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Is justification by faith alone still the dividing line? (Horton, Ryken, Vickers, etc.)

In the recent issue of Credo Magazine, “Justification: The Doctrine On Which the Church Stands or Falls,” one of the feature articles was a roundtable discussion called, “Is justification by faith alone still the dividing line?” In this article executive editor, Matthew Barrett talks to Michael Horton, Brian Vickers, J.V. Fesko, Guy Waters, Korey Maas, and Philip Ryken about how we should understand the doctrine of justification and why it still matters today.” To get you started, here is Barrett’s interaction with Brian Vickers, who is Associate Professor of New Testament Interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Justification by Grace Through Faith: Finding Freedom from Legalism, Lawlessness, Pride, and Despair.

Credo-January-2014-Cover-JPEG-272x300Brian, you have devoted considerable attention in your writings to the imputation of Christ’s righteousness. In many circles today this is an unpopular doctrine, rejected and dismissed as unbiblical. In a nutshell, what does it mean for Christ’s righteousness to be imputed to the sinner and where in Scripture is this doctrine found?

The word “imputation” comes from Genesis 15:6, “And Abraham believed God and he reckoned it to him for righteousness.” Paul quotes this verse in Romans 4:3, 4:22, and Galatians 3:6. If we use the word “impute,” it is another way of saying “reckon” or “count.” Simply put, imputation” refers to an action by God wherein he “imputes” righteousness to us, that is a right standing before him, on the basis of what Christ has done for us. It is Christ’s righteousness, his obedience and death, that counts as our righteousness before God.  Often Christ’s obedience is divided into “active” and “passive” obedience, but I think it’s better to say that all obedience is, by necessity, active and passive.

The central texts typically associated with imputation are Romans 4:3; 5:19; and 2 Corinthians 5:21. In addition to these are 1 Corinthians 1:30; Philippians 3:9; and Romans 9:30-10:3. Though these texts are obviously related, they do not all say the same thing in the same way. I think this is an extremely important point. For instance, in one of the central texts (Rom. 4:1-8), Paul’s emphasis is on forgiveness.  He quotes Genesis 15:6 and then clarifies or explains that quote by citing Psalm 32.

In Romans 5:12-21, Paul takes a step back in the history of redemption from Abraham (Rom. 4) to Adam. Here Paul says that the believer is “made” righteous on the basis of Christ’s obedience. The word “made” is not a synonym for “reckon.” It does, however, emphasize the righteous status the believer has because of Christ’s obedience.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul speaks of the believer becoming the righteousness of God in Christ. Paul’s emphasis here is on union with Christ and the reconciling sacrifice of Christ through which the believer gains a right standing before God. Both the saving and judging aspects of God’s righteousness come into focus here.

It’s vitally important to see how these texts, with all their diversity, form the foundation of the doctrine of imputation. When considered in conjunction with other texts (e.g., 1 Cor. 1:30; Phil. 3:9; Rom. 9:30—10:4), the biblical doctrine of imputation emerges not as something imposed on the Bible, but as an inherent part of the larger biblical doctrine of redemption.

Read the rest of this article today!


To view the Magazine as a PDF {Click Here}

Justification: The Doctrine on which the Church Stands or Falls

While we could point to many different factors that led the sixteenth century Protestant Reformers to break from Rome, perhaps one that would be at the very top of the list is the doctrine of justification by faith alone. For Luther and Calvin, this doctrine is the very hinge on which the Christian religion turns. In part this is because sola fide is what sets Protestants apart. While every other religion puts something of man into the equation, Protestantism removes man’s works from the justification formula altogether. Therefore, the “sola” in sola fide makes all the difference in the world.

With over 2,000 years of church history in our rear view mirror, it appears that sola fide is a doctrine that comes under discussion in every generation. Our generation is no exception. Much dialogue continues over the New Perspective on Paul, Protestant and Catholic statements of agreement, and the relationship between justification and the Christian life. In this issue I am proud to welcome some of the finest thinkers on the subject in order to better understand what Scripture says about how sinners can be made right with a holy God.

Contributors include Thomas Schreiner, Michael Allen, Michael Horton, Philip Ryken, J.V. Fesko, Matthew Barrett, Korey Maas, Guy Waters, Brian Vickers, Fred Zaspel, and many others.

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