Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Climax
Justin Taylor links to John Piper doing some deep theology on obedience and justifcation:
Let me pose this question - If our justification comes not merely from the cross, but from the totality of Christ's sinless life, what then should be our response to that justification?
Well, from my perspective, I do not know how we can feel justified if we respond by giving anything less that the totality of our lives to Him.
I think there is a tendency when we focus on the cross to think that because Christ resurrected, it was a trial, but it was not the total committment and complete sacrifice that it really was. But as Piper so readily points out, it was not just the cross, it was all of Christ. He was simply servant to us.
How can we respond with less?
Related Tags: Christ, sacrifice, totality, obedience
So the death of the Son of God is sufficient to cover all our sins as the climax of a sinless life. This is no disparagement to the cross. It is not adding to the cross. The New Testament writers saw the death of Christ as the climax of his life. His whole life was designed to bring him to the cross (Mark 10:45; John 12:27; Hebrews 2:14). That is why he was born, and why he lived. To speak of the saving effect of his death was therefore to speak of his death as the sum and climax of his sinless life.Piper does a marvelous job of examing the theological implications here, but what about the practical ones?
Let me pose this question - If our justification comes not merely from the cross, but from the totality of Christ's sinless life, what then should be our response to that justification?
Well, from my perspective, I do not know how we can feel justified if we respond by giving anything less that the totality of our lives to Him.
I think there is a tendency when we focus on the cross to think that because Christ resurrected, it was a trial, but it was not the total committment and complete sacrifice that it really was. But as Piper so readily points out, it was not just the cross, it was all of Christ. He was simply servant to us.
How can we respond with less?
Related Tags: Christ, sacrifice, totality, obedience
