Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Why is Denying Justification such a Serious Error?


The doctrine of justification by faith alone on the ground of Christ’s imputed righteousness remains under direct attack in various quarters. As someone who wrote his PhD dissertation on the doctrines of justification in Richard Baxter and Benjamin Keach, I am convinced that modifying the biblical doctrine is a serious theological error. As a pastor of a local church, I have observed how the doctrine of justification humbles the proud, strengthens the fainthearted, gives assurance to the fearful, encourages vulnerable and motivates self-sacrificing love. To deny this doctrine is to deny the very heart and power of the gospel. May the Lord bring theological clarity on this doctrine for the sake of His own glory and for the good of His beloved bride. Keep reading
While the Anglican Church in North America's College of Bishops has not issued a statement  denying justification outright, it has endorsed a number of doctrinal statements that countenance beliefs and liturgical practices, which are cumulatively a denial of justification. It has not issued a statement affirming justification in no uncertain terms. As I have pointed out elsewhere, the fundamental declarations of the Anglican Church in North America equivocate in their acceptance of the authority of historic Anglicanism' confession of faith--the Articles of Religion of 1571. The ACNA's fundamental declarations contain no reference to the Book of Homilies, which is a major Anglican formulary. 
Photo credit: Pixabay, public domain 

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