Justification is Not the Gospel
The salvific work of God begins and ends in Christ.
To say the doctrine of justification by faith has been a subject of intense debate and discussion in Christian theology for centuries could be the theological understatement of the year. At its core, justification by faith is the belief that we are made right with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Justification comes to us by faith in Jesus Christ rather than through any works or actions that we might perform - no matter how many of those works or actions are prescribed by people like me from pulpits on Sunday mornings.
While justification by faith is an important component of Christian theology, it is not the gospel itself. Rather justification by faith is a linguistic tool used by preachers to proclaim the gospel.
In his book Good News for Anxious Christians, theologian Philip Cary argues that the gospel is not about justification by faith but rather about the person and work of Jesus Christ - notice where the focus of our justification lay. Cary argues that the gospel is not about our faith but about the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. For Cary, the gospel is not about what we do but about what God has done for us in Christ.
Cary's laser-like focus on the person and work of Jesus Christ as the focus of the gospel is rooted in his understanding of the history of Christian theology. He argues that the doctrine of justification by faith arose in the context of the Reformation as a response to the legalistic tendencies of the Catholic Church. Meaning justification by faith is a way the Church stands up to the legalistic tendencies that have crept up through the floorboards of church pews for centuries. While justification by faith is an important part of the Christian tradition, Cary believes that it is ultimately a linguistic tool that allows us to proclaim the gospel in a way that is accessible and understandable to modern audiences.
Rev. Fleming Rutledge is another pastor and theologian who makes the argument that justification by faith is not the gospel of Jesus. Fleming emphasizes the importance of the gospel as a proclamation of the person and work of Christ. In her book The Crucifixion, she writes, "The gospel is not a set of beliefs or doctrines, but a proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope and redemption, a declaration that the kingdom of God has come near."
Hope.
Redemption.
The coming of the kingdom of God.
Fleming's insistence on the gospel as a proclamation of the good news of Christ is in keeping with the tradition of the early church - aka orthodoxy. She notes that the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed focus primarily on the person and work of Christ rather than on the doctrine of justification by faith. This, she believes, is a reflection of the fact that the gospel is ultimately about the person of Christ rather than about our own actions or beliefs.
Do not misunderstand me.
Justification by faith is an important component of Christian theology, but it is not the gospel itself. The gospel is the telling of the good news of Christ. The emphasis of the gospel, and Christian proclamation, is the importance of proclaiming the person and work of Christ as the central message of the Christian faith.
So what does this mean for us as Christians today? It means that we must be careful not to reduce the gospel to a set of beliefs or doctrines but must instead proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in all its fullness. This means emphasizing not just the doctrine of justification by faith but also the life, death, and resurrection of Christ as the basis of our salvation.
Because the life, death, and resurrection of Christ is the basis of our salvation.
The salvific work of God begins and ends in Christ.