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  • From: "Bill Ross" <wross AT farmerstel.com>
  • To: "C-P" <corpus-paul AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: RE: Justification By Faith
  • Date: Mon, 29 Mar 1999 12:03:54 -0600


{David}
[snip]
If I understand you correctly, you are solving the problem of two apparently
competing systems of justification by interpreting them as complimentary?
Actually, this idea is similar to a view adopted by J. Jeremias several
dacades ago.

{Bill}
I guess I'd say that one describes it "technically" and the other emphasizes
the personality and work of the principle "Agent."

The technical description is "man believeth unto righteousness" while the
principle Agent, Christ, made such an arrangement possible by His propitious
death, so it can be rightly, though not technically, said that He died in
our place.

{David}
The concept that the kind of faith that Abraham had prior to his act of
obedience was more important than the act itself does repeatedly show up in
the Pauline corpus. This is not the same as saying that faith remits sin,
though.

{Bill}
My point is that it was not the merits of Christ, but Abraham's faith that
is referred to here by the word "it":

Romans 4:
3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and **it** was
counted unto him for righteousness.

It seems clear to me in subsequent verses that our faith is likewise counted
for our righteousness.

{David}
Your first premise would seem to assume that justification comes through
faith, which in turn sanctifies the believer, which in turn brings the
benefit of salvation.

{Bill}
Actually, I hold that justification comes through faith which provides us
access to grace:

Romans 5:
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ:
2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand,
and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

{David}
This kind of interpretation forms a past-present-future framework.
Investigation will show that justification has past as well as future
reference, sanctification can refer to a past or future event, and salvation
is too complex to fit entirely in a future context.

{Bill}
I think you might be referring to verses such as this:

Romans 4:
22 And therefore it [faith] was imputed [counted] to him for righteousness.
23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it [faith] was imputed
[counted] to him;
24 But for us also, to whom it [faith] shall be imputed [counted], if we
believe on him [God] that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our
justification.

This is exactly what I'm attempting to show. I believe Paul presents the
work of Christ as the basis of our faith and our faith which is the terms of
our righteousness but does not confound them, as many [most?] do.

{David}
Substitionary death, in your opinion, actually serves as a vehicle for God
to show us mercy, correct?

{Bill}
Exactly. When Paul introduces justification by faith, he makes this
distinction very clear. Later on, the person and work of Christ are
emphasized because it was His unique qualifications and obedient and
sacrificial act that made it all possible:

Romans 3:
24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus:
25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be
just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

{David}
Usually, and I presume this is where you feel your approach is "novel", the
substitutionary death of Christ is the centerpiece of salvation dogma. In
your view it is actually what makes faith effective. A problem with this
view is that the high estimation which the author(s) of the epistles hold
the Christ figure would argue against it.

{Bill}
Some Biblical imagery and a great deal of extra-Biblical imagery we've
accummulated over the years has obscured Pauline justification by faith. The
idea that Christ served our sentence in our place, while in a sense true, is
not accurate in the strict sense. No one was justified when Christ said "it
is finished." Each of us is justified as we believe. Again, this does not in
any way denigrate the person and work of Christ, it merely clarifies what He
did. He did not justify us, but rather provided the basis for our
justification by faith.

{David}
Also, will you be able to systematically support your view? The Pauline
epistles are notorious for not systematically presenting these subjects, and
attempts by historical-critical scholars to create a systematic outline from
them have not met with much success. [snip]

{Bill}
Romans is marvelously systematic and I depend primarily on it here, though
the rest of the Bible is consistent with Paul's doctrines presented here.
The "key" seems to be to understand that justification by faith is
inextricably associated with the person and work of Christ because:

* our justification by faith is predicated on Christ's sacrificial death
* what we must believe is the record of God concerning His Son and His death
and resurrection on our behalf
* we believe *into* grace and the person and work of Christ






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