XVIII.
Our Righteousness in Christ
The confession establishes that true righteousness and peace with God are found solely through the imputed obedience of Jesus Christ rather than human merit.
XVIII. We believe that all our righteousness is founded on the forgiveness of our sins, and that this is also our only blessedness, as David says.✦ That is why we reject all other means of justifying ourselves before God; and without presuming on any virtues or merits, we simply hold to the obedience of Jesus Christ, which is credited to us both to cover all our faults and to make us find grace and favor before God.✦✦1 And in fact, we believe that if we turned aside from this foundation, even slightly, we could not find any rest anywhere else, but would always be agitated with anxiety: because we are never at peace with God until we are fully settled that we are loved in Jesus Christ, seeing that in ourselves we deserve to be hated.✦2
Read the original French
XVIII. Nous croyons que toute notre justice est fondée en la rémission de nos péchés, comme aussi c’est notre seule félicité, comme dit David. C’est pourquoi nous rejetons tous autres moyens de nous pouvoir justifier devant Dieu; et sans présumer de nulles vertus, ni mérites, nous nous tenons simplement à l’obéissance de Jésus-Christ, laquelle nous est allouée, tant pour couvrir toutes nos fautes, que pour nous faire trouver grâce et faveur devant Dieu. Et de fait, nous croyons qu’en déclinant de ce fondement, tant peu que ce soit, nous ne pourrions trouver ailleurs aucun repos, mais serions toujours agités d’inquiétude: d’autant que jamais nous ne sommes paisibles avec Dieu, jusqu’à ce que nous soyons bien résolus d’être aimés en Jésus-Christ, vu que nous sommes dignes d’être haïs en nousmêmes.
Scripture echoes
- ↩Ps.32.1-Ps.32.2 — Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Ps.32.2 — Blessed is the one to whom the LORD does not count iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
- ↩Rom.5.19 — For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
- ↩Ps.32.1 — Of David. A Maskil. Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
- ↩Rom.5.1 — Therefore, having been justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Notes
- 1 ↩French allouée means allotted or credited. The confession is using it for the imputation of Christ's obedience, not a mere moral example.
- 2 ↩French bien résolus d'être aimés en Jésus-Christ is an infinitive after résolus. Read as assurance (fully settled/persuaded that we are loved in Christ), not as a resolve to make ourselves loved.
French Confession of Faith (Confession de La Rochelle / Gallican Confession) companion
Rule yourself daily, not just on retreat
Chosen Portion turns the mirror into a daily practice — a short reading and examining question each morning before you lead anyone.
Chosen Portion makes the mirror daily: the ruler-formation questions this collection preserves become a two-minute morning examination in the app.
- A daily formation reading drawn from centuries of counsel to those in authority
- One pointed examination question a day — two minutes, before the meetings start
- Track your practice over weeks and watch the examined life become a habit