 |
|
     |
|
|
|
At least since the Reformation, the choices on the meaning of justification have been two: Either justification is a declaration of right standing or it's a making-righteous (as in Bonaventure's claim that the grace of justification purifies, illuminates, and perfects the soul).
But are these the only alternatives?
McGrath says that the Anglo-Saxon "gerihtwisung" means "putting right" or "rightwising," and this appears similar to Augustine's claim that justification is (McGrath again) "the restoration of humans to their correct place in the hierarchy of being," which is rooted in Augustine's notion of iustitia as the right ordering of the creation. Augustine also saw making-righteous, as McGrath says, as a re-ordering of the soul, so for him there is also a kind of inner moral transformation involved.
"Putting right" is perhaps a kind of "making-righteous" that is not a matter of inner moral transformation but rather a matter of putting sinful man back in his place. It is a kind of "making-righteous" that seems consistent with the Protestant claim that justification is declarative.
Picture it this way: A king has excluded a courtier from his presence for malfeasance. Through the mediation of the prince, the courtier is restored to the king's good graces, and the king declares that the courtier is again a courtier; he restores him to his (literal and symbolic) position in the court. The king's declaration is an effective declaration that doesn't just state something about the courtier while leaving him outside, but puts him back within the order of the court. That is a Protestant picture (the courtier is not inwardly transformed by the king's restoration), but it's a Protestant picture that captures an idea of putting-right.
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Wednesday, April 19, 2006 at 05:43 PM
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
