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UNSAVED PEOPLE I
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siriner’s own satisfaction for the pen alty ' of sin. Union w ith Christ is, therefore, the foundation of hum an redemption. This union of a believing sinner w ith an atoning Saviour is first of all a judicial one, reckoned to be so by th e infinite grace of God ap art from all considera tion of our legal obedience and unde serving ch aracter. Union w ith Christ gives to the believer the legal standing and rig h ts of Christ. The union of Christ w ith th e race involves atonem ent, and th e union of th e believer w ith Christ secures ju sti fication. This relationship delivers salvation from th e charge o f being a mechanical device or an a rb itra ry arrangem ent. The believer is entitled to ta k e for his own all th a t Christ is and all th a t Christ has done. He has w ithin him th e new life of hum anity which suffered in th e death of Christ and rose from th e grave in H is resurrection. God does no t ju s tify ungodly men in th e ir ungodliness. He declares them to be ju s t only as they are united to Him who is th e Ju st One and who by th e Holy Spirit can make them ju s t also. The faith by which th e sinner receives Christ is an act which unites him to Christ and one in which he ratifies all th a t Christ has done and accepts God’s judgm ent against sin as his own. By blood and n a tu ra l b irth we are identified w ith th e first man. By faith in His atoning blood and th e super n atu ra l b irth of th e Spirit, we become identified with' th e la st man. We th u s exchange th e standing of sinners and aliens fo r the standing o f saints and sons^S-F. W. F a rr.
CHRIST OUR SUBSTITUTE 'The en tire scheme of redemption rests--upon th is basis: God has found a way w hereby' He can judicially acquit a guilty sinner. All men Jews and Gen tiles- alike, a re guilty before God. They may: have differing degrees of light, bu t they have all sinned and come sho rt of "the glory of God. There is no man who is no t a sinner and therefore all are w ithout excuse. Every m outh is stopped and th e whole world is brought in guilty before God. There is no hope or possibility of am endm ent or im provement, for by th e deeds of th e law nb flesh can be justified in His sight. The righ ts and sanctions -of govern m ent m ust be m aintained. Unless every transgression and disobedience receives a ju s t recompense of rew ard, good gov ernm ent is no t only endangered, it has ceased to- exist. God cannot save the sinner, a t th e expense of His own law w ithout sacrificing His holiness and placing a prem ium on sin. The gospel of the grace of God is essentially th is : th a t by th e sub stitu tion of Christ for the sinner before the law, in a perfect life of obedience and a vicarious death, th e ends of justice were so ¿fully answered th a t God could judicially acquit th e sinner and yet not tarn ish th e glory of His perfection. God has set fo rth H is Son no t to declare H is indifference to sin, 'b u t to declare H is righteousness in th e rem is sion of sins, th a t He m ight be ju st and the justifier of him th a t believeth in Jesus. He reckons th e pen iten t and believing sinner to be identified w ith Christ so th a t the obedience of Christ is im p u te d to the sinner, and th e aton ing death of Christ is reckoned as the
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