 |
|
     |
|
|
|
Robert Reymond claims in his recent systematic theology that Christ's righteousness is in heaven and not on earth within the believer: "the Christian's righteousness before God is in heaven at the right hand of God in Jesus Christ and not on earth within the believer. It means that the ground of our justification is the vicarious work of Christ for us, not the gracious work of the Spirit in us" (New Systematic Theology, pp. 742-743; emphasis in the original). This is soteriological objectivism gone to seed. Reymond no doubt realizes that Christ is present to and in the believer (Gal 2:20), but apparently does not want to say that Christ's righteousness is in the believer. But that can be only if Christ's righteousness is somehow separable from His person, such that Christ can be present but His righteousness absent. But that would run afoul of 1 Cor 1:30, which states not that righteousness accompanies Christ but that Christ has BECOME righteousness "to us." A righteousness that can be detached from Christ's personal presence is an abstraction in the most direct sense; a Christ that can be present without His righteousness is equally an abstraction, and a worse one.
Reymond's comments also highlight the tendency of certain forms of soteriology to ignore the Spirit's role in justification. If Christ's righteousness is in heaven and only in heaven, and this heavenly righteousness is the ground of justification, then our justification is an act of Father and Son but not Spirit. But that cannot be, since opera ad extra indivisa sunt.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Thursday, April 28, 2005 at 09:52 AM
Permission is given to use material on this site, provided the source is cited, blog entries are republished in full, and the author is notified in advance.
1 & 2 Kings
Brazos Theological Commentary
The Promise Of His Appearing: An Exposition Of Second Peter
A Great Mystery: Fourteen Wedding Sermons
Deep Comedy: Trinity, Tragedy, And Hope In Western Literature
Miniatures & Morals: The Christian Novels of Jane Austen
The Priesthood of the Plebs: A Theology of Baptism
A Son To Me: An Exposition of 1 & 2 Samuel
From Silence to Song: The Davidic Liturgical Revolution
Ascent to Love: A Guide to Dante's Divine Comedy
Blessed Are the Hungry: Meditations on the Lord's Supper
A House For My Name: A Survey of the Old Testament
Heroes of the City of Man: A Christian Guide to Select Ancient Literature
Brightest Heaven of Invention: A Christian Guide To Six Shakespeare Plays
Wise Words: Family Stories That Bring the Proverbs to Life
The Kingdom and the Power: Rediscovering the Centrality of the Church
