Wednesday, December 23, 2015

Two Kinds of Righteousness



  1. Vertical, Imputed, Passive Righteousness established by and receive from God during justification [Romans 3:10-11; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30].
    • Relationship before God to which we can't contribute (Coram Deo).
  2. Horizontal, Incipient, Active Righteousness of Sanctification (Informed by the 3rd use of the law) [Galatians 5:22-24, 2 Thessalonians 3:10, Ephesians 5:21-33]
    • Relationship with people and the world, which can contribute to through our vocations. (Coram Mundo).
"It is also correctly said that believers who in Christ through faith have been justified, have in this life first the imputed righteousness of faith, and then also the incipient righteousness of the new obedience or of good works.... But these two must not be mingled with one another or be both injected at the same time into the article of justification by faith before God. For since this incipient righteousness or renewal in us is incomplete and impure in this life because of the flesh, the person cannot stand with and by it [on the ground of this righteousness] before God's tribunal, but before God's tribunal only the righteousness of the obedience, suffering, and death of Christ, which is imputed to faith, can stand, so that only for the sake of this obedience is the person (even after his renewal, when he has already many good works and lives the best [upright and blameless] life) pleasing and acceptable to God, and is received into adoption and heirship of eternal life" (FC SD III.32).

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