No such thing if we are going to get technical.
I realize we can say in a vague and real way that “faith justifies” and “only faith justifies,” just like James can say “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” and refer to Elijah and the three-year drought.
Did Elijah stop the rain or did God?
And so it is with faith. “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” God is the one who performs the act of justification. Our faith is not in it. To talk about “faith in the act of justification” is a fundamental category mistake if one is trying to be precise. Faith is on the other side of the creator/creature divide; and only our Creator can justify sinful creatures.
So talking about the nature of this faith as to how little obedience is involved in it or whatever, is all completely beside the point. No amount of obedience in faith is enough for it to do what only God can do. And no amount of passivity is enough either. Man is impotent to justify himself, win God’s favor, or forgive his own sins. God justifies sinners, freely bestows his favor, and forgives their sins through Jesus Christ.
God does it. Not faith.
All this stuff is crazy. There seriously needs to be a public debate between Dr. Clark and someone from FV side (Rev Wilson?). The method that is being used now is just unfruitful, that is, every morning I see a new post by Dr. Clark condemning FV people and then when people confront him, he tells them to read the new WSC book or answers with quick “slogans” (faith is just the instrument and works is the fruit..etc)…and then the cycle repeats itself the next day. Maybe we should start a petition for a public debate, so Dr. Clark will be more accountable for his actions, instead of the current “hit and run” technique he uses now.
Blessings,
Dan
Wow. I have the book. That’s called leaning on a really thin reed.
But a debate won’t help. Definitive court action silencing false accusations would he nice. What we really need are NAPARC guidelines about how to deal with disagreements that aren’t judicial process.
And even judicial process is being reinvented in the PCA….
Sorry, there’s not much that will help….
Great post, Mark. This needs to be said more.