There is a lot of discussion about justification by faith alone, through Christ alone. But as this question and answers shows – it’s really not that difficult – except for our pride! How can we be made right with God?
The Sunday Catechism 32 – What Benefit do those who are effectively called receive in this life?
Yes, David, good Reformed stuff. But doesn’t leaving out, say, Rom 2:13 or James 2:24 from the scriptural “proofs” make the claims LESS than biblical?
Could it be that the doctrine of justification is not being attacked by people like Alister McGrath or Tom Wright but rather trying to understand what the Bible actually said?
Hi David
I know this comment will rub against a belief near to your heart but I think it is worth weighing.
I agree Christ is our righteousness and that we are righteous in Christ. The question is how this works itself out in the gospel. We are justified ,we are explicitly told by grace, by blood, by Christ’s resurrection and by faith. We are not told we are justified by his one act of obedience which stands in contrast to Adam’s one act of disobedience; the text (5:19) refers back to Roms 3:24… justified by his blood… his death is his one act of obedience through which we are declared righteous..
My point is that the Reformed stress on Christ’s imputed life is misguided. It is not (in my view) Christ’s moral life that saves us but his vicarious death (given value of course by his life). Some years ago when this was a live issue I discovered that this was a matter of controversy when the Westminster Confession was being framed. Active obedience tends to distract from where the emphasis belongs – the cross and resurection.
Normally I view N T. Wright with some caution but in this’s matter I believe he was right. However, it was not N T Wright that convinced me but the theology of my Brethren roots. I don’t always agree with my Brethren roots but here I think they were right. Justification is not Christ’s life on earth plus his death (active and passive righteousness) but his death plus resurrection life . We are. Not united to his life on earth rather we are united to him in his death and resurrection and in this is our justification.
Thus when ‘ shortly before his death on January 1, 1937, the theologian Dr. J. Gresham Machen dictated a final telegram to one of his friends. It was very short; only thirteen words. He wrote: ”I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.”, his theology of justification led him to put the emphasis on he wrong place. Christ’s life on earth is not atoning, wrath-bearing or vicarious . Nor are we united to him on earth. These categories belong to his death and resurrection.
Machen’s comment arose from his systematics not Scripture . Machen, of course, greatly contended for the faith and for the gospel even if in this point (as I believe) he was mistaken.
PS
‘We are not told we are justified by his one act of obedience which stands in contrast to Adam’s one act of disobedien….’
Scratch ‘not’. We are told we are justified by his one act of obedience (a reference not to his obedient life but his obedient death).