“As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11).
Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that we are justified because Christ bore our iniquities. They delight to say that we are justified by the death of Christ. However, such a statement betrays the carelessness of our opponents.
It is not that this statement is completely wrong, it is just deficient. We are justified in part by the death of Christ, but this is only half of the story. The Reformed faith has always insisted that we are justified by the death and the merit of Christ.
Federal Visionists see the insertion of merit as an unnecessary addition to the Biblical language of justification. On the contrary, the Reformation was all about recovering the Biblical usage of merit. If merit is so unnecessary, why did Paul spend so much time defending merit?
Thus, we must always take pains to speak of justification as the result of the death and merit of Jesus Christ. If we leave out merit, then we are preaching a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.
Showing posts with label Merit. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Merit. Show all posts
Friday, March 21, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Romans 5:9
“Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Romans 5:9).
Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that it is adequate to say that we have been justified by the blood of Christ. Obviously, such a statement lacks any mention of merit, which is the sine qua non of the Reformed gospel.
The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification is accomplished in two stages. First, we receive forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ. Second, and most crucially, we receive the merits of Christ through the life of Christ.
Forgiveness is important and all, but the main engine that drives the Reformed gospel is merit. Federal Visionists assert that merit is neither a Biblical word, nor a Biblical concept. However, this ignores the role of the Holy Spirit in shaping Reformed theology.
The reason that merit does not appear in the Bible is that the Greek language was incapable of expressing such a theologically potent word as merit. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth Latin, and later, the English language, allowing merit to finally take its rightful place as the cornerstone of all Reformed theology.
Indeed, merit is the most glorious word in our rich Reformed vocabulary. A gospel presentation without the word “merit” is a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.
Thus, to say that we are justified by the blood of Christ is inadequate and sloppy. No one who is truly Reformed would speak so imprecisely.
Federal Visionists love this verse because they think that it is adequate to say that we have been justified by the blood of Christ. Obviously, such a statement lacks any mention of merit, which is the sine qua non of the Reformed gospel.
The Reformed faith has always insisted that justification is accomplished in two stages. First, we receive forgiveness of sins through the death of Christ. Second, and most crucially, we receive the merits of Christ through the life of Christ.
Forgiveness is important and all, but the main engine that drives the Reformed gospel is merit. Federal Visionists assert that merit is neither a Biblical word, nor a Biblical concept. However, this ignores the role of the Holy Spirit in shaping Reformed theology.
The reason that merit does not appear in the Bible is that the Greek language was incapable of expressing such a theologically potent word as merit. But when the fullness of time came, God sent forth Latin, and later, the English language, allowing merit to finally take its rightful place as the cornerstone of all Reformed theology.
Indeed, merit is the most glorious word in our rich Reformed vocabulary. A gospel presentation without the word “merit” is a different gospel, which is no gospel at all.
Thus, to say that we are justified by the blood of Christ is inadequate and sloppy. No one who is truly Reformed would speak so imprecisely.
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