Would assume author is same as these ones because of similar title.
A useful tract to deal with the false doctrine of justification, inter alia, by the living obedience of Christ; ie, by His life of perfect obedience and law-keeping.
Mr Edward Dennett, one of the foremost Bible expositors among the early brethren, once held to this doctrine of justification as a Baptist minister, before the Word was expounded unto him more perfectly. His biography is on this website.
He wrote a booklet: ‘The Plymouth Brethren: Their Rise, Divisions, Practice and Doctrines’ (https://www.brethrenarchive.org/archive/exclusive-section/critical/the-plymouth-brethren-their-rise-divisions-practice-and-doctrines/) to publicise the “heresies” of the Brethren. To counter the teaching of the Brethren that justification is alone through the death and resurrection of Christ, Dennett wrote that— “On the exercise of faith in Jesus Christ the sinner is completely justified, i.e. made righteous before God. And he is made righteous before God—first, in that the death of Christ procures for him the remission of sin, and the obedience of Christ a perfect righteousness. In other words, on the exercise of faith the blood of Christ cleanses him from sin, and the obedience, the merits of Christ imputed to him, constitute him as a righteous person before God. Our hymns are full of this doctrine, as for example:—‘Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness, My beauty are, my glorious dress.’”
Interesting that hymns like “A debtor to mercy alone” (Toplady); “Jesus Thy blood and righteousness” by Zinzendorf (adapted to “Jesus, the Lord, our righteousness,” and some hymns by H. Bonar, allude to the obedience of Christ’s life for justification, but are probably sung without believers knowing the underlying doctrine of these men.
I said something about this subject at Findochty the week before last, that there are those who divide Christ's obedience into two parts: "active" in His life; and "passive" in His death.
They teach that His blood shed in His "passive obedience" only grants pardon to believers, not justification. However, this doctrine contradicts what the Bible says, viz. 'Being now justified by His blood' (Rom. 5:9).
It is taught that 'the obedience of one' of Romans 5 verse 19 in the KJV is the active obedience of Christ, and this being His keeping of the law in His life, by its imputation, is that whereby the 'many be made righteous'. Yet, the obedience of Christ is one and which culminatied in His death on the Cross. See Philippians 2 verse 8.
That it is 'without the law' (Rom 3:21 KJV) or 'without law' (JND), by the deeds of the law, whether as kept by Christ or anyone else, should put an end to the notion. See also Galatians 2 verse 21.
A verse sometimes quoted as evidence for Christians once they are justified having to keep the law when they did not and could not before (not that they are now to go about breaking it of course - see Romans 8 verse 4) is 1 Corinthians 9 verse 20. However, the words 'not myself under law', missing from the KJV, but for which there is adequate manuscript evidence, are found in the Darby Translation.
Paul to believers wrote, 'For ye are not under law but under grace' (Rom 6:14). Why is this important? Because it impinges on Paul's doctrine generally, not only of the Gospel but also of the Church. See also 1 Timothy 1 verse 9.
Grace is the Christian's teacher (Titus 2 verses 11 to 15), and for Christians, their life is the life of Christ lived out in them in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8 verse 2).
Nine-tenths of difficulties in understanding the Bible are down to efforts made to fit it in with theology, seeking "proof texts" to verify doctrine, rather than simply reading Scripture to take in what it actually does say.
