Justification by Phil

I love when Phil Johnson takes a theological theme and runs with it. Today he started a series of posts on “Justification by Faith.” Phil usually gets about 2 trillion comments when he posts on such subjects, so I have decided to record my comments here.

Phil begins by noting this historical truth, “…the doctrine of justification by faith is the heart of the gospel.” After naming several general groups who deny this truth, he then gives us a list of Scriptures to support this truth biblically. Of course, we whole-heartedly agree with Martin Luther that sola fide is the article of faith with and by which the church stands, and without which it falls. We believe this so much that we named our blog after this article!

Phil reminds me of R. C. Sproul when it comes to defending this vital doctrine. They are relentless, merciless, precise, pellucid, and unwavering.

James Buchanan said of the Luther’s convictions about the doctrine of justification: By this [Luther] meant that when this doctrine is understood, believed, and preached, as it was in New Testament times, the church stands in the grace of God and is alive; but where it is neglected, overlaid, or denied, as it was in medieval Catholicism, the church falls from grace and its life drains away, leaving it in a state of darkness and death. The reason why the Reformation happened, and Protestant churches came into being, was that Luther and his fellow Reformers believed that Papal Rome had apostatized from the gospel so completely in this respect that no faithful Christian could with a good conscience continue within her ranks.

Now Phil is a strong, outspoken proponent of forensic justification. He has consistently spoken out against all so-called new perspectives on this doctrine that have stripped away from this doctrine such issues as the very real wrath of God that was poured out upon Christ, double imputation, and substitutionary atonement. I hope he is able to hit on these subjects as he completes this series of posts. These subjects seem to get my spiritual blood flowing if you know what I mean.

By the way, Phil has already had his statements questioned by a blogger named Thomas. Here is the comment:

Phil,
Couple of points for discussion:

1) Allister McGrath in Iustia Dei argues that Justification was not central to Calvin (he notes that Calvin, in his later Institutes, placed the doctrine toward the end of his volume and treated it minimally).

2) I think that the main reason that many have difficultites agreeing that Justification Sola Fide, “deserves a place at the head of any list of essentials” is that there is a huge gap in church history as a result. There is little evidence that anyone between Clement of Rome (c 90 ad) and Luther (c1518) taught anything quite like the Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide. This certainly doesn’t mean it is wrong it simply means that in order to accept the doctrine with all the gusto you have offered, one would need to acknowledge that pretty much everyone prior to Luther missed the core of the gospel (and is in hell?).

In otherwords, it is one thing to say that it is a good and true doctrine. It is one thing to say that it deserves respect. It is another to an essential on the same level as the deity of Christ.

- Dr. (but not the real) Thomas

Go here to read Phil’s answer.

I personally believe that the great departure today by many Protestants is to believe similar to old Roman Catholic heresies. Many have falsely accused Rome of being Pelagian, but the Catholics do not believe in Pelagianism. No, they believe that justification is only made possible by God’s grace and by Jesus’ Cross. They believe in a cooperation between God and man = Synergism. See my posts on Universal Prevenient Grace (defined, rejected, explained) and you will see the striking similarities between the Catholic heresy and many Protestants today.

Reformation theology teaches an imputation of justification rather than an infusion of righteousness to work in order to earn one’s justification. In the Reformation formula, “Justification is by faith alone,” the word by captures the idea and communicates the notion that faith, not the sacraments, is the instrumental cause of justification. Faith is the instrument by which we are linked to Christ and receive the grace of justification.

And speaking of John Calvin, he said, “It is entirely by the intervention of Christ’s righteousness that we obtain justification before God. This is equivalent to saying that man is not just in himself, but that the righteousness of Christ is communicated to him by imputation, while he is strictly deserving of punishment.”