The Westminster Confession of Faith
Chapter 11 - Of Justification
1. Those whom God effectually calleth, He also freely justifieth: not by infusing righteousness into them, but by
pardoning their sins, and by accounting and accepting their persons as righteous, not for anything wrought in them,
or done by them, but for Christ's sake alone; nor by imputing faith itself, the act of believing, or any other evangelical
obedience to them, as their righteousness, but by imputing the obedience and satisfaction of Christ unto them, they
receiving and resting on Him and His righteousness by faith; which faith they have not of themselves, it is the gift
of God.
2. Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification;
yet it is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead
faith, but worketh by love.
3. Christ, by His obedience and death, did fully discharge the debt of all those that are thus justified, and did
make a proper, real, and full satisfaction to His Father's justice in their behalf. Yet, inasmuch as He was given
by the Father for them; and His obedience and satisfaction accepted in their stead; and both freely, not for anything
in them; their justification is only of free grace; that both the exact justice, and rich grace of God, might be
glorified in the justification of sinners.
4. God did, from all eternity, decree to justify all the elect, and Christ did, in the fulness of time, die for
their sins, and rise again for their justification: nevertheless, they are not justified, until the Holy Spirit doth,
in due time, actually apply Christ unto them.
5. God doth continue to forgive the sins of those that are justified: and, although they can never fall from the
state of justification; yet they may, by their sins, fall under God's fatherly displeasure, and not have the light
of His countenance restored unto them, until they humble themselves, confess their sins, beg pardon, and renew their
faith and repentance.
6. The justification of believers under the old testament was, in all these respects, one and the same with the
justification of believers under the new testament.
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