Class Notes: 8/9/2015

Mark 16:15,20;The doctrine of witnessing part 3

Based on Jesus' mandate for His disciples to witness to the entire world in Mark 16:15; we have taken up the doctrine of witnessing.

We are addressing the various doctrines that the believer must understand in order to be an effective witness for Christ. These doctrines explain how God exclusively through Jesus Christ addressed the sin that came as a result of mankind's fall so that He could provide salvation for the entire human race without compromising His perfect Holiness.

These doctrines explain why a person must believe in Jesus Christ to be saved and How God accomplished salvation. They also explain why being a "good" person or "keeping the law" or any other system of human good do not result in salvation.

In our previous studies we have noted the doctrines of redemption and reconciliation and last time we started on the doctrine of propitiation and in our closing last time we noted that propitiation is the basis for justification and is acquired exclusively by faith alone in Christ alone.

It cannot be acquired by good works no matter how wonderful they are. This means that a person cannot ever and will never satisfy God and be saved by doing good deeds. Paul explains this in Romans.

Rom 3:20-28; "Because by means of the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.

v21 But now apart from the Law, the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,

v22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;

Rom 3:23; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God,

v24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;

v25 whom God has publicly displayed by His blood as the mercy seat (a propitiation) through faith for a demonstration of His righteousness, because of the passing over of previously committed sins, because of the delay in judgment from God;

v26 I say for a demonstration of His righteousness at the present time, in order that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Rom 3:27; Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? Definitely not, but by the law of faith.

v28 Therefore we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law."

Another doctrine the believer must understand in order to be an effective witness is the doctrine of imputation that explains how God credits His righteousness to the account of the believer as the exclusive basis of positional justification before God.

The English noun "imputation" is derived from the Latin verb "imputari" that means to reckon, to attribute, to ascribe, or to charge from or credit to one's account.

In human relationships, imputation is used to ascribe a vice or a virtue to a person. In the theological concepts of the God's word imputation is used as an act of God whereby either condemnation or blessing is ascribed, attributed, reckoned, given, or imposed on the human race.

Imputation is defined as the action of the justice of God whereby either condemnation or blessing is assigned, ascribed, attributed, or superimposed on another.

The three factors in imputation are God who is the source of the imputation, the imputation itself or what is being imputed, and the recipient or target of the imputation.

There are two categories of imputation. The first category are the real imputations, where God's justice imputes under the principle of antecedence and affinity. This occurs when what is being imputed has compatibility with the target where it is imputed.

The factors for imputation include what is imputed from the justice of God; and the target or home for the imputation. In a real imputation, what is imputed is in harmony, agreement, compatibility or affinity with the target of the imputation.

The second category is the judicial imputations, where the justice of God imputes what is not antecedently one's own. Therefore, there is no affinity or compatibility between what is imputed and the recipient.

This case emphasizes the imputation itself and the source of the imputation. In this case the source is the Justice of God but there is no harmony, agreement, compatibility or affinity between the imputation and the object of the imputation.

Examples of judicial imputations are our sins to perfect Jesus Christ on the cross or God's righteousness to the imperfect believer at salvation. 2Cor 5:21;

God's plan for mankind contains two judicial imputations and five real imputations. The judicial imputations include personal sins to Christ on the Cross and perfect righteousness to the believer when the believer believes in Jesus Christ at salvation.

The real imputations include human life to the soul, Adam's original sin to the biologically formed old sin nature, eternal life to the human spirit, blessings in time to God's perfect righteousness, and blessings in eternity to the resurrection body.

These imputations form the basis for God's plan to save mankind. God's plan begins at human birth, not the new or second birth, and results in God's glory in eternity future by every person who ever lives receiving either eternal blessings in heaven or being condemned to the lake of fire.

Both the unbeliever and the believer start out with spiritual death in physical life. The emphasis for the believer is life but the emphasis for the unbeliever is death.

Believers are born again where we receive our human spirit so at physical death the believer goes to be with God in heaven and at the resurrection receive our immortal resurrection body. For the believer regeneration and spiritual life results in eternal life in a resurrection body with God. Matt 25:34;

The unbeliever remains in spiritual death and at physical death they go to the Torments section of Hades and at the white throne judgment they are sentenced to the lake of fire in second death. For the unbeliever spiritual death at physical death results in the eternal death in the lake of fire with satan. Matt 25:41;

God is glorified in both cases because His perfect integrity love is vindicated in both cases. The believer accepted God's love and was blessed, the unbeliever rejected God's love and remained under condemnation. John 3:18,36;

God's desire is that all men be saved and come to the epignosis knowledge of the truth. 1Tim 2:4; but we know that because of free will that will not happen so the unbeliever's rejection of Jesus Christ does not nullify God's perfect integrity. Rom 3:3-4; The offer was rejected but God remains true because He made the offer. Psa 76:10;

Again, the 5 real imputations are the imputation of human life to the soul, Adam's original sin to the biologically formed old sin nature, eternal life to the human spirit, blessings in time to perfect righteousness, and blessings in eternity to the resurrection body.

We see that the initial real imputations occur at physical birth where human life begins and where God positions everyone equally in condemnation so He can provide everyone with equal opportunity to be saved. Gal 3:22; Rom 11:32;

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