It has been well said that Justification is the doctrine on which the Church stands or falls. This means if a person is straight on all other doctrines, but is wrong on Justification, it does not matter one bit. A church, so-called, that has all their "ducks in a row" on every single doctrine in the Bible with the exception of Justification is wasting their time and their entire ministry is all in vain. This is to say the foundational message of the gospel of Justification by the righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is our chief concern, then we build from there, not the other way around.

Justification is the heart of the gospel of grace. The message of grace is that a person is only justified upon the ground of the absolute perfect righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ imputed to the account of His people and received by God-given faith. It is by the merit of The Lord Our Righteousness, Jesus Christ and Him crucified, His Person and His work, which is the good news to the elect when God causes them to believe it.

The work, as far as the ground and basis for Justification is concerned, is a finished, historical, completed, victorious, successful and effectual work. This is all based on the effectual life and death of Christ with no works or conditions of any sort added by us to complete or aid His work. The honor and preeminence sits on the crowned head of the Savior. His work is not at all hypothetical, potential, universal, conditional, based on anything we think, do, or say. This is the confident expectation where God-given faith rests, knowing His work is sufficient without our works.

This gospel doctrine brings honor to the name of God. It shows how the only true, eternal, unchanging God can be a God of justice, righteousness, and holiness while at the same time also be a loving, merciful, gracious Savior without being unfaithful to His own character. This shines forth the knowledge, wisdom, power and majesty of the only LORD of lords. If a person is wrong on Justification they are wrong on God, simple as that! If they disobey, transgress, reject, ignore, don't believe, or do not abide in the doctrine of Christ they are not saved. In other words; to be wrong on this gospel, in which Justification by the imputed righteousness of Jesus Christ as its basis is to not be a Christian, not be a believer, not regenerate, and needs to be evangelized. I am being redundant here to be clearly understood.

So, who cares what denomination you are if ate up with pride about it, or if you scream about the KJV Only, or your view of end things (Eschatology), IF you do not have a gospel view of the ground of Justification you can throw away the rest, because it is useless. Now, should this be the basis of fellowship?? Why all the denominations and sectarianism? Why all the pride of special interests? The gospel of grace crosses denominational lines and allows God's people to put aside other non-gospel issues, in love, submitting themselves to one another and embracing any and all as brothers and sisters in Christ, extending the right hand of fellowship to them who hold the true gospel. God's people are to judge by the same gospel they believe.

Preeminence of Christ in Justification

The Scripture is clear in many places that the Father has sovereignly seen fit, in His wisdom to give the preeminence in salvation to the Lord Jesus Christ. As it says in Isaiah 9, "the government shall be upon His shoulder". He is the King of Righteousness, The Lord Our Righteousness, There Sun of Righteousness, sitting on the throne of grace (and we know "grace reigns through righteousness" Rom 5:21), holding the "scepter of righteousness", etc. All these things and more speak loud and clear of His Meditorial Kingdom in which He rules and reigns now as He sits exalted on His throne as King of kings and Lord of lords, still making intercession for His people.

Christ has preeminence in all of salvation. First, in election as the Father chose, he did so in Christ. This is the heart of unconditional election. It was not conditioned on man at all but rather for the sake of Christ only. Christ in the Covenant was appointed and anointed the Representative and Surety of God's chosen. Of course, in the work of Christ He performed the gospel by His obedience to the Law as a Representative, also paying the penalty of the broken Law. He alone did this in His life and death suffering as a "man of sorrows" alone with no mercy given in His cross-work. He successfully put away the sin of His people by the sacrifice of Himself.

The Holy Spirit's purpose is testifying of Christ and does not to testify of Himself. This is His chief work to testify of and reveal Christ. This 3rd aspect of salvation also gives all preeminence to Christ. Preeminence shows emphasis. This is not in any way to show that the Father and the Spirit do not have a vital part in the process of salvation. The whole Trinity is vital for salvation! But preeminence is a word that reflects math in the form of measurement. It has to do with emphasis as pushed forward out front or lifted up higher. Some will go to the extreme and would show the decree of God to justify and to be enough by itself for Justification. Not all who hold to eternal justification emphasize this, but some do. This is to emphasize God's sovereignty over the work of Christ. As vital as sovereignty is to salvation, sovereignty in and of itself is not the gospel. Preeminence must go to Christ in all of salvation, even in the decree of God.

No part of the Spirit's work IN us justifies us. The righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ is imputed to the account of His people. The fruit and immediate effect of righteousness is life, both legal and spiritual. The first thing we see is "that Holy Thing", the One who is The Lord Our Righteousness. He is shown to be irresistible to us in all His saving value. He is our source of peace and joy. God's people know Christ is the Preeminent One in our Justification.

Faith, which is a blessed gift earned by Christ, is freely given by the Spirit in the context of the preaching of the gospel. Those who both preach the gospel and those who hear the gospel are clear on the fact that it is not faith itself that justifies the sinner. They know faith is not a condition that causes justification. They know faith cannot merit forgiveness and remit sin. They know faith did not live and die a perfect obedient sacrifice. Christ alone did these things and that is exactly where faith looks. Justification is only as good as the object of one's faith. If faith itself is the object of faith, like in most all false religion, then damnation will follow. God-given faith is effectual and looks to the Person and work of Christ. The sinner will not steal preeminence from Jesus Christ. Christ is Lord alone and this Justification by the righteousness of Christ is all about Him. Christ is the Living Preeminent Gospel Himself.