The Third Question: Concerning the Activity of Faith

Whether faith concur as an active instrumental cause to our justification?

In the explicating of it, I must first speak what it is that justifies us.

First, we do believe, that in our effectual calling, God draws us to union with Christ (John 6:44), shedding abroad his Spirit in our hearts (Romans 5:5), and working faith in us to receive Christ (John 1:12, 13), and to live by faith upon him (Galatians 2:20).

Secondly, we are no sooner alive in Christ, but we are accounted of God as his adopted children in Christ (Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 1:5), and so are made heirs of righteousness (Galatians 3:29), God imputing the righteousness of his Son Jesus to us for our justification (Romans 4:23, 24, 25).

As we were no sooner alive in the first Adam, but we became his children, and heirs of his transgression; God imputing the guilt of it to our condemnation.

Now in this we all consent; that in receiving the gift of faith we are merely passive.

But yet a double question here arises.

Whether in receiving of Christ (or the Spirit, who comes into our hearts in his name) we be merely passive?

Whether our faith be active to lay hold upon the righteousness of Christ, before the Lord does first impute the righteousness of Christ to us.