ANSW. Justifying faith is a saving grace, wrought in the heart of a
sinner, by the Spirit and word of God; whereby he, being convinced
of his sin and misery, and of the disability in himself, and all
other creatures, to recover him out of his lost condition, not only
assenteth to the truth of the promise of the gospel, but receiveth
and resteth upon Christ and his righteousness therein held forth,
for pardon of sin, and for the accepting and accounting of his
person, righteous in the sight of God for salvation.
QUEST. LXXIII. _How doth faith justify a sinner in the sight of
God?_
ANSW. Faith justifies a sinner in the sight of God; not because of
those graces which do always accompany it, or of those good works
that are the fruits of it; nor as if the grace of faith, or any act
thereof, were imputed to him for justification; but only as it is an
instrument, by which he receiveth and applieth Christ and his
righteousness.
We choose first to speak to the latter of these two answers, in which
faith is considered as that whereby a sinner is justified, before the
former of them, inasmuch as it seems better connected with what has been
before insisted on, in explaining the doctrine of justification. And in
considering the account we have of justifying faith, there are two
things, which may be taken notice of, in this answer.
I. It is observed, that though there are other graces which always
accompany faith and good works, that flow from it; yet none of these are
said to justify a sinner in the sight of God.