Justification By God's Grace

Faith is not the impulsive or moving cause of Justification. It is an act of pure and free grace, without any motive in the creature: therefore the Apostle saith, "being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ" (Romans 3:24). But this benefit would not be of grace, but of works, was our faith the impulsive cause of it; because faith is a work or act of ours, as we learn from the words of Christ: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent" (John 6:29). Salvation is not of works, in any branch of it; "for by grace are ye saved, through faith; that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). From whence it is evident that Justification, which is a considerable part of salvation, cannot be by works. The grace of God eminently appears in contriving the way of our Justification by Christ's righteousness, and in sending Him into the world to work out a righteousness for us, in which we stand complete in His sight: hence we are said to be, "justified by his grace, that we might be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7). No other cause can be assigned why sinners are justified in the sight of God, than His free favor and sovereign pleasure, as the effect of which He determined to justify them in the righteousness of His Son.

- excerpt from John Brine's A Defence of the Doctrine of Eternal Justification