# “From the first moment of faith, we are fully, finally, irreversibly justified in Christ” by Sinclair B. Ferguson

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2025/03/20/from-the-first-moment-of-faith-we-are-fully-finally-irreversibly-justified-in-christ-by-sinclair-b-ferguson/
- Published: 2025-03-20T12:00:00-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“God the Father calls us ‘_into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord_.’(**
1 Cor. 1:9**) Paul’s words of thanksgiving for God’s work among the Corinthians 
seem so simple, so commonplace, that it would be easy for us to take them for granted
and gloss over them.

But for John Owen, the Apostle’s statement serves as the open door into all the 
treasures of grace and blessing that are ours through faith. All that God has for
us in His Son Jesus is condensed in this apparently simple statement.

For to become a Christian means to have fellowship with Christ in all that He has
accomplished for us. Indeed, Christ Himself invites us to ‘_sit with Him and sup
with Him_.’ (**See Rev. 3:10**) This is what Paul prays will be ours in his Trinitarian
benediction: ‘_the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ_.’ (**2 Cor. 13:14**)

Grace is, ultimately, _personal_. Grace is Jesus Christ; Jesus Christ is God’s grace.
For grace is not substantial in the sense of being a quality or entity that can 
be abstracted from the person of the Savior.

It would be hard to overestimate the importance of these words. Owen was writing
against the background of the theological categories employed in medieval theology(
many of which he inherited).

The medieval understanding of salvation was dominated by sacramental grace, from
its first “_infusion_” at baptism until its hoped-for conclusion in a faith fully
formed by perfect love for God.

This _fides caritate formata_, as it was known, or perfect love for God, rendered
the individual “_justifiable_” on the basis of what “_grace_” had now accomplished
in him or her.

The net result was spiritually disastrous. Grace was viewed virtually as a commodity
to be dispensed by the church through its priests and sacraments. It might be resourced
in Christ, but in itself it was something impersonal, a commodity– not the loving,
caring, sacrificing, keeping, gracious Savior Himself.

Thus, Owen’s great burden and emphasis in helping us to understand what it means
to be a Christian is to say:

> Through the work of the Spirit, the heavenly Father gives you to Jesus and gives
> Jesus to you. You have Him. Everything you can ever lack is found in Him; all 
> you will ever need is given to you in Him.

“_From his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace_.” (**John 1:16**) For
the Father has “_blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places_.” (**Eph. 1:3**)

It is as true for the newest, weakest Christian as for the most mature believer:
from the first moment of faith, we are fully, finally, irreversibly justified in
Christ.”

–Sinclair Ferguson, [_The Trinitarian Devotion of John Owen_](https://www.amazon.com/dp/1567694039?tag=toletaupanre-20)(
Sanford, FL: Ligonier, 2014), 61-65.

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