Courtroom Vs. Family - Catholic View of Justification
The Vivator has another good post contrasting the forensic view of justification vs the Catholic view. Check it out here.
posted by Russ Rentler, M.D. | 10:30 AM
2 Comments:
Hi TJ,
Thanks for pointing this out. Vivator's article is well written and worth reading.
The differences between Catholicism and Protestantism are fairly clear and mostly accurate. However, I see no inconsistency between the declarative act of the Judge and the fact that He is judging those who are His children. In fact, the reason we can be called His children is because of His declarative act: the two cannot be separated. It seems to me that the "Courtroom vs. Family" paradigm is a false dichotomy.
I would also note that 1 John 3:7 says:
Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous.
It does not say "Whoever practices righteousness becomes, is made righteous..." The Protestant position is that he does right because he has been declared righteous.
The Reformers always saw the need for righteous acts on the part of believers as evidence of the saving work of Christ through His Holy Spirit.
Blessings,
Pilgrimsarbour
Perhaps VS is too strong a term. Perhaps it really is both/and, instead of an either/or proposition.
Consider this: from CUF:
Catholics do not deny that God "declares" people clean and innocent, as if by legal decree. They believe that He goes further, however, and actually makes people clean and innocent. God is not a liar (Num. 23:19); He would not call a man clean and just without making him clean and just, for "nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]"(Rev. 21:27). God's Word is efficacious; i.e., He brings about, in reality, what He decrees. Creation itself is a powerful example of this truth. God said, Let there be light, and light was created (Gen. 1:3). If God declares that we are clean of sin, we become truly clean: "So shall My word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to Me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it" (Is. 55:11).
for more on this check this
Your brother in Christ,
TJ
Post a Comment
Home