Why Our Merits Cannot Surpass That of Christ & The Two Dangerous Extremes

The righteousness of Christ given to us in justification is foreign, alien & external to us. It's in
heaven. That is imputation. The Roman Catholic understanding is infusion that Christ's
rightouesness is "infused" within us. This is heresy. Christ's righteousness is not infused, or
imparted. It is imputed, credited to the ungodly's account (Rom 4:1-9)

Justification and the atonement which in turn is a propitation [Rom 3:25; 1Jn 2:2; 4:10] is not
only the foundation of our salvation, but the CONTINTUAL bases for such as Paul is emphatic
about in Rom [5:1-11]. After the believer is declared righteous and has peace with God they can
exhalt in the glory of God. That is [Rom 8:18f]. We also as believer's being accepted as righteous
in the past presently have peace with God through the work of Christ. We will be saved from
wrath though "His life" which again is [Rom 8:34]. Christ's intercession as our High Priest. Our
"life is hidden with Christ in God." [Col 3:3b]

Full assurance Paul is saying. We have the verdict RIGHT NOW of the last judgment, when we
stand before God. Not guilty is the pronoucement for the sake of His son!

Our practial righteousness of [Rom 6:13f; 8:10; 1 Cor 15:34; Eph 4-6; 1 Pet 2:24] can never
outdo the perfect righteousness of Christ (Rom 4:1-9; 5:12-19; 10:1-4; Gal 2:21; 3-5; 2 Cor 5:21;
Phil 3:1f).

Practial Sanctification WILL follow true regeneration (Rom 6:1f). That is certain. But we cannot
forget the fact that we are as sanctified as we will ever be in the sight of God because HAVE
BEEN past tense sancitfied by the blood of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 6:11f; Heb 10:14) and Jesus Christ
IS OUR SANCTIFICATION (1 Cor 1:30-31). And because of that, as believers we say what Paul said,

"So that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.” (1 Cor 1:31)

The Two Dangerous Extremes

Within Evangelical Christianity of the day we have two extremes when it comes to the Biblical
understanding of "Sanctification." First we have the "Free Grace" movement of Zane Hodges.
Also commonly known as "Greasey grace" which asserts that regeneration isn't in fact
regeneration! That no change takes place when one is born again. The second extreme is the
Reformed "Lordship Salvation" view which is nothing more than Catholic Soteriology dressed up
in Protestant garb. Finally, we have the correct position. The Biblical position. And the
confessional Protestant position. That is, the believer will demonstrate a new desire for the
things of God because of putting on the "New man." There will be a change and repentance.
Good works WILL follow true Justification. But at the end of the day, the only thing that will "get
us in" so to speak, is the righteousness and blood of Christ covering my sin and being offered
before the Father, at the throne of grace. As still having our fallen, sinful nature, if we're not
saved by Christ's merits alone we will not be saved at all.