This is Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. Today, the Doctrine of Salvation,

Part 17. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonable faith.org.

We've been talking about the doctrine of justification as a subsection of the locus on the doctrine of salvation.

We spent the lion's share of our time talking about the nature of justification as a legal act on

God's part, whereby he declares us righteous. Since this is the center of the debate over justification,

it's appropriate that we should have spent most of our time here. But now we want to wrap up our

study of justification by looking at the grounds of justification, the means of justification, and the results of justification. So let's talk

first about the grounds of justification. In terms of the grounds of justification, justification is grounded

first and foremost in God's free will and mercy. God was under no obligation

to forgive or pardon anybody. The fact that he would pardon anyone is the result of his own

freedom of choice and his mercy. Look at what Paul says in Titus 3, verses 5 to 7,

a marvelous passage on justification. There Paul writes,

He saved us not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration

and renewal in the Holy Spirit, which he poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ,

our Savior, so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.

So the reason that justification is by grace rather than by the merit of our own good works

is precisely because it is rooted, as Paul says, in God's own mercy.

Given that all people are justly condemned before God,

God is under no obligation to forgive anybody.

The fact that he should choose to save even some

is a demonstration of God's mercy toward us.

I think that's the significance of Romans 9 and verse 16. There Paul says, so it depends not upon man's

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