3.) Faith adds nothing to the “esse” only to the “bene esse” of justification; it is no part of, nor any ingredient in it; it is a complete act in the eternal mind of God, without the being or consideration of faith, or any foresight of it; a man is as much justified before as after it, in the account of God; and after he does believe, his justification does not depend on his acts of faith; for though “we believe not, yet he abides faithful”; that is, God is faithful to his covenant engagements with his Son, as their Surety, by whose suretyship-righteousness they are justified; but by faith men have a comfortable sense, perception and apprehension of their justification, and enjoy that peace of soul which results from it; it is by that only, under the testimony of the divine Spirit, that they know their interest in it, and can claim it, and so have the comfort of it.
John Gill
Baptist Theologian
Faith does not add to the essence (esse) of Justification but only the sense of wellness (bene esse) that arises from being justified. This is what I was reaching for yesterday when I wrote of faith being the instrumental passive cause of subjective justification but not of objective justification. Objective justification cannot be brought into being by faith since objective justification exists as an eternal and immanent act of God.
Faith is no part of Justification except for the part it plays in the realization that one is Justified apart from works. With this understanding faith cannot become a work which so commonly happens apart from embracing eternal justification.
Now as to Gill’s claim that a man is as justified before it is published to his consciousness as he is after the publication of it to his consciousness, this is just a matter of recognizing a reality. All the elect before they know their justification are pre-self aware justified ones. God does not know them as reprobate but as those who while currently in rebellion against God are those who being justified will soon enough become self-aware of their justification. Nothing will stop them from the appointed time when the Holy Spirit will publish it to their consciousness whereupon they will own it by responding upon regeneration in faith and so be subjectively justified. This is what Gill is getting at when he writes above,
by faith men have a comfortable sense, perception and apprehension of their justification, and enjoy that peace of soul which results from it; it is by that only, under the testimony of the divine Spirit, that they know their interest in it, and can claim it, and so have the comfort of it.
Even’s God’s revelation of His anger toward the rebellious but justified one is a sign that the rebellious one is justified from eternity since God’s grace in making known his anger against sin only dawns on those who are justified from eternity. Nobody except those who are justified from eternity receive God’s grace to know God’s wrath upon them.
Gill introduces here the idea of Christ as the justified ones Surety. This is an older theological concept that is seldom talked about in the contemporary church. A person who provides suretyship is a person who undertakes a specific responsibility on behalf of another who remains primarily liable. A surety is one who makes himself liable for the default or miscarriage of another, or for the performance of some act on his part (e.g. payment of a debt, appearance in court for trial, etc.). Christ did not become our surety upon an act of faith on our part that made His suretyship our suretyship. Christ was our surety on the Cross and on the Cross the instantiation of our eternal Justification was accomplished.
