Jesus Only As the Grounds of Our Salvation

Bo Giertz’s Hammer of God is littered with amazing quotes. For example, here is one:

Jesus only as the ground of our justification— that was the next hammer blow . Just as a man, when faith awakens , ceases to look at himself and sees nothing but Jesus only, so God also looks not upon the man who believes nor does he see his indwelling corruption and his sins, for they are atoned for by Jesus.

Neither does God in his grace reckon with the good deeds of men, for God looks only upon the dear Son and will not look upon man and his good deeds, and this in order that he may not have to look upon man’s sins and count against him the very sins with which all human good deeds are tainted, and so be forced to punish them in his righteousness.

Again a transfiguring light shone before the rapt eyes of the preacher. This, then, was the solution: Sin always remains, yet is always atoned for! Perhaps there was salvation after all for Frans at Sjöstugan. Again he saw a picture: A large cross rising heavenward, overshadowing the whole community from the bluffs of Heding to the plains of Sunnerbo. An eternally valid atonement, effective to cancel the judgment ; a merciful love, stretching out its arms to all these evil hearts, in which sin is still in motion like reptiles in a snake pit. Jesus only!

His joy was almost ecstatic as he began to read the third part, which had to do with Jesus only in sanctification , as the strength thereof; with the warfare against the corruption in the heart, with evil thoughts, desires and sinful habits, for which there is no cure in heaven or earth except in Jesus only. Once again he saw clear sunlight illuminating his condition, when he read the words, “That which once and for all and immediately is reckoned as yours in justification will be worked in you little by little in sanctification.” Little by little! He had wanted to see it all realized and accomplished at the beginning of the road if he was to dare believe. Now he was privileged to believe all, appropriate the whole infinite inheritance at the beginning of the road, that afterward through the long years he might draw upon it and invest it amidst the realities of the everyday life.

Fridfelt’s realization that Jesus alone is the grounds for our salvation is such a beautiful scene. After a long period of agonizing suffering under the condemnation of the Law, he finally sees that his salvation is founded upon the rock of the atonement. When Fridfelt finally sees this, my heart melts within me along with his since I can recall my own realization that salvation is founded alone upon Jesus merits. After so long of struggling with my own continued sinfulness after conversion, I finally realized, as a result of God working through His Word, that my salvation rested upon Jesus and not my own sanctification. Moreover, it was made apparent to me that that while I had progressed in sanctification, my progress was pitiful; God’s Law, when it was not intentionally blunted, sheared through my own dreams of self-righteousness, and it showed me that my sinful condition ran deeper than mere external habits. However, instead of utterly despair at this realization and the resulting crumbling of my own righteousness, I  “was privileged to believe all, appropriate the whole infinite inheritance at the beginning of the road, that afterward through the long years he might draw upon it and invest it amidst the realities of the everyday life.”

Lex semper accusat, et Christus solus servat.