This is my sixth article on John Murray's book, Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. The list below contains the first five reflections:
Let us now proceed to the second part of the book.
Murray begins to lay the inherent effects of regeneration, one of which was faith (and repentance), for apart from regeneration, it would be impossible for a dead sinner to be made alive on his efforts (Eph. 2:1-3). To be clear, regeneration is solely an activity of God, whereas faith is an act of the sinner. Murray notes:
It is not God who believes in Christ for salvation; it is the sinner.
Although we must admit that even faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9), it must nonetheless be exercised by the sinner. Under this heading, Murray discusses the warrant and nature of faith:
First, the warrant of faith is grounded in the universal offer of the gospel and the all-sufficiency of Christ as Savior. This means that the gospel's universal offer is unrestricted and extends to all individuals, demonstrating God’s desire for all to turn from sin and live. This offer includes invitations, commands, promises, and mercies from God, emphasizing His intent for salvation to reach everyone.
Furthermore, Christ's all-sufficiency as Savior is evidenced by His atoning death, resurrection, and ongoing intercession. This makes salvation complete, free, and available to all, ensuring that any sinner can confidently trust in Christ for salvation based on these promises and God's faithfulness.
Second, the nature of faith consists of knowledge, conviction, and trust. It starts with a foundational understanding of who Christ is and what He has done, as faith cannot arise without knowing the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). This knowledge must lead to conviction, where one believes these truths and recognizes that Christ's role as Savior perfectly addresses our deepest needs as sinners.
Ultimately, faith culminates in trust, a personal commitment to Christ, and shifting reliance from ourselves to Him alone for salvation. This trust involves receiving and resting on Christ, marking an engagement where the sinner entrusts their salvation to Christ’s sufficiency and willingness to save.
How about the connection of faith to repentance? Which one is prior?
The inquiry of whether repentance or faith is prior is unnecessary for Murray because both are inherently intertwined and cannot be separated. He asserts that saving faith is always penitent faith, and repentance unto life is always a believing repentance. True faith involves a genuine knowledge of sin, a conviction of its gravity, and a trust in Christ for salvation. To sum up, repentance involves the transformation of the heart and mind, leading to a genuine turning away from sin and a commitment to seeking God's will and righteousness.
Justification addresses the question of how a sinful person can be right with God. Murray notes that it is not the role of a judge to make the sinful righteous; rather, to justify the wicked means declaring them righteous despite their sinfulness. To this, Murray adds that justification is contrasted with condemnation and is a forensic act, dealing with juridical or judicial matters. Meaning, it does not originate from the sinner—he’s not capable of making himself righteous, someone must do it for himself.
Another related analogy here is that, while a surgeon heals, a judge declares a legal status; similarly, justification differs from regeneration. Also, justification is both a declarative and constitutive act of free grace, where the declarative aspect involves God's legal pronouncement of righteousness, and the constitutive aspect includes the imputation of Christ's righteousness and obedience to the believer.
In short, in the second part of the book, chapters 4 to 6, Murray explores the theological insights on regeneration, faith, and justification, emphasizing God's role in salvation, the sinner's responsibility to exercise faith, and the distinct yet intertwined nature of repentance and justification.
Reference:
Murray, John. Redemption: Accomplished and Applied. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955. Reprinted April 1980.