Justification After the Reformation: Life in the Spirit and Ecumenical Theology

[Ben Blackwell]

Abstract:

In the Reformation the doctrine of justification became one of the central doctrines that separated Protestants from Catholics. One of the primary innovations Protestants made was to separate the Spirit and Spirit-related topics (e.g., love, sanctification, regeneration) from justification. With the rise of Pentecostal theologies in general and Vineyard theology in particular, we have recognized the central place the Spirit plays in biblical and systematic theology. As a result, this raises the question: should the Spirit be separated from justification—the doctrine on which the church stands or falls? If not, how does this reframe the Vineyard’s place in Protestantism and wider ecumenical movements?
To modify 500 years of Protestant theology regarding the doctrine of justification, we must begin with the Pauline letters, where this doctrine is grounded. My primary thesis is that justification in Paul should not be understood primarily as “status”—either before God (the Old/“Lutheran” Perspective) or before the community (the New Perspective)—but as the gift of new life by means of participation in Christ and the Spirit. To demonstrate this, I will walk through Paul’s letter to the Romans. After illustrating this revised reading of justification in Paul, I then note how the Vineyard theology coheres well with this Trinitarian reading of justification and grants it an important role in contemporary ecumenical movements.

The full paper is attached to this post.