E. W. Bullinger

Philologos Religious Online Books
Philologos.org

August, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index

Things to Come

Dear Sir,—

Allow me to express my gratitude (and that of many other believers) to you for your sturdy defence of Scriptural Truth.

I write for the purpose of drawing attention to John Bunyan's view of what is the Truth concerning the imputed righteousness of Christ.

It will be found as an interesting dialogue between Greatheart and Christiana.

She remarks, "But, if He parts with His righteousness to us, what will He have for Himself?"

To which Greatheart replies that "He has more righteousness than you have need of, or than He needeth Himself."

And at Christiana's request he proceeds to explain:—

"Christ has three righteousnesses which He requires for Himself, and with which He cannot part, they being essentials of His natures.

"But there is a fourth which 'standeth, in performance, or obedience to a revealed will; and that is it that He puts upon sinners, and that by which their sins are covered.' Wherefore He saith,

"As, by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so, by the obedience of one, shall many be made righteous."

Bunyan thus proceeds to show that this fourth righteousness was obtained "by deed"..."by way of redemption...and this is by the blood of your Lord, who came and stood in your place and stead, and died your death for your transgressions.

"Thus has He ransomed you from your transgressions by blood, and covered your polluted and deformed souls with righteousness, for the sake of which God passeth by you, and will not hurt you when He comes to judge the world."

Thus Bunyan evidently saw the beautiful antitypical Truth.

For in olden times the lamb was ordered to be without spot, and without blemish, and to be kept up for three days for public inspection previous to its being offered.

Thus our blessed Lord, God's Lamb, presented Himself to the people and priests of Jerusalem before His sacrifice, of whom it was officially announced, "I find no fault in Him."

Our dear friends fail to see that the personal life-righteousness of Christ was legally required.

Of which righteousness Bunyan says:—

"The righteousness that standeth in the union of these two natures to His office, giveth authority to that righteousness to do the work for which it was ordained.

"Thus if our Lord had parted with this righteousness, He would have parted with what He legally required to become our ransom.

"Truly He 'learned obedience' during His life-time, in order that at the supreme crisis He might be made perfect (Heb 2:10, 5:8,9), that perfect, spotless Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world; and, so, by His obedience unto death fulfilled the one act of obedience, and opened unto us the gate of everlasting Life.

"So according to typical and antitypical Scripture, we are not justified by our Lord's righteous life of perfect obedience, but rather through, and in, that righteous act which was consummated on the Cross."

But again our friends fail to see a most important and essential point recognised by Peter, when he said,

"Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it."

Now Death is the penalty of not doing, or living in, the will of God.

But our Lord in His righteous life of obedience perfectly fulfilled that will (Heb 10:7, 5:7; John 4:34); He put Himself into subjection to the law and will of God as regards the penalty of sin; yet He Himself, having lived a life of "obediential righteousness," was not subject to death as a state, therefore His flesh could not see corruption.

If thus He had parted with His "obediential righteousness," He would have parted with that which was necessary to His resurrection.

As Greatheart says to Christiana, "If He parts with His third (righteousness, that of the union of both natures), He parts with that perfection that capacitates Him for the office of mediation."

We are driven then by Scripture and logic to understand that our Lord by His own essential righteousness obtained for us another righteousness which He presents to us as a free gift.

Thanks be unto God for the unspeakable gift of His dear Son.

Yours faithfully in Him,
Edwd. W. Forster

August, 1897 | Vol. IV July 1897 - June 1898 | Main Index  

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