherwise accepted but as they come through Jesus Christ, even through his intercession and blood. So then, Christ doth justify both our person and works, not by way of approbation, as we stand in ourselves or works before God, but by presenting of us to his Father by himself, washing what we are and have from guilt in his blood, and clothing us with his own performances. This is the cause of our acceptance with God, and that our works are not cast forth of his presence.

THE USE.

USE FIRST.—Is justifying righteousness to be found in the person of Christ only? Then this should admonish us to take heed of seeking it in ourselves; that is, of working righteousness, thereby to appease the justice of God, lest by so doing we affront and blaspheme the righteousness of Christ. He that shall go about to establish his own righteousness, he, as yet, doth defiance to that which is of God, of God’s appointing, of God’s providing; and that only wherewith the justice of the law must be well pleased. Wherefore take heed, I say, of doing such a thing, lest it provoke the eyes of the Lord’s glory—‘When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it’ (Eze 33:13). Mark, though