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Alan Creech
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May 05, 2005
> 10:18 AM
danger > soteriology talk I guess I'm losing my insecurities. :) Here is something that has been debated in my comments - let's bring it on out here. "According to Roman Catholicism, justification is a process in which God's grace is poured forth into the sinner's heart, making that person progressively more righteous." I want to respond to one of the statements that quoted about Justification in the Roman tradition. I'm not sure it's really all that cut and dry, especially when you consider the view of Sacramental Baptism that they have. Justification then, is not so far away as that statement may lead some to believe. I'm not sure it's all that accurate. For these things, I like horses' mouths - not the mouths of those trying to send horses to glue factories. So, from the official Catechism of the Catholic Church, here's a bit about Justification and how it is conferred, and what is conferred, by Baptism... The different effects of Baptism are signified by the perceptible elements of the sacramental rite. Immersion in water symbolizes not only death and purification, but also regeneration and renewal. Thus the two principal effects are purification from sins and new birth in the Holy Spirit.There is very much a notion there of an immediate imputation of Sanctifying Grace or Justifying Grace on the person being Baptized. Now, this is very Scriptural. It speaks of Baptism, not of altar calls and sinner's prayers. There are no such things in the Bible. I'm not saying that I'm even 100% sure about Justifying Grace being imputed through the Sacrament of Baptism - I'm just saying that it's there and to say otherwise is an "interpretation" and not a direct biblical quote. I was taught as a Catholic, these things - that you HAVE the Grace of Justification NOW, because of the gift given you by God apart from your worthiness, through Baptism. Of course I was also taught that you could nullify that gift so that you would not then have it's effect any more. This is not particularly Catholic. Lots of Christians believe this. I'm not sure that I do now - well, I don't, but there it is. Now, although I do believe we have, now, the gift of God's Sanctifying Grace so as to make us His Children and "like Him" in nature - I don't believe that is merely a function of a legal act on the Father's part so that He ignores our sin and that we never really become, in actuality, like Him. That is the fullness of Salvation. One problem is that many Protestants have come to view Salvation as only having to do with initial Justification - and that's it - that's all that matters. It is not. I don't think that's a biblical notion of Salvation at all. It's very lacking. Salvation is about transformation. It must necessarily start with Justification - being made the righteousness of Christ by being "adopted" by the Father, inhabited by the Spirit of God. But that is not it. We are now, yes, continually being made more fully righteous - not simply being "considered righteous" but being made so in all reality. That is what we call Sanctification. Hebrews 10:14 says: " For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated." There are two things going on there - as I see it - Justification (made perfect forever) and Sanctification (being consecrated). So, it's not either/or, it's both/and. Salvation is holistic. It's about us becoming new creatures. We both are already and are becoming New Creatures - not just "in Christ" but "like Christ." This is good news! To me, it's better news than merely having my sins forgiven and overlooked so I can go to heaven someday. I am actually being reconstructed into a New Person - with a capital P! This whole purgatorial thing is only about thinking that we actually WILL be finally and completely transformed into Christ-like Human Beings. If your view doesn't find it necessary, and some don't, that we are transformed at all really but only that we are forgiven and called righteous, then don't worry about it. To think about such things for you isn't fruitful. I would challenge your notion of what the whole of Salvation entails though. I would challenge you to rethink that. We can't just have a purely Protestant or "Reformed" view of Salvation and think that's good enough. We can't just have a Roman Catholic view of salvation, only, and think that's good enough. We owe it to ourselves and to the whole Body to have a catholic view of Salvation - I did not capitalize that "c." To have that view, to me, is being Biblical - it is respecting our Christian forebears and all that they have prayed and thought about, whether Catholic or Protestant. We can't afford to just take one narrow view and run with it. It will run out of gas! OK, OK, I'll shut up. I know only like 3 people will read this whole mess - let me know - I'm curious how many got this far and did not faint. ha! Love, Peace, and Grace be with you. 0 Comments:| permalink | e-mail me | 
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