Life in Christ

When Peter stood up on the day of Pentecost for the first time to proclaim the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, his hearers responded with a question: “What shall we do?” This question reflects the fact that Christ’s work of salvation invites a human response. For while the gospel itself is the announcement of what God has done in Christ, the gospel must still be applied in the lives of individuals and communities. And this too is a part of the doctrine of salvation, for it too is the work of God. In Christ, God has acted “for us and for our salvation.” Through the Holy Spirit, God acts within us to transform us as we respond to Christ.

Much ink—and not a little blood—has been spilled by Christians over the centuries in debates over the respective roles of faith and good works in salvation. Indeed, this was a principle cause of Christian division during the Protestant Reformation. Protestant theologians, for their part, argued that humans make no contribution to their standing before God but are instead justified (“declared just”) only by sharing in the righteousness of Christ, which is received by faith. Good works make no contribution to a person’s acceptance before God, but are instead the natural and inevitable result of that acceptance. Roman Catholics, in response, refused to distinguish between a person’s acceptance before God (being “declared just”) and their moral transformation (“becoming just”), and for this reason argued that, while good works may not proceed a person’s justification, they are intrinsically a part of it (cf. Council of Trent, session 6).

Anglicans for their part have historically been strong proponents of the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith (Articles 10-14), while at the same time placing a strong emphasis on the necessity of moral transformation and good works in the life of faith (often called “sanctification”). Yet, justification and sanctification are not the only doctrinal categories that have been used to understand the subjective experience of salvation. Other concepts, which are especially prominent in Anglican baptismal liturgy, include regeneration, adoption, and union with Christ.

Candidates for ordination should be able to discuss the relationship between faith and works in Christian salvation and should be able to clearly explain and give the biblical rationale and meaning of the following theological terms: justification, sanctification, regeneration, adoption, and union with Christ.

Recommended Reading

Homilies III, IV, and V of the Book of Homilies : “Of the Salvation of All Mankind,” “Of the True and Lively Faith,” and “Of Good Works”.

Richard Hooker, “Learned Discourse on Justification” (available online).

Peter Toon, Justification and Sanctification . Foundations for Faith. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 1983.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Discipleship . Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works: Reader’s Edition. Translation Barbara Green and Reinhard Krauss. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2015.

Resources for Further Study

J. Todd Billings. Union with Christ: Reframing Theology and Ministry for the Church . Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011.

C. FitzSimons Allison. The Rise of Moralism: The Proclamation of the Gospel from Hooker to Baxter . Reprint. Vancouver, BC: Regent College Publishing, 2003.

N.T. Wright. Justification: God’s Plan and Paul’s Vision . New Edition. Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2016.

Alister McGrath. Iustitia Dei: A History of the Christian Doctrine of Justification . 3rd edition. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Oliver O’Donovan, “Sanctification and Ethics” in Sanctification: Explorations in Theology and Practice . Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014.

Thomas Oden. The Good Works Reader . Classic Christian Readers. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007.