justification and vindication

There is a buzz in the evangelical theological world over N.T. Wright's latest book (I have yet to get my copy) on justification, in response to his critics, especially John Piper. Justification in Paul's letters is a judicial, forensic term having to do with God's declaration of righteousness to those who trust in him and in his word to them in Christ.

The issues lie in differing interpretations of texts, and for me the issue is exegesis of the relevant texts. The problem being that one can read into the texts their theological point of view and axiom, that for them in nonnegotiable, instead of letting each text speak for itself, and then seeking to integrate each with the whole, the entirety of Scripture.

I see this over and over with those who make much of their theological system. It's not that we don't systematize, for all of us automatically do that, if we consider Scripture over any length of time at all. It's that we can inadvertently, or for better reasons, set such systems in stone, because they are "right," and all in opposition is wrong in some set (and labeled) way.

I don't mean to suggest that anyone is immune to this, for such is not the case. But we should want to let each passage speak for itself before putting it into the context of another passage as well as all of Scripture. And it's important for us to keep reading those who are taking special time and pains to work through such things, such as Piper and Wright in this current debate.

To get to the point of the title just a bit, our justification and vindication before God is in Christ. And it plays out not only in declaring us, the guilty, justified, or declared to be in the right only because of Christ. But it also sets the stage for the immediate working of the Spirit in our lives to make us in our character and living, righteous. And in the end, even though it's not of ourselves at all, we will be judged by Christ as righteous.

Any thoughts you'd like to share on this? Has anyone here followed, or even been aware of this current debate?

what is this world coming to?

I grew up in a Christian setting influenced by the belief that the world would become worse and worse, then the Antichrist would come, God would judge- with the belief that the church is gone in all of this through the rapture (now I believe the church is present through that time of tribulation)- and then Jesus would return to set up the Millennial Kingdom.

I now hold to a more complicated view. The light in Jesus becomes brighter through the church, and this shows sin all the more for what it is. The Spirit of God being at work through the church, and perhaps in some way, in other ways throughout the world in reaching out to people. But God being at work in the new creation already present in Jesus, but not yet completed.

In that I see potential for the world to be better at certain times and places, maybe even overall with exceptions to that rule, but the need for final judgment against those opposed to God and God's will, as some in their quest for power continue to wreak havoc on people and on God's creation. As well, the need for both the redemption of Jesus accomplished at the cross and it fruit or result in the resurrection, to be completed in the reconciliation of all things to God and in that, the renewing, or new creation in Jesus.

This has to be worked out more in my theological thinking, but this is kind of where I'm at now, in a few as well as hurried words.

I wonder if any of you out there has any thoughts on this in reference to how you may have it worked out. Or anything to add.

remaining in the word

I think it's important to be in the word, the entire word of God, Scripture. It's important to test our theology, that is, what we believe, according to the word. We need good theology, but we must be careful not to read Scripture through our theological lens. Instead we should seek to read it alongside theology. Then our theological understanding is always put to the test of Scripture.

This is where the Reformers and Rome parted, and practicing this with the Reformers means I'm not beholden to them, either. I'm beholden to God's word only. But to think that with Scripture- tradition, reason and experience carry no weight is mistaken. We can learn from each other, and I've found it interesting how I can learn from someone writing on infant baptism for example, something I don't hold to. We need to be those who are ever applying ourselves to the reading and study of God's word, and learning from each other in this. Only then can we get the full orbed picture of Jesus, and of what God is doing in the world in Jesus.

Of course there are parts that are hard to understand and easy to misunderstand. Some parts I flat out won't understand. But faithful practice involves working at understanding. God's truth in Jesus is given to us by grace through faith to live out. Not just to believe. And it's also relational, not just didactic (teaching-oriented as in head learning), or maybe didactic as in a follower in a relational sort of way. So that we seek to so learn as apprentices of Jesus, to live in obedience to God.

How do you view theology? And what helps you to get into all of Scripture?

A book I'd recommend related to this, and which is my source for speaking of looking with theology and not through it is Blue Parakeet, by Scot McKnight. I believe you will find it an interesting, stimulating read.

changing my views

I think one constant we Christians should be open to, aside from the essential of our commitment to the faith, is openness to change. Around seven years ago my theology was dramatically impacted through reading N.T. Wright. And due to my Anabaptist background along with discovering that Scot McKnight had a blog, I gravitated back towards my roots.

Around a year or so ago, it seemed like I became a bit stale in my theological endeavor. But recently I've become reawakened to a rethinking of my theological positions.

Theology in a sense, I think, is a second order exercise. One of great importance, in that we are trying to take the truth of Scripture into our world view and let it impact how we're to live. But first order exercise is to be before God in the reading of Scripture, prayer, community in Jesus, good works, and mission in Jesus to the world. I see these as practices we're to be engaged in. The theology comes for all of us. It's simply an expression of what we believe, in words and works. Trying to make sense of it all but seeking to do so with reference to tradition (what the church has taught), reason and experience. None of those are infallible, though they all factor in to our reading of Scripture. After all, Scripture is a human book, though essentially even in that humanness, it is the word of God and therefore infallible, our one infallible source. But necessarily we must engage it through tradition, reason, and experience.

Now, what am I changing? That's the frustrating part, because I'm not all the way where I seem to be going, yet. But I'm headed towards nuancing our existence in the sense that while we're not of the world, we pray that God's kingdom come, his will would be done, on earth as it is in heaven. And that culture, while having plenty of the godless world system in it, is not intrinsically evil (even true of politics, mind you!). Culture also reflects the image of God. God's goal in Christ is shalom, and it's an earthly, material shalom. Yes, we look for a heavenly country, but the end result seems to be the wedding of heaven in the New Jerusalem, and earth together, in the new creation when it's completed in Jesus.

Here are posts worth reading on this, by Michael Kruse, an incessant and excellent blogger, whose steady work over the months is finally getting through to me in some key ways. Not that I understand or follow it all, but there is some really good stuff here to think on in the light of Scripture.

Again, I consider of utmost importance our first order tasks, though the second order stuff should follow.

What might you like to add here? Have you ever felt half-baked, or even up in arms as to what you believe on some issues? Me too.