Guest post by Rob Edwards
The recent blog exchanges concerning the relationship between justification and sanctification, along with the role of union with Christ in each, is part of a larger ongoing discussion of which some may be unaware. Certainly this is not true for those writing the posts, but the general reader may not have noticed what has developed into a debate particularly over the past five years. My purpose here, after providing a brief context for the current exchange, is simply to point interested readers to other resources that play a role in the larger discussion. Some are available online though most are books and journal articles.
Though there is a much longer history, the context for the current debate reaches back most immediately to the various critiques of the New Perspective on Paul and the Federal Vision. These movements emphasize union with Christ at the expense of the doctrine of justification as historically understood within Reformed theology. In particular, each takes issue with the idea of imputation in which Christ’s righteousness is attributed to me or legally counted as mine.
The response from Reformed circles defending the doctrine of justification has, generally speaking, followed along two lines. One response has continued to assert the central role of union with Christ as the overarching principle in the application of redemption and argues that imputation is an essential aspect of this union. The other response places greater emphasis on the priority of justification for the entire structure of salvation and makes this legal dimension the basis for all other benefits of redemption.
These different responses, one explaining justification as an aspect of union with Christ and the other emphasizing justification as the primary benefit of salvation and the basis for all others, brought to the fore different frameworks for how the whole of salvation is envisioned. Thus the initial defense of the doctrine of justification became the occasion for this broader debate about which has priority in Reformed soteriology: union with Christ or justification.
It’s important to note that both groups vigorously maintain that justification is God’s forensic, or legal, declaration of a believer’s righteous status dependent entirely on the imputed righteousness of Christ and received by faith alone. This is not at question. The debate is about the broader structure of salvation, the relationship between union with Christ and justification, along with the other benefits of redemption, and in particular sanctification.
Perhaps two quotations from advocates of each position would be helpful summaries. The first is from Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., emphasizing the priority of union with Christ:
The central soteriological reality is union with the exalted Christ by Spirit-created faith. This is the nub, the essence, of the way or order of salvation for Paul. . . no matter how close justification is to the heart of Paul’s gospel . . . there is an antecedent consideration, a reality, that is deeper, more fundamental, more decisive, more crucial: Christ and our union with him, the crucified and resurrected, the exalted, Christ. Union with Christ by faith – that is the essence of Paul’s ordo salutis.[1]
Here, the focus is on the person of Christ and what he has accomplished for salvation through his death and resurrection, and consequent to this, our union with Christ is the inception of the application of what he has accomplished. Though justification is an essential aspect of redemption, union with Christ is most basic in the structure of salvation.
The following is from Michael S. Horton, emphasizing the priority of justification:
I am suggesting that we view all the items in the Pauline ordo as constituting one train, running on the same track, with justification as the engine that pulls adoption, new birth, sanctification, and glorification in tow. . . This means that we never leave the forensic domain even when we are discussing other topics in the ordo besides justification proper. Although there is more to the new birth, sanctification, and glorification than the forensic, all of it is forensically charged.[2]
Here, justification is the dynamic for the entire structure of salvation, the source of power that animates every other aspect of redemption. The forensic declaration of justification is understood as the proper context for salvation as a whole.
Below, in chronological order, is a bibliography pointing to works that fit within this ongoing debate. A few things should be noted. First, I do not claim the list is exhaustive. Second, I will provide some annotation, primarily a brief description of where each fits within the broader discussion. Lastly, where the work is available online, a link will be provided.
2003
Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Biblical Theology and the Westminster Standards.” WTJ 65 (2003): 165-79. [an inaugural lecture demonstrating the relationship between biblical and systematic theology through the doctrine of union with Christ, in particular giving attention to Calvin and the Westminster Standards]2004
Horton, Michael S. “What God Hath Joined Together: Westminster and the Uneasy Union of Biblical and Systematic Theology.” In The Pattern of Sound Doctrine: Systematic Theology at the Westminster Seminaries. Essays in Honor of Robert B. Strimple. Edited by David VanDrunen, 43-71. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2004. [describes the tendencies and dangers in separating biblical and systematic theology and the link between them provided by federal, or covenant, theology]2006
Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation. Waynesboro: Paternoster Press, 2006. [addresses the New Perspective, discussing the relationship between redemption accomplished and redemption applied in Paul, identifying union with Christ as the nexus between the two, and describing its relation to both justification and sanctification]_____. “Union with Christ: Some Biblical and Theological Reflections.” In Always Reforming, edited by A. T. B. McGowan, 271-88. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 2006. [argues that union with Christ is central in the application of redemption, discussing its relationship to other aspects in the ordo salutis, and demonstrating similarities with Calvin and the Westminster Standards]Garcia, Mark A. “Imputation and the Christology of Union with Christ,” WTJ 68 (2006): 219-51. [criticizes those who reject imputation in favor of union with Christ, demonstrating the essential relationship between union with Christ and imputation in Reformed theology, and in particular Calvin]2007
Clark, R. Scott, ed. Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry: Essays by the Faculty of Westminster Theological Seminary California. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2007. [responding in particular to the Federal Vision, consistently emphasizing the priority of justification in Reformed soteriology and as the basis for sanctification; in particular see the following essays: David VanDrunen, “Where We Are: Justification under Fire in the Contemporary Scene;” Michael S. Horton, “Which Covenant Theology?” R. Scott Clark, “Do This and Live;” W. Robert Godrey, “Faith Formed by Love or Faith Alone?”]Fesko, John V. “A More Perfect Union? Justification and Union with Christ.” Modern Reformation 16, no. 3 (May/June 2007): 32-35, 38. [a brief article, arguing that union with Christ cannot be set over against justification, describing justification as a legal aspect of our union with Christ, and justification as the ground of sanctification; available here]Garcia, Mark A. “Review Article: No Reformed Theology of Justification?” (review of Paul A. Rainbow, The Way of Salvation: The Role of Christian Obedience in Justification and R. Scott Clark, ed., Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry). Ordained Servant Online (October 2007). http://opc.org/os.html?article_id=66 (accessed 20 August 2011). [a highly critical review of Covenant, Justification, and Pastoral Ministry, where Garcia identifies what he believes to be clear Lutheran tendencies, where the whole of soteriology is subsumed under the doctrine of justification]Horton, Michael S. Covenant and Salvation: Union with Christ. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2007. [engaging a wide range of contemporary theology while prioritizing the covenantal structure of redemption, and in particular identifying justification as the basis of union with Christ and the source of all other benefits of redemption; for examples see pp. 129, 139, 143, 147, 198, 201; also see Gaffin’s review listed below]Ryken, Philip G. “Justification and Union with Christ.” Paper presented at the meeting of The Gospel Coalition at Trinity Evangelical School, May 23, 2007. [interacts with the New Perspective and Federal Vision while maintaining the centrality of union with Christ as the context for imputation and justification; audio available here.]Tipton, Lane G. “Union with Christ and Justification.” In Justified in Christ: God’s Plan for Us in Justification, edited by K. Scott Oliphint, 23-49. Ross-shire: Christian Focus, 2007. [describes how Reformed theology has held to the centrality of union with Christ while consistently affirming imputation as the ground for justification, discussing the biblical and systematic-theological structure as well as the historical-theological formulations, and distinguishing this from the New Perspective as well as Lutheran conceptions]Wenger, Thomas L. “The New Perspective on Calvin: Responding to Recent Calvin Interpretations.” JETS 50, no. 2 (June 2007): 311-328. [an article highly critical of Gaffin, and those associated with him, arguing that union with Christ as the overarching principle of the application of redemption in Calvin as Gaffin sees it is unfounded and greatly confuses Calvin’s soteriology]2008
Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Justification and Union with Christ.” In A Theological Guide to Calvin’s Institutes, edited by David W. Hall and Peter A. Lillback, 248-69. Phillipsburg: Presbyterian and Reformed, 2008. [focuses in particular on Calvin’s Institutes 3.11-18, looking at justification within the twofold grace (unio-duplex gratia) structure of Calvin’s soteriology, giving particular attention to the role of faith in union with Christ, justification, and sanctification]2009
Gaffin, Richard B., Jr. “Calvin’s Soteriology: The Structure of the Application of Redemption in Book Three of the Institutes.” Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 68-77. [similar to his other articles, examining Calvin and the role of union with Christ in the application of redemption, particularly how the twofold grace Calvin describes, justification and sanctification, flow together from this union while remaining distinct; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]_____. “Covenant and Salvation” (review of Michael S. Horton, Covenant and Salvation). Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 145-49. [a review that finds Horton’s description of the relationship between union with Christ and justification unclear, raises questions about Horton’s use of Calvin at various points, and also expresses concern over how Horton envisions the relationship between justification and sanctification in a way that differs from historic Reformed formulations; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]_____. “A Response to John Fesko’s Review.” Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 104-13. [Gaffins response to Fesko’s review of Garcia’s Life in Christ, listed just below, restating his understanding of Calvin’s relationship between union with Christ, justification, and sanctification, claiming that this is not a unique view but consistent with Reformed theology subsequent to Calvin as well; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]Fesko, John V. “A Tale of Two Calvins: A Review Article (review of J. Todd Billings, Calvin, Participation, and the Gift and Mark A. Garcia, Life in Christ). Ordained Servant 18 (2009): 98-104. [Fesko’s review of Garcia, suggesting that Garcia is part of a novel approach to reading Calvin originating with Gaffin; available at http://www.opc.org/OS/Ordained_Servant_2009.pdf]2010
Evans, William B. “Déjà vu All Over Again? The Contemporary Reformed Soteriological Controversy in Historical Perspective.” WTJ 72 (2010): 135-51. [an overview of the current debate with a taxonomy Evans suggests for understanding the differences between the various positions as related to developments in Reformed theology; Evans identifies himself as in agreement with the position emphasizing the priority of union with Christ]_____. “Of Trajectories, Repristinations, and the Meaningful Engagement of Texts: A Reply to J. V. Fesko.” WTJ 72 (2010): 403-14. [a reply by Evans to Fesko’s criticism of his above article]Fesko, John V. “Arminius on Union with Christ and Justification.” Trinity Journal 31, no. 2 (2010): 205-222. [a study of Arminius’s view of union with Christ as it relates to justification with application to the current controversy, raising concerns about those who would subsume the ordo salutis under the category of union with Christ in a way that does not maintain the clear priority of justification]_____. “Methodology, Myth, and Misperception: A Response to William B. Evans.” WTJ 72 (2010): 391-402. [responding to Evans article, “Déjà vu All Over Again?” taking issue with what he believes are substantial weaknesses in Evans’s taxonomy as well as his historical-theological methodology regarding Calvin and the subsequent development of Reformed soteriology]_____. “William Perkins on Union with Christ and Justification.” Mid-America Journal of Theology 21 (2010): 21-34. [in reference to Evans’s claim that subsequent to Calvin, the ordo salutis model eclipsed the importance of union with Christ, Fesko argues that Perkins demonstrates a balanced concern for both, while affirming the priority of justification over sanctification]2011
Horton, Michael. The Christian Faith. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011. [Horton’s recent systematic theology, pp. 551-710 being of particular relevance to the current debate, and especially pp. 587-619 where he discusses union with Christ and maintains that the forensic declaration of justification is the basis both of union with Christ and sanctification; for clear examples see especially pp. 573, 575, 589, 591, 595, 597, 610, and 645][1] Richard B. Gaffin, Jr., By Faith, Not By Sight: Paul and the Order of Salvation (Waynesboro: Paternoster Press, 2006), 43.
[2] Michael Horton, The Christian Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2011), 708.
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