While reading through 1 Clement, I found a nice example of justify (δικαιόω) being used in two different senses (in very close proximity), which nicely parallels its use in the New Testament. Justified by Works In this first example, Clement is calling his readers to personal holiness and speaks of their being justified by works (ἔργοις […]
faith
Edwards on Faith and Works in Justification
In my estimation, Jonathan Edwards’s Justification by Faith Alone contains one of the most important and misunderstood1 evangelical discussions on the relationship between faith and works as they pertain to justification and salvation. Delivered in 1734 and first published in 1738, it may be found in 1:622–54 of his two-volume Works (Worcester rev. ed.),2 4:64–132 of […]
The Story of Zac Smith
I encourage you to invest four-and-a-half minutes of your day watching this powerful and moving video about Zac Smith’s cancer, faith, and God. The Story of Zac Smith from NewSpring Media on Vimeo. Here are his concluding comments: “This I do know. If God chooses to heal me, then God is God, and God is […]
The Merit of Faith: Genesis 15:6 in JPS
I just received the JPS Bible and Torah Commentary Collection (9 volumes) from Logos and started “thumbing” through a couple of the volumes. I’m glad I picked it up. It looks like a valuable series—primarily for what it reveals about modern Judaism’s understanding of the Tanakh. As I expected, though, I’m going to disagree with […]
Wright, Scripture, and Jesus
I recently read a response from N. T. Wright (Wikipedia) to an individual with concerns about Wright’s views on a variety of subjects. Toward the beginning of Wright’s response appears this statement, which piques my curiosity and strikes me as odd: I believe firmly and passionately in scripture, and even more firmly and passionately in […]
Daily Justification?
In anticipation of part two of “When Was Abraham Justified?” and particularly the implications of what exactly Genesis 15:6 means if it does not represent the point at which Abraham was converted and justified, I’d like to bring up the related issue of the frequency of forensic justification before God. Most evangelicals today speak of […]
When Was Abraham Justified? Part 1
When was Abraham justified? This might seem like a rather elementary question with an obvious answer: Abraham was justified when he believed the Lord and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness, which is recorded in Genesis 15:6. Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 Certainly Paul’s […]