Orthodox Creed · Chapter 24

Of Justification by Christ

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1. Justification is a Declarative, or Judicial Sentence of God the Father,^a whereby he of his infinite Love, and most free Grace, for the alone and Mediateral Righteousness of his own Son, performed in our Nature and stead; which Righteousness of God-Man, the Father imputing to us,^b and by effectual Faith received and imbraced by us,^c doth free us by Judicial Sentence from Sin and Death, and accepts us Righteous in Christ our Surety, unto Eternal Life;^d the Active and Passive Obedience of Christ being the Accomplishment of all that Righteousness and Sufferings the Law, or Justice of God required;^e and this being perfectly performed by our Mediator, in the very Nature of us Men,^f and accepted by the Father in our stead,^g according to that eternal Covenant-Transaction, between the Father and Son.^h And hereby we have a deliverance from the Guilt and Punishment of all our Sins, and are accounted Righteous before God, at the Throne of Grace, by the alone Righteousness of Christ the Mediator, imputed, or reckoned unto us through Faith; for we believe there are six necessary Causes of Man’s Justification, or Salvation. (Viz.) First, The Efficient Cause of our Justification, is God’s free Grace.ⁱ Secondly, The Meritorious Cause is the Blood of Christ.^j Thirdly, The Material Cause is Christ’s Active Obedience.^k Fourthly, The Imputation of Christ, his Obedience for us, is the Formal Cause.^l Fifthly, The Instrumental Cause is Faith.^m Sixthly, God’s Glory and Man’s Salvation, is the final Cause.ⁿ Now we principally apply the first and last to God the Father, the second and third to Christ the Mediator, the fourth and fifth to the blessed Comforter, the Holy Ghost; hence it is we are Baptized in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and Holy Ghost,^o and so we worship a Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity.^p

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