In his summary of the Finnish Lutheran school of thought that tries to read the theology of Luther et al in light of theosis and, with it, an emphasis on justification being transformative, not declarative merely, James M. Henderson wrote:
Reformed theologians
strongly assert that the “declaration of justification itself does not have a
transformative power” (Strobel, “By Word and Spirit, 58) . . . For [Veli-Matti]
Kärkkäinen, this is no justification at all, since “the indwelling of God is
not that righteousness through faith by which we are declared righteous. The
indwelling of God, rather, follows the antecedent justification by faith. This
means that God is not really present in the Christian when declaring her
righteous through faith for Christ’s sake” (Kärkkäinen, One with God, 56)
. . . Kärkkäinen stresses both Eastern Orthodox and Pentecostal thought “emphasize
that to be a Christian is to experience Christ and his Holy Spirit, not only at
conversion but throughout one’s Christian life” (Kärkkäinen, One with God,
110). A forensic view of justification is not adequate for this because, “like
the Orthodox, Wesley and Pentecostals are deeply concerned with what happens in
the Chrisitan, and not just what happens for the Christian” (Kärkkäinen, One
with God, 111. Kärkkäinen here thinks primarily of Pentecostals who embrace
a Wesleyan-Holiness theology) . . . For these thinkers, justification requires
active human participation and effort. Justification cannot be a fiat
pronounced from just one side. Justification takes work as one grows in
Christlikeness, as one participates in the life of Christ and is transformed in
a synergistic effort. “Justification as a relational dynamic is thus
essentially transformative” (Kärkkäinen, Spirit and Salvation, 70,
emphasis mine. See also 50-55) . . . [Kärkkäinen] cites Pannenberg in arguing
that Jesus’ words of forgiveness, found in Mark 2:5 and Luke 7:48, demonstrate
the claim of God’s righteous demand (that we live according to his righteous
rule) and the pronouncement of forgiveness (Kärkkäinen, Spirit and Salvation,
333). (James M. Henderson, “Justification and Transformation as a Better Model
Than Theōsis,” in Mark J. Cartledge and Mark A. Jumper, eds., The
Holy Spirit and the Reformation Legacy [Eugene, Oreg.: Pickwick Publications,
2020], 227-47, here, pp. 229, 230-31, 232)
Further Reading
Response to a Recent Attempt to Defend Imputed Righteousness --cf. λογιζομαι in texts contemporary with the New Testament:
Does LDS Theology Confuse the Relationship Between Justification and Sanctification?
