On a recent radio program a prominent minister spent fifteen minutes enforcing the point that ‘justification,’ the forgiveness of sins, involves no change at all in the heart or personality of the one forgiven. It is, he insisted, something entirely external to you, located wholly in God himself. His intent was to emphasize the familiar Protestant point that salvation is by God’s grace only and is totally independent of what we may do. But what in fact he said was that being a Christian has nothing to do with the kind of person you are. The implications of this teaching are stunning.
Okay… First, the minister misunderstands the doctrine of justification. But Willard seems to misunderstand justification, and what the minister said.
He claims the minister said being a Christian has nothing to do with what kind of person you are. False! Becoming a Christian has nothing to do with that. Justification is about becoming a Christian.
I appreciate his call to recognize the present day and daily life relevance of Jesus. I appreciate his call to living out you faith daily. I appreciate his emphasis on the fact that we have been regenerated and the Spirit works in us to produce obedience (Eph. 2:10; Philippians 2:13; Titus 2:12). But in many places he equates salvation with justification, as though they were synonymous. He does not distinguish the aspects of salvation (regeneration, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification). He laments that the contemporary evangelical scene is woefully ignorant of the fullness of the Gospel (it is). But he seems woefully ignorant of how the Reformers, and their descendants, saw the richness of salvation, expressing it in such creeds as the Westminster Confession.
As I read this book, he comes off sounding like a New Perspective on Paul. Again, am I missing something? Let’s discuss (no hyperbole or strawmen please).
This post was long ago….
But is he saying people think they are Christians but they are really not?
All he seemed to be saying to me is that Justification Is not the end all to Salvation. That we still have to live life hear on earth….And that when people equate Justification with Heaven when you die…there has seem to be know change or transformation of their lives in to Christ likeness. Why because they do not hear the full Gospel…..Jesus came preaching the Gospel of the kingdom.
One should believe who He is…however it may be revealed to them.