DOCSLIB.ORG

The Centrality of Jesus Christ for Moral Theology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Centrality of Jesus Christ for Moral Theology THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS CHRIST FOR MORAL THEOLOGY: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE DISTINCTIVELY RELIGIOUS-MORAL THEOLOGY OF BERNARD HÄRING VOLUME I A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Lindsey Alison Esbensen ____________________________________ Jean Porter, Director Graduate Program in Theology Notre Dame, Indiana August 2008 THE CENTRALITY OF JESUS CHRIST FOR MORAL THEOLOGY: A CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF THE DISTINCTIVELY RELIGIOUS-MORAL THEOLOGY OF BERNARD HÄRING Abstract by Lindsey Alison Esbensen This dissertation seeks to develop the beginnings of a Christocentric ethic that, as such, can be distinctively Christian while also speaking universally to those outside of the Christian tradition. In order to do this, the distinctively religious-moral theology of Bernard Häring will be retrieved. Häring’s moral theology is a foundation for constructing a Roman Catholic ethic that leaves room for both the person of Jesus Christ and critical engagement with people outside of the Christian community. The imitation of Jesus Christ is central to Häring’s explication of the meaning of Christian discipleship. For Häring, Christian moral formation and development requires ongoing conversion to the life of Jesus Christ. Häring’s focus on response and responsibility, personalism, value theory, and his examination of the virtues emphasize the importance of the distinctively Christian religious convictions in the formation of the Christian moral life. The Lindsey Alison Esbensen call-and-response model serves as the recurring motif throughout Häring’s work that underscores the significance of Jesus Christ for moral theology, because Jesus Christ is the invitation of God and, at the same time, the response of humanity to God’s offer of grace. In order to retrieve Häring’s Christocentric ethic for contemporary moral theology, certain deficiencies in his work must be addressed, particularly the lack of social context throughout his work. The work of noted Protestant ethicist Stanley Hauerwas provides a social location as well as concreteness to the otherwise abstract and sometimes vague moral theology of Häring. Likewise, a contemporary retrieval of Häring’s moral theology will serve as a corrective to elements of Hauerwas’ Christian ethic. This project thus offers a critical analysis, re-appropriation, and development of Häring’s moral theology for contemporary ethics by maintaining his insistence on the centrality of Jesus Christ in moral theology and on the significance of engagement with those outside of the Christian community. CONTENTS VOLUME I PREFACE ………..…………………………………………………………………........iv CHAPTER ONE JESUS CHRIST: FOUNDATION FOR MORAL THEOLOGY ………………….........1 I. The Specificity and Universality of Christian Ethics …………………………..….....3 II. Natural Law and Roman Catholic Moral Theology: Universal, Not Specific …..…..13 III. Jesus Christ Is the Answer ……..……………………………………..………....…..26 IV. Ecumenical Dialogue: Stanley Hauerwas’ Contributions to Christocentric Ethics ....37 V. Distinctively Catholic Christocentric Moral Theology: Specific and Universal ........43 CHAPTER TWO JESUS CHRIST: GOD’S INVITATION TO HUMANITY ..…………………………..56 I. Häring’s Relation to Traditional Catholic Moral Theology ……..…………….....…58 II. “Vision of Wholeness”: A Biblical Foundation for Catholic Moral Theology ..……76 III. Christological Anthropology and Ultimate Value ………………….………..….....100 IV. The Problem of Distinctively Christian Imitation of Christ and Non-Christian Ethics …………………………………………………………..145 ii CHAPTER THREE JESUS CHRIST: THE PERFECT HUMAN RESPONSE ……….…………….……..150 I. The Religious-Moral Response ……………………………………….............……152 II. The Fundamental Option for the Religious-Moral Life: Virtues as Response .……185 III. Religion as Virtue: Heart of the Christian Moral Life of Virtue ………..……...….225 IV. The Sacramental Life of the Church in the Imitation of Jesus Christ …………......259 VOLUME II CHAPTER FOUR JESUS CHRIST: THE KINGDOM OF GOD MADE PRESENT ………..….....…….266 I. Situating Hauerwas: The Dreaded Sects Talk ……………………….……....…….268 II. Scripture and Tradition in Hauerwas’ Christian Ethic ………………...…..………297 III. Christological Narrative in Hauerwas’ Christian Ethic ……………………..……..312 IV. Christians and Non-Christians in the Kingdom of God ………………..……...…..342 V. The Christian Virtues ……………………………………………..………..…...….375 VI. The Sacraments and the Imitation of Jesus Christ ……..……………….……...…..401 CHAPTER FIVE JESUS CHRIST: THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA ……………………….……..…408 I. Häring’s Contributions to Catholic Moral Theology ……...………....…………….410 II. Prospects for a Reconstruction of Häring’s Christocentric Moral Theology………413 WORKS CITED …………….………………………………………….……………...424 iii PREFACE In recent years, many Christians have begun to wear their faith on their sleeves, literally, as they wear bracelets (necklaces, charms, and all other kinds of accoutrements) that display the letters “WWJD,” or “What Would Jesus Do?” The question is an important reminder that one’s Christian convictions must serve as the foundation for one’s moral decision-making, particularly if the Christian seeks authentic imitation of Jesus Christ in one’s own life. The problem with such a question, however, is that the disciple of Christ already knows what Jesus has done in a whole host of difficult situations. The real question, then, is not “what would Jesus do?” Rather the question is, “What does Jesus Christ’s life and overall message teach us about who we are to be precisely as disciples of Christ?” Or perhaps more succinctly, “What kind of person does Jesus Christ want me to be?” Contemporary moral theology and Christian ethics insist that Christians must not be concerned primarily with moral actions or moral choices; rather, the concern for the Christian moral life must be who one is, or what kind of person one is, as a moral agent living in the Christian community. This dissertation offers a critical examination and reappraisal of the moral theology of Bernard Häring, considered on its own terms and as a resource for contemporary, ecumenically-oriented Catholic moral theology. The central concern motivating this project, however, is the ethical significance of Jesus Christ, which is a concern that informed Häring’s work from beginning to end. With this fundamental issue iv at the heart of this work, I presuppose that the figure of Jesus Christ does have distinctive relevance to moral theology. If an ethic is to be distinctively Christian, then it must be based on some kind of specifically Christian principles, values, or ideals, which presumably will be connected to Jesus Christ in some way. This project seeks to address the issue of the ethical significance of Jesus Christ for Roman Catholic moral theology, in particular, and for Christian ethics, in general. Fundamental to this purpose, then, is to examine the meaning of the imitation of Jesus Christ for the Christian individual and the Christian community. The life of the Christian is lived in assimilation to the life of Christ. As a disciple of Christ, the Christian becomes a new person through the ongoing conversion to the life of Christ, such that the person is renewed and converted in each and every moral act that instantiates the being of the kind of person performing the action. Each moral action is a response to God’s offer of grace and fellowship with Christ and with one another. Although even the acronym does not fit as easily on a bracelet, the question is not so much “WWJD,” but “Who ought I to be precisely because I am a disciple of Christ?” Therefore, the Christian community looks not only to the historical or scriptural Jesus, but to the living Jesus Christ who invites us to grace and to constant conversion as Christian individuals and as the Christian community. For Roman Catholics, unlike Protestants, the person of Jesus Christ has not been given a central role in moral theology. In the past, Roman Catholic moral theology relied on the “moral manuals” to attest to what qualifies as a sin, the degree to which each act counts as a sin, and what our responsibilities are in particular circumstances. Thus, Roman Catholic moral theology generally emphasizes the role of reason as the basis for v ethics, over the role of the person of Jesus Christ. The emphasis on reason serves the larger society in that reason underscores what is universal to all human beings. Thus the focus on reason is central to engaging those outside of the Christian faith community in moral deliberation. The fundamental rationalistic orientation in Catholic moral thought, however, tends to de-emphasize the commitment to the specifically Christian aspect of Christian ethics. Therefore, taking Häring as a starting point, I seek to develop the beginnings of a Christocentric Catholic ethic, which, as such, can both be distinctively Christian, yet which still speaks to those who are not Christian. I shall examine whether or not there might be a way to develop a Roman Catholic moral theology which preserves the commitment to service to and engagement with the world as a whole, while still leaving room for a more positive role for Jesus Christ. Accordingly, the constructive recommendations that I make will focus on ethics from a Roman Catholic perspective, but will also emphasize the need for ecumenical dialogue in order to give a greater place to the person of Jesus Christ in moral theology and Christian ethics. In order to resolve
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The Holy See
    The Holy See APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO BRAZIL ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE BISHOPS OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN INAUGURAL SESSION OF THE FIFTH GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE BISHOPS OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI Conference Hall, Shrine of Aparecida Sunday, 13 May 2007 Dear Brother Bishops, beloved priests, religious men and women and laypeople, Dear observers from other religious confessions: It gives me great joy to be here today with you to inaugurate the Fifth General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, which is being held close to the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil. I would like to begin with words of thanksgiving and praise to God for the great gift of the Christian faith to the peoples of this Continent. Likewise, I am most grateful for the kind words of Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa, Archbishop of Santiago and President of CELAM, spoken in his own name, on behalf of the other two Presidents and for all the participants in this General Conference. 1. The Christian faith in Latin America Faith in God has animated the life and culture of these nations for more than five centuries. From the encounter between that faith and the indigenous peoples, there has emerged the rich Christian culture of this Continent, expressed in art, music, literature, and above all, in the religious traditions and in the peoples’ whole way of being, united as they are by a shared history and a 2 shared creed that give rise to a great underlying harmony, despite the diversity of cultures and languages.
    [Show full text]
  • Plenary Indulgence
    Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers Pope Francis Proclaims Plenary Indulgence Affirming the Response to the PAENITENIARIA 10th Year Jubilee Plenary Indulgence Honoring Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers, by Apostolic Papal Decree a Plenary Indulgence is granted to faithful making pilgrimage to Lourdes or experiencing Lourdes in a Virtual Pilgrimage with North American Lourdes Volunteers by fulfilling the usual norms and conditions between July 16, 2013 thru July 15, 2020. APOSTOLICA Jesus Christ lovingly sacrificed Himself for the salvation of humanity. Through Baptism, we are freed from the Original Sin of disobedience inherited from Adam and Eve. With our gift of free will we can choose to sin, personally separating ourselves from God. Although we can be completely forgiven, temporal (temporary) consequences of sin remain. Indulgences are special graces that can rid us of temporal punishment. What is a plenary indulgence? “An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment Our Lady of Lourdes Hospitality North American Volunteers due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven.” (CCC 1471) There Public Association of the Christian Faithful and First Hospitality of the Americas are two types of indulgences: plenary and partial. A plenary indulgence www.LourdesVolunteers.org [email protected] removes all of the temporal punishment due to sin; a partial indulgence (315) 476-0026 FAX (419) 730-4540 removes some but not all of the temporal punishment. © 2017 V. 1-18 What is temporal punishment for sin? How can the Church give indulgences? Temporal punishment for sin is the sanctification from attachment to sin, The Church is able to grant indulgences by the purification to holiness needed for us to be able to enter Heaven.
    [Show full text]
  • The Theological Basis of Liturgical Devotion to Mary Re-Examined Arthur C
    Marian Studies Volume 19 Article 8 2-9-1968 The Theological Basis of Liturgical Devotion to Mary Re-Examined Arthur C. Cochrane Follow this and additional works at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_studies Part of the Catholic Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Cochrane, Arthur C. (1968) "The Theological Basis of Liturgical Devotion to Mary Re-Examined," Marian Studies: Vol. 19, Article 8, Pages 49-69. Available at: https://ecommons.udayton.edu/marian_studies/vol19/iss1/8 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Marian Library Publications at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Marian Studies by an authorized editor of eCommons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Cochrane: The Theological Basis of Liturgical Devotion to Mary Re-Examined THE THEOWGICAL BASIS OF LITURGICAL DEVOTION TO MARY RE-EXAMINED That from very early times there has existed, and still exists, a devotion to Mary in the liturgies of the Church in the East and the West is an undeniable fact of Church history which has been ably documented by two of the papers prepared for this convention of the Mariological Society of America.1 That mil­ lions of Christians consciously, deliberately, and joyfully vener­ ate and invoke the mother of the Lord in the public worship of God is an impressive fact that challenges the millions of other Christians to ask whether they may and should also share in such devotion to Mary. On the other hand, the fact that millions of Christians do not venerate and invoke the name of Mary in their Church services doubtless challenges the devotees of Mary to ask whether their devotion to her may and should be integral to their worship of the Triune God.
    [Show full text]
  • Covenantal, Christocentric and Christotelic Hermeneutics at Westminster Theological Seminary
    Covenantal, Christocentric and Christotelic Hermeneutics At Westminster Theological Seminary Following the historic lead of Westminster’s founding father, Dr. J. Gresham Machen, Westminster has stood unswervingly for the truth of the Bible. Machen longed for Westminster to produce “specialists in the Bible”. Thereafter, Westminster was blessed by our first President, Dr. Edmund C. Clowney, who taught his students to preach Christ from all the Bible, especially from the Old Testament. Westminster Seminary’s efforts have been consistent with the historical ministry of the people of God. Indeed, the interpretation of Holy Scripture has been the responsibility of the Church throughout the centuries. As the Reformed tradition emerged, it especially returned to biblical authority to reform the church. Christ was seen as the heart of the Bible, and the Apostolic word was nothing less than the Word of God: John 5:46–47. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? 1 Thess. 2:13. For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. The Westminster Confession I:4­5 explains it this way: 4. The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, and obeyed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man, or church; but wholly upon God (who is truth itself) the author thereof: and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.
    [Show full text]
  • Some Insights from John Wesley and ‘The People Called Methodists’
    DENOMINATIONAL IDENTITY IN A WORLD OF THEOLOGICAL INDIFFERENTISM: SOME INSIGHTS FROM JOHN WESLEY AND ‘THE PEOPLE CALLED METHODISTS’ David B. McEwan This article has been peer reviewed. This article examines the importance of denominational identity for the early Methodists and its implications for us today. John Wesley clearly believed God had raised up the Methodists to live and proclaim the message of scriptural holiness. The challenge of maintaining the ethos of the Methodist communities required close attention to those critical elements that shaped both their lives and their beliefs. Evidence is presented of Wesley’s commitment to focus on the ‘essentials’ that defined his movement, while leaving room for diversity on ‘non-essentials’ to allow for cooperation in mission between different Christian traditions. Having identified these critical elements in Wesley’s own day, the question is asked how this might be applied today, not only in a local church setting but also for those involved in theological education and ministerial formation. ____________________________________________________ Introduction In the last ten years or so there has been a spate of books, articles, and conferences expressing concern about evangelical identity and denominational identity. Recently the Assemblies of God raised questions about the current importance and practice of speaking in tongues within their movement. Many Reformed denominations are seeking to return to a more robust form of Calvinism and my own denomination (Church of the Nazarene) is concerned about the loss of our Wesleyan heritage, particularly the emphasis on holiness of heart and life. The focus of this paper is not to examine whether the current concerns are valid, nor is it to examine all the possible reasons for this loss of ‘identity.’ Instead, I want to look briefly at one particular concern highlighted by many denominational scholars and leaders— Aldersgate Papers, vol.
    [Show full text]
  • Amillennialism Reconsidered Beatrices
    Andrews University Seminary Studies, Vol. 43, No. 1,185-210. Copyright 0 2005 Andrews University Press. AMILLENNIALISM RECONSIDERED BEATRICES. NEALL Union College Lincoln, Nebraska Introduction G. K. Beale's latest commentary on Revelation and Kim Riddlebarger's new book A Casefor Ami~~ennialismhave renewed interest in the debate on the nature of the millennium.' Amillennialism has an illustrious history of support from Augustine, theologians of the Calvinistic and ~utheran confessions, and a long line of Reformed theologians such as Abraham Kuyper, Amin Vos, H. Ridderbos, A. A. Hoekema, and M. G. line? Amillennialists recognize that a straightforward reading of the text seems to show "the chronologicalp'ogression of Rev 19-20, the futurity of Satan's imprisonment,the physicality of 'the first resurrection' and the literalness of the one thousand years" (emphasis supplied).) However, they do not accept a chronologicalprogression of the events in these chapters, preferring instead to understand the events as recapitulatory. Their rejection of the natural reading of the text is driven by a hermeneutic of strong inaugurated eschatology4-the paradox that in the Apocalypse divine victory over the dragon and the reign of Christ and his church over this present evil world consist in participating with Christ in his sufferings and death? Inaugurated eschatology emphasizes Jesus' victory over the powers of evil at the cross. Since that monumental event, described so dramatically in Rev 12, Satan has been bound and the saints have been reigning (Rev 20). From the strong connection between the two chapters (see Table 1 below) they infer that Rev 20 recapitulates Rev 12.
    [Show full text]
  • Understanding Sanctification
    THEOLOGY & APPLICATION Understanding Sanctification anctification is the work of God within the believer by which we grow into the image of Jesus Christ and display the fruit of the Spirit. The imputed holiness of Christ becomes ours at the moment of our Sconversion. Now in our daily behavior, practical holiness is to be lived out. Models of Sanctification THE TEACHING OF CHRISTIAN PERFECTION John Wesley (1703–91) believed in a state of Christian perfection — a state subsequent to salvation. This teaching of Christian perfection is based on a second blessing being the key to holiness. This second work of God was described as “perfection,” “second blessing,” “holiness,” “perfect love,” or “entire sanctification.” This view is that through a second experience, followers of Jesus enter an upgraded quality of Christian living. Through this second blessing, we sense God’s love more vividly and our own love for God. The heart is cleansed from sin so that sin ceases to control the believer’s behavior. Full and genuine holiness of life (so it is claimed) comes after this second experience, this second work of grace. This “perfection” happens in a single instant when the believer is raised to the higher level of perfection. But this state of perfection can be lost. The believer then falls away and may be eternally lost. THE HOPE OF THE GOSPEL 117 Critique Christian perfection is not a biblical view of sanctification. This view confuses Christian maturity with Christian perfection. In sanctification, we grow in Christian maturity, but we never reach Christian perfection until that eternal day when we see Jesus Christ face to face.
    [Show full text]
  • The Canonical Sense of Scripture: Trinitarian Or Christocentric?
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Luther Seminary Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary Faculty Publications Faculty & Staff choS larship 2006 The aC nonical Sense of Scripture: Trinitarian or Christocentric? Alan G. Padgett Luther Seminary, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/faculty_articles Part of the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Padgett, Alan G., "The aC nonical Sense of Scripture: Trinitarian or Christocentric?" (2006). Faculty Publications. 75. http://digitalcommons.luthersem.edu/faculty_articles/75 Published Citation Padgett, Alan G. "The aC nonical Sense of Scripture: Trinitarian or Christocentric?," Dialog 45 (2006), 36-43. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty & Staff choS larship at Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Luther Seminary. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Canonical Sense of Scripture.doc Alan G. Padgett The Canonical Sense of Scripture: Trinitarian or Christocentric? Alan G. Padgett ABSTRACT: In this essay I develop a three-fold sense for Scripture today, as a "grammar" for evangelical theological hermeneutics. I explore in particular the canonical sense: the level of meaning of the biblical passage read in the light of the whole of Scripture, with Christ as the center and key. In dialogue with the Orthodox, I argue that such a christocentric approach must also be, finally, a Trinitarian one. Key words: Christocentric, Trinity, canonical sense, hermeneutics, Scripture.
    [Show full text]
  • Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Don Fanning Liberty University, [email protected]
    CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk Provided by Liberty University Digital Commons Liberty University DigitalCommons@Liberty University Trends and Issues in Missions Center for Global Ministries 2009 Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Don Fanning Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgm_missions Recommended Citation Fanning, Don, "Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements" (2009). Trends and Issues in Missions. Paper 7. http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgm_missions/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Center for Global Ministries at DigitalCommons@Liberty University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Trends and Issues in Missions by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Liberty University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Pentecostal/Charismatic Movements Page 1 Pentecostal Movement The first two hundred years (100-300 AD) The emphasis on the spiritual gifts was evident in the false movements of Gnosticism and in Montanism. The result of this false emphasis caused the Church to react critically against any who would seek to use the gifts. These groups emphasized the gift of prophecy, however, there is no documentation of any speaking in tongues. Montanus said that “after me there would be no more prophecy, but rather the end of the world” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol II, p. 418). Since his prophecy was not fulfilled, it is obvious that he was a false prophet (Deut . 18:20-22). Because of his stress on new revelations delivered through the medium of unknown utterances or tongues, he said that he was the Comforter, the title of the Holy Spirit (Eusebius, V, XIV).
    [Show full text]
  • The Emerging Church, Oprah Winfrey, and the Reshaping of American Consciousness: Implications for Seventh-Day Adventist Ecclesiology
    The Emerging Church, Oprah Winfrey, and the Reshaping of American Consciousness: Implications for Seventh-day Adventist Ecclesiology Olive J. Hemmings Washington Adventist University Traditional church has birthed a materialistic culture1 of competing claims to truth, and an essential dis- ease with/in the faith community. A deep sigh for something more rises above the noise of ecclesiological dogmas evident in the rush for books on spirituality - meditation, ego reduction, the nature of consciousness, and paranormal experience. While the emerging church phenomenon is a response to the spiritual vacuum, Oprah Winfrey, “the world’s most famous woman”2 and a confessing Christian steps forward on a huge media platform in emergent mode. With the aid of a diverse team of ministers – spiritual/social action leaders she sets out with the express goal to transform America (and the world). By drawing upon multiple religious traditions, social, scientific and cultural disciplines she functions as high priestess of the most pervasive form of the Emerging Church, and demonstrates the extent to which many people seek God beyond traditional church even if they are still part of it. This paper sketches the basic nature and reach of the emerging church. It discusses it in the context of its academic roots and calls attention to the way Oprah’s media platform enables its outreach by what I call the “Oprah Project”. It then briefly observes an antagonistic Seventh-day Adventist ecclesiological stance towards emergence in order to hint at a christocentric transformational ecclesiology that may render the “threat” of this emergent ecclesiology benign. What is the Emerging Church? The current emerging conversation began out of perceived gap between established church practice and Jesus’ own example and teachings about the kingdom of God, between the church and contemporary culture, and between church dogmatic structures and the shifting epistemology of the age.
    [Show full text]
  • The Doctrine of Sanctification
    The Doctrine of Sanctification by Charles Hodge Table of Contents Its Nature -- Is is a Supernatural Work -- Proof of its Supernatural Character -- All Holy Exercises referred to the Spirit as their Author -- We are taught to pray for Repentance, Faith, and other Graces -- Argument from the Believer's Union with Christ -- Argument from related Doctrines Wherein it consists -- Putting off the Old, and putting on the New Man -- Paul details his own Experience in Roman. vii. 7-25 -- What Romans vii. 7-25 teaches -- Galatians v. 16-26 -- Ephesians iv. 22-24 The Method of Sanctification -- The Soul is led to exercise Faith -- The Effect of Union with Christ -- The Inward Work of the Spirit -- God calls the Graces of his People into Exercise -- The Church and Sacraments as means of Grace -- The Kingly Office of Christ The Fruits of Sanctification, or Good Works -- Romish Doctrine on Good Works -- Works of Supererogation -- Precepts and Counsels -- The Sense in which the Fruits of the Spirit in Believers are called Good Necessity of Good Works -- Antinomianism -- Relation of Good Works to Reward -- Romish Doctrine -- Refutation of this Romish Doctrine -- Doctrine of the older Protestant Divines Perfectionism -- Protestant Doctrine -- Argument from the General Representations of Scripture -- Passages which describe the Conflict between the Flesh and the Spirit -- Argument from the Lord's Prayer -- Argument from the Experience of Christians Theories of Perfectionism Pelagian Theory -- Pelagian Theory -- The Romish Theory -- The Arminian Theory -- Oberlin Theory -- The Relation between these Theories of Perfection Endnotes § 1. Its Nature. SANCTIFICATION in the Westminster Catechism is said to be "the work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin and live unto righteousness." Agreeably to this definition, justification differs from sanctification, (1.) In that the former is a transient act, the latter a progressive work.
    [Show full text]
  • Lesslie Newbigin's Missionary Ecclesiology
    NNeewwbbiiggiinn..nneett OOOnnnllliiinnneee BBBiiibbbllliiiooogggrrraaappphhhyyy ‘As The Father Has Sent Me, I Am Sending You’: Lesslie Newbigin’s Missionary Ecclesiology 2002 Michael W. Goheen International Review of Mission 91, 362 (2002): 345-369. All material is reprinted with permission from the Newbigin family, the Newbigin Estate and the publisher. All material contained on the Newbigin.Net website, or on the accompanying CD, remains the property of the original author and/or publisher. All rights to this material are reserved. Materials are not to be distributed to other web locations for retrieval, published in other media, or mirrored at other sites without express written permission from the appropriate parties. The material can be used for private research purposes only. Introduction Ecclesiology has become the central organizing principle of 20th century theology. The Yale historian Jaroslav Pelikan states that “the doctrine of the church became, as it had never quite been before, the bearer of the whole Christian message for the twentieth century, as well as the recapitulation of the entire doctrinal tradition from preceding centuries.”1 Many factors have contributed to this renewed interest in ecclesiology but perhaps none is so important as the new missionary situation in which European and North American churches find themselves. Jurgen Moltmann believes that “today one of the strongest impulses towards the renewal of the theological concept of the church comes from the theology of mission.”2 According to Moltmann Western ecclesiologies were formulated in the context of a Christianized culture. European churches were established churches that lacked a missionary self-understanding because they found their identity as part of a larger complex called the Christian West.
    [Show full text]